I ate 4723 calories, went 1447 over, and am doing FINE.

TheFinalThird

I consumed 4,723 calories yesterday. I went 1,447 calories over for the day yesterday. It was the second time in the five-plus months that I've followed MFP where I ended the day with a red number. And this was a BIG honking red number. And I am doing fine. Really.

The details of my carnage are shown in my food diary, which is open to one and all. The highlights (lowlights?) include 3/4 of a large bag of Cheetos (yes, it is very definitely the cheese that goes crunch), two chocolate covered ice cream cones, cupcakes (yes, more than one), pizza (twice!), chestnut stuffing (two servings, thank you very much) and french fries that were so hot and crispy outside, yet pillowy soft and potatoey inside that I practically had to bob for them in the fryer to get them any fresher. Add the cool sweet tomatoey ketchup that I lovingly applied by hand and packet to the top of each and every french fry, and you have the makings of a culinary junk food nirvana or gastronomical wasteland depending on your perspective.

Why did I do this? Because I needed to. In order to prevent wildfires, firemen occasionally set fires to "clear the brush" and kindling. That's kinda what yesterday was all about. For a few weeks, my scale has been stuck on 88 pounds lost. And during that time, I have followed MFP very faithfully and exercised quite a lot (for me, anyway). I had begun to feel resentful of the disconnect between my efforts and my results (in terms of scale numbers). I had begun to feel contrained and pressured by the upper limit of my daily calorie limit. I had begun to feel like it was not fair that I could "only" have around 2600 calories per day and be considered "good". So for one day of controlled madness, I blew the lid on my daily limit. And I'm glad I did.

I knew that pressure was building within me. I knew that when that happened, it would be very easy for me to consume 9,000 to 10,000 calories in a single day, literally gaining a pound or two of fat (not just temporary weight) in a single 24 hour period. And I knew that if I inflicted that much damage on myself, it would be MUCH harder for me to get back on track. So I blew the dam and allowed for controlled flooding of the fields, rather than overwhelming the town with a destructive wall of water.

In terms of numbers, the 1,447 calories that I went over for the day represent a gain of less than 1/2 pound of fat (3,500 calories in a pound of fat). No big deal. I can lose that in a day. In terms of psyche, the GOOD that was done by yesterday's foodicane (foodnado? foodnami?) is immeasurable. I now realize that my daily calorie intake is controlled by ME, and not some arbitrary computer that throws a number on a screen at MFP headquarters. I know that I have the CHOICE of continuing down the path to weight and health success or reverting back to my old ways. I choose continued weight loss. And I choose health. That is why I allowed myself to experience a single day of gastronomical pon farr yesterday (if you're not a fan of the original Star Trek television series, look it up).

My madness has now cleared. Unlike yesterday, which started with a 3:00 a.m. ice cream cone, it is now 8:50 a.m., and I have yet to consume anything. I have no driving, compelling, all consuming, psycho-physical need to consume anything. And when I do, later this morning, it will be my traditional fat free latte and 3 ounces of whole wheat baguette either with or without the additional 100 calories from a pat of REAL butter at Mrs.TFT and my favorite french bakery in Rice Village.

So to all of you who expressed your concerns yesterday, publicly and privately, and to those of you who withheld any comment at all (probably not knowing what to say under the circumstances) I have a message. I'm fine. REALLY.

Also, thank you for your concern. THAT means more to me than any 3/4 of a large bag of Cheetos ever could.

Respectfully submitted,
Scott R. in Houston, Tx.

P.S. No change on the scale this morning. Unlike most mornings, that's a VERY GOOD thing. ;-)

Carolyn_79

Sounds like you had a great cheat day that was well deserved and needed

TwiistedTwiin

#%^*, errrr I mean food happens. :drinker:

farmwife3815

Thank you!!! Everybody is different and has different needs mentally, physically, emotionally and dietary!! What works for you may not work for me and vice versa! I am so glad you shared this. Sometimes we need to shake things up and sometimes we just need to blow. I'm glad you felt you could do that and be honest. I am so impressed with what you have done and what you continue to do. You are AWESOME!! Learning how to control food and not allow it to control me had been wonderful and it sounds like you go it too!! Yay!! Not everyone will understand or approve, but this is forever so finding ways to make it work is what it's all about!! You go this!! Shrink ON!!

JustPeachy044

you've only gone over 2 times in 5 months?! wow. this controlled binge or splurge was long overdue. by that, i mean your self-control has been like steel, more than most people can say, i believe. A cheat day from time to time can be healthy, I think.

I am a bit envious of how much you can eat normally, much less what you got to eat on your cheat day!

bigphatcat

It's okay by me Blue! I do this once in a while too. But I do have one question. Did this coincide with the Texans Playoff Game on purpose?

fusion777

Goood for you! I heard that you have to get "it" out of your system every once in a while but I am too afraid to try it!

I am sure you enjoyed every bite and now you will get yourself back on track. And...1447 isn't THAT bad to go over (you could have done so much worse!).

Thank you for sharing. You might make me brave enough to try it.

nsdjogger

You had me at, "tomatoey ketchup"!!

Only going over 2 times in 5 months is pretty darn good. Thanks for writing about this, your perspective is refreshing. I've gone over many times, and I'll tend to beat myself up over it. Eventually I shake it off and move forward.

deadmittens

One day going over will never hurt anyone. You didn't lose all your weight in one day, you won't gain it back in one slip up either.

moostrodamus

I went over 265 calories yesterday...glad i don't have to freak out over it!

TheRealParisLove

Own it and move on. Good lesson for all areas of life, not just food and fitness.

jennalor

What a refreshing post! Its nice to see it kept in perspective. Well done.

Btw, I love the word foodnami, awesome

IsleEsme

Very nice LOL! No harm no foul! I totally agree a cheat day once in a while can soothe the soul. The fact that you took it as a learning experience is even better Well done!

lioness0806

Good for you, admitting your cheat day in numbers to the MFP community.

I went over the other day and was ashamed to admit it to myself and my friends that I didn't even finish logging and completely skipped logging some of my junk food.

KodAkuraMacKyen

I heart this post

Maddalen101

I used to call such days "fat food freakouts". And yes, it does jumpstart the motor again.

nexangelus

Respectfully submitted,
Scott R. in Houston, Tx.

P.S. No change on the scale this morning. Unlike most mornings, that's a VERY GOOD thing. ;-)

Scott, this well written, calm and collected post made me smile. Such a contrast to the panicking that seems to go on in the disordered minds (of mostly young skinny women I hasten to add) of many on here. I am not making light of EDs, it is refreshing to see this kind of attitude...you are as strong as you think, way to go! : )