Are my weekend eating habits slowing my progress?

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Elafacwen
Elafacwen Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
F/23/5'8" 173lbs. Goal weight: 155lbs.

Between the days of Sunday and Thursday I eat around 1200 calories a day, and I work out approximately five hours in this time period. I do not eat back my exercise calories.

However, once Friday rolls around, my martial arts club goes to get pizza, then I usually find myself in the bars afterwards. Yesterday ended around the 2,000 calorie mark, but last week was over 3,000. Then Saturday rolls around and I find myself eating anywhere from 2,000-3,000 calories just by being with my friends and eating what they eat, or me slipping up and wanting something really good that I have been denying myself. By the time it's Sunday, I am kicking myself for slipping so badly for two days, and the viscous cycle starts again.

I really enjoy food, and I have severe self control issues when it comes to food. Today would have been a 1200 calorie day but I simply could not stop eating these damn caramel truffles that I allowed myself to buy. Now I'm sitting here thinking how I have wasted all my week's hard work just because I couldn't tell myself no.

How badly am I impinging upon my success with my weekend binges?

Replies

  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
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    Well.....what have your results been telling you?


    If you have to ask you probably know the answer.....
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Look at yourself in the mirror when you get out of the shower - he won't sugar coat the answer!
  • E_Brault
    E_Brault Posts: 362 Member
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    92 pounds lost is no joke. Congratulations. Years ago, my karate teacher (Sensei) would talk to us about the perils of smoking. Perhaps, if you discussed it with your Sensei, she or he, could begin instilling better eating habits and hence performance among your fellow students. Certainly, enlist the help of the black belts. It will be a process, but you will be changing the culture of the DoJo. I studied a Japanese style of Karate and everyone was interested in how to improve performance/endurance particularly if the tradition originated in Japan - the older - the better.

    I wish you continued success.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
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    At your height/weight/activity level, gross 1200 calories is a very aggressive deficit (I see your TDEE as something like 2325 at http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ ), so that's over 1000 calorie deficit a day, more than 2 pounds a week. Your higher weekend intake would be setting you back some but still leave you with a pretty large overall weekly deficit. Of course, actual results trump a theoretical TDEE value...how much weight are you losing per week?

    The important thing to do is to realize what you are doing and own it without guilt (some people plan to eat at maintenance or slightly above on the weekend and have a larger deficit during the week), or make sustainable changes to fix it (eat more during the week so you can fit in a reasonable amount of treats, don't buy food if you cannot control it, say things like "I am CHOOSING to eat this truffle and accept that it will set me back" instead of feeling like you cannot stop eating them).

    Good luck!!
  • sarahmichel101
    sarahmichel101 Posts: 158 Member
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    Do you think maybe if you allowed yourself small treats during the week (maybe let yourself eat 1300-1400 calories a day) you wouldn't go crazy on the weekends. What I have done previously has been exercise to eat. If I am going out I allow myself to eat what I have exercised for that day. Normal days I do not eat those calories. Weight loss would be slower, but would not stop. In the end a lb lost is 3500 calories burnt.

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