before MFP puzzler...

Jessicaruby

i was just sitting here contemplating have a cheat meal to indulge on my bf bday in two weeks... then i thought before i ever started MFP i was skinny ( i started on here because i had a belly pooch i wanted to get rid of and thought it would go away if i lost about 5-10lbs) and i ate what i wanted when i wanted. i ate out ALOT. cheeseburgers, fries, wine, chocoalte, ice cream and i NEVER gained weight. so now that i am tracking cals and eating healthy/clean why do i gain weight when i indulge?

kuger4119

While I think MFP is a great site, many people make the mistake of taking in too few calories over an extended length of time and it has a negative impact on their metabolism. They end up plateauing in particular. It happened to me. I dropped 18 pounds and hit the wall. I wasn't losing weight when I was at or below my net calorie goal and I'd gain weight whenever I went above. I spent a month bouncing between 159 and 162 lbs.

I don't know if it's absolutely true for everyone, but someone suggested doing a "metabolic reset" in a thread and I inadvertently did that a couple weeks ago and it has worked wonders for me. I went a week without using MFP and not going to the gym while I was on vacation. I didn't go crazy eating but I didn't worry about tracking my calories. I was still active because we were swimming in the ocean or walking and such but I did not work out. When I got back from the trip, I had gained three pounds from when I started the trip (from 159 to 162 again).

I went back on MFP and started tracking my calories and hitting the gym every other day. I've lost 3.5 lbs this week and broke through a barrier that I couldn't beat in a month. Long story short, you may find that you need to lay off for an entire week and not worry so much. Don't get silly about what you do but just don't worry about things. Then hit it hard again after that. People talking about staying above your BMR and all that and I'm sure that is accurate advice too, but I think that anytime you get into too much of a routine, you are going to see diminishing returns. We all hope to live a long time so when it comes down to it, if we gain a few pounds in a week and it takes two weeks to get them back off, it doesn't matter as long as the overall weight loss is continuing. The important thing is to have more good weeks than bad weeks.

mmapags

You just gain a little water weight temporarily when you indulge unless you are indulge 7000 or so calories over your TDEE? As my friend Razique says,"if it ain't TDEE plus 3500, it ain't fat bro!" Don't sweat the details. Go out and have fun on your birthday!

jennkain97

when you're eating a high protein diet, "indulging" usually means carbs. so when you add those carbs, you gain a few pounds of water weight. they should drop right back off in a few days.

you've been really strict w/ yourself for a while now. you deserve to indulge every now and then. we all want to be healthy, but one day isn't going to undo that. i say, have that dinner out and enjoy yourselves

Jessicaruby

While I think MFP is a great site, many people make the mistake of taking in too few calories over an extended length of time and it has a negative impact on their metabolism.

i ate whatever i wanted while on vacation at the beginning of april and i eat between 1800-2100 cals a day so i dont think i am eating too little....

kuger4119

It's always hard to say. I think variety is good and I guess I'll stick by my previous comment that just worrying about having more good weeks than bad. People don't get overweight based on a few bad days. Like I've pointed out to my wife, getting 20 lbs overweight involved hundreds of bad days over time. Don't worry about a few bad days. Throwing some variety in there, even if it means gaining a lb or two temporarily, is healthy.