? for those with amazing success stories...

_jayciemarie_

Please tell me that you had days where you almost went double over your calorie intake. This lifestyle has been easy for me to stick to, except special occassions are extremely difficult--ie birthdays, thanksgiving, christmas, weddings, etc. I go in with a gameplan and it all falls apart. I'm not as strong as I want to be. Just want to hear that you had your moments and pushed through. I kind of need a hug :frown:

prattiger65

My game plan is to not stress over "over" days. This isn't a diet for me, it's my life. I didn't get fat in a year, I won't get lean in a year. Keep doing what you are doing, it's working.

DUCKIEGYRL

My game plan is to stick yo things that work. If your diet is to rigid you will always cheat. Learn your body and what to put in it that works for you. All levels of metabolism is not the same. That is always what I tell my clients. But remember to try and always eat healthy as well. I hoped this helps. This is a hug from Ducyclegyrl.

jennyjcss

We all have our ups and downs. I was nearly discouraged when my weight wont bulge for a month , eventhough I had intensely training 5-6 times at gym n ate clean (but sometimes cheat too) We all feel you ...*hug*

cmeiron

Oh my gosh, yes. Birthdays and special holidays like Thanksgiving, I rarely log and enjoy every bite of as much as I want, guilt-free. In fact, sometimes I deliberately plan "no-logging" days where I probably go at LEAST double over. It didn't hurt my progress in the long run one bit. Did the scales go up the next day? Sure - water weight! Any time I have these indulgent days, I just get right back on track the day after - no extra exercise, no extra restriction of food, just back to business as usual. It's actually very liberating to know that you have the power to do this without "messing up" your overall goals (Heck, I'm almost 600 over goal today. My thoughts about it are basically "Cool, extra fuel for the hard workout I have planned for tomorrow, which will be epic and full of butt-kicking with all the extra energy."

TheLadyBane

*hugs* You can totally do this! There will be days when you are over your calorie target (sometimes way over) and days when you are under. In my opinion the key is to not be too hard on yourself and to jump right back on the healthy bandwagon:). I have lost about 130 lbs in the last year, going from 289 to 158. There have been days when I have been way over my calorie target, sometimes due to indulging on special occasions, sometimes because I am genuinely hungry after eating my calories for the day and NEED to eat more. Sometimes my weight will go up a smidge because of the extra calories or sodium but it comes right back off. Oddly sometimes I'll eat way over my target and still lose weight overnight, ha... go figure. I think of the changes I have made as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. Some days I'll eat more and that is okay, because my lifestyle (diet, exercise) is 1000 times better than it used to be.

Sarahnade42x

A special occasion won't hurt your longterm goals unless you get to the point where there's a 'special occasion' every other day. I had a really off day today (this whole week, to be honest) but I'm just going to get right back on track and keep going -- as long as I succeed in the long run, who cares if I slip up once or twice? Just smile, have a great workout the next day, move on. Hang in there :flowerforyou:

wheird

A special occasion won't hurt your longterm goals unless you get to the point where there's a 'special occasion' every other day. I had a really off day today (this whole week, to be honest) but I'm just going to get right back on track and keep going -- as long as I succeed in the long run, who cares if I slip up once or twice? Just smile, have a great workout the next day, move on. Hang in there :flowerforyou:

Yup. I've had a bad weekend and decided to say "eff it" to logging and just ate whatever I wanted. While it wasn't the best idea, it is finished and I won't stress about it because there is nothing I can do to change it. You always have to be looking forward.

acogg

Yes, you can make room for special days. I think they are good for us. In my opinion they need to be kept to one day or one meal here and there. Not the "holidays" which for some people (me) means eating at will between holidays and then one holiday stretches into the next. The only thing that changes is the color of the frosting on the cupcake. It is not even Christmas yet I was at Walmart today and they were stocking their seasonal aisle with Valentine things. One holiday to the next. :explode:

JourneyingJessica

I don't know if i qualify as amazing success story but thought I'd chime in.

Yes, birthdays, holidays & every Friday (Friday qualifies as special doesn't it?)

I sort of cycle my calories .. I know Fridays are going to be pizza or burgers or lobster Mac & cheese ... So Thursdays & often Saturdays i do lower calories maybe 800-900 or just recently I've started incorporating exercise.

Funny enough, i do 'official' weigh ins on Fridays however more often than not im down Monday mornings plus it makes it easier for me to make healthier choices during the week because i know Friday isn't far away.

I do eat back my exercise calories if I'm hungry. I figure as long as my caloric intake for the day is lower than maintenance, SCORE!

viglet

I am still in progress but hope to be a success story one day.

I have days where I go way over double my cals.

I just feel like that I am not the type of person that can live on 1200 cals daily. I work out and some days my body just NEEDS more calories and some days I just want to be a glutton so I live it up lol. Don't beat yourself up. Remember, it took you X amount of days to loose what you have already lost, you don't gain it back after one day of indulging! Just do better tomorrow!

pittdan77

When you go over or just say eff it, keep logging. Not to make you feel bad but to help you realize what you ate that wasn't so bad and what was really bad. A long term transformation is all about learning what to do and what not to do. Be honest too. Serves no purpose to lie to yourself.

Long story short, I had one of those nights at a wedding where I went totally overboard. Came home and logged everything and was shocked that I wasn't as far over as I thought I was. The dinner roll and cake were the killers. Another trick I use it to try to get a workout in. Even if it's just a short walk. A half hour of brisk walking is roughly a small piece of birthday cake for me.

Good luck. Just remember, it's a lifestyle change not a death sentence.

mamadon

When you have days that you go over, (and you will) the most important thing is to shake it off and move on. I have come to believe that it is perfectly ok to have an occasional odd day because a day once in a while does not hurt. What derails most of us is the self loathing that often comes after. This is what causes so many of us to give up. Life happens sometimes, and food is a part of it.