Minor screw ups

nykismile

I have a question: what do you do when you make smaller, last drastic mistakes? I mean they're not severe enough to require some kind of drawback but at the same time if you do nothing, it's like you're reinforcing that behavior in some ways.

For example, today I ate under my calorie limit. My usual caloric intake is 1,600ish, but I was just under 1,200 today. Since I have an event to go to tomorrow and I have to wear a dress, I figured I should let myself be under today and then eat more the next day. Well, I went to the gym and when I got home it was about past the time frame I'm allowed to eat during (I do intermittent fasting) but I still ate unweighted cherries and a small package of skinnypop.

Granted, this isn't a lot of damage but I don't want to repeat it. What do you do when you stumble only a little?

Beautifulbridgittlee7

Try to not do it again or write it down, distract myself.

Patttience

I think you should factor a little flexibility for small mistakes into your plan to begin with. Being too strict and rigid can set you up for disasters.

I've started 16:8 but i know there will be times when i will need to or want to eat outside my eating window. I accept it from the outset. So long as most of the time i can stay within my 8 hour eating window, i will be happy.

Bear in mind that a 16:8 eating window is not going to give you weightloss in itself unless you reduce your daily calories below TDEE.


Since you are doing this intermittent fasting, you might like to look into the 5:2 diet if you are not already doing so. That diet has us eating about 500 calories on two days a week either consecutively which i do or separately which most people seem to do. Or if you are already slim enough and you seem to be pretty slim in the picture, then 6:1 might be all you need to do. i.e. one fasting day.

nykismile

I think you should factor a little flexibility for small mistakes into your plan to begin with. Being too strict and rigid can set you up for disasters.

I've started 16:8 but i know there will be times when i will need to or want to eat outside my eating window. I accept it from the outset. So long as most of the time i can stay within my 8 hour eating window, i will be happy.

Bear in mind that a 16:8 eating window is not going to give you weightloss in itself unless you reduce your daily calories below TDEE.


Since you are doing this intermittent fasting, you might like to look into the 5:2 diet if you are not already doing so. That diet has us eating about 500 calories on two days a week either consecutively which i do or separately which most people seem to do. Or if you are already slim enough and you seem to be pretty slim in the picture, then 6:1 might be all you need to do. i.e. one fasting day.

Honestly, 95% of the time, 16:8 works so well for me. Sometimes I even do 18:6, it's just the way I've always preferred to eat. (I would try meal spacing, forcing myself to eat six times a day. It never worked)

I know about both 5:2 and 6:1 but those don't really interest me as much. Also, you're right about the TDEE thing, and since mine is 1,900 I usually stay under it.

I broke my fast at 2:30 pm today and ate the cherries and popcorn at 8:30. So, I didn't do it out of time frame like I initially thought. But I'm a bit bummed that I won't feel slim when I wake up tomorrow from the slight bloating from eating late.

Kalikel

This crap is so hard. If I have a setback, I forgive myself immediately,figure it's part of getting to the goal and I move on.

You cannot uneat food, so you might as well get on with it.