Overeaten by 400kcal at 2pm – how to save the day?

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Replies

  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    First, lets start with a positive - You logged everything as you ate it and now you are 400 Calories over and have a chance to do something about it.. This is really important - imaging if you had gone home, had a normal sized dinner (400 Cals?) and then had some snack or another on top of it... Now, worst case, you eat only your dinner. So, you're 800 calories over today - that means if you eat according to your plan for the next two days you will be under your maintenance calories again - everything after that is weight loss.

    Of course, there are some measures you can take to help things - the obvious one is to do some exercise. OK, so you have the children but as people have said their is nothing stopping you from going some active games with them - it will be fun.

    You can also go for a low calorie dinner. The best way to do this and feel full is to cut out the carbs. You could have a pretty decent sized chicken salad for 200 calories and it will fill you up.
  • bsuew
    bsuew Posts: 628 Member
    veggies would be a great choice. Drink extra water too. Find something to do with the kids that will burn up some calories. Play ball or go to the park with them if it is nice enough. If you have to stay indoors see if you can find something to do with them. All of you run in place if nothing else. Make it a game and the kids will love it! then tomorrow is a new day.
  • littlecrystal
    littlecrystal Posts: 110 Member
    That Marks and Sparks will get you everytime

    Spot on. Those cookies were sitting in my work drawer since Christmas (received as a present) and finally got me. Thankfully, they are now finished and I won't be buying them myself.
  • Good advice here:
    I think rather than play catch up and starve/potentially eat even more.... just make good food choices for dinner and leave today
    Start fresh again tomorrow x
  • fihealth
    fihealth Posts: 165 Member
    exercise, exercise, exercise! you might even earn more calories to have a nice little dinner! Because it's only 2 pm, do something for 10, 15, 20, or even 30 mins right now... and do another little something in a few hours, and if you can, squeeze in a third little bit of activity! You've given yourself all this great fuel, now you just have to use it so it doesn't get stored. Get going, girl! You can do it! :D
  • Moofey2
    Moofey2 Posts: 327 Member
    I have over eaten by 2,000 calories without even trying when my friends and I had a party and ate a whole bunch of crap, Even my doctor says it is okay to have a day like that every once in a while and should not cause any harm. Just walk a bit and get back on track the next day :)
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
    Meh, burn some calories on those stairs and eat fresh veggies for dinner. You'll be ok just do better tomorrow!
  • if you are aware of the 'overeating' by 2pm, then you are in a good position!! As many have stated already, plan an evening meal that is light, eg lots of veggies. As you have plenty of hours left in the day, make the most of the daylight and get out and burn some calories! Walking, riding, playing with the kids, mowing the lawn, not only is this a great way to burn calories, you'll feel better mentally about your 'oops' and not beat yourself up over it! (I find it's worse when it's 10pm at night and you discover you're over...) So get on your feet and live a little! Being out of the house will also limit temptation (cut down on the trips to the fridge or pantry!) So grab the water bottle, don a pair of runners and take the kids to the park!
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    I just noticed something and I have to ask it its true... I was looking at your diary and it says that on the 7th you ate 500g of Brussels Sprouts (215 Cal). That's a LOT of sprout!!! I think if I ate I would be declared a toxic health hazard (but I have stomach issues...)
  • fihealth
    fihealth Posts: 165 Member
    Although it's tempting to use the "start fresh tomorrow" philosophy...believe it or not, it's one of the leading pyschological causes of sustained obesity. The idea that you've "blown today" gives you a free pass to guilt yourself (damaging to self esteem) and to not do anything about it today, and instead try to be perfect tomorrow. Guess what? No day is perfect. Improve on today NOW. Stay mindful, stay in the now. There's always something you can do to turn things around! The day is young, burn some calories and feel more vibrant! :)
  • kingofcrunk
    kingofcrunk Posts: 372 Member
    Find a way to burn some calories through exercise then you'll be back in the green
  • The question in the topic.. One of those bad days.. It is 2pm and I am already 400kcal over :(

    I could choose not to eat today at all (hard!), running in place or running up and down the stairs to burn the calories, but afraid that starving will lead to more overeating..

    After I come back from work, I will have 2 kids with me, so going to gym is not an option.


    More exercise !!!:smooched:
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Definitely do something with the kids. I don't know if you have snow where you live, but i burned 800 calories taking my kids sledding for an hour and a half. My fitbit also said i climbed 74 floors just from walking up that stupid hill.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    Eat veggies for dinner; any veggies....salad or lightly steamed. Add a little protein like grilled chicken which is also low cal. You can fill up without a lot of calories.

    Then DO something with the kids...put on some jammin' music and jump around, dance around; the kids can join in...you can dance, do jumping jacks, add some ropeless jump rope or you can even take them for a walk...if there's a park nearby...you can go there...they can play and so can you. Jumping jacks, jump rope, dips, pull ups (cheaters), pushups on a park bench....

    When my son was little I couldn't always go tot he gym, but I always found a way to exercise with him; you can too...you just have to be inventive! :smile:
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    There are many days that I exercise to fix that problem :-) If you have to, wait until the kids are in bed and do a video, or jump rope, jumping jacks, stairs, etc. Have a light dinner (grilled chicken and salad is great and you can do it on under 200 calories) and you'll only be over a little if you get 45 minutes of exercise in.
  • littlecrystal
    littlecrystal Posts: 110 Member
    I just noticed something and I have to ask it its true... I was looking at your diary and it says that on the 7th you ate 500g of Brussels Sprouts (215 Cal). That's a LOT of sprout!!! I think if I ate I would be declared a toxic health hazard (but I have stomach issues...)

    Unfortunately it is true.. I am a maniac on large quantities of food and it is something that I need to work on.. that’s the whole packet of sprouts.

    I just did 4 mins of running upstairs (I am desk-bound at work so this is little time that I could afford for the time being) and retrieved 97 kcal, according to MFP.
  • fihealth
    fihealth Posts: 165 Member
    Hi Crystal,

    Rock on doing 4 mins of running up stairs!!! I've got a challenge for you:

    Set your watch and every hour, go run up the stairs for at least 2 mins straight! Do this each hour until the end of your work day! And report back to us how many cals you burned!!
  • sirluck
    sirluck Posts: 14
    There's always tomorrow. For me, it's not just counting calories, but what I eat. If I eat sweets, juice or grains, I go on an eating binge. If I don't eat that stuff, it's easy to stay within my goal. Good luck to you.
  • Although it's tempting to use the "start fresh tomorrow" philosophy...believe it or not, it's one of the leading pyschological causes of sustained obesity. The idea that you've "blown today" gives you a free pass to guilt yourself (damaging to self esteem) and to not do anything about it today, and instead try to be perfect tomorrow. Guess what? No day is perfect. Improve on today NOW. Stay mindful, stay in the now. There's always something you can do to turn things around! The day is young, burn some calories and feel more vibrant! :)

    This is important.

    There's a very apt quote doing the rounds that says:
    “Oh, I’ve already ruined my good eating today. I’ll just eat crap” is like saying “Oh, I dropped my phone on the floor. I’ll just smash it till it breaks.”

    found it:
    https://iheartinspiration.com/quotes/fitness/good-eating-habits/
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    I don't want to sound negative but there are not many exercises which burn over 10 Cals a minute unless you are going at them full on. Even then, getting about 15 calories a minute (900 per hour) is pretty much a maximum (I have had machines say I have gone over 1000 Cals an hour but never had a HRM verify it). I would be a bit cautious with that running up the stairs thing... 4 minutes = 60 calories tops.
  • littlecrystal
    littlecrystal Posts: 110 Member
    True with the comment that if we eat crap, then we just want some more crap.
    I tend to punish my overeating with more overeating, and first time I feel motivated enough to stay on track. For the record, I was losing weight until August 2012, then slipped off the track, and never got back – until now…

    Just did 1 more minute of running upstairs and feel completely broken (not too mention red as beetroot and sweating on my work desk). Just shows the level of my fitness..
  • littlecrystal
    littlecrystal Posts: 110 Member
    I don't want to sound negative but there are not many exercises which burn over 10 Cals a minute unless you are going at them full on. Even then, getting about 15 calories a minute (900 per hour) is pretty much a maximum (I have had machines say I have gone over 1000 Cals an hour but never had a HRM verify it). I would be a bit cautious with that running up the stairs thing... 4 minutes = 60 calories tops.

    I understand that is purely running up the stairs (not down) and hearing my heart jumping and sweating like crazy I believe I burnt those calories. Maybe a fit person would not burn much but the fat mountain like myself probably will…
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Well - they say you should take a 5 minute break every hour - how about you do one trip up the stairs in each break?
  • fihealth
    fihealth Posts: 165 Member
    Way to go, Crystal! One minute is something to be proud of because you're adding so much to your health, vitality, and lifespan every time you get active! And no negative self-talk (e.g. "fat mountain"). Keep going -- do a stair trip every hour! I'm looking forward to your report! And when you report back, I'm giving you another challenge, to say one truly nice thing about yourself!
  • littlecrystal
    littlecrystal Posts: 110 Member
    2 more minutes running upstairs and only 230kcal remaining overeaten... not sure if I manage any more stairs my legs shaking from the strain.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Well done. Lots of small efforts add up. Give yourself an hour break and see if you can do another minute.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Not sure if this has been said, but how much weight do have set to lose a week? If you're set to lose a pound a week, you're eating at a 500-calorie deficit each day. That means if you go over by 500 today, you're eating what you need to maintain your weight.

    One day where you MAINTAIN your weight (not gain, maintain) is not a disaster. And if you have MFP set to lose 1.5lbs/week (or 2lbs/week), then you'd have to eat MORE THAN 750 over (or 1000) to be at a point where you're not eating at a deficit. You might see your weight jump around a little (especially if your extra calories were extra high in sodium), but that's pretty normal for any time you vary your routine

    As many people have said, I'd eat a moderate/light dinner and just get on with your life. The idea of starving yourself to make up for it is likely to lead to binging later... and then more starving... and downhill from there.

    Take care of yourself. If you're a normal person like the majority of us, extreme eating habits just aren't sustainable and aren't helpful to your health. Good luck!
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    don't obsess over each day's totals. try to come close, but if you're a bit over or a bit under, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL!

    what really matters are your weekly and monthly averages. a single day is only a single data point. it can't make or break you.

    when i go over on a day, i compensate by going under the next day or the next 2 days to offset it.
  • make it a maintenance day or slightly over. not a huge deal. lighter meals later on and you'll be fine. as someone mentioned, depending on what your weight loss target is then you are at a 250/500/750 deficit for .5/1/1.5 pounds respectively. so, if you go over by the respective amount then you're at maintenance. 1/4 pound gained is 875 extra calories above your maintenance so think of it that way--you aren't doing much damage at all.
  • fihealth
    fihealth Posts: 165 Member
    Nice one, Crystal! See if you can do even just one minute in another hour! You're making awesome progress today, way to turn things around!!! Don't forget to stretch your legs. Really proud of you still going. Still have to say something nice about yourself. ;)