How do you offset an indulgent weekend?

exercise... but i generally dont sweat it. I go back to eating like I should or have a few days at 200 less calories than my goal so I am not starving myself.

I actually got in quite a bit of exercise while I was away and was back at bootcamp bright and early this morning! lol

My plan was to scale back my calories a bit each day for the next few days just to balance out the last few days and hope that I can get back on track right away....I was curious to see what others do.

They way I look at it too, it's good to exceed your TDEE sometimes so your body can fully repair and minimize the hormonal responses created by a calorie deficit. I wouldn't stress it though.

Just keep on rolling. Unless you really go crazy, a weekend won't erase what you've done during the week. Sounds like you're already back on track, so just keep that ball rolling.

bump

What matters most is how you eat most of the time. Don't kick yourself over it. Keep being positive and look at the weekend as a learning exercise. I remind myself of how I slowed my progress the last time I binged, and it keeps me on the straight and narrow. Sometimes, however, we all need to let loose a little and have a time of feasting. Just get back on the wagon on Monday. I'm usually very vigilant after a slip up. I do exercise a bit more, and really watch my intake carefully. I don't punish myself, however.

I just keep right on going and right on losing. In fact, I now make sure to go over once a week. I think it keeps the body guessing. In any case, considering your calorie goal at 1 lb lost a week is 500 cals under maintenance, you have more wiggle room than you think.

The one thing I DON'T do is stress over it!

How I get over an indulgent weekend:

Drink lots of water
Exercise-Work up a great sweat!
Eat Clean(Fruits, veggies, granola, dairy, etc)
Drink a cup of mint or green tea-Boost's the metabolism
Yoga (Whenever I indulged a little too much, a great yoga session always has me feeling better!)

Also, don't starve yourself. If your craving something not too good, and going hungry because you know you indulged on the weekend, just make some healthy swaps. Ice cream for Yogurt, Chips for Air-popped Popcorn, etc.

Since the past cannot be changed just take it as a learning experience. Put your mind in check and everything else will follow with eating right and exercising. I always ask myself how bad do I want this. Mind over matter.

Just stay the course. There's no need to yo-yo to make up for it. Chalk it up to being human and enjoying life. One bad weekend or a bad day won't offset anything in the long run. Just do your best to keep those weekends to a minimum and you'll be fine. Good luck!

I was away this weekend and went a little overboard....:)

What do you do when you have weekends like this? Do you just continue with what you normally do? Or do you try to balance the overages out across the week by not eating back exercise calories, etc.?

I just pick up where I left off when Monday comes. In the real world, there are going to be birthday parties, holidays, family gatherings, and Mexican food. So my 1240 calorie diet isn't gonna cut it when these occur. But I would argue that MOST of us aren't on here because occasionally we overindulged. My problem is I was doing it all day every day. Separating myself from others because I can't eat what they eat is a way I have sabotaged myself in the past. That is not a sustainable lifestyle for me. So this time around I'm still going out to dinner with friends, only this time I'm looking ahead of time at the menu online and seeing what my best options are, and then trying to stick with it.

I usually go under about 100 calories a day for a few days but mostly because after I've indulged like that I'm not as hungry. It's like there was something my body specifically wanted when I do that and it's over it. I keep on working out like I normally would.

Just pick back up with your routine. One weekend of overindulging is not going to derail the progress you have made over many months.

My meals for the next few days will look like this:

Breakfast - Yogurt or fruit. Perhaps if I'm really hungry, yogurt and muesli.
Lunch - Big-@$$ salad with grilled meat
Snacks - Maybe some nuts or a banana
Dinner - Healthy soup/chili or grilled meat and steamed vegetables

I'll also make sure I go for a run or a long bike ride.
Then I feel damn good within a day or two.

I don't track my calories on the weekends. I need that time to be guilt free about what I eat or drink (gotta have my microbrews). The weekend is also when I am the most active (biking, hiking, yardwork, etc...) so I usually burn it off anyways. I am very careful about what I eat during the rest of the week. You need to have a day of excessve calories as well as a day of fasting everyonce in awhile. Your body needs the variation or your weight loss will hit a plateau.