What's the best way to recover from a splurge???

503pdx

I've been doing pretty good with a steady calorie cut, some cardio (been really sick) and strength training. However, my husband and I did a Home Depot shopping trip last night and he stopped at Happy Panda. I hadn't eaten anything like that in a few months. I thought I did good with getting 1/2 mixed vegies and grilled chicken breast, just splurging with 1/2. But when I went to log it and looked it up on the website, it was almost 1,000 calories! I've been targeting around 1,200 for the day!!! Plus this was late and I went to bed feeling a little sick. What's the best way to combat those extra calories now, the next day? I know it was a ton of sodium. It put my whole day around 1,850 calories.

Also, what's the best way to determine BMR? I have been on sites that tell me anywhere from 1,400 calories to 2,400.

Thanks!

RhysJ13

I dunno, tissue maybe?


EDIT: Sorry wrong kind of splurge.

tayloryay

Just go back to your normal schedule/plan. Don't try and compensate. What's done is done, it's in the past. It was one meal, it's not going to hurt you.

Staniel_2013

Just keep doing your thing, don't worry about what happen. It may slow you down a little but it won't stop you if you stay on track for the future.

No need to look to far into it, this isn't a race.

Could always go the large amount of water and laxative route if you want to feel like your getting something out of your body but that doesn't make for a fun day.

Anonycatgirl

I can't answer the BMR question. As for the splurge, drink lots of water to flush the sodium, eat well going forward, (but don't eat less than usual, because 1200 is low as it is and less than that will be miserable) and try not to worry about it. One big meal won't do you much harm, and if you totaled 1850 calories, chances are you ate around your maintenance. Weighing yourself may hurt for a few days, but remember that's sodium and undigested food, not actual weight gain!

ppardee

Everybody talks about how many calories you should eat in a day because its simple. Your body doesn't care what you eat in a day. It cares what you eat in a week/month/year. If you splurged a little, forget about it. If you splurged a LOT (like 1000 calories), you can eat fewer calories for the next month by a little and catch up. A 1000 calorie splurge is about 30 calories a day over the course of a month or walk an extra few minutes per day. On the other hand, it's only about a quarter of a pound set back. Not a big deal as long as you don't repeat it.

amyx593

Just move on. Guessing that is probably somewhere close (give or take) to your maintenance anyway. Just drink a lot of water to help with the extra sodium.

amyx593

You beat me to it!

I can't answer the BMR question. As for the splurge, drink lots of water to flush the sodium, eat well going forward, (but don't eat less than usual, because 1200 is low as it is and less than that will be miserable) and try not to worry about it. One big meal won't do you much harm, and if you totaled 1850 calories, chances are you ate around your maintenance. Weighing yourself may hurt for a few days, but remember that's sodium and undigested food, not actual weight gain!

RHachicho

Splurges can actually be good for you. I remember once I went out with my dad had a hearty three course meal with a great red wine and bread and butter pudding for desert. I got on the scales in the morning to observe the devastation.

I had lost a pound.

I honestly couldn't stifle a small giggle. I don't suggest eating like that every day. But I think the occasional splurge every now and then is good for resetting your bodies metabolic weight loss brakes.

dlionsmane

To answer the first question... don't worry about it, what happened in the past is in the past. Don't let it derail you. Move on with your regularly scheduled program.....

As for BMR (here is the calculation)

665 + (9.6 x Weight in KG) + (1.8 x Height in CM) - (4.7 x age)

Edited to add the link you need to calculate TDEE.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/653038-how-to-calculate-your-tdee-made-simple

rainbowxelephant

Yup, a splurge day or meal is actually good for your body, especially when you're restricting your calories as low as 1200 a day. Calculate your TDEE rather than your BMR. After you get your TDEE subtract 300-500 calories a day depending on your goals and activity level. Say your TD is 2000. You would subtract 500 calories for a weight loss of 1 pound per week, so you'd want to eat about 1500 NET calories a day. That's the total of calories eaten subtract calories burned. So if you burned 350 calories at the gym, in total you'd take in about 1850 calories. Make sense?

mmm_drop

Just move forward. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. So don't dwell on it and return to your regularly scheduled program.

Broderick50

After I splurge the next day more than anything I do is get my 8 cups of water in. I've learned that there is a lot of sodium in the things we eat and that can make you retain water and your weight go up. So my strategy after these days is to consume at least 8 cups of water maybe more and make sure that I get my workout in. It doesn't have to be an extra effort workout just the normal thing that you would do on that day. For me that works good luck to you though.

mjspyt777

We all have splurge moments. The best way is to get back on track with your workouts and eating right.

MickeyCastello

Not many of us haven't done that. Just write it off as a cheat day ,and get back on the wagon like it never happened.

bookmaggot

Don't worry about it. It was a mistake and learning experience. Don't try to compensate for it today; just stick with your diet and exercise plan as normal. Think of it this way, you figure you overate by 650 calories yesterday. If every one of those 650 calories became body fat (which they won't), that's like three ounces. You wouldn't even notice it on the scale at the end of the week.

EDIT: Like everyone else has said, you might want to think about your nutrition goals generally because 1200 is a little low.

keshabbaker

It's not a big deal that's life sometimes things get in the way and we eat things unexpectedly. Your body probably wants to thank you for the extra calories because 1200 is low.

tayboo2

Green Tea cleanse. drink lots of water and green tea and forgive yourself for your mistake stress will only make it worse

mumblemagic

Regardless of its effect on your diet, a splurge of yummy food and wine every now and again is good for the soul. I find allowing myself off days and treats helps keep me motivated to be "good" the rest of the time. Rule number 1 of healthy lifestyle is don't allow yourself to feel guilty about splurges like that.

As for recovering, you've had some very good advice already: drink plenty of water, otherwise live life as normal.

In the long term, you may want to consider increasing your calories: 1200 is very low, and it has been proven that highly restrictive diets are much harder to stick to. If you go for a more gentle approach, it is more likely to stick for the long term.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about what your precise BMR / TDEE is - I prefer a more empirical approach. Pop your numbers into the MFP calculator, setting your goal to 1 lb per week loss and activity levels to sedentary. Allow MFP to do the maths for you. Stick to that NET goal, weighing your food accurately and tracking all your exercise. See how it goes for a few weeks. If you're losing at a reasonable rate and not feeling hungry, stay with it. If you're not losing weight, check you're logging accurately, if you are, reduce the goal. If you're losing too quickly and/or are hungry all the time, increase your goal slightly. Losing weight is a long term thing, and losing consistently is more important the calculating the right numbers.

503pdx

Thank you everyone for the advice. Generally I wouldn't feel so much pressure but I wanted to get back to my wedding weight by my anniversary and I'm so close, so is the date! But I do think I need to re-evaluate my calories. 1200-1400 sounds like a good variable to stick between at least for the next 5lbs then I'll slowly take it up until I discover my maintenance level.

Thank you!

lindsey1979

I agree with people that actually think this is a good thing. If you have a consistent, large daily caloric deficit, having a day where you eat at maintenance or slightly above will be good for you because it helps your body reset its stress hormone response which can cause you to retain excess or water or possibly impede weight loss. This seems to be particularly helpful for women. Plus, over all, for the week, your caloric deficit is still going to be considerable.

Zekela

Ha... expect to eat over your calories when eating out.. no troubles... Just log it and leave it alone... don't fret over it. Start again tomorrow.

sshintaku

Splurges can actually be good for you. I remember once I went out with my dad had a hearty three course meal with a great red wine and bread and butter pudding for desert. I got on the scales in the morning to observe the devastation.

I had lost a pound.

I honestly couldn't stifle a small giggle. I don't suggest eating like that every day. But I think the occasional splurge every now and then is good for resetting your bodies metabolic weight loss brakes.

Haha I did that once too. Sometimes blow outs help get the metabolism going or something. Obviously not every day or every weekend, and often high sodium food always hurts, but still, not the end of the world.

fireytiger

Just pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and move on. I had a major binge moment on Monday night (my first one in a couple months), and ate double the amount of calories I should have eaten in the day. Next morning, I got up and went right back to eating right and keeping track of my calories. It did do a little damage in that I gained some water weight from all the sodium, but it's Friday now and i'm back to where I was pre-splurge. I may not net a loss this week, but oh well. Good luck!

Wtn_Gurl

Hi - I'm guessing that food you ate had a lot of salt, so drink a lot of water to flush it out, it may take a few days to get back to normal, but it will. so just go back to eating the way you know you should/want to, and just wait it out till your body gets rid of it. Just start again today and learn from your experience that food doesn't work for you. Thats all .

iBMikey

I spread this phrase a lot. "One bad meal will not make you fat, just like one healthy meal will not make you skinny."

Forget it and move on. No sense on dwelling what can not be changed.

caligirltant

I go over on weekends and then just make it up by sticking to a few lower calories on weekdays and two weekdays do so much cardio /spin classes etc. That I can eat whatever I want (healthy) few times. Believe me if you ride your bike 15 miles to your favorite place to eat son a weekend day and ride back 15 you can eat a tonand wake up skinny. LOL

Jmccune78

Thank you for this post. I have only faithfully been tracking my food for about a week and just learned the hard way that I should have checked calories BEFORE I ate the pizza... I don't want it to get the better of me. Learning and moving on.

KylaDenay

You can forget it ever happened and start fresh the next day or

Count it into your weekly calorie goal and workout a little extra to burn the calories off. 650 isn't that much to burn off in 1 or 2 intense workouts.

For BMR try these sites...

http://iifym.com/bmr-calculator/

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

They will give you your BMR and also tell you how much you should be eating.