For those who fret over binges/cheats/etc

ana3067

I just wanted to post this real quick before I go make brunch.

I've been eating at my estimated caloric maintenance for 3 days now, today will be the 4th, because I've been in a deficit for almost 3 months without a definite beak! I've had a couple of days I didn't fully track, but in doing so I tried eating only until full and with smaller portions. So this is the first time I'm officially eating above my caloric deficit....

and I've lost 2lbs since I last weighed in. Before doing this, I was 177 due to some water retention, now I'm back to 175. Deficit is 2100, eating up to 2600 right now.

So if you just ate double your day's calories, or or you pigged out because it was your birthday or someone else's party, don't worry. Chances are this won't affect your weight in any significant way other than maybe some water weight, and then things go back to normal. Just keep doing what you're doing (as long as it's healthy and sustainable for your body - if you're eating 1200ish cals, re-evaluate please) and don't sweat any "cheats."

heidispideymfp

Just in time for Friday nights dinner with a few friends!
Thanks for posting!

Francl27

Yes and no... You're eating at maintenance. You won't gain weight. Some cheats can totally undo a whole week of deficit (believe me, I know). Heck I gained 2 pounds on vacations eating just a little bit over maintenance and it took me a month to lose them.

So yeah. More often than not, even with a binge or a cheat, you'll still be in deficit for the week and it won't be a huge impact. But a huge binge can take a while to recover from.

ana3067

Yes and no... You're eating at maintenance. You won't gain weight. Some cheats can totally undo a whole week of deficit (believe me, I know). Heck I gained 2 pounds on vacations eating just a little bit over maintenance and it took me a month to lose them.

So yeah. More often than not, even with a binge or a cheat, you'll still be in deficit for the week and it won't be a huge impact. But a huge binge can take a while to recover from.

To lose 2lbs in a month is not a bad thing. Especially if someone is closer to goal weight, or if they happen to be utilizing a far too large caloric deficit.

You'd have to have been eating a good 10% or more above your maintenance (like 300+ cals) every day to have gained 2 lbs, that's assuming your vacation was a month long. Probably wound up gaining waterweight more than actually gaining fat. For me, water weight can be a b*tch to lose if I'm not drinking a whole lot of water. Like, it can take at least a few weeks sometimes to lose the water weight, even if it was just a few lbs.