Counting Calories Even When I Fail

ilb6

So I always gave up when I was failing at a diet but I decided to keep counting my calories and tracking them so that I don’t give up...

Anyone else do this?

pink_mint

You mean still tallying up the calories after doing things like eating a sleeve of oreos? Or otherwise going way overboard with eating that day?

It is my goal to track calories no matter what. If I stay at my calorie goal or go way over. Part of my approach this time around is honesty with myself, even when that day or week doesn't look how I thought or hoped it would.

ilb6

Yeah even when I go overboard I’m tracking 😊

NovusDies

I always record something even if it ends up being my best guess. It helps me stay accountable and it helps me see when I go really overboard that it is worse in my imagination than it is once recorded.

bigblues11

I log the good, bad, and ugly! Keep it up!

psuLemon

Of course. This way you can reflect on where things could be improved from the past.


Like i always tell my wife and friends: Progress. Not perfection.

Lillymoo01

We all have days where we eat over our calorie allowance. This isn't a failure. This is life. Failure is when this results in you giving up because you have decided that it is all too hard and you won't succeed anyway. I have found that logging everything is the best way for me to stay on track as this honesty keeps me accountable. It also shows that a higher than average calorie day isn't really a big deal when it comes to weight loss. It only becomes a big deal if it happens too much. If it does happen too much it could be because your goal is too aggressive, your diet is too restrictive, or you are not eating enough of what you find most filling. For me, that is fibre rich foods and protein, but others find higher levels of fat does the trick.

NorthCascades

Yeah. It's a learning experience. It's easy to forget half of what you've eaten. Entering it into your diary can be eye opening. Also, you'll never know what patterns there are (that you might be able to harness) if you don't keep the data.

cheryldumais

Yup, that's a change I made this time and sometimes found it wasn't as bad as I thought. Keep going.

lgfrie

Yep, I've learned to do this too. Not just logging EVERYTHING, the good, bad, and ugly, but getting on the scale the next morning no matter the damage.

Accountability is a huge, huge step in the direction of staying on a diet even when things aren't going well.

Traditionally, when I stop getting on the scale and/or stop counting calories, that day is the official end of a diet, even if it only reveals itself as such down the road.

RelCanonical

Yes, most definitely. It really helps my mindset in multiple ways. One, it keeps up a habit that does help keep me on track, so it's easier to get back on track. Two, it shows me that often, what I think of as a "ton" is often barely 1/2 pound gained. Three, it shows me that one large day in a sea of deficit days means little in the long run, as I often still lose at the end of the month, I just lose a little less.

Strudders67

Apart from when I go on holiday, I log everything. But I look at my weekly average, each Monday, for the preceding week and often find my average wasn't as bad as I thought, even if I had a day or two with a lot of calories consumed. My week's average may not be at a deficit, but it's rarely above maintenance. If it is, it's a reminder that I should rein in the over-indulgences!

The odd treat, a meal that has way more calories than I thought, not going to the gym and therefore not having exercise calories to offset all the cake I had earlier in the day ... they're not daily occurrences and I don't consider them "failing at a diet" because I don't think of this as being on a diet. I'm just eating less than I did before - and I track what I eat / drink to make sure that's the case.

MidlifeCrisisFitness

Yep do it. Then get back on the horse. Don't over compensate or you will seesaw.