I feel TERRIBLE about my cheat meal last night

jonkay85

Hi, everyone!

I am new to this community but have to say I've been a lurker for quite some time, haha : )

So I started my lifestyle change August 15th, 2013. I'd always been healthy/active but in January 2013 I just seemed to go WAY off course and stopped running and started eating EVERYTHING and gained 45 pounds in 6 months (I know, it's sick!).

But in August I said that was ENOUGH! So I started going back to my healthy lifestyle on August 15th, and today is October 31st, and I'm down about 31 pounds.

I still have 15 pounds to go for my goal, but last night I couldn't resist this crazy craving I had for pizza so I went out and ate 3 plain slices + a giant chocolate chip cookie (whatever you think a "giant" one is, consider it a little bit bigger, LOL!).

And now I feel so guilty. I feel like my body was in "weight loss" mode this whole time and I just kicked it out of it and now my weight loss will stop and I'll stay at this weight for a long time.

I hadn't had a cheat meal since September 10th, I've been eating VERY clean the rest of the time (no processed things, whole grains, veggies, some fruit, lean protein, etc.) and I do some form of cardio every single day for at least 35 minutes.

Do you think I messed up my regime or my weight loss efforts? I know I was WAY over my calories for yesterday but I had ran for 4 miles in the afternoon.... I don't know, I just feel so guilty! I don't want to be stuck at this weight, and I'm dreading that plateau that so many people seem to talk about.

Sorry about the long rant... I just feel like this is the only community I can get some support/advice because if I ask my friends or family they're just like "you've lost a ton of weight already, you deserve to cheat once in a while' and that's not what I want to hear until I get to my goal weight you know?

Ah!

TinyBriony

Hey - I think you will be okay. I tend to have a cheat meal a week, it helps me stay focussed! I don't go crazy but it is the one meal a week that I don't weight everything out and maybe have that garlic bread I wouldnt have had any other time! I have never found it to effect my weight loss, I mean yes of course I wouldn't have burned any calories that day, but I definitely haven't found it to cause a plateau. Congrats on the 31 pounds weight loss - amazing!

kittenful

I think you need to stop feeling guilty about a few pieces of pizza and a giant cookie. One meal isn't going to sabotage your efforts. I've been eating what I like (in moderation, of course!) and have yet to hit any dreaded plateau.

ChrisM8971

Its done so no point feeling terrible about it. Personally I do not think of this as a diet I am hoping to make it a healthy lifestyle change and currently it means losing weight (lord knows I need to) this will be followed by more exercising and maintaining weight.

It may or may not work out that way but I want to try.

My point is that if you wanted this food and you enjoyed this food then it was probably right to have the food. It was one day and is unlikely to ruin your weight loss and it is so obvious that you don't want to do it every day so look back and enjoy your pizza and cookie and today is a new day

mamadon

The truth is that one meal is not going to derail you. If anything does I think It would be the guilt! For a lot of us, it's the self defeating attitude afterwards that causes us to simply give up. Don't let it! One meal is truly no biggie!

AsellusReborn

One meal isn't going to destroy you or you would never have bounced back to where you are. And tbh I have heard of wayyyy worse meals...like...entire pizzas plus a 2L and breadsticks plus dessert :P

TheGymGypsy

Last night I ate 3000 calories worth of tortilla chips on top of a 1700 calorie day. Do I feel like crap about it? Yes. But there's nothing I can do about it now so it's back on track today.

bethanytowell

Get out of the "Cheat" mentality and realize that this is your life. In real life, you are going to go out and eat, sometimes overeat....And that OKAY! One high calorie meal wont make you fat just like one low calorie meal wont make you skinny. If you go out to eat and you splurge, enjoy it and move on with the next meal....

SoDamnHungry

If anything, it might have helped. Eating large amounts of food can possibly spike your metabolism. Many people suddenly see a jump in weight loss after a cheat meal. Even if it didn't help, it certainly didn't hurt.

Eating should be fun. I have a cheat day at least once a week, and it has never hindered me. You shouldn't feel bad about three pieces of pizza and a giant cookie, especially after you've been doing so well and staying on target. Food shouldn't necessarily be a reward, but feeling bad about eating an occasional big meal that doesn't fit in with your diet isn't the way to go about life. Enjoy the fact that you had an awesome meal and get back on track afterwards.

Food should not equal guilt. Once you get into that mindset, you'll be a lot happier.

JoRocka

One meal doesn't kick you out of "weight loss"

the general trend must be downward- not every day's numbers. You'll be fine.

I ate a whole homemade pizza myself on Tuesday night- and a beer.

I'm pretty sure if it weren't for my workout I would have been over by 1500 calories. It happens. It's life.

Move on- brush it off and start over. Beating yourself up doesn't make you feel any better (clearly) it doesn't change the fact you ate it... and it doesn't help you do better today. It just makes you feel sad and dejected.

So stop- be awesome- and kick butt today. easy peasy lemon squeezy.

JNettie73

I don't think you messed up your weight loss efforts. Log everything you ate and use it as a learning experience. You cannot change the past but can change the future. Put the one meal behind you and move on. You can obtain your goals if you set your mind to it. Stay positive, you can do this!

Domane1963

I had a bad day last week and over-ate. It wasn't the fact that I ate that I felt terrible about, it was the fact that I'd lost my determination and resolve and that scared me more than anything.... that I was back on the slippery slide of "no control" and would start to stuff and re-gain weight. Turns out it was just one duff day and the next day I was back strong and full of resolve so I feel a bit better now. What I do know is that the guilt from over-eating was FAR worse than the enjoyment of the food.... Lesson learned....

Only you can deal with the guilt. Rationally, I don't think it will make a huge difference to your weight loss, providing you don't make a regular habit of eating cr@p. The other thing to bear in mind is that from an evolution point of view, nature is making us crave carbs at the moment.... to make us big and fat for the "times of scarcity" over the winter. Nature doesn't know about KFC and McDonalds on every street corner.... lol

AmykinsCatfood

Sorry about the long rant... I just feel like this is the only community I can get some support/advice because if I ask my friends or family they're just like "you've lost a ton of weight already, you deserve to cheat once in a while' and that's not what I want to hear until I get to my goal weight you know?

I'm sorry but if you don't intend to allow yourself to have a treat until you reach your goal, then there is a good chance that once you reach goal and allow yourself the foods you've been craving you will gain the weight back by over doing it. The point of weight loss and doing it in a healthy way is to learn how to have your treats but still be in control of yourself and the knowledge of when to stop.

Think of it like an exercise in willpower. This one meal isn't going to screw you over- it just might help you to realize that it's ok to treat yourself once in awhile.

jonkay85

Thank you all so much for the responses! I really appreciate it... and reading each of them really put things into perspective.

Bethany I really like your "get out of the cheat mentality" tip... this is true! I mean, obviously I'm not going to NOT have pizza EVER again in my life, LOL! Thank you...

Thank you, all!!

Euroboss

Good work, Forum.

Exactly what everyone is saying. Forget it, remember this is a long distance race, not a sprint.

wild_wild_life

I feel like my body was in "weight loss" mode this whole time and I just kicked it out of it and now my weight loss will stop and I'll stay at this weight for a long time.

This is not true. In fact, eating at or over maintenance now and then is a good strategy to help avoid plateaus. Trust me, unless you suddenly start eating over maintenance on a regular basis, you will keep losing weight.

Food should not make you feel guilty. And saving your splurges for when you reach goal weight is a recipe for putting the weight back on.

This is a great time to practice the balancing act between being aware of what you eat and allowing yourself a treat now and then. Congrats on your success so far!

afat12

Hi, everyone!

I am new to this community but have to say I've been a lurker for quite some time, haha : )

So I started my lifestyle change August 15th, 2013. I'd always been healthy/active but in January 2013 I just seemed to go WAY off course and stopped running and started eating EVERYTHING and gained 45 pounds in 6 months (I know, it's sick!).

But in August I said that was ENOUGH! So I started going back to my healthy lifestyle on August 15th, and today is October 31st, and I'm down about 31 pounds.

I still have 15 pounds to go for my goal, but last night I couldn't resist this crazy craving I had for pizza so I went out and ate 3 plain slices + a giant chocolate chip cookie (whatever you think a "giant" one is, consider it a little bit bigger, LOL!).

And now I feel so guilty. I feel like my body was in "weight loss" mode this whole time and I just kicked it out of it and now my weight loss will stop and I'll stay at this weight for a long time.

I hadn't had a cheat meal since September 10th, I've been eating VERY clean the rest of the time (no processed things, whole grains, veggies, some fruit, lean protein, etc.) and I do some form of cardio every single day for at least 35 minutes.

Do you think I messed up my regime or my weight loss efforts? I know I was WAY over my calories for yesterday but I had ran for 4 miles in the afternoon.... I don't know, I just feel so guilty! I don't want to be stuck at this weight, and I'm dreading that plateau that so many people seem to talk about.

Sorry about the long rant... I just feel like this is the only community I can get some support/advice because if I ask my friends or family they're just like "you've lost a ton of weight already, you deserve to cheat once in a while' and that's not what I want to hear until I get to my goal weight you know?

Ah!

You are being way too hard on yourself. It is OK to treat yourself every now and then good luck!

mellenorris

You're fine! Your progress is fab, and one cheat meal won't kill you! Remember, 3500 calories per pound. That said, I totally understand your guilt. I too had a splurge last night.... and I seriously can't remember the one before it. It had been MONTHS. But someone brought potato chips into our household and left them there... ugh. Out of sight, out of mind.

I've found that the longer I'm at it, the longer time there is between these splurges. I mean, let's be real, pizza is SO GOOD. I've found baking it 100% from scratch at home can seriously cut on calories - no guilt! If you've got a bread machine, I can't recommend it enough.

Remember this guilt next time you want to over-indulge. Pick up where you left off. I don't know where it's from, but I've heard this around the weight loss world a lot recently; "Just because you drop your cell phone doesn't mean you stop, kick it around, and jump on it! You pick it up, dust it off, and buff it up. Your weight loss journey is the same."

bcattoes

Use the guilt as a tool to not to it again for a while. But know that it probably will happen again. Life is ful of occasions that cause us to overeat. As long as it's only once in a while, then it's not going to ruin your goals.

I realize that when you are focused on a goal, these slip-ups can seem like a failure, but it is only a failure if you let it distract from your goal. Let it go and continue with towards your goal.

MzNeecie

You seem like you are focused and stay the course more often than not so no i don't think this will derail your goals. in my opinion as long as that does not become the norm you will be fine. I am one of those people who also feel really guilty when I go to an unhealthy option but that is life you have to enjoy things from time to time. It makes what you do every day in the gym that much more worth it. I tend to plan my cheat so then i go overboard in the gym that morning so that i have enough calories to kill the guilt! Stay strong and you will be fine.

vjohn04

in my opinion...when you do an elimination type diet, you're more likely to have large binges. Why not consider allowing treats normally in your calorie allowance to that you won't be faced with cheat meals where you feel bad afterward?


oh and one meal doesn't ruin months of work....

food is food, don't demonize it.

jonkay85

You all are awesome, thank you sooooooooo much for taking the time to respond. I feel *SO* much better and each of you had such awesome/insightful things to say.

KANGOOJUMPS

that's it? u feel bad bout that?

mrsredcat

Everyone has to have a little fun sometime or what is the point? Life is not a rehearsal, its to be enjoyed, so be happy that you were able to afford and consume the food you did (lots of people in the world dont have enough to eat!), and resolve to get back on the wagon today.

Nicola0000

in my opinion...when you do an elimination type diet, you're more likely to have large binges. Why not consider allowing treats normally in your calorie allowance to that you won't be faced with cheat meals where you feel bad afterward?


oh and one meal doesn't ruin months of work....

food is food, don't demonize it.

This!!! I'm at goal weight, and I still have pizza at least once a week. Just work it into your calorie allowance. And if you're over one day, just balance it out the rest of the week. The more you obsess about it, the more your body won't do what you want it to! lol

akaMrsmojo

You will be fine, nothing wrong with cheat days. Don't stress about it.

sarahertzberger

It was a cheat meal, exactly that, if you make yourself feel bad about it, then you have defeated the purpose of the cheat meal, just eat healthily for the rest of the week, and then when you have next weeks cheat meal enjoy it fully and don't punish yourself, if you keep driving yourself crazy everytime you have a cheat meal, there is no point of having one, the point is to not make yourself go crazy with never getting things you probably shouldn't eat, but, you need to enjoy it or you'll just end up burning out anyway. So, just relax and enjoy your cheat meal

joconnor09

Get out of the "Cheat" mentality and realize that this is your life. In real life, you are going to go out and eat, sometimes overeat....And that OKAY! One high calorie meal wont make you fat just like one low calorie meal wont make you skinny. If you go out to eat and you splurge, enjoy it and move on with the next meal....

Exactly! This is your life. A lifestyle change means for the long run. And you can't go in with the mentality that you'll never overindulge, that you'll always eat perfectly, that you'll even control your cheat meals. Sometimes we eat more than we intended. Sometimes we eat food with way more calories than we thought. It's life. One "bad" meal (which isn't really bad, it's just more calories than you planned on eating) isn't going to make you gain 30 pounds, or even 1 pound. Anything you've done can be undone in the future- you've already seen evidence of that through your gain and loss. You'll be fine! Don't ever let what you eat make you feel so guilty that you then overcompensate for it. This is all about developing a *healthy* relationship with food, which means you don't beat yourself up over a meal. If you wanted it and you ate it, then good. Great! You had a nice, big meal after months of eating clean. You'll be just fine.

PJ_73

Mate, I had subway yesterday for lunch and in the evening went to the cinema and ate a regular sweet popcorn. I then went out for dinner and had chipotle chicken wings, enchiladas and rice, a mojito and a glass of house white. I probably ate more than my allocated calories but I don't feel terrible about this.

Why? Because I don't do it all of the time. Once in a while I like to treat myself and think I deserve to because the rest of the time I work hard, I eat as clean as I can and I eat at a calorie deficit.

Today I got up and trained, today I shall eat within my calorie goal and today and I shall smile at the memories of those lovely enchiladas and that cheeky mojito!!

You are doing great, continue as you are, enjoy your treats and keep working towards your goals.

alpine1994

Hey, and welcome!!

I have been in maintenance for 7 months now and I hate to tell you, but the effort doesn't stop when you reach you goal. To me, it seems like you are an all-or-nothing kind of person. You gained 45 lbs in 6 months, and then you lost almost all of that in 2.5 months. I have a feeling that this cycle will continue for a long time unless you can really change your mindset about food. The #1 purpose of food, as we all know, is to fuel our body. We want to strive to eat as healthy as we can and in caloric amounts that our bodies need. There are also other purposes of food though. There's Thanksgiving. There's birthday and wedding cakes. There's pot lucks at work. There's Sunday dinner with the family. Can you really go through your entire life without ever having a few slices of pizza? Or a huge cookie? Or a piece of cake at your friend's wedding? I can't!

Weight loss and dieting (long term) isn't all-or-nothing. It's a balance. You are clearly eating healthy and at a huge deficit, so one day of pizza and a cookie will not ruin anything. It is a small reminder that you are human, and that sometimes you just need some pizza and a cookie.

Try to find a little bit of balance. I understand wanting to reach your goals as fast as possible, but slow and steady really helps with breaking old habits and creating new ones, and also teaching yourself balance and that it's okay to cheat every now and then. If your cheat days become more frequent than your deficit days, you will probably plateau and maybe gain, but every now and then won't hurt at all.

Good luck!

jonkay85

Hey, and welcome!!

I have been in maintenance for 7 months now and I hate to tell you, but the effort doesn't stop when you reach you goal. To me, it seems like you are an all-or-nothing kind of person. You gained 45 lbs in 6 months, and then you lost almost all of that in 2.5 months. I have a feeling that this cycle will continue for a long time unless you can really change your mindset about food. The #1 purpose of food, as we all know, is to fuel our body. We want to strive to eat as healthy as we can and in caloric amounts that our bodies need. There are also other purposes of food though. There's Thanksgiving. There's birthday and wedding cakes. There's pot lucks at work. There's Sunday dinner with the family. Can you really go through your entire life without ever having a few slices of pizza? Or a huge cookie? Or a piece of cake at your friend's wedding? I can't!

Weight loss and dieting (long term) isn't all-or-nothing. It's a balance. You are clearly eating healthy and at a huge deficit, so one day of pizza and a cookie will not ruin anything. It is a small reminder that you are human, and that sometimes you just need some pizza and a cookie.

Try to find a little bit of balance. I understand wanting to reach your goals as fast as possible, but slow and steady really helps with breaking old habits and creating new ones, and also teaching yourself balance and that it's okay to cheat every now and then. If your cheat days become more frequent than your deficit days, you will probably plateau and maybe gain, but every now and then won't hurt at all.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your response! I appreciate it a lot and you made great points.

My thing is, this is all new to me. I never ever felt guilty about "cheat" meals or foods that were over my caloric limit. I just ate what I needed/wanted to, and moved on.

It wasn't until I gained these 45 pounds (I've never been this heavy my whole life) and tried to lose it that I started to have this fear about food.

I always ate what I wanted if I wanted it, in moderate circumstances, and never felt guilty, because I was always active and at a reasonable weight. So I all of a sudden developed this fear of food/weight gain in January when I gained all this weight LOL... so I think you're right, I have to revisit my past mind frame before the weight gain, where I was OK with balance and knowing that I wasn't going to go downhill because of a higher calorie-based meal.