What do you do when you have a bad day?

blackcows15

I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks now and I must say it's been really easy for me. I think I have probably already lost close to 10 pounds. I gave up soda which was easy, I gave up sweets which was also easy, and MFP has helped me to give up snacking. With that said I don't know that I want to give up some high calorie days once in a while. Yesterday we went to a beerfest with some friends, I had lots of beer and then went to Old Chicago and had a big meal. It was hard to estimate the beer calories because we were doing lots of 2oz samples but I would say I was at about 3300 to 3500 calories yesterday and my goal is 2000. I certainly don't feel like a fell of the wagon, I was up early and hit the treadmill just like I do everyday but I had a bad day. I'm going to continue to have those days a few times a month but 95% of the time I am going to stick with it. So when you have those high calorie days do you try and fix it the next day by eating in a serious deficit or do you just move on?

brew_city

i allow myself one 'lazy day' every couple weeks and after that, I just move on like normal. It's great that you've lost that amount! We all work hard at this and deserve a break every so often! Glad you had fun (:

trackmyday1973

We all have bad days.

What raises a red flag is you say a lot of "I gave up this and I gave up that"

That's a sign of future "bad days"

I would just plan for these "I gave up foods" when you want them into your daily calories....to avoid or lessen as much as possible any future "bad days"

Remember, this is a permanent lifestlye change. And restricting things often does not lead to success.

Food is not the enemy....everything in moderation.

bubblygoldfish

I give myself a free pass on specific days. Then i leave it alone. i don't go super low the next day or anything. I think of it as a vacation. I try to keep it to one day a month, and i save it for special outings where there will be high-calorie items and a social pressure to consume.

As long as you stick to your goal the far majority of the time, you are doing excellent! Don't sweat it. This isn't a diet, it is lifestyle. And in my life, there are holidays..... i love cookies on holidays!!!

TheEffort

We all have those days.

In my opinion, if it happens within the week then you can adjust your calories the following days to keep your weekly total at a deficit. If it happens at the end of your week then just count it and move on.

rileyhall00

It's not a bad thing to peak your intake here and there. It keeps the body getting used to things and slowing down.

I've been in the same spot and what i did, for example, went over by 1000cal, I worked out 4x that week and each session did an extra 250cal workout. It will balance out and not feel as bad

AstroRocket

In my opinion there is no sin in having a treat once in a while So don't feel guilty.
I had a huge Indian takeaway at the beginning of the week, I must of gone over by 800 or more calories (my goal is 1200, ouch). I didn't do an extra work out or eat less the next day, I just carried on like normal, I lost 0.6kgs this week. I really enjoy food, I haven't actually cut out any sugars or anything I just don't eat as much as I normally would and go swimming.

_EndGame_

For a 2lb a week loss, you need a weekly calorie deficit of 7000 calories.

So you went over yesterday - that's not really that big of a deal. You can have a lower calorie day today, or put more exercise in to counter the high calorie day you had yesterday.

The fact you went over yesterday, got up today, jumped on the treadmill and went about your business proves you're in the right mindset for the weight loss. Some people go over once, then they dismiss their whole diet because of one bad day - you didn't do that, that's an achievement in itself.

Keep on doing what you're doing, and don't worry about going over once in a while. You didn't get overweight by eating 1 meal over your calories.

Good luck!

deborahr59

I;ve had lots of bad days but you just have to start again the following day. having lots of friends helps you keep going. They can help encourage you to reach your goal. Good luck

CaffeinatedConfectionist

Suck it up and move on! That's the exact position I'm in today - yesterday I had a friend over, we started drinking and things went downhill from there (it didn't help that he brought over homemade chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, which are now gone). I'm not even going to try to log everything I ate, because honestly, I don't remember it all :laugh: But I had a good time and I had a chance to unwind from some work stress. I did a little extra cardio today, and I'm still too full for breakfast, but aside from that, I'm not doing anything. One bad day doesn't make or break anything, unless you let it.

superspork2

I just move on. To me it doesn't seem helpful to starve yourself the next day or workout like a crazy person to make up for something you did yesterday because then you might end up hurting yourself and I always feel terrible. One bad day wont undo months of my progress and I'm not going to put myself out for something that I deserve. Ive also sometimes heard my friends say like "oh I had a terrible lunch, I ate whole pizza, guess my whole day is ruined." and then have a terrible dinner, big dessert, lots of beer and not work out because they think that with that one lunch their whole day is shot. I try not to think that way. I just feel its a slippery slope if I let one bad thing ruin my routine.

sukiwabi

i enjoy, then lightly flog myself and move on.

otoh, i don't "allow" myself a lot of days where just anything goes...if i do, it becomes a habit and i'm right back where i've started. i'm at that tipping point right now where i don't want to go back to where i was and have developed healthier habits - i'm actually pretty turned off by excess and really enjoy those little tastes (because i no longer have the palate for it, not because i am disciplined or 'depriving' myself) of what was once a regular occurrence.

JamieH1984

I log it and move on. Tomorrow is a new day and I just make a concentrated effort to eat my alotted calories plus some of my exercise calories (just to make sure I'm staying properly fueled). An off day every now and then isn't the end of the world. Pick yourself up dust yourself off and carry on.

DancingMoosie

I have fun on the "bad" day, then get up early the net day to work out:)

floop1207

i ate too much on friday and all day saturday i felt bleuuurgh and WANTED to drink lots of water and eat fruit and fresh salads. i think i'm adapting to my healthier way of eating. if i do eat more than i need to, i remember that tomorrow is a new day.

ChristinaR720

1. Eat/Drink it.
2. Enjoy it.
3. Log it.
4. Amp up the calorie burn for the day, if needed.
5. Move on.

glin23

Move on. Life has it's challenges. It's normal. You'll have good days and bad, even after joining MFP.

eksero2k

Forget about it, and go back to the normal routines the next day

gracetillman

It is called living -- you need to realize that there are going to be days where you have more than normal and that is ok. So long as those days are the exception and not the rule it won't hurt in the long run. Just do what you know you need to do the next day. It is when a bad day turns into a bad week that a problem starts.

ang159

one day of unhealthy eating doesn't make you fat, just as one day of healthy eating doesn't make you thin. it's a lifestyle change, everything in moderation.
my best advice-be kind to yourself!

Sashoi

I don't consider them bad days n u are entitled to have a cheat day if u wanna call it that or a rest day. no one can be successful restricting everything for the rest of their life. Just long as u don't make one day turn into 2 days or weeks or months. You will be fine.

tigersword

We all have bad days.

What raises a red flag is you say a lot of "I gave up this and I gave up that"

That's a sign of future "bad days"

I would just plan for these "I gave up foods" when you want them into your daily calories....to avoid or lessen as much as possible any future "bad days"

Remember, this is a permanent lifestlye change. And restricting things often does not lead to success.

Food is not the enemy....everything in moderation.

This.

fizzfizz

the body doesn't have a stopwatch that it checks at the end of every day .. averaging your MFP goal calories over a full week is pretty sensible as is upping the exercise too if you're eating a lot of rich foods .. provided you still come out at the end of the week on track overall then bouncing around in terms of daily calorie intake is fine, in fact it's meant to help the body not get too 'used' to a daily smaller portion and adjust to it - well done for enjoying your food that day and taking control the next

lenoresaari

It aint easy just bounce back when you can. I have been getting steroid injections and oWOW what an appetite stimulant. Needless to say it is wearing off a little and I can quit this demanding appetite!!

NewGoalsInMind

I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks now and I must say it's been really easy for me. I think I have probably already lost close to 10 pounds. I gave up soda which was easy, I gave up sweets which was also easy, and MFP has helped me to give up snacking. With that said I don't know that I want to give up some high calorie days once in a while. Yesterday we went to a beerfest with some friends, I had lots of beer and then went to Old Chicago and had a big meal. It was hard to estimate the beer calories because we were doing lots of 2oz samples but I would say I was at about 3300 to 3500 calories yesterday and my goal is 2000. I certainly don't feel like a fell of the wagon, I was up early and hit the treadmill just like I do everyday but I had a bad day. I'm going to continue to have those days a few times a month but 95% of the time I am going to stick with it. So when you have those high calorie days do you try and fix it the next day by eating in a serious deficit or do you just move on?

One bad day did not pile up the pounds and it certainly won't ruin what you have accomplished. I try to learn from my bad days and move forward the next day. I do give myself a cheat day almost once week (not that I go totally crazy, I just eat foods that I no longer eat so much (pizza)). Goodluck on this journey!! : )

toofatnomore

I usually weep in a corner somewhere...
<grin>

One thing I DON'T do is hit the scale for a few days...Just get back in the saddle and boil some chicken...lol

toofatnomore

Awe man do I miss pizza.

blackcows15

We all have bad days.

What raises a red flag is you say a lot of "I gave up this and I gave up that"

That's a sign of future "bad days"

I would just plan for these "I gave up foods" when you want them into your daily calories....to avoid or lessen as much as possible any future "bad days"

Remember, this is a permanent lifestlye change. And restricting things often does not lead to success.

Food is not the enemy....everything in moderation.

I used to drink soda out of habit, it was something to keep me busy. I like tea and I don't mind water so I guess while I don't drink soda anymore I don't miss it so maybe I didn't really give it up I just don't drink it anymore. Same thing with sugar snacks, we have nutty bars, star crunch, all kinds of high calorie snacks in the house which I ate, don't know that I craved them but they were really easy to pick up and eat. Tear open the package and eat. I now make sure I have fruit ready to eat and also by logging foods it reminds me that I don't really want this, it's just a habit and I default to water.

I do understand what you are saying if I had to give up tacos, pizza, beer, etc than it would be a no go, I would fail. Now I am just smarter about how I eat those things.

HeinekenMan

the body doesn't have a stopwatch that it checks at the end of every day .. averaging your MFP goal calories over a full week is pretty sensible as is upping the exercise too if you're eating a lot of rich foods .. provided you still come out at the end of the week on track overall then bouncing around in terms of daily calorie intake is fine, in fact it's meant to help the body not get too 'used' to a daily smaller portion and adjust to it - well done for enjoying your food that day and taking control the next

This is precisely what I was going to say. I knew that I was going to an Independence Day event with gourmet food trucks. I ate 500 calories less than MFP's recommendation on July 3, and I ate 500 calories less than MFP's recommendation on July 5. That freed up 1,000 calories. I did the same when I knew I was going to have some cake on my daughter's birthday. It worked beautifully. Sometimes, though, you can't plan for those bad days. When that is the case, it may take you several days to recover. But you will recover. So don't sweat the occasional bump in the road. If you stress out over a bad day, it can snowball. Before long, we'll be wondering, "Where is that cool guy who likes his beer?"

SkinnyMsFitness

I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks now and I must say it's been really easy for me. I think I have probably already lost close to 10 pounds. I gave up soda which was easy, I gave up sweets which was also easy, and MFP has helped me to give up snacking. With that said I don't know that I want to give up some high calorie days once in a while. Yesterday we went to a beerfest with some friends, I had lots of beer and then went to Old Chicago and had a big meal. It was hard to estimate the beer calories because we were doing lots of 2oz samples but I would say I was at about 3300 to 3500 calories yesterday and my goal is 2000. I certainly don't feel like a fell of the wagon, I was up early and hit the treadmill just like I do everyday but I had a bad day. I'm going to continue to have those days a few times a month but 95% of the time I am going to stick with it. So when you have those high calorie days do you try and fix it the next day by eating in a serious deficit or do you just move on?

So great to hear MFP has made things easy!! Seeing the cals in some of these foods is an eyeopener...that's for sure!! I find that I eat what I want...no cal limits at all...most weekends and still lose most weeks when I behave during the weekdays.

I just move on. My weekends usually consist of 3000-4000 cal days. Then, come Monday, I typically go back to my MFP recommended 1200/day. You know what you have to do...and...just do it!!! That's the only way it'll get done. Once you're into this routine for a few more weeks...or a few months...it'll be easy.

Good luck!!!

RunningMatt77

This journey is hard and sometimes you will have a bad day, but the key is to get up and keep going forward. Eventually you won't have a bad day. Just stay positive and try to stay healthy