2 days of eating crap, gained 3 lbs. back

truetarot1988

I just spent the last 2 days eating what I pleased. I know, that was stupid. I started in mid January and only lost a few lbs. since. Frankly I've just had the worst 2 days ever. I feel like crap, knowing I spent all those days eating "pretty good" and miles and miles on the treadmill, only to gain too much of it back in 2 days. Honestly those crap foods I always loved (spaghetti, philly cheese steak) didn't even TASTE good, at all! I can't seem to give up soda, which I know would cut out a ton of calories. I'm wasting so much of myself by drinking the calories and having to have less food, then having to punish myself by getting on the treadmill. I never wanted to look at exercise that way, because once I'm on it, I truly feel GREAT about doing it. That being said, I have no intention of giving up on myself, by any means. I just need to step it up, do what I know I need to and that will be that. Just wanted to share this so if anyone else has done this, you will know you are not alone. Anyone considering "cheating" for a day or two, please think about this before blowing your calories. The food I have loved all my life actually made me FEEL (physically and emotionally) awful. It was NOT worth the "cheat".. It's really like hitting the lottery then losing the ticket. Please feel free to tell your stories of picking yourself back up and winning the battle. I could always use some motivation. Any advice is always welcome. And congrats to all of you sticking it out! You guys always inspire me!

meeulk

Unless you ate 3500 extra calories each day in addition to your BMR, it's probably just water weight... some of those foods are really high is sodium. I get discouraged, we all do... but jump back on board and you'll be losing again in no time!

HannahLynn91

I definitely know how you feel! I had a whole crap week like 2 weeks ago lol :ohwell:

You probably didn't gain 3 lbs back... I thought the same thing, but after a week, I was back down and even lost a pound so, 2 days in the long run isn't as bad as it makes you feel

Just don't give up and remember that these days will happen so don't feel bad about them

TripZeros

I'm guessing it's water weight... I did the same thing this week and made sure to not step on the scale! High sodium foods, or just overeating, tends to make me about 2-4 lbs heavier than usual. As soon as I go back to eating less, and I drink a ton of water, I'm back down to where I was! Don't feel bad this won't derail your progress!

truetarot1988

THAT I did not know! Thank you! That just gave me more hope than I had just a few minutes ago! Seriously, thanks for taking your time to post that. I am definitely jumping back on board! I've seen people say they average their calories for the week. My plan was to eat hardly nothing tomorrow.

EpsilonGamma

Like the poster above said, you need to eat an extra 3500 each of those days to get it all back and they are correct in saying it is probably the sodium content. It is also probably the carb intake, you not working out, so there is a lot of glycogen in your muscles at the moment.

As for cheat days. You shouldn't do it. It should be a cheat meal and not like ordering everything you can, but get something you enjoy eating that you don't normally fit in. Maybe its your grilled chicken, but you have a couple of scoops of ice cream, or instead of your grilled chicken, you going to get some fried chicken. (no dessert).

What I always tell people IRL is that you shouldn't cut out the things you love from your diet. Find a way to fit it in. Good Luck

Glakhmed

Don't starve yourself to make up for a few days of excess. I injured my knee recently after trying to incorporate some jogging into my time on the treadmill, got really mad (not upset, like pissed off mad), and gorged myself for a week, gained back every pound I had lost. We just have to get back on the bus and start the ride again. Remember why we're on this journey in the first place and keep moving forward.

dakotababy

Can you change the soda to diet so at least it is 0 calorie?

adrianarmas10

Don't worry, I spent all of November, December and three weeks of February doing no exercise and eating like three men. End result, I gained back about 9lbs. I drank a gallon of water a day and stepped up my daily activity and it was gone in two weeks. I'm now back on my routine and have lost 56lbs to date. It's taken me almost two years to go this far, you can do it too I'm sure.

easjer

Honey, take it easy on yourself. You are only human, after all, and this can be a learning experience. Treats, favorite foods, special occasions are ok. Binging, less so, but one or two days in the grand scheme is not the end of the world. And as others have said - it's not a re-gain in fat.

To give you some perspective - we almost never eat out anymore, because we spend more on groceries and healthy, whole foods and meal plan. But my sister was in town and we went out Monday, and then my mother wanted to take us out for my husband's birthday Tuesday. I pre-planned my meal choices, looked at nutritional information before we went, planned to fit the meals into my calorie allotment (with workout calories). I did pretty well - remained under my total calorie allocation. On Saturday, I weighed 312.8. On Wednesday morning, I weighed in at 318.8. That is a 6 lb 'gain' in four days. As of this morning, I was down 4 of those 6 lbs, and the rest will probably be gone tomorrow, plus some more.

Sodium and bloat are frequent culprits in temporary weight gain when you go from wholesome, healthy, nutritious foods to processed, rich foods. Keep on track, drink some extra water, stay low sodium and it will go away. If you want to do a little extra exercise, awesome, but don't punish yourself with exercise. It's a bad mindset and not sustainable for a fitness program. And don't undereat tomorrow - cut a bit, ok. But don't eat under your BMR, you'll only exacerbate the situation doing that.

Chin up - overall, you're doing better than before, right? Hang in there.

jofjltncb6

Unless you ate 10500 calories over TDEE in 2 days...(and likely even if you did)...you did *not* gain back 3 pounds of anything except temporary "water" weight.

valmaebel

all be honest....cheat days will happen. I don't call them cheat days, they're fun days. I have always enjoyed food...all kinds. I want this to be a lifestyle change where I improve my overall health. this means physical, mental, and emotional. I have not talked in front of my kids about my weight loss because I don't want that to be their focus. I talk about getting healthy. Having fun and enjoying myself is part of that. What isn't fun is using food as my source of satisfaction. Food will not sooth me when I'm sad, will not rejoice with me when I succeed...but I used to act like it did. But now it is just another thing I can enjoy in small amounts.
I will still enjoy ice cream, cookies, pizza, even fast food. I will not eat a dozen cookies, or an entire pizza just because I had a bad day. These were the choices and the balancing I have been slowly but surely arriving at.
I still wish I are more veggies. I still wish I didn't suddenly crave chips and salsa right before bed (yep...that's happening right now). But long story short, I refuse to give food power over me. I refuse to let it push me down if I eat something I'm not "supposed to" and I refuse to look to it as my source for comfort or joy.
Basically, you made some choices you regret. But it really isn't that awful. Each and every day is a new day, a chance to start over. Best of luck!

valmaebel

Honey, take it easy on yourself. You are only human, after all, and this can be a learning experience. Treats, favorite foods, special occasions are ok. Binging, less so, but one or two days in the grand scheme is not the end of the world. And as others have said - it's not a re-gain in fat.

To give you some perspective - we almost never eat out anymore, because we spend more on groceries and healthy, whole foods and meal plan. But my sister was in town and we went out Monday, and then my mother wanted to take us out for my husband's birthday Tuesday. I pre-planned my meal choices, looked at nutritional information before we went, planned to fit the meals into my calorie allotment (with workout calories). I did pretty well - remained under my total calorie allocation. On Saturday, I weighed 312.8. On Wednesday morning, I weighed in at 318.8. That is a 6 lb 'gain' in four days. As of this morning, I was down 4 of those 6 lbs, and the rest will probably be gone tomorrow, plus some more.

Sodium and bloat are frequent culprits in temporary weight gain when you go from wholesome, healthy, nutritious foods to processed, rich foods. Keep on track, drink some extra water, stay low sodium and it will go away. If you want to do a little extra exercise, awesome, but don't punish yourself with exercise. It's a bad mindset and not sustainable for a fitness program. And don't undereat tomorrow - cut a bit, ok. But don't eat under your BMR, you'll only exacerbate the situation doing that.

Chin up - overall, you're doing better than before, right? Hang in there.

I love this. You are brilliant!

truetarot1988

Thank you so much for all the replies. I am going to try diet soda, that never even crossed my mind. I never really checked out the calories in diet soda, I just figured soda was soda. I'm definitely glad I came here with this. You are so very right,(sorry, I can't remember who said this) but I did not eat 10500 calories (haha, thank God I didn't) and now I know this is just a temporary set back. The most obvious was oddly the one I never thought of, eating in moderation won't kill me (whole vs. a slice of pizza). I definitely do not have to devour everything in sight just because I'm having a bad day. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose tried to lose weight a zillion times, BUT I have found what is gonna work for me, which is all of you on mfp. Thanks so much for all the advice and encouragement. Without you guys, I'm sure I would have never lasted this long. Even though it's only been a couple months, this really is the longest I've stuck with it. I love learning all the ins and outs of weight loss and lifestyle changes. I'm sure this is what keeps me motivated the most. Thanks again everyone, ((big hugs))