When you're feeling a bit rough

shazland

How do you cope and not completely fall off the health and fitness wagon when you're feeling a bit rough and exhausted and all you want is beige food?

wunderkindking

I went into weight loss with the expectation that I would 'fail' sometimes - not be able to track, not have control over the food I'm eating, or just having a crappy day- so for me it's not a huge deal.

That said if I'm not having a bad *Day* but am having a couple I back it off to maintenance calories and eat all of those for a couple of weeks. Mostly my diet stays fairly 'healthy' but I absolutely have a day or two in there of 'eat the whole bag of chips' - balancing the calories in them by logging them across a few days, whether I eat them all in a few days or an hour. Basically, I hit pause on the whole thing. I won't keep losing but I also won't go backward.

Sometimes your mind and body just need a break (and it's good practice for maintaining which you're going to be doing forever)

hipari

Your life doesn’t go on pause while you lose weight, and your health doesn’t get paused because life happens. This is why you need to find balance. Is there a healthier comfort food option, or a healthier way of treating yourself that doesn’t include food? Then again, if you really want ”beige food” once in a while, it won’t kill you. It might slow you down a little bit, but slowing temporarily is not the same as quitting and reversing everything you’ve done.

SnifterPug

I eat the beige food and rest. What I don't do is gorge on the beige food until I am stuffed and then throw my hands in the air and admit defeat. I review the position again the following day and act as necessary. Which may be more rest and beige food if I am still feeling rough.

Hope you feel better soon.

shazland

Thanks for your replies! Some good and useful advice there. Sometimes you just need a plate of oven chips and some rest. I get alot of migraines and they always throw me off course.

sijomial

shazland wrote: »

Thanks for your replies! Some good and useful advice there. Sometimes you just need a plate of oven chips and some rest. I get alot of migraines and they always throw me off course.

I used to get a real salt craving (especially for cheese & onion crisps!) when recovering from a migraine and could sleep for England.

If you regard your health as the main goal and losing weight as just part of that then recovering from your migraine should take priority. Hope you find a way to reduce the frequency and severity of them, keep pestering your GP until you find a better way.

ChickenKillerPuppy

I would say the biggest thing is to try and get out of the "all or nothing" mindset (I know, easier said than done). Life is going to happen no matter what - you are going to get sick, have work emergencies, friends come in town, you may just have a really bad day, and no one can be perfect every day.

First, if you know how many calories you need to maintain your weight (which is really important info), you can switch to maintenance calories if you are going through a rough patch. Think how much better it would be to just not gain, even if you don't lose, when you are going through a tough time. That can give you a lot of wiggle room.

Second, if you do have a bad day or go over your calorie allowance, just get back on track the next day (which, see above, may mean just eating at maintenance calories so you can get through it). If it's a Thursday, don't tell yourself "I blew it, I guess I'll start again Monday and indulge all weekend." Just get back on plan the next day. And don't try to take a big deficit to make up for your indulgence. It's OK. Think big picture.

You have to remember this is a lifestyle change and that life is always going to throw curve balls at you. The test is not can you avoid pitfalls. You can't. The test is how do you react afterwards. Do not let perfect be the enemy of good. It has taken me so long to really understand this, and I am still working on it, but I believe it with all my heart.

Best of luck!

ExpressoLove11

shazland wrote: »

Thanks for your replies! Some good and useful advice there. Sometimes you just need a plate of oven chips and some rest. I get alot of migraines and they always throw me off course.

When I get a migraine I just give my brain whatever it demands - usually toast and chocolate because they really wear me out! I've been maintaining within the same 5lbs range for 18 months and the odd day over calories here and there hasn't affected that

shazland

Thanks for the replies and advice. How do you find out your maintenance calorie allowance?

sijomial

shazland wrote: »

Thanks for the replies and advice. How do you find out your maintenance calorie allowance?

If you have selected lose 1lb a week simply add 500 cals to the number displayed as your daily goal.

Or go to your goal set up and instead of lose x pounds a week select "maintain current weight" to get an estimate of your maintenance calories for a day with no exercise. That should be good enough for purpose.