Do you do anything about "bad" days?

angiechimpanzee
angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Unplanned days where you happen to go over your limit significantly (by 800+?)

Do you work out extra hard the next few days, or cut down to make up for it? Or do you continue the next day as if nothing happened? Do occasional screw-ups gone unaccounted for tend to limit your results or do you notice no real impact on your losses over time?
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Replies

  • lustrebass
    lustrebass Posts: 47 Member
    Good questions - I want to know too!
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    yep, i do something about bad days.. enjoy them on the couch! :laugh:
  • spangey13
    spangey13 Posts: 294
    I'm usually good - Monday to Friday because I have my routine. If I give in to chocolate in the evening, I'll go for a longer run the folowing morning.

    Weekends are generally a write off. I'm always doing something, whether its sanding, painting, mowing the lawn, gardening, catering, I try to stay under / about the calorie limit, but there is usually no time for exercise.

    I don't know if that makes any actual difference, but I feel better about it myself.
  • majordlite
    majordlite Posts: 266 Member
    I ignore them and continue on as usual the next day. I don't do it often, but the times I have haven't held me back.
  • llama12345
    llama12345 Posts: 17
    I do a couple hundred sit-ups and squats when I start feeling guilty. Then I eat really healthy the next day, (I still always have one cookie though because I know that I'll screw up again if I try to cut it out - that being said, NO more than 1 cookie!). I don't try to limit my food intake the next day but if I can eat a little less I will, but I don't cut out food if I'm still hungry because then I'll just over-eat. And yes, if I'm working out, I definitely work out a little harder the following couple days. I only do all this to keep me mentally happy - I know over eating one day will really not affect anything in the long run but I need to do whatever I can to feel like I'm still on track, and this is what works for me. Best of luck :)
  • shanpwn
    shanpwn Posts: 66 Member
    I'll try to eat a little lighter or sneak in an extra lap on my trail run, but I do not punish myself for it.
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    If its a bad sodium day, I drink alot of water the next day. otherwise, do nothing but move on!
  • Hertford86
    Hertford86 Posts: 55 Member
    Oh, you made me feel better. Just went over by 500+ . . . Hey, it happens. I mean, sure, do something a bit extra tomorrow, but not to punish yourself, just because it's good to move. Think of it this way - when you get to goal, and get to maintenance, you'll be able to eat that much pretty much every day!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i honestly dont consider those bad days.i consider bad days as those that i eat far below my calorie goal.

    the only thing i freak out about being over is sodium and when that happens the next day i just make sure to be extra careful about being under
  • almalaurathomas
    almalaurathomas Posts: 64
    :sad: Cry.
  • almalaurathomas
    almalaurathomas Posts: 64
    I try to track everything before I eat it so that doesn't happen. One time, I ate a 500 calorie slice of pizza by assuming it was the same amount of calories as other pizzas. NEVER again!
  • jennyrebekka
    jennyrebekka Posts: 626 Member
    I "try" to not beat myself up about the bad days......but it rarely works. Am having some bad days this weekend, as a matter of fact - - but hopefully will get back on track tomorrow (Monday). I know from experience that it's not GOOD to beat yourself up about the bad days - - buuuuuut it's really hard not to.....for me anyway.
  • flobeedoodle
    flobeedoodle Posts: 176 Member
    I try to track everything before I eat it so that doesn't happen. One time, I ate a 500 calorie slice of pizza by assuming it was the same amount of calories as other pizzas. NEVER again!

    This happened to me, too. :fist shake: Papa John's!!!

    I just try not to think about it when I go over. If I try to "make up for it" I am sure that I will end up doing all sorts of strange and unhealthy math-related things."Yesterday" is over, and as long as yesterday's failures do not become justification for today's surrender, I consider that good enough. As far as how much it impacts my weight loss: I have noticed that I lose faster when I have fewer bad days, but I haven't given up on my lifestyle changes yet, which I attribute to trying to be kinder to myself about mistakes.
  • sweettalkinggirl
    sweettalkinggirl Posts: 76
    I ignore them and continue on as usual the next day. I don't do it often, but the times I have haven't held me back.

    This.

    The day after is always a day to start fresh. Use the day before as a guide to make better choices in both what you eat and the amount you eat. Should you do more exercise? It is up to you - know your exercise boundaries. Do what you feel is comfortable and don't push yourself too much as it can do more damage than good. Good luck :)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    <
    the guy in this pic ate an entire bag of chocolate cookies the other day and doesn't give a *kitten*. Also has regularly planned days where he tries to hit 4500 cals even tho his regular target is 1600. Loses weight each and every week that he tries to. Never tries to "make up" for yesterday. Doesn't even believe in yesterday. Only worries about today while planning for tomorrow.

    Don't sweat it. One day over calories never killed anyone. We ended up on this site because we had *years* of over calories, not days. Tomorrow is a new day. Move on.
  • JeBebe
    JeBebe Posts: 11
    <
    the guy in this pic ate an entire bag of chocolate cookies the other day and doesn't give a *kitten*. Also has regularly planned days where he tries to hit 4500 cals even tho his regular target is 1600. Loses weight each and every week that he tries to. Never tries to "make up" for yesterday. Doesn't even believe in yesterday. Only worries about today while planning for tomorrow.

    Don't sweat it. One day over calories never killed anyone. We ended up on this site because we had *years* of over calories, not days. Tomorrow is a new day. Move on.
    ^^ THIS! ^^ :smile:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    It really depends on how often these 'bad' days happen. Lots of people balance their calories over a week rather than day-by-day, which should be the plan if this happens with regularity. But I say this with a bit of caution, because often when people have consistent problems meeting their targets, there's something wrong with the targets. You should take a moment to consider why it's happening.

    If it's a one-off, go to bed, wake up, and start over the next day.
  • penguinjlynn
    penguinjlynn Posts: 29 Member
    I typically acknowledge that it happened. Then I try to see WHY it happened and adjust my fitness plan accordingly if I see a pattern. Any time I go over I try to drink more lemon water the next day to detox a little. I do really well for 4-5 weeks at a time and then I have a week a bad days. As much as I want to lose weight I tend to sabotage myself when I feel like I'm doing well.
  • Roboartist
    Roboartist Posts: 99
    I just had a bad day today but I went way under in calories. I am taking it as a one off and starting afresh tomorrow. I can try again at each meal and just keep trying until I get more meals right than wrong until I figure out what my magic calorie and nutritional needs are. If I let this one day turn into two then I am allowing myself to dig a big hole full of empty excuses so I am doing my best to not let that happen.

    The way I figure it is that I have the rest of my life to get this right. If I were having to mitigate a large overage from one day I would probably just try to eat as close to more perfect than usual, maybe take an extra walk or something the next few days. Nothing drastic.

    Good luck to you.
  • bastgoddess7
    bastgoddess7 Posts: 64 Member
    <
    the guy in this pic ate an entire bag of chocolate cookies the other day and doesn't give a *kitten*. Also has regularly planned days where he tries to hit 4500 cals even tho his regular target is 1600. Loses weight each and every week that he tries to. Never tries to "make up" for yesterday. Doesn't even believe in yesterday. Only worries about today while planning for tomorrow.

    Don't sweat it. One day over calories never killed anyone. We ended up on this site because we had *years* of over calories, not days. Tomorrow is a new day. Move on.

    You sir, are my hero. ::props::
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Unplanned days where you happen to go over your limit significantly (by 800+?)

    My calorie goal is just that, a goal to reach not a limit to be under. Log and move on.
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    It depends a bit on the reason. I am trying to eat in a way that will be sustainable for life. Life includes socializing, sometimes with food. So, if there is a party and I eat a bunch of things I wouldn't normally, I just make that a "non-logging day." I don't call it a cheat day because I don't consider myself to be on a diet -- so there's no way to cheat.

    However, some days I just feel like eating more for no real reason. in those cases I sometimes quick add the calories to the next few days so that it all averages out. So if I went 600 calories over one day, I'd quick add 200 a day to the next 3 days and eat less on those days.

    As others have said, the important thing is to not get down on yourself for going over. The worst thing I ever did on my previous weight loss attempts was to decide that one or two bad days meant that I just couldn't do it and then decide to give up. Just do better the next day and it will all average out.
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    sulk for a few minutes about how much I suck and then move on.Tomorrow is a new day!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I just continue on like normal. As long as you're not doing it 3 or 4 times a week, it won't really affect your goals.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    I don't have days like that ever, but I think it would be best just to continue like normal. Maybe workout a little more to burn it off & adjust your cals for the rest of the week to try to balance it out mayb?
  • chatterbox3110
    chatterbox3110 Posts: 630 Member
    It happens - the trick is not to let it get to you or you'll set yourself up for a massive failure. Just put it down to experience and start afresh. If the scales aren't kind that week, then at least you'll know the reason why.

    I've just come back from 11 days in Spain, still on crutches, still stitched up following surgery four weeks ago ....... tried to stay on track but the display of food in the hotel was too tempting on occasions and yes, I have gained some, but I know that a large proportion of it is water retention as I bloat terribly when I fly, and already I'm down a couple of pounds overnight. The rest will come off now I'm back home and back on track.

    I didn't log my food while I was away as we had no internet access, so it was much harder for me to keep track of my total intake, even though I was trying to eat salads and be good whenever I could...... there were lots of little extra calories sneaking in!

    Onwards and downwards, that's my motto!!!!!!

    Life is too short to worry........:smile:
  • Squrtea
    Squrtea Posts: 20 Member
    Heck, I feel bad when I don't get my 1k calorie burn. I almost always get 750 and never go actually over. But I dont feel bad.. I just workout harder the next day!
  • bex0178
    bex0178 Posts: 25 Member
    http://motiveweight.blogspot.com/2012/03/few-bad-days-cant-ruin-weight-loss-plan.html

    The image at this address always helps me. It's posted on my fridge now. I just move on.
  • dr2k12
    dr2k12 Posts: 291 Member
    Well we'll find out tomorrow as I went over by 400+ calories! It's a little concerning but today was my rest day form the gym so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by it.

    It seems most people that have a bad day just roll with it and pick up the next day and start over so I wouldn't beat yourself up about it too much. There are 3,500 calories in each pound so I think as long as your not creeping up to that number at the end of the week you should be ok...
  • lbsbgone12
    lbsbgone12 Posts: 1
    I definitely consider them, and make up for them,but don't beat myself up because of them. We have to live life!! Im sure the "over" was worth it!

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