What should I do after a bad day?

skinnylove912

So yesterday I had a really bad day, I mean we're talking 225 calories OVER my limit. I am so mad at myself for doing that, but now that I can't change the past, what should I do?

karisbrandes

Get back on the horse and stick to your exercise and calorie goals the next day! And 225 isn't that bad at all!

JennLifts

it was 225, not 2000. It's no biggie. You just go at it again tomorrow.

omid990

that's not bad at all. you still even have a deficit.

do nothing. get back on the track the next day. if you had a lot of salty food, drink extra water to help prevent any water weight.

crisanderson27

it was 225, not 2000. It's no biggie. You just go at it again tomorrow.

Exactly...I used to look at my calorie recommendation as just that...a recommendation. If I was a few hundred over or under...it was a good day. I didn't worry until I'd passed my maintenance number...which never really happened. Anything less than maintenance 'is weight loss'.

Now I don't even worry about that.

Brandicaloriecountess

Do better the next day..:

kr3851

I agree with Karisbrandes... 225 isn't too bad! Think of it this way... if you were 225 UNDER would you be worried that you'd undereaten dramatically?? Probably not...

Start again today. Stick to your normal routine. Learn from your excess today and try to see how you could have changed it so that you would still be under - like choosing a different option for one of your meals. But honestly, if you enjoyed the day, just accept it and move on.

HeatherYevette

225 is just a small mess up in the grand scheme of things. Just try and do better tomorrow. Remember that MFP and everything isn't an exact science! I'm sure some of the calories are off a little here or there and so are the activities. It's okay!

jsmillermt

Don't hold on to it. Tomorrow is a new day. Let go of today, forgive yourself, and start over. One pound is 3500 calories. 225 is 6% of ONE pound. You can totally get over that. I have found that I am much more likely to stick to my eating plan if I let the little things go. If I get mad at myself for it, I'm a lot more likely to throw up my hands and say "to heck with it, I'm never going to stick to it anyway" and the whole thing falls apart. I have been very successful since I started letting go of the bad days.

If you start to find that you are going over your calories consistently, then it's time to reevaluate. Is there something you are depriving yourself of? I have found that I do much better when I let myself splurge. I crave ice cream all summer long, so I found some very low-calorie, small portion sizes that fit within my calorie limits, so I can treat myself without blowing it. If you are craving something, find a healthy way to work it into your eating plan.

Katie320

Don't hold on to it. Tomorrow is a new day. Let go of today, forgive yourself, and start over. One pound is 3500 calories. 225 is 6% of ONE pound. You can totally get over that. I have found that I am much more likely to stick to my eating plan if I let the little things go. If I get mad at myself for it, I'm a lot more likely to throw up my hands and say "to heck with it, I'm never going to stick to it anyway" and the whole thing falls apart. I have been very successful since I started letting go of the bad days.

What great advice! Especially the part about 225 calories being 6% of a pound. That is a GREAT way to think of these things and to remember that each day is a different opportunity.

melbaby925

I've been reading all sorts of stuff lately that says to zig zag your calories to keep your metabolism from getting used to the way you're eating. So in the grand scheme of things, this wasn't so bad.

I had a long travel day last week and ate 3300 calories on Friday - of FAST FOOD. 2000 over what I was supposed to be eating...that would have made me completely depressed and I would have given up several months ago. Instead, I've made up for it by going cleaner the last few days: low sodium, low sugar, no processed foods, lots of veg. That's how I get back into balance after an overload of crap. And I lost .6 pounds as a reward.

So don't beat yourself up. Get back on the wagon, and it'll all balance out!

feliz_1999

I say...Tomorrow is a new day.

Do not beat yourself up about it.

Start Tomorrow as if it were the first. I would beat myself over all the time and it would unmotivate me. You will loose more weight if you stay positive, enjoy your food and sleep well.

jfinnivan

If you're trying to lose 1 pound per week, you're eating 500 calories less than maintenance per day. If you eat 500 over, that just means you'll lose less weight that week. You shouldn't gain anything.

CARNAT22

I was about 200 cals over yesterday myself and whilst I feel a little guilty I can't go back in time so I have just had to put it behind me and move on!

the best piece fo advice is not to let a bad day turn into a bad week.

melaniecheeks

Sometimes at the end of the day I'll look at my food diary and ask; what one thing could I have changed to make that better? Could I have reduced my fat by swapping a piece of cheese for some cottage cheese? Is my sugar over because I had a glass of fruit juice?

So use it as a learning tool, and move on.

Oh, and 225 over is nothing to worry about - I know I keep banging on about calories burned and consumed being estimates, but unless you were weighing absolutely everything you ate yesterday, it's probably better to allow a +/- 5-10% on the figures anyway.

melsinct

200 calories over isn't bad at all. I chalk those days up as a loss and move on. The easiest way to stick with your new healthier way of eating for life and never slip back into your old ways is to not beat yourself up on the days you slip. Tomorrow is always a new day and there will always be days you go over throughout your life (birthdays, social gatherings, special occasions, etc.). Just don't make it a habit!