Making up for "cheating"

randomtai

thanks for actually answering my question and not assuming I do this everyday like I have binge eating disorder or something. :-/

You are reaching and reading things that are not there...

You said it's a disordered way of thinking about food. That's a pretty obvious judgement. I don't binge and restrict binge and restrict. I do this maybe once every few months. Not everyday.

Since this sounds like that, that would be the obvious disorder to judge my post by.

It is a disordered way of thinking about food. No one said anything further than that, you are projecting. No one said you binged, only you.

SugarBug493

I don't try to make up for going over one or two days, but if you really want to make it up, why not just reduce by 200 for 5 days? It will be the same net effect, it's easier to incorporate into your daily routine, and you won't feel deprived during or afterwards. You will not lose or gain weight based solely on those two days of eating above or below your goal; it's a long-term, on-going process. Best of luck to you.

I understand what you mean, but for me I can't stand eating under 1600 for more than 2 or 3 days. I like food and when I do that for so long it starts to feel overly restrictive and I'm actually more likely to give in, versus just 2 days where it's all or nothing. I'm good at doing it and getting it over with and then returning to normal eating.

RHachicho

Just moving beyond the ego-maniacal lecture. This doesn't sound that bad but perhaps spread it over a longer period. People are correct in that at 900 calories a day you might get some muscle loss. Perhaps spread the load over a week rather than trying to recover in 2 days?

Also it's better to exercise it off if you can. Your body runs very differently when your diet is sufficient. It's true that calories in < calories out is the ultimate arbiter of weight loss. But actually eating things will have you feeling better and having more available energy thought the day.

PlumpKitten

You're welcome!
I often do this. It's fine. I find two light days a good way of motivating myself to get back on track, especially after an indulgent period. (I just had three birthday parties - my two daughters and I are all August gals)!


Never mind all the people lecturing you. 900 calories is not exactly starvation, especially for only two days. And everyone has different ways of dieting.

My tip? I'd skip snacking for those two days. That means you can have pretty normal-sized meals.

Most Lean Cuisine meals are 250-350. You could have one for lunch, one for dinner, and supplement with side veggies / undressed salad. And still probably fit a yogurt / fruit in for breakfast.

BTW, I have a doctor friend who is in very good shape. If he's stuffed himself the night before, he will skip breakfast, and just have a very light lunch and dinner the next day. No harm seems to have come to him!

SugarBug493

thanks for actually answering my question and not assuming I do this everyday like I have binge eating disorder or something. :-/

You are reaching and reading things that are not there...

You said it's a disordered way of thinking about food. That's a pretty obvious judgement. I don't binge and restrict binge and restrict. I do this maybe once every few months. Not everyday.

Since this sounds like that, that would be the obvious disorder to judge my post by.

It is a disordered way of thinking about food. No one said anything further than that, you are projecting. No one said you binged, only you.

Yeah because I did and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. But now it's done. And this is my way of getting back on track. It always has been. And it's no different from normal people eating a bit less over more days or exercising harder over a few days. I just prefer to do it quicker because the longer it takes me to work it off the more it feels like a punishment and it's not. It's just balancing it out.

randomtai

thanks for actually answering my question and not assuming I do this everyday like I have binge eating disorder or something. :-/

You are reaching and reading things that are not there...

You said it's a disordered way of thinking about food. That's a pretty obvious judgement. I don't binge and restrict binge and restrict. I do this maybe once every few months. Not everyday.

Since this sounds like that, that would be the obvious disorder to judge my post by.

It is a disordered way of thinking about food. No one said anything further than that, you are projecting. No one said you binged, only you.

Yeah because I did and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. But now it's done. And this is my way of getting back on track. It always has been. And it's no different from normal people eating a bit less over more days or exercising harder over a few days. I just prefer to do it quicker because the longer it takes me to work it off the more it feels like a punishment and it's not. It's just balancing it out.

Good Luck. :flowerforyou:

shireeniebeanie

It's not a race! Don't think of it as getting "behind".

Eat at your regular deficit, work out a little harder today if it makes you feel better, and move on! Eating at that kind of deficit is effectively punishing your body.

You need to change the way you think about this--it's supposed to be about taking *good care* of your body.

So basically create the same deficit through exercise. How is that different from doing it through diet? Wether you eat 1500 and burn 600 o get a net of 900, or eat 900 from the beginning, it's the same thing.

Because: a) you rarely burn as much as you think and b) you'd be eating enough to fuel being more active, which is a positive thing for your body.

I'm not even talking about creating the same deficit. I do eat my exercise calories on days when I'm more active. I don't get hangry or feel the need to binge, but do have a sustainable and balanced way to live with food.

Temptations will continue to happen. Celebrations happen all year, and they're usually centered around good food. Don't start out like this--cutting back so severely "just this time" that watching what you eat becomes an unmaintainable chore.

It's not just a choice between gaining or losing. There's also a thing called maintenance! Remembering that takes all the pressure off. The beautiful thing is that if you don't eat at goal (deficit), you usually stay the same (unless you ate 3500 calories OVER your maintenance level, which is probably well over 1,200 calories/day).

SugarBug493

It's not a race! Don't think of it as getting "behind".

Eat at your regular deficit, work out a little harder today if it makes you feel better, and move on! Eating at that kind of deficit is effectively punishing your body.

You need to change the way you think about this--it's supposed to be about taking *good care* of your body.

So basically create the same deficit through exercise. How is that different from doing it through diet? Wether you eat 1500 and burn 600 o get a net of 900, or eat 900 from the beginning, it's the same thing.

Because: a) you rarely burn as much as you think and b) you'd be eating enough to fuel being more active, which is a positive thing for your body.

I'm not even talking about creating the same deficit. I do eat my exercise calories on days when I'm more active. I don't get hangry or feel the need to binge, but do have a sustainable and balanced way to live with food.

Temptations will continue to happen. Celebrations happen all year, and they're usually centered around good food. Don't start out like this--cutting back so severely "just this time" that watching what you eat becomes an unmaintainable chore.

It's not just a choice between gaining or losing. There's also a thing called maintenance! Remembering that takes all the pressure off. The beautiful thing is that if you don't eat at goal (deficit), you usually stay the same (unless you ate 3500 calories OVER your maintenance level, which is probably well over 1,200 calories/day).

I'm actually a sedentary short female. My maintenance without exercise is 1600. I eat that same amount, and my exercise burn (which needs A LOT of exercise to make a difference) is the only deficit I have. 1300 is WELL over my maintenance. IF it were something like 500cals over, then I would just leave it. But this erased my ENTIRE deficit.plus some. And progress is what keeps me motivated.

That's how I got fat. "Oh I had a bad day, no worries I'll just eat normal again tomorrow" Yeah. that tends to add up over the years.

SrJoben

:-/ ...

I didn't realize eating lighter for a few days after a fun weekend is an eating disorder. Okay then.

Well saying that it IS an eating disorder might be putting it a bit strong. But let me put it this way, I know a person with ED, and attempting to 'fix' binges like this does not go well for her. You don't really want to get into a binge/restrict pattern.

You over ate for a day or two. It's not a big deal, sometimes we eat too much, sometimes we eat too little, it happens. Just get back on track and move on.

SugarBug493

:-/ ...

I didn't realize eating lighter for a few days after a fun weekend is an eating disorder. Okay then.

Well saying that it IS an eating disorder might be putting it a bit strong. But let me put it this way, I know a person with ED, and attempting to 'fix' binges like this does not go well for her. You don't really want to get into a binge/restrict pattern.

You over ate for a day or two. It's not a big deal, sometimes we eat too much, sometimes we eat too little, it happens. Just get back on track and move on.

I'm not your friend. I've been doing this since I started dieting. I've just never had a cheat this big. The only difference is that I have a smaller number to work with.

ETA : I never binge and restrict. I restrict and continue eating normal when done. that's the difference.

Mr_Knight

:-/ ...

I didn't realize eating lighter for a few days after a fun weekend is an eating disorder. Okay then.

It's not. What you're suggesting is just fine, and the human body evolved specifically to handle such situations.

colors_fade

Because it's a disordered way of thinking about food.

Precisely.

This is not the way to form and maintain a healthy relationship with food. You're punishing yourself now by trying to adhere to a completely unrealistic 900 calorie budget.

The best thing to do, from a mental standpoint, is leave this in the rear view mirror. That is how you move on, and this is the best way to deal with any "setback".

The next-best thing, if it really bothers you, is to add a bit of exercise instead. Go for a long walk today and tomorrow. Walk for an hour. Burn some extra calories that maybe you would not have.

But for heaven's sake, don't punish yourself. Restricting yourself to an unrealistic budget like 900 calories is only going to push you further into binge eating land. And you don't want to go there.

Francl27

Eat a bit less. 900 is so low you're going to get hungry and more likely to binge the days after... again. Seems to totally defeat the purpose. You're already eating at a deficit, why does it matter if it takes one week instead of 5 days to recover from a cheat day?

MyMalfunction7

Huh, people really don't want to answer your question! When I'm cutting back for a few days I mostly just eat healthy sandwiches - for example, 2 slices of 35 calorie potato bread, 3 oz deli chicken, 15 grams miracle whip, maybe some mustard. Ends up at around 200 calories, and I'll have around 4 of those with a few big portions of vegetables. That way I'm still eating all day, just nice high protein, very low calorie food

Edit because so many typos

Liftng4Lis

First, I think you should just let it go and move forward, it was two days (no big deal in the scheme of things). BUT, since its bothering you not to do so, just eat a little less for couple of meals to make up for it. I can't see your diary but if you're at 1600, that's pretty easy to do. I was on 1300 for the longest time and could cut out a snack or two easily.

kgeyser

I understand what you mean, but for me I can't stand eating under 1600 for more than 2 or 3 days. I like food and when I do that for so long it starts to feel overly restrictive and I'm actually more likely to give in, versus just 2 days where it's all or nothing. I'm good at doing it and getting it over with and then returning to normal eating.

I'm not your friend. I've been doing this since I started dieting. I've just never had a cheat this big. The only difference is that I have a smaller number to work with.

ETA : I never binge and restrict. I restrict and continue eating normal when done. that's the difference.

Ok, here's the problem. You say you can't handle eating at a deficit long term, and that you have a history of going over your calories after a few days of restriction and then cutting back drastically to make up for it. That is a disordered eating pattern, not to be confused with an eating disorder.

So here's my advice - log this weekend and move on. Don't drastically restrict your calories to "make up for it." Instead, reduce your calorie deficit to something that is manageable for you, and eat that higher calorie goal every day, even if it means the weight comes off more slowly. Work your favorite foods into your calorie goal and get out of this "cheating" mentality. If you have a day when you go over, then log it and move on. Those days happen, and are going to happen when you transition to maintenance. It's only a problem when it stops being an occasional thing and becomes an all-the-time thing. You're not going to gain weight eating over your calorie goal occasionally, just like you don't lose weight because you had a salad for lunch one day.

SugarBug493

I understand what you mean, but for me I can't stand eating under 1600 for more than 2 or 3 days. I like food and when I do that for so long it starts to feel overly restrictive and I'm actually more likely to give in, versus just 2 days where it's all or nothing. I'm good at doing it and getting it over with and then returning to normal eating.

I'm not your friend. I've been doing this since I started dieting. I've just never had a cheat this big. The only difference is that I have a smaller number to work with.

ETA : I never binge and restrict. I restrict and continue eating normal when done. that's the difference.

Ok, here's the problem. You say you can't handle eating at a deficit long term, and that you have a history of going over your calories after a few days of restriction and then cutting back drastically to make up for it. That is a disordered eating pattern, not to be confused with an eating disorder.

Where exactly did I say that??? I said I eat restricted for a few days AFTER overeating, and then I eat NORMALLY after restricting. :-/ By "give in" I mean I leave the surplus as is and just eat normal without ever working it off (which is what got me fat in the first place). I don't mean I give in and eat like a bazillion calories.

kgeyser

I understand what you mean, but for me I can't stand eating under 1600 for more than 2 or 3 days. I like food and when I do that for so long it starts to feel overly restrictive and I'm actually more likely to give in, versus just 2 days where it's all or nothing. I'm good at doing it and getting it over with and then returning to normal eating.

I'm not your friend. I've been doing this since I started dieting. I've just never had a cheat this big. The only difference is that I have a smaller number to work with.

ETA : I never binge and restrict. I restrict and continue eating normal when done. that's the difference.

Ok, here's the problem. You say you can't handle eating at a deficit long term, and that you have a history of going over your calories after a few days of restriction and then cutting back drastically to make up for it. That is a disordered eating pattern, not to be confused with an eating disorder.

Where exactly did I say that??? I said I eat restricted for a few days AFTER overeating, and then I eat NORMALLY after restricting. :-/ By "give in" I mean I leave the surplus as is and just eat normal without ever working it off (which is what got me fat in the first place). I don't mean I give in and eat like a bazillion calories.

You know what, I'm not going to fight with you about this. It's not worth my time. If you read the paragraph I wrote below the one you quoted above, I provided suggestions that might help you in the future. If you want to consider the suggestions, fine, if you don't, that's fine, too. I really don't care. Have a good weekend.

missdibs1

Hmmm interesting. I usually go day by day. But that's me. Like today I am going way over so I upped my cardio this am .

But if you feel ok doing this......

I would never survive 24 hours on 900 calories. Especially post workout

SugarBug493

I understand what you mean, but for me I can't stand eating under 1600 for more than 2 or 3 days. I like food and when I do that for so long it starts to feel overly restrictive and I'm actually more likely to give in, versus just 2 days where it's all or nothing. I'm good at doing it and getting it over with and then returning to normal eating.

I'm not your friend. I've been doing this since I started dieting. I've just never had a cheat this big. The only difference is that I have a smaller number to work with.

ETA : I never binge and restrict. I restrict and continue eating normal when done. that's the difference.

Ok, here's the problem. You say you can't handle eating at a deficit long term, and that you have a history of going over your calories after a few days of restriction and then cutting back drastically to make up for it. That is a disordered eating pattern, not to be confused with an eating disorder.

Where exactly did I say that??? I said I eat restricted for a few days AFTER overeating, and then I eat NORMALLY after restricting. :-/ By "give in" I mean I leave the surplus as is and just eat normal without ever working it off (which is what got me fat in the first place). I don't mean I give in and eat like a bazillion calories.

You know what, I'm not going to fight with you about this. It's not worth my time. If you read the paragraph I wrote below the one you quoted above, I provided suggestions that might help you in the future. If you want to consider the suggestions, fine, if you don't, that's fine, too. I really don't care. Have a good weekend.

I didn't ask for help for the future. This is what I do. I asked for a low calorie menu of food. I didn't ask for a solution to the problem, I asked for a method of applying the solution.

And also...I don't care if you don't want to fight me. I'm not fighting you, but when you say stuff like that other people don't bother to read the rest of the post and actually assume it's true, it turns into a **** storm just because you failed to read correctly.