How do you stay on the wagon after a bad day? Help!

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  • benum21121
    benum21121 Posts: 200
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    Own it, log it and move on!

    I couldn't have said it better!! Be honest with yourself. If you wanna continue on your journey, then make conscious, precise choices and 'own' them. You'll have bad days, as we all do, but learn from it and make better decisions the next day. :)
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    There are no bad choices.
    There is no wagon.
    It isn't a race.

    Look at your choices over a week instead of a day and strive to make healthy choices that fit your life 95% of the time and hit your exercise goals as much. You will always win. You can make choices for fast food, sugary stuff....whatever. Just compensate during the week.

    You didn't get overweight in a week.
    You won't get skinny in a week.
    One day isn't that big of a deal out of 7 anyways.
  • Bettyeditor
    Bettyeditor Posts: 327 Member
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    So I have been tracking, being good with my food choices and working out (consisently, minus tracking on weekends!) for almost two weeks now...but now I've come to the point on this heavily trodden path where I usually fall off the edge...the first bad day!

    Yesterday was just a complete fail. First off some of the ladies in work were selling band/guides candy for their kids, and being the charitable soul that I am I bought some chocolate almonds (protein right?). As much as I would like to convince myself otherwise, I cannot have sweet treats within my reach without polishing them off. My will failed and the 70g box of chocolate almonds were no more.

    I had planned to go to our local climbing gym with some of my roommates after work, but I get home and one of the guys has to work late. I decide that if the climbing plan is off I'll go for a run. Meanwhile my other roommate is baking the most awesome cupcakes you ever saw. It would be rude not to have one right? I mean I'll be running/climbing it off later anyway. But I didn't climb, or run. I didn't get a great sleep the night before, so after my cupcake I had a nap, woke up had a healthy-ish dinner and watched a movie with my roommates...whilst another serving of cake and ice cream was served.

    600 calories over my daily goal....arghh! And don't even get me started on my macros!!

    I can't workout today as I have a volunteer gig after work, but I'm going to try and eat 500-600 calories less than my goal today. It might sound extreme, but I know how my brain works and if I don't kick myself up the *kitten* today it's a slippery slope back to the land of the lard!

    So I guess my question is, how do you pick yourself up after a bad day? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

    Here is what I do:
    1) I only try to balance out over the week, not each day. (Takes the pressure off). You can't get a weekly view online, but if you have the phone app version of MFP, you can go to Home, the Weekly to see your calories/fat/carbs/protein etc. for the whole week. So you can make up the extra calories over several days.
    2) I PLAN to have days like that. It's called a holiday/birthday/party. What you just experienced was a typical "special day" for me. Where I *plan* to have extra calories for a party and *plan* to have a cupcake to celebrate. And then *plan* to adjust the rest of my week so that my calories/macros end up perfect. If it happens without planning for it, just consider it "impromptu practice" for a "special day." The fact that you had a sensible dinner shows that you didn't lose control, you just had a perfectly NORMAL variation from your norm.

    Its all about attitude: I believe that my weight and health are based on my habits, not on a single meal or single day. I EXPECT to have a meal/day once in a while that varies from my normal, and I look at it as a normal and healthy variation. You did not fail. You succeeding in living a normal healthy life. Normal life has good habits with variations and occasional treats. Remember, you are not on a DIET. You are creating a new healthy LIFESTYLE that you can maintain.
  • brisingr86
    brisingr86 Posts: 1,789 Member
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    When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
    And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
    When you want to give up just because you gave in,
    and forget all about being healthy and thin.
    So What! You went over your points a bit,
    It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!
    It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
    It's learning the skills to get back in your range.
    It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.
    You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
    It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
    You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
    To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
    If you summon the will to get back in the race.
    But, often the struggler's, when loosing their grip,
    Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
    And learn too late when the damage is done,
    that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.
    Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,
    but facing each challenge will help you grow.
    Success is failure turned inside out,
    the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.
    When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,
    If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit!
    --- MFP member Better4Summer

    bump
  • dlmaylor
    dlmaylor Posts: 25
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    We all have bad days as a previous person wrote just log it and move on I have bad days but i log everything I put in my mouth and I think it keeps you honest with yourself. Do not beat yourself up about it just move on from it and do not let it weigh you down.
  • vampvegan
    vampvegan Posts: 9 Member
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    sometimes I tell myself I have come further than I really have, I say "you have lost 20 lbs!" when I really have only lost 2 so far. It does wonders for your mindset though...try it!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    If you're heading somewhere in the car and wanted to get there by 5, but realized you were going to be a few minutes late, would you just give up and swerve into a bridge abutment?

    LOVE IT!!! New Mantra!!! Thank you!!!
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    I weigh myself frequently so a bad day is never going to be more than a few pounds before I take action. That's how I've managed not to become overweight.

    I usually say, "Yesterday is gone forever and today is a new day. What can I do?"
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
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    If you're putting a container of eggs into the fridge and one falls and breaks, do you throw the rest on the ground? No, you clean it up and put the rest of the eggs into the fridge.

    Dropping one egg is okay, as long as you clean it up. :)

    I love this!!! I needed this today as last night I lost it!! I ate too much and know I will get back on track today but... it helps to read all this. I can do it!!
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
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    "Do not be discouraged by who you are at present. Be motivated by who you WILL become in the future"
  • nisey_75
    nisey_75 Posts: 9 Member
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    "Dont give up cause you had a bad day, forgive yourself and do better tomorrow"
    Love this!!! I had the same problem - would plateau, get upset, eat so I felt like a failure and quit! But this time, if I have a bad day, I shake it off forget it and move on to the next day like it is brand new! Have never been this succesful and I "cheat" "fail" "overeat" some days and then shake it off - down 41 pounds so far. So keep it up and don't sweat the small stuff!!!!
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    Own it, log it and move on!

    Great quote!



    I agree, all you can do it acceot it and move on to another day. Where we tend to fall off the wagon completely is doing this everyday and saying "I will start tomorrow" and then a vicious cycle happens. Don't let that happen and you will be fine.

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