Epic Fail, Day 2

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  • kellynoexcuseslevinson
    kellynoexcuseslevinson Posts: 4 Member
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    try this....eat half take half home. Don't worry. One cheat meal. it's fine. It takes time. next time drink lots of water before you go. Maybe even eat some healthy snacks before so you aren't that hungry. oh...and this is the best...have a picture...many pictures of what you want to look like. It can be of you before the weight gain or it could be of some model in a magazine but keep that visual in your head when you are at a restaurant. It helps me. Good luck.
  • jeslaughter
    jeslaughter Posts: 131 Member
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    Oh, do not be hard on yourself for your over today...we all have done it...and for me, I am still losing weight. When I go out for a meal, if I can and have the time, I check out the restaurant's menu and nutrition listings on line and decide what I am going to eat before I even go..sometimes I give my self a couple of choices so that I can keep within my goals for the day...if I happen to go over, well, I went over, there is tomorrow and I know I will get back on track..stick with it...there are great ppl here to help you through days like this.
  • myfriendb00
    myfriendb00 Posts: 20 Member
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    You can never give up because you feel you failed for the day. Wake up tommorrow and begin again. This is why most people that diet fail...they have an "off day" feel disqusted and give up. push on...nobody is a overnight succuss!
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
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    The most important thing you need to learn is to be patient and forgiving of yourself. I continue to have crap days where I go overboard, but it didn't keep me from losing weight. (Slowed me down a bit maybe, but I still did I it.) If you were trying to learn a new language, you wouldn't be punishing yourself for not being fluent on day two. You are learning new habits and changing your lifestyle so it's going to take time to get used to it all and learn how to cope when you have to deal with temptations. This is not an epic fail. It is a lesson to help you going forward. It would only be an epic fail if you gave up completely.

    You are here and you are trying. You are already winning! Feel free to add me if you need more support.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    Everyone else has said everything I would have written...

    The reason so many people reiterate that this is a lifestyle change is that sometimes things happen, celebrations happen, and it's ok to celebrate with your family, even if it means you "mess up" or go over your calories on occasion. It has been said that it takes 21 days (or more) to create new habits. You're only on day 2. Don't take the "this is what you'll weigh in 5 weeks" prediction too seriously, just continue to work on what you are doing. Just keep moving forward.
  • richard205
    richard205 Posts: 18 Member
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    Stick with it!

    Keep tracking - this is the key, and you will find your median levels. ( Exceptions happen, so just go with them and even try to get even further ahead for next time.)

    For every 5 really good days, there will probably be one "not even anywhere in the vicinity of anything even remotely resembling a really good day" day - but that will improve over time.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    First let me put this here: "Build your diet around your life; not your life around your diet!"

    Now, this in only one day of many. This will not be the last time you go over or go out to eat. One day will not derail your success if you are consistent. Enjoy the times you get to spend with family and friends. Eat normally tomorrow and hit the gym hard. You got this!
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
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    shoot, I fail at least once a week. Just wake up the next day, rededicate and move on!
  • sPaRkLiNgLYFE
    sPaRkLiNgLYFE Posts: 609
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    consider it a cheat day and move on, tomorrow is another day.
  • i_luv_irs
    i_luv_irs Posts: 30 Member
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    You have to allow yourself some leeway or you'll just give up. I don't fret if I eat too much one day, I just work harder the next day to exercise and eat a more balanced diet. I figure, it's not like your body resets every night at midnight or something. If you're doing well over a period of time then the little "fail" days don't mean much in the long run. Heck, I ate almost all my calories for lunch yesterday and was over my limit for the day. Oh well, it was worth it and today I'm back on track. I cannot lose weight if I can't eat some fun stuff every once in a while. I'm losing about 1/2 to 1 pound per week lately and still eat some chocolate pretty much every day. :)
  • kelleyannclemons
    kelleyannclemons Posts: 71 Member
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    I have used my journey and lifestyle change to try new things that I wouldn't normally eat. When we go to restaurants, I try the lower calorie choices. IE: Fish prepared multiple ways (my fav is to have them use the blackening seasoning and then grill it without oil or butter), low calorie menu items, getting what I want and having them box half of it, etc. I do the same with cooking and my leftovers. We rarely make the same thing twice in the same month (unless we just can't wait to have it again). I am always trying new things and using the leftovers to make a completely different meal with as well. I love to cook, and this change has opened my eyes to a whole new world of food. I've been at this whole-heartedly for about 8 months and it has become so easy to do now.
  • Casey45
    Casey45 Posts: 160 Member
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    First off, you've joined MFP to try to change your diet/lifestyle/whatever. Yay!! That's the first step. Now you're on day 2, and you had a maintenance (break even) day. You can't change everything, all bad habits, at once and never have a back slide. Keep that in mind. Besides, if you're anything like me, a maintenance day is an improvement over how I used to eat. Every day was a gain day not that long ago. So there's another yay for you. Third, you had a maintenance day on a celebratory go-out-to-eat day. Sounds like another yay in my book. Keep in mind that you're new to this. Its probably going to take you 2 or 3 weeks to really get the hang of what you're doing and even then you're going to have days that you don't do so well. Don't beat yourself up about it. You're human and its a lifestyle change where life is the operative word. In other words, you won't be perfect (just like life isn't perfect) and things like celebratory meals out will come along to challange you. Just chalk it up to a less than perfect day and start again tomorrow. Feeling guilty and beating yourself up about it will just make you quit and quitting won't get you where you want to go. Good luck to you. You can do it.

    Well said.... except, I think it's one thing to say 2-3 weeks to get the hang of it, another to make it a new lifestyle and be able to be on autopilot. In 19 months since I started, I've had plenty of maintenance and over days, but not a single day I wasn't committed to making a long term change.

    Maybe think of it this way: In the time it took you to gain the weight you want to lose now, there were days you ate over and days you didn't - yet overall, you gained weight. Same with a long term trend to lose weight: it will take time and, there will be days you will eat over your calorie goal, and days you wont. You'll lose weight when the deficit days are more than the surplus days. So log your consumption (be rigorous, measure, and honest - otherwise you won't learn what works) and your exercise. Good luck!
  • iceman7840
    iceman7840 Posts: 110
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    The greatest thing about bad days is they do come to an end and the next day you can start all over again. Keep your head up. Tomorrow is a new day.
  • farrier_chick
    farrier_chick Posts: 14 Member
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    Ok so I have this theory... it's like food cravings. If you are craving a piece of cheesecake, and all you can think about is cheesecake, but you feel guilty about eating cheesecake, you try to eat something else to fill that craving. Problem is you don't usually satisfy that craving. So you eat one thing that is healthier, then you eat something else that is healthier (healthier than cheesecake), and something else, and something else, well you get the point. After eating WAY too much you discover that you still want the cheesecake and end up eating it and all those other things. If you ate a small piece of it to start with, your craving would be over and you would have eaten less.

    Look at today as eating a bit of cheesecake.. so tomorrow you don't have the cheesecake and give yourself a few extra minutes of exercise and move on.

    Everyone has bumps in the road, and hey, think about this... you got on the elliptical and worked it... there are sooooo many people who won't even get up to change the channel on tv!

    Nothing to be ashamed of, if we deny ourselves all the time we end up miserable! Just keep pushing in a forward motion and you'll get there!
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
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    If I know that I'm going to be eating out, I "save up" my calories for the meal. I also do my best to take a peek at the menu if I can. Pre planning always helps my inevitable slipups. Now if I could only train my husband to check calories on items when he's going to the grocery store...
  • Pearlyladybug
    Pearlyladybug Posts: 882 Member
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    don't let one day put you off reaching your goals, Just back at it tomorrow. I have had a terrible week but i no next week is another week and not to let it up set me. YOU CAN DO IT!
  • MeltingCandlewax
    MeltingCandlewax Posts: 42 Member
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    The hubs and myself eat out at least twice a week if not more. I have lost almost an entire person so far and still losing doing it. The trick is to choose healthier options. I know, I know. You want to celebrate and eat what you want. Not something good for you.

    That is how I felt when I first started. You have to make a choice as to what you want more. The healthier lifestyle or the meal that will be over in a few minutes.

    After a couple of months of choosing the healthier options, I stopped wanting all the fried, and sauce covered foods. I now enjoy simply prepared meats with a few added spices and some steamed or roasted vegetables.

    Just do not give up. Pick yourself up and start over right now!




    I agree not only make healthier choices, but if the portion size is huge, split or eat half and take half home. Thats what I like to do when we go out.
    Don't give up, first your on day 2, you joined MFP, which means you know there is a problem and you have acknowledged it, only you can make a difference in your weightloss, chin up and stay positive, it will come in time.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I totally blew day 3. It was a long day, I was in a rush, and I asked my husband to run out and get McDonald's. I remember telling myself "You blew it today but that doesn't mean tomorrow is ruined. Do better tomorrow". And I did. That was back in January. I've lost 10 lbs and one size. Don't give up! Days like this happen. Next time you get to go out to dinner, relax and enjoy it. If you do well most of the time it won't matter. Hopefully you will learn from this site that you won't be perfect all the time but you can still be successful. Life happens and you want to enjoy it, not beat yourself up for having dinner with your husband. There are many people here who have lost 100+ pounds. These are people who have been there done that with days like this and yet they've still been successful. I hope you stick around. There really is a lot to learn here.
  • MeganKSchultz
    MeganKSchultz Posts: 73
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    Thank you to everyone who responded! 39 responses so far! In a very short amount of time! I'm loving this website! I especially loved the people who've lost weight, some of them a significant amount, who related and were encouraging. My only concern after reading all these responses is that I don't make every day a cheat day. That was one of my big problems before I started tracking what I eat. I would think "I did good yesterday, I'll have a frappe" and then later I'd remember "wait, I DID eat fast food yesterday!"
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
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    If you are diligent and honest about logging your food (and once you start seeing the results of good calorie counting), you will be less interested in "cheat" snacks. Not that you won't think of them, but talking yourself off the ledge will be easier.

    I know that if I go out for supper I will be over calories. I don't even TRY to stay within.. it's not going to happen. I just don't worry about it, as I make sure I don't eat like that everyday. Let's face it: you don't "accidentally" eat, you don't trip and fall into a plate of burgers. We get to choose what goes on our plate.
    As you said yourself, you don't eat out often. When you do, enjoy yourself.

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