Does anyone else feel guilty after cheating on their diet?

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mcr0980
mcr0980 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I try so hard to eat healthy, but when I'm at home for the summer I'm around my family who do not eat generally very healthy. So I find it hard not to fall to my cravings, and then once I fall I fall hard and binge. After that, I feel ridiculously guilty and upset and feel like I just wasted a week of good eating. It is really upsetting. Does anyone else have this problem? How do you handle it?
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Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    yes, most people feel some sort of guilt or shame after deviating from their diet (or lifestyle change :wink: )

    you just have to move on, get back on that train and realize one week out of 10 isnt going to kill you, but it will slow your progress
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Sounds to me like you would be better off following IIFYM and not beating yourself up and forcing yourself to only "eat healthy" however you are defining that. Not doing you any favors.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    how does one "cheat" ? Going over daily goal? eating a particular food?

    I never feel guilty about eating food..that is a dangerous path to go down.

    If it is going over daily goal by how much?
    Going over maitenance? but still in weekly goal?
    Blowing it for an entire week?

    Eh I have done all of the above and still didn't feel guilty...

    I would only feel bad if I decided that I was done and gained all the weight back...that would make me feel bad.
  • jrek521
    jrek521 Posts: 25 Member
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    Nope--I'm not perfect & I'm going to slip up. Yesterday was Jimmy John's & McDonalds, today is fresh vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbs. I've been more successful with losing weight and getting healthier now that I'm not super strict and don't give up!!
  • feralkitten1010
    feralkitten1010 Posts: 219 Member
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    I went over my calorie goal by a few calories and posted it to Facebook out of pure humor. I felt not one ounce of guilt. Some days, I crave things that are "bad" so I rearrange my regular habits to indulge -- within my deficit.
  • kristiekay87
    kristiekay87 Posts: 24 Member
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    I'm the same way and I beat myself up over it. I'm learning not to but its hard. I'm trying not to use the word "diet". I'm trying to learn to eat better and still have goodies. I cant stay on a diet very long so its better for me to watch what i eat and cut back on my portions. If i have a desert I make sure I have enough calories.

    You only live once so I'm trying not to be too picky but stay healthy.

    kristie :)
  • Julzanne72
    Julzanne72 Posts: 467 Member
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    Nope because Mon-Saturday as long as it fits in my macros I eat it, there should be no guilt involved in that. sundays I generally take a break and don't log, but try to still be aware of what I am eating and it works. I don't really overindulge anymore because I don't want to feel sick
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Nope. I focus on 80% coming from whole foods and 20% coming from treats. Makes it easier. I also refuse to think of foods as bad or good, just nutrient dense compared to calorie dense. If I do go over I cut myself some slack and remember that it's long term, sometimes our bodies need extra energy.
  • Leggylass
    Leggylass Posts: 215
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    nope i see it more of a game.. if i dont make the effort i lose and tomorrows another day try and try again.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    No. I don't look at anything I do as "cheating." If I eat too much, I log it and move on.

    When you start shaming yourself you're more likely to get into the mindset that it's all or nothing. It shouldn't be "I'm either on a diet or not" it should be "this is my life, sometimes I eat more than I intended, but I keep myself accountable for it and keep moving forward."

    Or something.
  • kmorgan221
    kmorgan221 Posts: 206 Member
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    No. President Clinton said that doesn't count, so I have nothing to feel guilty about.
  • janatarnhem
    janatarnhem Posts: 669 Member
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    I do if I do not log the excess! Feel like I am being dishonest. Otherwise, not really, because some days I just feel hungrier than others. I do try to make an effort to cut down a bit for the next/ few days! Sometimes, if it is too big an amount, I just chalk it up to experience and forget it! I definitely can't do perfection!! LOL!
  • TMM211073
    TMM211073 Posts: 153 Member
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    No because I'm not on a diet - I am eating healthier and being more active, so there is no such thing as cheating.... This is not an exam, who and what exactly is there to cheat....!?!

    Stop seeing this as a diet and start seeing results

    xXx
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    Nope, primarily because I'm not on a diet. I also don't consider eating something I want to be cheating, as I usually work to make what I want fit into my calories, but if it doesn't, I don't go over my goals often enough to make a big difference.
  • futuresize8
    futuresize8 Posts: 476 Member
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    I think deviating from what you do most of the time isn't a bad thing at all.

    If 95% of the time, I'm eating healthy foods and sticking to the caloric deficit I need, then 5% of the time I can eat something I normally wouldn't or I could eat a little more than I usually would and it's no biggie.

    That is why what I am doing has been slow, steady and sustainable! No guilt when the occasional indulgence is built into the equation.

    At the same time, if I stopped doing what I was doing altogether (eating healthy and exercising), then yes, I'd feel extremely guilty and sad about giving up the health I've found.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    Nope. I'm not on a diet.
  • JidMarston
    JidMarston Posts: 5
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    According to some scientific research in the book that I've read called Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews, he talks about how having 1 cheat MEAL (not a cheat day) is actually psychologically and physiologically good for you. It helps your body and mind.

    But you're right. It's really easy to fall and fall hard. I'd suggest keeping to your healthy eating, and then plan out when you'll have a cheat meal. If you have a cheat meal, have more carbs and protein than fats, if you can!

    Good luck!
  • adreal
    adreal Posts: 229 Member
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    I don't feel gulity about it. I just work out a little harder the next day. I have learned that if I deny myself what I like to eat or something that is just junk then I will just eat everything in sight and give up. So I just eat in moderation and log everything. If I go over its okay. I usually have enough from other days to make it up.
  • Lord007
    Lord007 Posts: 338 Member
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    I don't feel guilty anymore. I've noticed myself seeing it all as basic math... "If I eat that, it will take X amount of time on the treadmill to burn it off."

    If I'm OK with that math, then I eat it.. Mostly, I find it's not worth extra time working out and avoid it. A few cases, I've foregone the math and done the extra exercise the next couple of days.
  • amw5471
    amw5471 Posts: 111 Member
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    I used to be just like you, feeling upset when I "cheat" and eat something bad. Now I try to live by the 80/20 rule, I eat healthy 80% of the time but sometimes you just want/need pizza! I don't feel guilty because I eat very well the majority of the time and I don't let the 20% stop me. Plus I know that if I didn't have that little bit of wiggle I would totally binge and be in a never ending cycle. I've been eating like this since October so it has really worked for me!

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