Eating too much one day, not enough the next...

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  • MidsummerNightsDream
    MidsummerNightsDream Posts: 25
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    Today is a new day and should be treated as such. Your body needs food in order to give you the stamina and energy you need to get through the stay, and starving it will not accomplish that need. Start over again today.

    I have an eating disorder--I have been through treatment(s) including a feeding tube, and am healthy now but I still have issues with making myself eat on occasion. On a day I do feel that I have over eaten I make myself eat a normal amount of food the next day.
  • sarahisme18
    sarahisme18 Posts: 574 Member
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    One school of thought actually suggests exactly this method, zig zagging, for successful weight loss.

    Eating nothing all day, eating a whole pizza at night, then only eating a snickers bar for breakfast the next and skipping lunch, and then working out?

    Um no.

    This:

    "The theory behind zig-zagging is to fool your metabolism into not knowing it's dieting. They say if you eat the same # of calories each day, your metabolism adjusts for it and will slow down.

    My example is that with my activities I do, my average burn is 2000-2100 cals. Therefore I need to eat on average 1600 calories per day to get a 500 cal deficit.

    So some days I'll eat 1400. Some days I'll eat 1800. Others I might eat right at 1600. I eat a little more on weekends than during the week. I stick to looking at my weekly deficit rather than daily, aiming for 3500-4000 less than what I burned. "

    From here: http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/zig-zag-method-dieting-more-food
  • charlesd9078
    charlesd9078 Posts: 6
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    zigzagging is fine, but not from a perspective of punishing yourself for a perceived wrong.

    I love this! It's funny this post came up because I made a homemade pizza last night. I only had 3 pieces at first and that left me 7 calories under.... then I went and at 4 more pieces and messed it all up! I felt so bad and I get this "punishing yourself" mentality then I just want to eat everything!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    If ~1,800 cals is two days worth, you have bigger problems.

    Pizza Hut (From Website, 9/1/12 - 12" Medium Pan Pizza With Pepperoni, 1 container (8 slice ea.) 2,000 calories 208 fat 96 carbs 88 16 protien 4,720 sodium

    2 days worth

    That's only one days worth for me, or at least, just under maintenance for one day. Looks short on protein. You should have gotten the meat lover's. :laugh:

    Seriously, I hope you are eating more than 1000 calories a day.

    LOL oh yes I do eat more than that, my intake is 1480. MFP doesn't add all of the additional meats and extra cheese (yep I went there too) and all the veggies on the pizza so I had to round up a few hundred more calories.

    Then it sounds like you just had a day of eating at maintenance. No biggie. :flowerforyou:
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    Pizza Hut (From Website, 9/1/12 - 12" Medium Pan Pizza With Pepperoni, 1 container (8 slice ea.) 2,000 calories 208 fat 96 carbs 88 16 protien 4,720 sodium

    2 days worth

    You eat (or have it set) for 1000 calories a day? :grumble: Just eat like you normally would or you might over eat the next day. It'll all work out cause I'm sure you were eating more than that back to back days before joining MFP
  • Tiff1124
    Tiff1124 Posts: 261 Member
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    Okay, let's evaluate what happened:

    You didn't eat at all, all day long.

    Then you were obviously ravenously hungry when getting home from work, so you ate an entire pizza in one sitting.

    First, we're not sure WHY you didn't eat all day long. Maybe you were just busy and didn't have a chance? (Which I think is a lame excuse except in VERY specific circumstances anyway, because even when I worked retail, I never skipped meals... like, eating is a #1 priority.) But it seems like, IF you were that busy, why would you be upset at yourself for eating so much at the end of the day? Obviously you had to make up for those missed calories, right? So, I'm assuming you were not eating all day on purpose...

    Thus, you perceive that failing to continue to eat nothing at all by eating your daily calories in one sitting (because, honey, a whole pizza MAY be one day's worth of calories, but it certainly isn't two day's worth) you messed up and need to eat even less the next day.

    Two things:

    1) This is actually totally an eating disorder. Really. I know you don't want to hear that, but you need to seek out someone who can help.

    and

    2) Even if you don't want to take the #1 advice, recognize that NOT EATING ALL DAY = VERY HUNGRY PERSON BY THE END OF THE DAY = EATING. So, day 2 of what you already did is not going to solve the problem. It's just going to become an endless cycle of starving>binging>starving>binging, and so on.

    Okay.. before you go and try to analyze me and assume that I have an eating disorder, let me tell you in words you might understand mmk.

    1. I woke up late for work, rushed out the door, did not have time to stop to get anything.

    2.By the time I got to work, I was in meetings and interviews until 2pm. I did not have a chance to leave to grab a snack or to get anything substantial.

    3.From 3-5 pm I was running back and forth on campus to drop off mail, pay some student bills, return some library books and rent a DVD for my senior citizen class.

    4.Off at 5, went home, was exhausted, ordered a pizza and ate it all.

    So there you go. If you need more clarification that I do not have an eating disorder or anything of the sort, go ahead and look at my diary about 2 weeks back when I was last logged on here. You will clearly see I eat well, I am healthy and I keep myself fit.
  • vertigokid
    vertigokid Posts: 3
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    Best advice I've seen throughout this whole forum. If you work in an office setting chances are you're burning calories anyway. I agree that you should still eat normally. Depriving your body of food will make your body think you're starving and it will store that food and turn it into fat. It's a bad way to slow down your metabolism.
  • currierand
    currierand Posts: 155 Member
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    Come on people, the OP was obviously kidding with the "anorexic for a day" comment. Was it in bad taste? Perhaps, but not anymore so than half the crap that people spout off on this site. I'm begining to think there is no question asked on MFP that SOMEONE will not take offense to.

    Oh but the community is the best part...they are so "helpful". :)

    Sorry, maybe I'm just a little hungover and *****y today.
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    Just get back on track and eat your normal calorie intake and any weight you gained will disappear within a day or two
  • oddyogi
    oddyogi Posts: 1,816 Member
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    This could also be called calorie zigzagging..

    If you feel that bad about it, either go on an extra run today or just eat a normal calorie day (1400ish) with good, whole food.
  • RainxPain
    RainxPain Posts: 152
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    I don't think its bad for you unless you develop a eating disorder

    Pretty sure that would NEVER happen to me. I love food too much! But being anorexic one day can't hurt could it? ;)

    This really pissed me off, just saying.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    Hi everyone :)

    This might seem like a stupid question, but hopefully I'll get some smart answers.

    Yesterday was a bad day for me eating wise, let's just say I had nothing for breakfast or lunch and then inhaled an entire medium pizza when I got home. Yes the WHOLE pizza. Needless to say I feel so crappy today I don't want to eat anything.

    So I was thinking, since I ate pretty much 2 days of calories yesterday, should I just not eat a lot today to counteract the calories? So far I've had a banana and a miniature snickers (damn co-workers bringing in all thier leftover Halloween candy). I'm debating eating lunch, although I just finished 30 day shred and a quick 20 minute run.

    Is it really bad to go one day without eating a lot, to make up for a day you ate WAY too much?

    Your calorie budget does not need to be the same every day. You can have a weekly calorie budget, or daily, you can do it how ever you want. Do what works for you. You are certainly not going into starvation mode in one day, or several, you only have to worry about starvation mode when you are under 12% body fat for a female anyway (6% for the guys).
  • LuckyMe381
    LuckyMe381 Posts: 105 Member
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    I don't think its bad for you unless you develop a eating disorder

    Pretty sure that would NEVER happen to me. I love food too much! But being anorexic one day can't hurt could it? ;)

    that's not even funny.

    I have an eating disorder and one cannot just " be anorexic for a day "
    and we don't just not eat. we eat, just not very much. it's also about the mindset, not even the food.

    ugh

    Sensitive are we? I'm sure it was just a joke....lighten up
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
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    For me it was the roller coaster that got me into the mess I am in...but that was over a long period of time....really doing a job on my metabolism.
    One day of binge not a big deal just note the conditions that put you into binge mode and work on consistency.

    Don't let one day of questionable nutrition choices get in the way of the big picture with guilt (which can make or break ya). Today is a new day get back on that healthy horse and ride. I would say don't not eat but I would keep it balanced and healthy.
  • LuckyMe381
    LuckyMe381 Posts: 105 Member
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    I don't think its bad for you unless you develop a eating disorder

    Pretty sure that would NEVER happen to me. I love food too much! But being anorexic one day can't hurt could it? ;)

    This really pissed me off, just saying.


    geez cant you pople take a joke....i'm sure you have NEVER made any fat jokes befre
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
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    zigzagging is fine, but not from a perspective of punishing yourself for a perceived wrong.

    This. Probably why so many people on MFP are borderline bulimic. They feel they have to make up for over-eating or bingeing by restricting calories or over-exercising for the sake of burning calories. If it happens regularly (which I do see A LOT of MFP, repeated over and over by the same people), you need to get yourself a therapist.
  • Eat_clean_stay_tiny
    Eat_clean_stay_tiny Posts: 67
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    I don't think its bad for you unless you develop a eating disorder

    Pretty sure that would NEVER happen to me. I love food too much! But being anorexic one day can't hurt could it? ;)

    that's not even funny.

    I have an eating disorder and one cannot just " be anorexic for a day "
    and we don't just not eat. we eat, just not very much. it's also about the mindset, not even the food.

    ugh

    Sensitive are we? I'm sure it was just a joke....lighten up

    yeah. Ok i'll just lighten up because joking about starving yourself and becoming anorexic for a day is SUCH A FUNNY THING OMG HAHAHAHA!
    I starve myself and have become sick and effed up in the head, It's not funny and it's nothing to joke about.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    I don't think its bad for you unless you develop a eating disorder

    Pretty sure that would NEVER happen to me. I love food too much! But being anorexic one day can't hurt could it? ;)

    that's not even funny.

    I have an eating disorder and one cannot just " be anorexic for a day "
    and we don't just not eat. we eat, just not very much. it's also about the mindset, not even the food.

    ugh

    here we go

    sorry but people who make jokes about eating disorders make me sick. I HAVE ONE and it's nothing to joke about or say " omg i'm going anorexic for a day (; "
    just no.
    just stop.
    I have to agree because I almost went anorexic when I was pregnant. I cried a lot and was a mess of nerves. People on here had to tell me it was okay to eat a sandwich after I had already had a bowl of cereal prior.
  • rummyqueen
    rummyqueen Posts: 150 Member
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    OK,
    You pig out on dinner the other night with pizza,not good,but I wouldnt starve myself the next day.Get back on track,have a healthy breakfast,then do your workout an hour later and have a protein drink,or do workouts after work.
    You should have lunch,tuna,fruit something to hold you off till dinner.Then you will see at dinner you will eat but less ,I love a chicken teiyaki salad or shrimp .never starve yourself because you over did it the day before and never skip breakfast.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    2,000 calories is not very high in my opinion. So, you went to somewhere near or a little over maintenance for one day. You won't gain weight if you eat less than that every other day. If you lower your calories I would only lower them by 300 calories or so.

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