I messed up

ksarkarati

So I've been eating very balanced, exercising well for the past six weeks and binged Friday night and kept up an unhealthy eating pattern Saturday and Sunday. i feel awful. I feel like I've worked so hard and just threw away a lot of hard work. I know it's not logical that I undid 6 weeks of great work, but it's how I feel. Now I'm trying to jump back on and I feel unmotivated and a bit hopeless. I need support and encouragement right now. Is everything going to be ok? I'm terrified to weigh myself bc I'm afraid of the damage I've done. How do I keep going when I feel like I've messed things up?

FirefitMike

Get your *kitten* back up and keep moving forward. One weekend means nothing in the long term. Throwing away all your hard work would be stopping now...

determined136

What's the old saying....quiters never win....winners never quit! You hit a small bump in the road....it is in the past! Now I know that you are a winner!!!!!

Get your tushy going!!!

Goonies never say die! :bigsmile: Yes I am a dork but it works for me!

hachillama

one day or even a week doesn't throw away anything! the body recoups quickly, especially if you have been training it for 6 weeks, and if you have been working hard for that long, you are allowed to have a bad day or two! i had a terrible 3 days this weekend and ate the worst since i started and while usually before i would get discouraged and stop or feel totally un motivated and pointless, i knew that if i just worked out an extra half hour and then kept at it this week, it would all be completely fine. so, go for it! challenge yourself even more and push extra this week!! good luck!! you can do it!!

DenyseMarieL

I don't think a couple of days of 'bad' will undo all of the good you have done. Get back on track, stay off the scale for a week or so, and just focus on getting back into a good pattern. I have at least one day a week where I go over calories or just get lazy and 'forget' to exercise. Don't beat yourself up over it. You will just get discouraged. Just start fresh!

belladonna786

you only mess up when you give up

StinkyWinkies

Nothing doing, be kind to yourself, it's a process, plus what everyone else wrote. Today is a new day, start fresh and don't beat yourself up. :flowerforyou:

nkellen2

Everybody "messes up" now and then. It's actually good to keep your body guessing. Just regroup and start again. Remember, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

ChristyRunStarr

Everyone has a bad night, or day or weekend-just get back up and realize it is what it is, you don't have to beat yourself up over it. Today's a new day, it'll all work out

jemimasmum

And if you were dealing with a friend or a child what would you say?
"Come on, I know you made a mistake but it's ok and you can try again." We treat ourselves pretty rough in comparison to how we treat others.
It's happened. You feel rubbish but you can start over stright away with minimal damage to short term goals and no damage at all to the long term.
Heads up, march swiftly towards the light at the end of the tunnel!

Firno

I just went through the same thing. Another MFP friend sent me to this blog: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/ It was very helpful and inspiring. Hope it helps

yo_andi

One weekend vs. the rest of your life... pales in comparison.

Drink a tall glass of water, mull your mistakes while you drink it and once you finish that glass of water, drink another one. Resolve to be done with the past once you're done with that second glass. Then move on.

capnrus789

We all eff it up now and then. What's past is past, no reason to dwell. Remember what led to the mistake, and try ot avoid it in the future. For me, I eat or drink too much when I'm bored. I always have to have something to do, even if its' just a stupid little game on the iPhone. Problem solved.

DeMarraDontStop

It happens!! Been there done that!! But guess what if you still have goals to meet then you need to push toward them. OK a setback, say damn I messed up and make better decisions today and the next day. This is a lifetime journey and everyday will not be perfect. Go back to doing what you were doing for six weeks! hang in there!

20ever

Jump back on the wagon. There is no way one weekend should derail your whole damn approach. Get off your *kitten*, get back to work, quite whining and GO GO GO GO!!!!!

Heather_Rider

So I've been eating very balanced, exercising well for the past six weeks and binged Friday night and kept up an unhealthy eating pattern Saturday and Sunday. i feel awful. I feel like I've worked so hard and just threw away a lot of hard work. I know it's not logical that I undid 6 weeks of great work, but it's how I feel. Now I'm trying to jump back on and I feel unmotivated and a bit hopeless. I need support and encouragement right now. Is everything going to be ok? I'm terrified to weigh myself bc I'm afraid of the damage I've done. How do I keep going when I feel like I've messed things up?

First, log EVERYTHING that you can remember you eat.

Second, WEIGH yourself. Just to see... i think you will be surprised that you didnt do as much as you thought.


Third, it was a few days.. not months. Just as you made the decision to eat poorly, realize that you didnt do THAT bad, and start eating better. Dont wait until tomorrow. Even if you had a crappy breakfast.. have a better lunch!

Now, GET OFF YOUR *kitten* AND GO MOVE! Even if just for five minutes to start! You will feel so much better!! Send me a friend request... go down my wall some, and check out my "shocking story" i was in complete denial about what i had actually done in 90 days, thinking i was still SO obese, i refused to even go buy a pair of jeans.. (i own ONE pair total, no joke) I didnt think had any success, just losing 26 pounds in those 90 days, and recently had fluid drawn off my lungs (wedensday last week) I hadnt eaten worth a crap, because of a new medicine and wasnt able to work out and really just wanted to give up... then, i HAD to buy a new pair of jeans.. and there was my "shocking" but not really a success story. So please read it. I hope it makes you feel better.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I had a free for all on Saturday--literally ate EVERYTHING I WANTED IN WHATEVER QUANTITY I WANTED--it amounted to 5k calories. I don't really feel bad about it; it was 1 pound. That's not a huge deal. Yes, I undid a couple week's worth of dieting BUT mentally and physically I feel like it was good for me to do that. Most people would call it a "binge" but it was quite purposeful and done with the intent of just "getting it out of my system"...resetting hormones...refilling glycogen stores...and now I feel awesome!

My point is that you didn't do much damage--don't weigh yourself for a week and then when you've had a good 5-7 days under your belt then brave the scale again. I promise nothing drastic happened! ((hugs))

phonepest

I don't know you, but believe me, I KNOW that feeling. A good friend of mine would say: "yes, it was a couple of bad choices, but just do the next RIGHT thing...and move on" You're not perfect, nor should you expect yourself to be! Make today a GREAT restart and recommit...and as someone else mentioned, since you did something different, you may just keep your body moving along better!

ObtainingBalance

You have no choice. It's over. FRIDAY IS GONE.
I binge ate about 6,000 - 7,000 calories friday. And I just got back up saturday... Looking at my weekly deficit, I can make up for it in a week... No, it did not ruin my work the week before... I am getting fitter and being able to run more... better shape.... who cares if I ate too much, it doesn't take back my fitness progress.

The scale will be fine, Ive binged a couple times a month before and still lost 5 lbs overall.. I only weigh once a month - less depressing.

Work on the day-by-day stuff, take it ONE DAY at a time.

The sun is a beautiful sign of a fresh start. New day, make the most of it.

Don't even weigh yourself this week, you will have water retention and that MIGHT make it look like a higher number... but it isn't all fat and can be lost quickly (because it's bloat).

What I mean't by... you have no choice... You can give up and stay overweight, or keep trying and eventually get to your goal while learning how to manage things better on the way. (manage overeating, figure out your triggers and learn to better prepare for the next temptations... over all you will start to see progress and you will overeat less.)

Exercise has many health benefits(OTHER than calorie burn) don't think one day of bad eating could take those away.

"falling down just shows you are trying..."

We are human, after all. No one is perfect...

moss11

Yes just put it behind you and carry on the good work. Accept that life does not always go according to plan. It's not easy, that's why we are all on MFP:drinker:

ksarkarati

Thank you very much everyone. There are a lot of wise souls on MFP. It's sites like these that remind me how important, motivating and amazing support is. Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it.

TheSink

So I've been eating very balanced, exercising well for the past six weeks and binged Friday night and kept up an unhealthy eating pattern Saturday and Sunday....... Is everything going to be ok?

Okay. You have to be putting us on with this post, right? This is a joke, isn't it?

Sorry, that was snarky, but jeebus....your weekend experience is exactly why I'm using MFP. So I don't HAVE TO worry about what I consume on the weekend. And by and large for 5 weeks I haven't, and I've lost weight. Now, I'm a bit different than the other folks on here that have more weight to lose. Maybe they freak out. But I don't. So relax. Have a drink and watch 5 hours of TV. Sounds like you need it.

bethvandenberg

suck it up and move on. We all have weekends/nights/days that we over induldge. Go workout and make it a priority to eat well today and get in some exercise. Then tomorrow do it again. You get it. If you're afraid to weigh wait a week. Relax.

slackerwoman

You are going to be fine. Quit think about what is already done. Take it one day at a time. One meal at a time.

kit8806

Everyone hits bumps in the road. Get up and keep moving! It's a new day, a new week, and no reason to stop now! Push past it, work a little harder this week, and you'll be fine!

br2012

Just like you wont lose weight if you diet one day, you wont gain weight by cheating one day.

auroranflash

Instead of thinking "Man I screwed up for three days" try thinking "Wow, I ate healthily for ____ weeks! Think of how many calories I saved and all the great choices I made because I invested the time to do so and I was worth the effort . Sure I'll have bad days and occasionally indulge cravings, but with the knowledge I have now, I know I can make great decisions most of the time in the future, and that will greatly help me to look and feel better. I rock!"

:flowerforyou:

bbmkr3

I have been on this journey since May, I have "messed up" many times along this road and have still managed to lose 22 pounds. You just have to pick yourself up and continue on. I can speak for everyone but if I don't allow myself cheat days I probably wouldn't have made it this far and look at my numbers for motivation. I AM doing it and WILL continue, so can you!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

You have no choice. It's over. FRIDAY IS GONE.
I binge ate about 6,000 - 7,000 calories friday. And I just got back up saturday... Looking at my weekly deficit, I can make up for it in a week... No, it did not ruin my work the week before... I am getting fitter and being able to run more... better shape.... who cares if I ate too much, it doesn't take back my fitness progress.

The scale will be fine, Ive binged a couple times a month before and still lost 5 lbs overall.. I only weigh once a month - less depressing.

Work on the day-by-day stuff, take it ONE DAY at a time.

The sun is a beautiful sign of a fresh start. New day, make the most of it.

Don't even weigh yourself this week, you will have water retention and that MIGHT make it look like a higher number... but it isn't all fat and can be lost quickly (because it's bloat).

What I mean't by... you have no choice... You can give up and stay overweight, or keep trying and eventually get to your goal while learning how to manage things better on the way. (manage overeating, figure out your triggers and learn to better prepare for the next temptations... over all you will start to see progress and you will overeat less.)

Exercise has many health benefits(OTHER than calorie burn) don't think one day of bad eating could take those away.

"falling down just shows you are trying..."

We are human, after all. No one is perfect...

great post--except she's FAR FAR FAR from overweight

kenazfehu

I used to do that: mess up, think "why even try?" and go back to my old habits. I vow I will not do that again (mess up hasn't happened in 5 weeks now). I think it was an excuse, actually. Change is hard. It's easier to slip back into old habits.

ksarkarati

Hahaha no, I suppose I was being a little melodramatic but that's honestly the way I've been feeling. I'm taking this as a learning experience. Actually though, reading your post made me laugh and makes me realize that this is not a huge deal. I tend to catastrophize in my head.