Falling off the wagon? Who pays their dues?

TheAncientMariner

I work out 6 days a week every week. I live an active lifestyle. I generally burn 1000+ calories whenever I do cardio. Why in the world would I kill myself because I went over for one day? The work you put in to "burn it off" isn't worth it in my opinion. Plus, that's great fuel for the next day's workout. I don't feel guilty for eating bad when I want something. I only feel regret for not enjoying that cookie or that slice of pie while it was available (within reason of course). If my journey ended next week, then I would completely understand, but I'm in this for life, not just for a few pounds lost or a couple of muscles here and there. Will that one slice of pie or that 5 cookies a week cause me to have a heart attack tomorrow? No. Will it cause me to gain 5lbs next Thursday? No. It's all about perspective. If your guilt forces you to exercise, that's not a bad thing. Even if I go and eat a fat hamburger with a milkshake for lunch one day, I don't consider it as having falling off the wagon. Then again, I'm not on the wagon in the first place. Look up, I'm the jet blazing trails across the sky.

annahiven

If I said tommorows a new day every day...I would seriously get NOWHERE!

I went over today by 220...yes I am going to work it off before bed~!

Good for you, Jen! I am sure you can do it and that you will feel proud of yourself afterwards.

beckylawrence70

If I had the time I may work it off, but for the mostpart, I'd just do better tomorrow......

secretgirl4611

I am sorry, but I believe in paying your dues.

I don't go out and shop with money I don't have. I am not going to run up a credit card bill without actually straightening out my finances the following month and pay off what I over-spent. Where would I be if I kept running up my bill, and just saying it's okay? And how are calories any different?

It is not about negativity at all. It is about accountability and about taking pride in that when you make a mistake, you have the strength and resilience to accept the consequences and put yourself back at square one.

I would feel much worse if I had NOT gone to the gym and made up for what I ate. Then there would have been guilt, and likely, poor results on the scale.

about 3wks ago I did the exact same thing. I over ate and over indulged in my sweet sins of a double chocolate Ice cream cone, a cup of hot cheetos (which normally I just eat the whole bag but I measured it that time lol to make myself "feel better" not! but yea), and like a king size kit kat.. after I ate it I felt bad that I went off so badly.. I waited bout 40min. and I did an hour of Insanity workouts.. after I got done working out I felt much better and not overly full but STILL u kno... really its no way to go bout things.. Now I just eat one sweet treat a day instead of TRYING TO DEPRIVE MYSELF for a wk then mess up for a few days.. BAD PATTERNS SUCK! but I get where ur commin from..

victoria4321

By this rational, you should work out non stop and never eat until you lose the weight.

Is that what I said, by any stretch of the imagination?

Maybe the straw-man making people can get out of the thread.

Usually when you run up a bill it doesn't go away until you pay it so yeah. Unless you meant to use a more appropriate analogy, that's just how it read. No worries, I wasn't trying to offend you btw. Just being realistic about things. There's a reason why most people who lose weight end up gaining it back. Its more beneficial to look at the bigger picture and just be healthy in the long haul. There's just little benefit in establishing bad habits, that's all I was saying. One bad day doesn't matter a year later. Its easier to learn to just not have bad days then get used to making up for them.

sisierra

I'm all for it! Then after I get off the elliptical 1000cal later I think, if I could just do that on a good day life would be great

vljensen6

Here's what I do. When I have cravings I have one cheat a day. If i want fried foods, I exercise or eat lighter meals the rest of the day so I can have my fried food. but i only have one cheat food a day. So having multiple cravings is difficult sometimes, but if i want fried chicken and french fries, i'll eat the fried chicken and skip the fries. I usually find that eating one of the cheats eliminates the craving for the other and I'm still under on my calories for the day.

It's still important to have days where you don't stress about how many calories you're eating, what it is, how much of it you're eating and being crazy over every calorie. That's just from a mental health standpoint. It's ok to cheat, just do it carefully and do what works for you. I hope this helps!

ZugTheMegasaurus

When I used to try (and fail) to lose weight, this sort of thinking was really detrimental for me. I was concerned with the imposition of external consequences for doing something that I saw as wrong or bad. I'd get terribly stressed out, thinking about how I needed to be punished or pay the price, or however you choose to phrase it. It was upsetting and made me want to quit because I was so scared of being punished, even if the punishment was coming from me.

I only managed to let go of the guilt when I realized that eating too many calories already comes with its own consequence: not losing weight. That allowed me to stop feeling bad or afraid. I couldn't do anything really wrong, there were only things that took me toward my goal, and things that took me away from it. I don't eat over my calories because it's not going to get me where I want to go. If I do, then I know I won't lose as much weight in the immediate future, but that's all. I don't need to feel bad or be taught a lesson, it's just a matter of cause and effect.

I suppose if that doesn't work for you and "paying your dues" with extra workouts does, then more power to you. But for anyone else like me, I think it's really the wrong perspective to adopt.

micls

I try to track weekly rather than daily, which solves the problem of obsessing over daily totals.

So if I go over by 200 today, I won't eat back all my exercise calories tomorrow. over the week I aim to have eaten my aim + my exercise calories, but not necessarily on the day I worked out.

christenwypy

I try to pay my dues, if not the same day then the next if I can. But I think there is something to be said for taking it one day at a time. We can;t go back and change what we did before so there is no point to feeling guilty, all we can do is deal with the now. If we can do it we should rectify it If we can't for some reason, there is always tomorrow.

skb12573

I believe in paying dues too but again, planning ahead of time so you do not accrue them is the best idea that I try to stick to. There will still be days I go over and days I don't pay the dues (usually because of time issues, I have 2 young children, a husband who sometimes works out of time, i work full time and i am involved in church). But in the end, it is about the accountability. If you rack up a big tab... you wont be able to pay up. Isn't that what got most of us into our situations in the first place?

NewTeena

There are definitely days that I will exercise a little longer in order to make up for an overage or to allow myself more calories for one more snack.

There's nothing wrong with that. I do it often.

Just last week, however, every day I kept having this feeling that I was being deprived. This was not the same as doing an extra 10 minutes to make up for eating a cookie. I felt deprived. So, by day 3 of this (just this past Friday), I just ignored the calories, and just ate. I ate everything I felt I was being deprived of. I ate more than double my calories. The next day, I went back to making better food choices. Today I recorded a .6 lb loss.

I do not feel guilty for the pig out day, it was something I think that I needed to do in order to maintain the long term success. I do have regular cheat days, but this was not one of them.

I think there's a difference between falling off the wagon and eating a cookie. To me, one is giving up, the other is a lesson in how to work it into one's day.

brooke0206

I think to each his own. Some people it works to pay their dues, it will make them realize that if they do it again they have consequences but at the same time I don't think everyone works like that. Some are able to let it go and get right back on track and do fine where others may spiral out of control. I don't think there is anything wrong win paying your dues if that's what works for you.

redcat17

This is my personal take on it, and anyone can agree or disagree as they please.

My PT wants me to gain six pounds of muscle and lose about twenty pounds over the next few months. She told me to do interval cardio three days a week and strength train four. She told be that too much cardio is counter-productive while trying to gain muscle (i.e. skinny fat).

So if one day a week I eat a few too many calories, I'm not going sabotage my fitness plan by working out more. My thinking is that working out is for getting fit, being healthy, and having fun. I don't think of it of a way to lose weight, because then it would seem like a job and I have one of those already.

SAMSON25

I applaud your accountability, discipline, and proactive approach to achieving your goals. As many have said, yes, one cheat meal/day wont kill, but it can greatly deter your goals esp. if it is weight loss. I agree with you 100%. If you can "pay it off" then why wouldn't you?!? Way to go! I implement the same approach and am confident that I do not have an eating disorder, nor am training myself to develop one. You did the occasional treat and enjoyed it, but then recognized that you had the chance to stay on track for your fitness goals, so you got off your butt and still made your day a success!

Good work in my opinion : )

majordlite

If I've already worked out for the day and I go over I won't work out again... but if I haven't worked out, and it's not specifically a rest day (i.e. I have an injury or just ran a race the day before) I will probably try to correct whatever dietary indiscretion I may have committed early in the day.

I do the same. I try to have finished eating my food for the day before I go to the gym in the evening...that way I know what I'm working with/against. I've been a bit neurotic in trying to stay under/on my calorie goals for the past few weeks, but I'm getting a bit better about letting things go.

Burlesque12

Are we not human? Making mistakes is part of the journey. What we learn from it is what matters. If someone keeps falling off the wagon, it's cause they are not ready for the hard work. It's not realistic to NEVER fall off though.
This isnt a job where one "pays their dues" for promotion.

JeepBaja

Are we not human? Making mistakes is part of the journey. What we learn from it is what matters. If someone keeps falling off the wagon, it's cause they are not ready for the hard work. It's not realistic to NEVER fall off though.
This isnt a job where one "pays their dues" for promotion.

Not only that, we are adults. I made a decision to eat more than I should. I made the choice to stay at home and watch TV instead of going for a hike. I don't have to justify it. I don't have to explain it.

I know the consequences.

The days of doing so are less for me because I am actively trying to eat better but when it comes down to it, if I choose to do something or not do something, I can only blame myself and be bitter about it. Or I can just accept what I did and move on.

LynC33

Why are people attacking David and getting all defensive?? Isnt this an open forum for people to air their views? I would not suggest starting a topic unless you are ptrepared to take the good with the bad, not everyone has to agree on everything. Different things work for different people.

Personally, I dont put myself in a position where Im going "OMG I just ate maccas Big Mac, I need to work that off asap". Life is too short to not enjoy the foods you love. No one is going to tell me I cant have chocolate, thats for sure. I plan all my meals in the morning so I know what my daily cal intake is going to be. If I know I want to have something sweet or takeaway, I just cut back on a few of the other things I was going to have to allow for it. Most of the time I manage to sit within my calorie intake. If I go over its probably around 10-50cals....nothing worth fussing over. For me its about balance.

If paying your dues works for you, then I say bravo, because its about feeling good within yourself, and if you feel better and happier after, its worth it.

osualex

I think it really depends. I am all for having a cheat meal/day once a week and NOT working it off, if not for your metabolism, then for your sanity. Otherwise, I eat what I want as long as it fits my calories and macros. If you want a treat every day (which can be a GOOD thing, and keep you on track) then just plan for it, there doesn't have to be any guilt with it. For example, I am eating fast food for lunch today as I have a very busy work day. Is this the healthiest choice? No, but I don't do it every day, plus it fits my macros and calories. I have no guilt, and I'm not changing my work out today to make up for it.