Completely messed up this weekend

worriedafchick
worriedafchick Posts: 4 Member
in Motivation and Support
So I cheated instead of my one cheat day I had more than one. How do you guys bounce back and how do you prevent this in the future?

Replies

  • Fatty_Nuff
    Fatty_Nuff Posts: 273 Member
    Don't do cheat days.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i don't have cheat days. but on days i over eat, sometimes it fits in to my weekly cals, sometimes it doesn't, so either way, i just log it and move on.
  • brookielaw
    brookielaw Posts: 814 Member
    Move on. I didn't cheat this weekend, but I definitely ate more than I have been accustomed to, without the exercise that can sometimes help me balance out those bad says. Log it, learn from it, and do better in the future, honestly. There's no use in trying to erase a bad day, but you can make better choices from that point forward.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    log it and move on
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    First.. I don't call it a cheat.. but that's okay If you do. I lost all my weight eating one or two meals off a week, and I took three two-week vacations, and about 3 or 4 weekend trips a way where I ate off my plan and still lost all my weight .,.40 pounds last year.

    For me, it worked just fine.. and it kept me sane and on track.

    Just jump back on your plan.. what I find is taking one meal off is different from eating all day long off plan all weekend.
  • Mrsbunnyleon
    Mrsbunnyleon Posts: 31 Member
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  • Mrsbunnyleon
    Mrsbunnyleon Posts: 31 Member
    I did the same 2 weeks ago. And I did gain weight back. But I lost it as of day. With lots of cardio. You can do it. Remember you goals.
  • mhosner
    mhosner Posts: 264 Member
    Monday is my weigh in day because I feel like it's my honest heaviest weight all week. I am horrible on weekends. The past 3 weeks have been great all week and blow it all on weekend. Challenge is real.
  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
    Eh. I binged this weekend. I’m not proud of my choices but I’m not going to beat myself up either. Today, I just got back on track. No punishing myself with extra workouts or over restricting, just getting back to my regular routine.
  • mutantmoose
    mutantmoose Posts: 7 Member
    I did the same. I realized that the first step is to forgive myself, no point in feeling so bad about it that I end up eating my sadness and making the whole thing worse. You can do the same - so this weekend wasn't good, but you are doing things right the rest of the time. You can do this, and you will do well, and you will mess up again sometime, and that's okay, just hang in there and keep the path.
    And thanks for posting. It was good to know that I'm not the only one.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I log whatever I eat / drink and prepare my usual meal plan for the next day. I am now getting better with planning my days, include special meals in my meal plan and generally stay within my daily allotted calories.
  • 2Dozen
    2Dozen Posts: 66 Member
    Keep pushing
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,532 Member
    Give up the cheat mentality. Embrace the process. Think in terms of finding a plan that does two things. First a good plan results in weight loss. Second a good plan is one you can live with long term.

    The weight loss process is calculate your calorie number, plan a menu, try to hit your number, log the results in your food diary and problem solve or adjust as needed. A good plan is one you actually follow.

    Plan each day and each week. Try to anticipate potential problems or special situations. Its fine to plan higher calorie days so long as you have a net calorie deficit for the week.

    Most important- when you go over your number, and you will, log the results and try to do better next time. There are lots of ways to go over your number. Inadequate plans, loss of concentration, overwhelmed by family or or work, fatigue, misread or misunderstood menus even math mistakes.
    People make mistakes. You too. But if you keep working at the process it isn’t cheating. Weight loss is long term, it’s not possible to be mistake free. It’s how we learn. It’s why experience is the best teacher. Just keep trying.

    The process is more important than the numbers. Good luck.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    imxnianne wrote: »
    Workout harder the next day. I have to hold accountable for my actions :(
    That doesn’t sound very productive. Why punish yourself? Could set up more binge/restrict cycles.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Its that kind of thinking that led me to keep giving up on losing weight for years before I found this app. A few days eating more than we burn isn't a big deal, its what we do the majority of the time that matters.
    Log it, learn from it and move on.
  • stricklee11
    stricklee11 Posts: 218 Member
    I also cheated Friday and Saturday. Ate Zaxby's Friday evening and that was 1,300 calories right there (daily goal is 1,500) and went to a Taco Festival on Saturday.

    I just log it honestly and try to stay below MFP's goal for the following week.
  • Opalescent_Topaz
    Opalescent_Topaz Posts: 132 Member
    worriedafchick wrote: »
    So I cheated instead of my one cheat day I had more than one. How do you guys bounce back and how do you prevent this in the future?

    I just go back to eating my normal way, because eating in a healthy way is for life. It's inevitable that I'm going to "mess up" from time to time. I'm not going to dwell.

    I suppose I might also consider whether I have been restricting myself too much, which is what happened last time I went waaaay over my calorie goal. I adjusted from 1200 calories to 1380 and eating half my exercise calories. I also started planning for treats instead of whole cheat days. But different things work for different people.
  • mmultanen
    mmultanen Posts: 1,029 Member
    Every moment is an opportunity to start again. If the last moment, or few moments, or weekend didn't go exactly to plan right now, right this second is an opportunity to start again. The mind set of 'oh well since I had that cookie I've ruined everything so I may as well now have that ice cream and since I've had the ice cream there's no reason not to have more...etc' is what's dangerous. Sure, maybe I had the cookie but now I can make the choice to get right back on track. Every single moment is an opportunity to start fresh and if you can look at it as hey, right now I'm going to stop and get back to doing what makes me feel better and be healthier you've won.

  • sheloves89
    sheloves89 Posts: 88 Member
    A weekend isn't gonna break you. If it's every weekend from now until next spring, you'll have a problem. But one? Nah, no big deal. Log it, move on.


    If it is/becomes a habit, consider the following:
    What was it that you were craving? Is it something about your schedule that sets you up for this kind of scenario, or is it a mental trap?

    For example - I work 16 hour days every day, which keeps me busy enough that I'm not sitting there obsessing over what's in my refrigerator. Weekends can be more difficult, because I'm home, and there's the fridge... I used to not keep any snacks around, but that was setting myself up for failure, because instead of eating a quick snack to satisfy a craving, I'd end up eating a whole meal. I've also recently started aggressively tackling some hobbies, to help keep me active and distracted on the weekends. Win-win situation, because I'm learning new skills and not overeating. =]

    I've also gotten much better at listening to what my body wants instead of trying to force her to lie to me. Maybe this is something that could help you, too? If body wants a chocolate, body gets a chocolate. I find if I ignore these cravings, I'll end up eating things I think body should want, instead (eggs and toast? A salad? How about some tofu? Anything is better than chocolate!), and I end up way overeating, rolling my eyes at the number of calories I've consumed and then binging on chocolate, anyway. Way better to just give her what she wants the first time around.

    Sidenote to this - my partner (a doc) recently pointed out I really was not allowing myself enough fat in my diet. I added full-fat foods back in, and this has way cut down on cravings, for me! Don't be afraid of full-fat foods, just be aware that they are also high calorie.

    Are you setting a mental trap for yourself? Do you give yourself a "cheat day," so look forward to that day that you end up seriously over-indulging, and then justify the second day by saying "well it's just a weekend, and I already blew it yesterday, anyway...."? Cus if you do - girl, you are not the only one. But you need to break that mental trap. Either discipline your cheat days, or don't have them and work your rewards into your daily calorie budget for the rest of the week. I put my entire day's worth of meals in first thing in the morning (meal prepping is key!) so that I know, come 8 pm, I can "afford" that glass of wine or that beer or that half-side of fries in my calorie allotment for that day.
  • jdv8622
    jdv8622 Posts: 33 Member
    You'll be fine, just don't let it snowball to where it spills into your non cheat days, then you'll really have a problem. Keep at it😉
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,595 Member
    As far as bouncing back -- just don't quit! Maybe keep track of being on your healthy eating plan meal-by-meal, and if you fall off the wagon, make sure your next meal is on plan, and focus on building a new streak.

    As @88olds said, it's all about the process. Pay attention to what works for you. If you have to quit eating something because for you it's too hard to eat just one serving, that's fine. Some people can do moderation in anything, and if that's you, then that's great, too. Again, you are the person to watch and figure out your body and emotional wiring.

    I don't really do cheat days, and for myself, I don't love that language. I just plan for indulgences, and then am careful not to choose indulgences that for me trigger a desire to keep eating past the plan.

    Hang in there!
  • GoGetta52
    GoGetta52 Posts: 12 Member
    Log, move on & get back to it. I’m trying to work on this myself.

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