Cheating, how do you atone?

2

Replies

  • MooMooooo
    MooMooooo Posts: 306 Member
    I haven't 'cheated' in a while... But last time I did I promised myself I would 'atone' - I planned the binge in advance btw.

    I ate a whole share pack of mini chocolates. It was super fun and a bit over 1000 calories.

    I started to carry over the calories for a few days - intending to work them off, but turns out I was too lazy :tongue:

    So I dropped my days calorie allowance by 100 for 7 days (by my calculations this would have mitigated the binge)

    I am serious about losing weight (this time) and want to have consequenses and not always let myself off.
  • ReneeElizabeth26
    ReneeElizabeth26 Posts: 144
    I ate 3000 calories in 1 day and after advice from mfpers I logged it. Helped give me a number to focus on and more motivation...I did p90x in the a m and walked an hour after for a couple days and cut back a bit on the food...All gone plus loss another couple pounds....Log log log!
  • linhmaimac
    linhmaimac Posts: 148 Member
    Mehhh, its okay to indulge once in a while. Start fresh tomorrow.
  • ChrisFitPro
    ChrisFitPro Posts: 32 Member
    Hi -

    I would recommend sticking to the plan.

    I have to add though, your plan needs to be sound - consisting of a informed diet plan and a sufficiently challenging training program.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I ate 3000 calories in 1 day and after advice from mfpers I logged it. Helped give me a number to focus on and more motivation...I did p90x in the a m and walked an hour after for a couple days and cut back a bit on the food...All gone plus loss another couple pounds....Log log log!
    DEFINITELY log it! No matter which route you take, log it. I think it really helps to see it all out there. I always tell myself that my body counts it whether I log it or not, so pretending like it didn't happen doesn't change a thing!
  • ChrisFitPro
    ChrisFitPro Posts: 32 Member
    Oh yeah... consider looking into planned cheat meals.

    Throughout my extreme dieting/contest prep, I used weekly refeeds/cheats to restore glycogen/ increase leptin.

    If your cheat is planned and calculated, the guilt goes away - which leads to much more satisfaction :)
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    I'm lucky. I'm not on a diet. I've just decided to modify my diet to become as healthy as I can be. And, for me, that means that although I eat at or under calories most days, there are other days that I make the choice to go over and that's ok. So, I never feel like I have to atone for any food overages.
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
    First off, don't call it "diet". And it's not "cheating". It's living. Pick yourself back up the next day or day after. It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal :-) Too many people beat themselves up over living life and indulging now and again. It's going to happen, so accept it, figure out a "plan of action" if you will, and get back to your healthy lifestyle. If you don't allow yourself to indulge now and then, you could end up going on a binge or completely giving up altogether. Don't punish yourself. But if you know that this is how weekends might end up, try increasing your water throughout the week, increase your exercise by a bit, make sure you're following whatever lifestyle you've chosen as best you can.
  • k011185
    k011185 Posts: 320 Member
    I log it and start over the next day like it never happened.
    This.
    Although lately life has been so crazy on my bad days I dont even log, simply because I can't even remember what I ate. There is enough in life to beat myself up about, eating over my calories for a couple days is not going to be one of them.
  • Rosa1213
    Rosa1213 Posts: 456 Member
    Eating a bit under my calories the next day makes me feel better. I only do so by 100 calories or so, so I'm sure it doesn't make that big a difference, but it just makes me feel better inside :)

    Other than that, though, I make a note in my diary about what happened that day that made me cheat, and just "forgive and forget". Tomorrow is a new day and I know I'll kick butt!
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    Turn that guilt into gratitude - you confused your metabolism and now it's going to work a little harder for you. I would definitely exercise a little more and eat extra healthy for the next couple of days to make the most of it, but don't feel like you have to do it to catch up - think of it as an advantage!
  • Sarahgrace0228
    Sarahgrace0228 Posts: 63 Member
    .I did it Saturday. Had horrible guilt. The following day I dusted the dirt from my shoulders and started the week out healthy.. :) Say your week started out Sunday and Sunday was one of the days you had an "oops" with your diet. Calculate your weekly intake and see what you need to do to even it out. I did that. Had a 695 calorie deficit yesterday.Work a bit harder the next few days. Don't eat less just eat more lower calorie foods like fruits and veggies. That starvation mode would be bad thing
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 246 Member
    Luckily, I don't ever have episodes where I'm just "off the wagon" for a long period of time. I mostly have planned instances where I go a bit over (i.e. I have one day a week where I eat what I've been craving irregardless of calories, but in moderation...and generally only one meal).

    If I DO happen to make a poor food choice, first I try to figure out why I made the choice and adjust accordingly. Was I really thirsty? Was I upset about something?, etc. Then I just get back to life - making good overall food choices. Because that's what I do now.
  • ChrisFitPro
    ChrisFitPro Posts: 32 Member
    Luckily, I don't ever have episodes where I'm just "off the wagon" for a long period of time. I mostly have planned instances where I go a bit over (i.e. I have one day a week where I eat what I've been craving irregardless of calories, but in moderation...and generally only one meal).

    If I DO happen to make a poor food choice, first I try to figure out why I made the choice and adjust accordingly. Was I really thirsty? Was I upset about something?, etc. Then I just get back to life - making good overall food choices. Because that's what I do now.

    I tend to favor this calculated approach to my "lifestyle" (lol at people being afraid of the word diet)... But everyone is different. Type A - Type Z. If you like control and planning, then you can have your cake and enjoy it too :)
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I just don't tell her.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    I log it and start over the next day like it never happened.

    I agree with Victoria. Don't punish yourself for enjoying an "awesome" weekend. :smile:
  • SamTheIntlDvlpr
    SamTheIntlDvlpr Posts: 24
    haha I did the same thing in like my 3rd and 4th week, and I was annoyed with myself because my weight loss was very slow in those weeks, compared to my first 2 weeks where i dropped 5 lbs.. so because i didnt see my results that i wanted to, i stopped cheating lol
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    I think it depends on how motivated you are to meet your goals. Personally, I try not to have any cheat days because I'm really trying to reach a specific goal in a set period of time. So, if I end up cheating by accident or something, I get my butt to the gym. I try not to "punish" myself by making myself feel like I need to atone for "sins" committed. Everyone screws up once in a while when trying to lose weight, it's nothing to beat yourself up over. The less guilt I can associate with small mistakes and setbacks, the more likely I am to stay motivated and positive when I DO screw up. Just my two cents :flowerforyou:
  • deannakittygirl
    deannakittygirl Posts: 228 Member
    First off, don't call it "diet". And it's not "cheating". It's living. Pick yourself back up the next day or day after. It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal :-) Too many people beat themselves up over living life and indulging now and again. It's going to happen, so accept it, figure out a "plan of action" if you will, and get back to your healthy lifestyle. If you don't allow yourself to indulge now and then, you could end up going on a binge or completely giving up altogether. Don't punish yourself. But if you know that this is how weekends might end up, try increasing your water throughout the week, increase your exercise by a bit, make sure you're following whatever lifestyle you've chosen as best you can.
  • deannakittygirl
    deannakittygirl Posts: 228 Member
    agree

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