Over calories do you draw a line under it?

Mandy72CM

Three days in a row Iv been over my calorie entitlement. I can’t see how I would realistically recoup these calories back this week. I count 4000 calories over. Do you draw a line under it and move on or do you undereat the rest of the week and work out a bit more?

janejellyroll

4,000 calories? I'd write that off, try to learn what I could from it, and just get back on my plan. Undereating in an attempt to cut an additional 4,000 is just going to set you up for a undereating-then-overeating cycle.

cmriverside

I would not get into the restrict/binge cycle - that's a dangerous no-win game.

I've gone over by 4000 in a week MANY times. I still lost the weight, I've kept it off for 12 years, and I didn't develop an eating disorder!

It's not going to make any difference in the long run. At the worst, it set you back a few days in reaching a goal.

Life is going to continue to happen. Over-eating is a normal human thing. You're okay!

Lynatea

We all have bad days. Brush it off...tomorrow's a new day. Learn from it and move on. The self punishment does more harm than good, at least for me.

deannalfisher

It you are consistently going over maybe look at rate of loss - is it too agressive; consider tweaking macros - maybe more fiber/protein

corinasue1143

WHY did you overeat that much? You’ve been schooled. Keep going. Do better.

Duck_Puddle

Trying to “make up” 4000 means being really under for the rest of the week-which likely leads to an out of control binge-which leads to being really under (to “make up” for it) and repeat forever.

Just write it off. It’s a pound you’ll lose more slowly.

If it makes sense, look at factors that led to this. If it’s situational (eg you ate the only food available during quarantine and even the best choices were still over your goal/family party/holiday/vacation), then really just let it go and do your best.

If you’re trying to lose quickly and have a very small calorie allowance that you’re having trouble sticking with-maybe consider trying to lose more slowly and/or swap out some food types if you’re finding yourself feeling too hungry or deprived.

If you’ve tried to cut out every kind of joy in foods (eg no sugar/carbs/white foods/only eating “clean”/keto/paleo/whole 30/Dukan/cabbage soup/any other kind of super restrictive diet), consider If that’s the best plan. Losing weight and maintaining that loss means eating in a way you can sustain forever. It’s probably going to include some “treats” every now and then.

sashimimaniac

agree with the rest of the replies. you will not be doing yourself a favour trying to catch up with those 4k calories. take the time to analyse your eating habits. did they happen when you were bored, stressed or watching netflix? once you get to know yourself, you can adjust your habits and live a healthier lifestyle

yirara

What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.

Mandy72CM

yirara wrote: »

What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.

I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.

NovusDies

Mandy72CM wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.

I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.

Weight loss math doesn't work this way. Weight loss math is based on calories in vs calories out. Calories out includes all the energy you need to sustain your body, digest your food, normal everyday movement, and exercise. If you eat less than your total energy out you are in a calorie deficit. The only way to know if those 4000 calories are really over your calorie goal is to include the exercise value and have MFP set to the right non-exercise activity level.

When you went through the guided set-up what did you select for a weekly rate of loss?

cmriverside

Mandy72CM wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.

I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.

If you're not eating back exercise calories, there's your problem.

Start logging exercise. 1500 with only 14 pounds to lose sounds about right for a youngish sedentary person - but NOT if you're also exercising. Start eating 200-400 calories more on exercise days and your binging will likely be stopped.

That's the way Myfitnesspal is set up to work.

The other thing is - are you set to Sedentary? Do you truly just sit on the couch all day or do you have a house to run? Kids to take care? That's more like Lightly Active, which would bump up the calorie level.

I was pretty hungry in that last 15 pounds. I had a lot of days where I was over by 1000 calories - and I knew how to use a food scale and I knew my exercise calories after having lost 65 pounds. I over ate a lot of days during that last 15 pounds. The margins are very slim at that point.

Make sure your logging is as tight as possible. I used my food scale for every meal. I prepared 13 out of 14 meals per week myself, so I controlled the calories. I exercised five days a week consistently. It's a bit of a long-term commitment! And you know what? It doesn't stop in Maintenance. So make friends with The Process. It's going to be your new normal.