Did I totally screw it all up?

HakunaMatata137

Last week and this weekend, i went way over my calorie limit almost everyday. I drank a lot of alcohol and ate a lot of junk food. I’ve probably eaten close to 2500-3000 cals everyday last week. I worked out a lot, but that doesn’t negate what I ate.
This week, I feel soooo “blah.” I feel bloated, and it even just looks like I’ve gained a ton of weight. I haven’t even weighed myself.. I’m scared to... but my belly is bloated and it even looks like my legs and arms are bigger than before?! I feel heavy and sluggish. Did I just totally undo all the progress I’ve made?! I am feeling awful about myself. Do you think I totally screwed it up?

RelCanonical

Giving up is the only way you can screw up. Just get back to normal, it's a mere delay, an extra red light, if you may.

quiksylver296

Whether you did or whether you didn't, you can't change it now.

Start fresh. Right now.

seska422

Whether you did or didn't, all you can do now is move forward.

Use this as a learning experience. What would you differently next time?

puffbrat

No, I don't think you screwed up. I think you did what most of us have done which is get off track briefly and eat like you used to. The great news is that most of that bloated feeling and weight gain which may exist are from water retention and will go away within a few days of eating back on plan. Just get back on track and move forward.

LyndaBSS

Right now, this very moment, is your opportunity to start correcting those mistakes.

Soccermavrick

We all fall down from time to time. Write down how you feel today, figure out why you fell off the horse, then get yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. You only fail if you quit. Even though swimsuit season is here, the reality is life is not a sprint, a healthy lifestyle is a life long process. Some of us are better at this than others, but the fact that you are trying and recognize that you made a mistake puts you ahead of 70-75% of the other people out there. You got this. But a better tomorrow does NOT start tomorrow, it starts HERE and NOW. TODAY.

Lillymoo01

The only way you can totally screw up is to give up.

Learn where you went wrong and then make plans so that is less likely to happen in the future. When those plans go wayside for whatever reason, simply because we are human, get back on that bike ASAP and continue down the path of weight loss.

dtmwed

I've done this for the last two weeks. I've gained 4 lbs, but the only thing I can do is get back on track, up my water to try and flush things out, and re-motivate myself! You can too!

Terytha

Nah. You're almost definitely retaining water, so give that a handful of days to go down, and if you drink lots of water that'll help you flush it faster.

Then just go on. Treat it like a bumpy patch in the road. It was rough when you hit it and somehow turned you around for a bit, but it's over, you're facing forward and the road just ahead is smooth like silk.

fatmonsters

HakunaMatata137 wrote: »

Last week and this weekend, i went way over my calorie limit almost everyday. I drank a lot of alcohol and ate a lot of junk food. I’ve probably eaten close to 2500-3000 cals everyday last week. I worked out a lot, but that doesn’t negate what I ate.
This week, I feel soooo “blah.” I feel bloated, and it even just looks like I’ve gained a ton of weight. I haven’t even weighed myself.. I’m scared to... but my belly is bloated and it even looks like my legs and arms are bigger than before?! I feel heavy and sluggish. Did I just totally undo all the progress I’ve made?! I am feeling awful about myself. Do you think I totally screwed it up?

This is exactly me. I was looking for some inspiration out of my funk and feeling self defeated for having eaten and drank so much the past week and gained a few pounds, and found your post. Let’s not give up! Just get back to doing what we know how to do... it’s a journey.

MikePTY

Not at all. It depends on your size and activity level, but if that calorie level is accurate, you at most, probably gained around a pound of fat. Obviously that's not ideal but you can reverse that by getting back on course. A lot of what you are feeling is probably related to water retention. The scale will look nasty for the next handful of days but if you are back on track that will go away quickly.

Just to give you an idea, I've gained as much as 5 pounds in 2 days from water retention, and then lost it all and a pound more 3-4 days later. So don't let how you are feeling and appearing at the moment dictate what you think of your progress.

We all have detours along the way. Nobody loses weight in a completely straight line or wins every battle. So focus not on the ones you have lost in the past, but the ones you will win in the future.

J72FIT

It happens. Dust yourself off and get back at it...

ducttapebowtie

The fact that you know you feel better when you eat differently means you can still get back on the wagon. You got this! You've only screwed it up if you give up.

spiriteagle99

Every day is a new start. Forget about the past week and move on.

Westieok

It’s over. You’ve learned that overeating makes you feel bad that’s an important lesson. Just get back on track, it’s a whole new day!

AnnPT77

Nah, you haven't undone all your progress. You're holding a bunch of water weight, might have regained a little fat, but likely not much.

You might find this thread fun:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope

Just get back on a healthier track, and you'll be fine. At most, spend a few minutes thinking about whether the overage was worth it to you in context, or not. If it was, shrug and go on. If it wasn't, think about what changes you could make to avoid a future repeat of the same scenario, and improve your plans and practices.

Guilt, or other forms of feeling bad about yourself, burn no extra calories whatsoever. They just feel yucky. Give them up. Food is not sin, and it requires no expiation. It's just food. You ate some. Meh, it'll be OK.

Danp

Think about it this way....

Imagine if you were driving to a destination and you accidentally took a wrong turn. How would you react? Would you:
a) think "Oops, that was a mistake" then start heading back towards your destination
or
b) think "I totally screwed it all up" and keep driving in the wrong direction?

jpapa96

I generally eat low carb. I recently took a three week vacation where I ate and drank just about anything I wanted. I recorded at least 20,000 steps a day, but when I returned, my weight was up ~15 pounds. I went back to my way of eating and 7 days later, I was two pounds under my starting weight. Water retention plays with the scale, and it is easy to get frustrated, but it will reverse course.

Brunette122

This is what I do when this happens...don't step on the scale just yet. Get back to eating right and drink lots of water. Chances are that you consumed lots of sodium if you feel bloated. Step back on the scale after a week of this detox. I feel that if you step on now, you will just get discouraged.

klovesd84

Nah, you didn’t screw it all up. My husband had a tonsillectomy five days ago so I’ve been cooking a lot of comfort foods and eating a lot of ice cream. To support him of course! Haha. I just weighed myself and it looks like I’m up 5 pounds. I’m sure it’s a lot of water weight. I decided to get back on track today. No biggie.