Moment of weakness

LesChewcifer

I have an issue with food addiction and binge eating. I have been doing well using CICO for over 120 days and have lost 49lbs. For Cinco de Mayo, we had tacos at work for lunch. I planned ahead with my calorie budget so I could partake. I had a good amount of tacos and was still good with my budget but wanted more after work and ended up getting more. I totally blew my budget on Tacos for the rest of the day and the next day. I was feeling some guilt and regret that I let myself do that. In the past, I would have said, “well I screwed up and I’m always going to be like this.” and then would continue to binge. I knew that wasn’t an option this time.

As I see it, I had two options. Go without food for the next day so I can get back on track, or ignore what happened and start over. I didn’t want to do either of those, I starve myself on one and I lose the accountability on the other.

I remembered, I could spread those calories out over a few days, not starve myself, and still have the accountability. So, the next few days, I will choose some lighter options to help stay in budget. I’m counting this as a pretty big victory in my mindset with food, how to cope with a vulnerable day, and stay on track.

AmyDahlTorres

Well done! It's not all or nothing, and we are human! I'm proud of you!

LesChewcifer

Thank you! @AmyDahlTorres
Not chasing perfection has been a game changer for me.

nutmegoreo

49 lbs over 4 months is pretty rapid loss, depending on how much you have to lose.

If you do the math on how much you were over calories versus what that is in weight, it likely isn't that much (x/3500). Personally, I would just go back to business as usual as of now, rather than reducing calories over the next few days. I'd be concerned that the lowered calories could lead to excess hunger, leading to a cycle of restriction and eating over.

All that being said, congratulations on evaluation options and not letting old patterns throw you off track. I've been there too. Recognizing that one higher calorie day does not break the work that's been done has made continuing so much easier. Plus, you have been accountable by taking ownership of it.

I plan 2 higher calorie days in each week. I still track, but these days I fit in all the things I want or a meal out. At the end of the day, I want to enjoy life and food. A little longer getting to goal is just fine.

AmyDahlTorres

[quote="nutmegoreo; A little longer getting to goal is just fine.
[/quote]

I love this thought process as long as you don't have a medical diagnosis incumbent on it's success. I'm planning for bacon for Mother's Day. Huge motivation for me with my newly diagnosed diabetes and (not newly diagnosed) high cholesterol.

nutmegoreo

AmyDahlTorres wrote: »

I love this thought process as long as you don't have a medical diagnosis incumbent on it's success. I'm planning for bacon for Mother's Day. Huge motivation for me with my newly diagnosed diabetes and (not newly diagnosed) high cholesterol.

I actually do have a new medical diagnosis that will be greatly improved through weight-loss. I also have a history of allowing a bad day to completely derail progress. For me, allowing some enjoyment along the way may extend the overall process by a month. If I'm already looking at 8-10 months, one more is not that big of a deal. Additionally, maintenance has been harder than losing. Those breaks along the way can allow for some maintenance practice. The important part is learning what will work for you. I hope you enjoy that Mother's Day bacon. It sounds great!

crazyhorse8

Congrats on figuring out what worked for you! We all have our ugly days...I've had plenty of mine falling of the horse. You can't just give up and think anything will change. Very proud of you and your efforts and it helps me to re-imagine what I need to change as well. Best wishes to you.

IAmTheGlue

Awesome job! You wouldn’t bust out your windshield if you got a flat tire, just fix the tire and keep going. I think thats a smart plan and some people do track their calories for the entire week.

GinLee61

This is a big victory, @LesChewcifer. Congratulations!

I think we've all had those days and probably always will, but our mindset in how we deal with them is critical.

My last one was about 6 weeks ago during one of my grandsons stayovers. We made chocolate chip cookies and I thought I could just have one and be fine. Nope.
I proceeded to eat 7 of them and then I moved on to a half a can of Pringles. I still can't figure out what the heck came over me but I'm happy to report I got right back on track the next day and still actually lost a small amount of weight that week.

tjayrat

Congratulations. A moment of weakness is a moment, not a life sentence. It's great to hear how you get this and it's cool that you shared it with the community. #respect

Kiwi2mfp

There is nothing wrong with one day of over indulging. The trick is to not allow that to become a habit. Please don't punish yourself for that day by reducing calories for days after. This might contribute to more of a negative feeling towards being human and having our days occasionally. Be gentle with yourself. I agree with the above statement of just go on in a business as usual fashion from this day out. Sometimes our bodies need a day of extra calories. This can actually help kick start your weight loss again. Our bodies are weird like that.

LesChewcifer

nutmegoreo wrote: »

49 lbs over 4 months is pretty rapid loss, depending on how much you have to lose.

If you do the math on how much you were over calories versus what that is in weight, it likely isn't that much (x/3500). Personally, I would just go back to business as usual as of now, rather than reducing calories over the next few days. I'd be concerned that the lowered calories could lead to excess hunger, leading to a cycle of restriction and eating over.

I do have a good amount of weight to loose. I’m currently at 2900 calories a day which is 500 under my approximate BMR. I only reduced each day by 200 and will be back to normal in a couple of days. To me this feels like a comfortable way to deal with the slip up and not stress about it, which could lead me to restrict and over eat. Thanks for your insight on this!😊

LesChewcifer

GinLee61 wrote: »

I still can't figure out what the heck came over me but I'm happy to report I got right back on track the next day and still actually lost a small amount of weight that week.

That’s how it was with the tacos for me. Good job on not letting that de-rail you.

LesChewcifer

IAmTheGlue wrote: »

You wouldn’t bust out your windshield if you got a flat tire, just fix the tire and keep going.

That’s a good way of putting it and made me laugh at the thought of someone doing that.🤣
Thank you!

jeanglouis1904

I absolutely love this post and the awareness and vulnerability that the writer showed. I need more courage to be just like that.

KarmaKamen

I love tacos too, so I've been making them at home to keep the calories down. If I worked at an office and tacos were around, I'd have a hard time resisting too. I think budgeting for them was a good idea, because it shows you are making a diligent effort towards healthy habits. One bad day, doesn't have to end things for sure, and you can always up your activity a bit too to balance things out. Some people even like to track calories by the week instead of the day.

mtupstairs

I have been down that road many times and I think you are taking EXACTLY the right approach. Keep yourself accountable, yet forgive yourself for a moment of weakness. You simply cannot go the rest of your life without having some weak moments and your approach will behoove your greatly once you reach the maintenance stage.

JoshIsRunning

49 pounds down in 4 months is awesome, so congratulations. Also, kudos on recognizing your moment of weakness and not allowing it to completely derail your goals. Health is a journey, just keep chugging along.

Sand_TIger

Sounds like you found a great solution for you! These things happen, they don't have to derail you. What you do MOST of the time has the biggest impact on your success. Occasional higher calorie days may even be good for you as long as you don't make a habit out of them. Even if you just go back on normal plan the next day, that's not a loss of accountability. Your accountability is where you realize you are going off track and then go back on plan. Starving yourself the next day is really self punishment which is a recipe for problems and cements unhealthy thought patterns, so I'm glad you didn't do that. :-) Although you were able to continue your deficit by spreading it out, just be careful you aren't slipping into self punishment mindset without realizing it. I've done that and that's why it's something you might want to think about.

Ultimately, great job!