Just had a horrible food day.

cHaRlIe0411

What I mean by horrible food day is that I probably went a million calories over my goal. I plan on going even more over tonight, because of a party. I decided I wouldn't count today's calories. What I want to know is: does 1 day of extreme calorie eating (lots of dessert, chips, and alcohol) affect weight a lot? Let's assume I don't do that more than once every two months. Will I gain weight from this one day?

LPS1986

What I mean by horrible food day is that I probably went a million calories over my goal. I plan on going even more over tonight, because of a party. I decided I wouldn't count today's calories. What I want to know is: does 1 day of extreme calorie eating (lots of dessert, chips, and alcohol) affect weight a lot? Let's assume I don't do that more than once every two months. Will I gain weight from this one day?

I think that you should try not to drink alcohol as it slows the metabolism down quite a bit. Though, I think one day won't hurt you once in awhile. I freak out since I am watching my glucose super carefully but generally, I feel like a bad day doesn't hurt me weight wise.

Jen0414

Potentialy you could yes.

MyaPapaya75

I think you could gain and its prob due to not logging...i suggest logging food even when its not your strict day...so you can stay accountable...im not sure its really good to have an all out binge day though....once every two months isnt bad..just depends if your in it for weight loss or health benefits...How are you drinking alcohol at 18?...non USA?....ack 4 bottles of Bacardi Breezer??

PoisonIvy914

If you have over 3500 cals or just loads of fat. Yes. 3500 cals = one pound

Metsfn4life

Everyone is different, but from my personal experience, a really bad spike in caloric intake won't do much damage. I had 3 days last month where I went over by 2,000 calories and I still lost weight. I think I shocked my body by eating so much. Just don't make it a habit or, obviously, you will start to see the effects of it.

lawtechie

I'd suggest you track. Yea it looks bad but then you'll know what you did and how much work (if any!) you need to do to make up for it.

Let's say you document 3/4 of what you ate/drank today and it turns out to be 3,000 calories. Assuming you're normal goal is 1,500 - that's 1/2 lb extra you ate, or 2 extra days of eating -- NOT that big a deal in the long run.

Now if you repeat that every month, you're losing 2 days out of month of the hard work you do for the rest of the month.

Balance accordingly.

jazzalea

I have NEVER found that ONE day of over eating affects my WEEKLY weight loss..... where I run into trouble is continuing on the next day cuz heck I'm already in trouble anyway.... avoid that and ENJOY yourself!.... :drinker:

MiaRabago

Remember- 3500 calories is 1lb.

delineated

Some people say its good to do that to throw a curve ball to your metabolism once in a while. Keep it on its toes. lol.

lgraham92

Yes. Depending how far over you go, you can effectively ruin 1-2 weeks of solid dieting EASILY.

Say you are eating at a 500 calorie deficit per day, that equates to 3500 calories/week, which translates to 1lb (1Lb loss is 3500calories).

If you consume a ton of fatty food/alcohol (Which will then lead to more bad food choices because you have drunken munchies), you can effectively take in your entire weeks (or more) deficit in 1 night by going over.

Ultimately it comes down to weighing your options, is 1 night of "Fun" or "bad eating" really worth throwing away 1+ Week of STRICT dieting for? Personally I don't feel it is, but everybody has their own opinions on that.

JennBrown83

What I mean by horrible food day is that I probably went a million calories over my goal. I plan on going even more over tonight, because of a party. I decided I wouldn't count today's calories. What I want to know is: does 1 day of extreme calorie eating (lots of dessert, chips, and alcohol) affect weight a lot? Let's assume I don't do that more than once every two months. Will I gain weight from this one day?

3,500 cals equal 1 pound so unless you eat 4000- 5000 calories it's safe bet you won't gain any "permenant" weight. That being said, chips have a lot of sodium so they can cause you to retain water which may show up on the scale as extra weight but it's only water weight so if you drink lots of water the next couple of days and stay under your calories... I can't see it being that big a deal if you only doing it once every couple of months. Also there are some diet plans that call for a "spike day" where one day a week or every couple of weeks you eat double your "alloted" calories to keep your metabolism guessing. Hope that helps!

cHaRlIe0411

I think you could gain and its prob due to not logging...i suggest logging food even when its not your strict day...so you can stay accountable...im not sure its really good to have an all out binge day though....once every two months isnt bad..just depends if your in it for weight loss or health benefits...How are you drinking alcohol at 18?...non USA?....ack 4 bottles of Bacardi Breezer??

Yes, I live in Québec so drinking age starts at 18.
And I was planning on logging the food, I just lost count of how much I ate when I went shopping....

thepetiterunner

Depends on just how wild you get on that ONE day. If you consume 3500 calories, that's the same as putting a pound back on yourself. Not to mention the hangover you'll have from eating poorly that day that might discourage you or bleed into the next day, or two or the next week.

I'm not saying cheat days are bad, I'm just saying giving yourself free license to do whatever you please sans moderation might be more sabotaging mentally than physically.

cHaRlIe0411

I think I'll follow everyone's advice and try to log approximately what I ate.. and what I will eat :P
And also work out more this weekend.

Hayesgang

I don't understand why you don't log it - Just because you don't log it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Maybe if you see the calories you've consumed for the day, you may rethink tonight. You have choices!!

For me this site is about being accountable.

Good Luck :flowerforyou:

JacksMom12

Depends on just how wild you get on that ONE day. If you consume 3500 calories, that's the same as putting a pound back on yourself. Not to mention the hangover you'll have from eating poorly that day that might discourage you or bleed into the next day, or two or the next week.

I'm not saying cheat days are bad, I'm just saying giving yourself free license to do whatever you please sans moderation might be more sabotaging mentally than physically.

You'd have to consume 3500 ABOVE maintenance, not 3,500 by itself. Say your maintenance is 1800 calories .. You'd have to consume 3,500 on top of the 1800 to gain a pound. Just clarifying a little.

gregpack

If you have a long term perspective and it doesn't discourage you into giving up, no permanent harm done.

You will likely weigh more tomorrow than the fat you have truly gained. When your body stores 1 g of glycogen I believe it stores 3 gs of water. You will lose this water weight when you burn off that glycogen surplus. When I've had a calorie heavy day I'm usually back to where I started in just a few days, sometimes even less.

Keep in mind for next time that for a planned evening party, you can minimize the damage by being extra good that morning. And it's not too late to enjoy responsibly tonight. Share that plate of desserts with a friend.

lgraham92

I think I'll follow everyone's advice and try to log approximately what I ate.. and what I will eat :P
And also work out more this weekend.

Completely your choice, but you cant outwork a bad diet. Weight loss is 90% diet 10% training. Keep yourself accountable by logging, also see my last post for how you could negatively affect your losses.

jennetters

i do'nt think one day is going to be bad. i haven't been on thie site very long but over xmas we let ourselves eat whatever over the three days. we gained a pound or two but for the most part we just didn't feel good. our bodies were used to eating well and not crappy. so i learned for new years to eat well all day up until the party. then back to the regular food the next day. i felt a lot better. then i decided when i go over i still want to log everything. so at the end i hit that button and it tells me if i ate that way everyday i'd gain all my weigh back in 5 weeks!!! good thing i don't eat that way every day. it is more of a habit now to log my food. but if i didn't have "cheat days" i think i'd go crazy.

ThinningDownChick

I think it depends on how much you actually eat. I know from experience that one "binge day" CAN AND DOES set my weight loss back.

JenniferInNY

Well, I'm right there with you. Just had a pretty horrible food day myself. I've at least committed to logging it all. I know I can zigzag and burn more later...but the trouble is that I've been quite hungry early in the day lately. Then today, I was exhausted and had a terrible day at work, etc., etc., and I got up to about 1700 or 1800 on a 1200/day cal limit. And this is the second time this week.

I'm trying not to stress over it horribly, but just to log it all and then reflect on why it keeps happening. I have been looking through the diary days. I was trying to eat more protein to feel more full, but on the days I exceeded my recommended protein I didn't necessarily stay under the calorie goal, so perhaps the protein thing isn't helping that much. On days I exercised I was slightly more likely to stay under. The only correlation I see is eating lots of fiber usually leads to going over less. Also, I think getting lots of sleep helps me control my hunger.

I'd say watch the alcohol -- very caloric. And speaking as one youngish party-loving gal to (perhaps) another...if you are drinking alcohol to get a little party "buzz," you won't need to drink as much if you eat less at the party. I'm not suggesting binge drinking on an empty stomach, but it you eat less, then less alcohol will take you further, and you can save calories in both directions.

casseh

I've been working with a dietician since just before Christmas and she allows me one day a week where I don't have to be as strict. If I want that slice of tasty cheese on my sandwich I can, full fat mayo on a salad, or that piece of chocolate. I find I get more pleasure from a couple of small treats being incorporated unto my normal diet, than from a binge that leaves me feeling bloated and greasy for the next two days.
That being said, I do still have takeaways for 1-2 meals a week, usually along the lines of sushi, subway (light 6inches), Chinese.

Merc71

What I mean by horrible food day is that I probably went a million calories over my goal.

So you had a bad day. There are still 6 more days in the week.

Have a bad week? There are still 3 more weeks in the month.

Just get back on the wagon, it's all good.

ElizabethKathrynJ

I know the feeling. I went to a french club party and at dinner with my parents. I feel sooo awful about it! haha:P It's the worst feeling ever! x.x haah...

I would say, log your calories, anyway.
Doing so will keep you better on track. That's what I did. It was painful to see, but it had to be done. xP Anyway, good luck! (:

foremant86

You would have to eat 3500 calories over your maintenance to gain 1 actual pound of fat.

so no, you're not likely to destroy your weight loss with one bad day of eating.

Jubee13

I lost 40 pounds 15 years ago, and have kept it off all these years (within about 5 pounds). I can say from personal experience, this one day WILL NOT affect your weight loss in any way that you'll be able to tell. Just enjoy this day, and start back tomorrow. Don't let it turn into a week-long binge. I have found that if I "let go" every great once in awhile, it does two things - make me realize how much I don't enjoy the feeling of eating too much, and helps me not to feel deprived.
PS Today was my "horrible food day" also due to a party at work and eating out tonight. I will be right back to healthy eating tomorrow, and I am looking forward to getting back on track!