Getting back on track after a bad day

IF you have a bad day...sayyyy like the day I had today. How do you get back on track, because I feel the old "i don't care" coming out. :(

Replies

  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
    As Nike says: JUST DO IT.

    Don't let a bad day derail you. We all have bad days. Just dust yourself off and keep going like there was never a speed bump at all.

    What do your calorie goals look like? How far 'over' did you go?
  • lswatson111304
    lswatson111304 Posts: 80 Member
    Ugh, I'm way over. My goal is like 1310, and I was at 2397. Bad choices and timing. Woke up late ran out the door and ate 2 mcdonalds breakfast burritos, then lunch at the church and bday cake with my son. It was bad. Had I done a normal breakfast and not put the extras with the chili at lunch, I would have came in under.
  • ekemily
    ekemily Posts: 13 Member
    We ALL have bad days. The bad days are why we are ALL here. As long as your good days far outweigh the bad, then you are on the right track. Chin up! Going 1,500 calories over one day or whatever the number was, will not even ruin your week, unless YOU let it. Pick up tomorrow where you left off feeling good about yourself on a good day. Remember why you started in the first place. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will you want to do it? Maybe not. Will you? YES!! So go do it!!
  • lswatson111304
    lswatson111304 Posts: 80 Member
    Thank you, and I opened my diary so people can see. I felt so gung ho the past few weeks. Honestly though It was just a bad weekend, I feel emotional, and DH was grumpy and I'm an emotional eater for sure I think it all hit today. :sad:
  • clairedrose
    clairedrose Posts: 121 Member
    It is not what you do one day. It is what you do over time. Don't beat yourself up, just move on. If you were walking through a strange town and walked in the wrong direction would you keep walking the wrong way? Nope, you'd reorient yourself and get back on track. It can be worthwhile to consider what happened and if you can plan how to do better next time.
  • _namaste_
    _namaste_ Posts: 246
    Be gentle with yourself, enjoy what you ate today, dust yourself off and move on. Back on track tomorrow!

    You likely didn't even go over your maintenance cals and if you get back on track tomorrow your week should be quite the same as it would have without the "bad" day today.

    It's OK!!! It really, really is. :)
  • You had a bad day ... everyone does. You can't give up the fight ... I have had bad days, but I began again the next meal and got it right back on track. The tragedy here would be to let it define you and your future. A thousand or two or three can be overcome in a couple of days ... look at the BIG picture. Good luck and know that you wouldn't have posted your struggle if you didn't WANT to work through this and be a success story!
  • hzliiz
    hzliiz Posts: 166 Member
    I look at it this way -- one off day won't do any real harm, but if I self sabatoge myself into turning one into two into three into a bunch of off days then I'm in trouble. Brush yourself off and get back on track tonight and tomorrow. Beating yourself up isn't helpful.
  • 13ftw67
    13ftw67 Posts: 35 Member
    I made my weight last week of 229lbs and proceeded to pig out on Pizza and wings that evening. The good thing was I just picked up the following day and was back at 229lbs 2 days later. It's ok were not robots and its not the end of the world. Stay upbeat and move one foot in front of the other. Hell who doesn't like birthday cake? the birthday is over so back to the grind. hang in there and don't get down in the dumps. The good thing is you told on yourself and logged your meals accurately.
  • stephaniethomas80
    stephaniethomas80 Posts: 190 Member
    One bad day of eating will not make you gain weight just as one good day of clean eating will not make you lose weight. Just get beyond it and make the majority of your days good ones :)
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
    Your goal caloric intake sounds REALLY low.

    I suggest eating according to your activity level:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Focus less on how much over you went in one day and more on the weekly totals. Chances are, you earned those calories somewhere.

    Special occasions should never make you feel guilty. Birthdays are fun! Enjoy them!
  • goldylocs37
    goldylocs37 Posts: 108 Member
    Looks like your daily calories are very low on a regular basis anyway so there should be no bad feelings for one day! Enjoy the celebrations!
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    It just proves you're human...not a failure! I doubt that any, or at least not many, here have avoided a "bad day". Make it a good one by getting back on track and learn something from it, like if you begin to overdo next time you might catch yourself before you go totally overboard. One day just shouldn't become a convenient excuse to give up. You're worth more than that.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    today I had my worst day in 2.5 years. due to a migraine. I am back on track. add me if you want to see how I did it, and how I do it on the regular. no time to explain now, I gotta go start a thread.
  • skmo8
    skmo8 Posts: 7
    It was just a day. Tomorrow will be another one. When you get up tomorrow, crank the tunes and rock out, 'cause you're back baby!!!!! Own it! Know that you are moving forward even if life sometimes pushes you back! Today sucked. Tomorrow is just around the bend and you WILL hit the ground running!

    (I'm serious about rocking out. Turn up your favourite tunes, something upbeat that'll pump you up, and sing like nobody is listening. In fact if they are listening, sing louder until they join you or walk away. Carpe diem.)
  • egreenjazz
    egreenjazz Posts: 1 Member
    Agreed all around with what others have shared - it's just one day...don't let it turn into two bad days. If you can, go for a quick walk, even 5-10 minutes; just around the block. Not so much for the exercise but to clear your head and remind yourself of the good things you're doing for your health and your family.
  • mgirard447
    mgirard447 Posts: 48 Member
    I found this quote a while back "OK so you had a bad day. Don't beat yourself up over it, but don't let one bad decision send you spiralling out of control. Grab those running shoes and get back into it. Get back to making decisions that improve your health and your happiness. You are who you choose to be"


    Take a deep breath. It's a bad day, not a bad life. And a bad day can make for a great workout tomorrow :)

    Cheer up.. we all have these days. If you want this badly you will wake up tomorrow and start over.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    It is not what you do one day. It is what you do over time. Don't beat yourself up, just move on. If you were walking through a strange town and walked in the wrong direction would you keep walking the wrong way? Nope, you'd reorient yourself and get back on track. It can be worthwhile to consider what happened and if you can plan how to do better next time.

    ^ This. It what you do over time, not what you do in a day.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Look at your entire week. You were in the green every day but today; some quick and dirty estimates put you at just 300 over goal for the entire week. Even if you are set to lose 1/2 pound per week, you're still in a deficit overall. You could do every week like this one and still lose weight.

    If that doesn't help, then just plan next week out right now. What are your dinners going to be? What treats are you going to allow and what exercise are you going to do. When you see it all laid out on paper, it'll probably help you feel more in control.

    And like everyone said, we all have days like today. Maybe call it your cheat day (allow yourself once or twice a month, it's okay!).

    :flowerforyou:
  • mom2handh1975
    mom2handh1975 Posts: 224 Member
    We all have bad days. I'm an emotional eater, too, as well as a busy mom. Sometimes life gets in the way of making excellent decisions. Tomorrow, get out of bed knowing that you have a brand new start and don't fret about what you ate in the past. The future is what matters. And there's always room for birthday cake!
  • We all have these crappy food days because of situational, emotional or just plain "I want to taste that" reasons. The point is to take them, realize that yeah they happen once in a while but that you are going to control the rest and stay on track. Don't beat yourself up over it because that's when the self sabotage begins.
  • walkwallfall
    walkwallfall Posts: 18 Member
    Just keep swimming. Seriously. You will feel even worse if you don't allow yourself to live to your full potential.
  • lswatson111304
    lswatson111304 Posts: 80 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! Tomorrow WILL be better!! And honestly, I know I need to reassess my calorie goals but I'm so scared of messing them up and eating too much! NO matter how many times I enter my info into different calculators and it says to eat more, I still freak out!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I spent the day with friends, drank a couple of margaritas and ate homemade Mexican food, plus a decadent dessert. I got home, logged my food and was almost 500 calories over for the day (I was still in a deficit for the week though). I went out and took a run and burnt all but 50 calories of it. It really is a matter of "just do it." Either right away or tomorrow, or over the course of a week, burn some extra calories to make up for whatever you ate. If you decide not to burn them, then just get back on track right away and you'll be fine too. The bottom line is don't dwell on it and don't give up because of it!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! Tomorrow WILL be better!! And honestly, I know I need to reassess my calorie goals but I'm so scared of messing them up and eating too much! NO matter how many times I enter my info into different calculators and it says to eat more, I still freak out!

    I eat 1700-1800 calories a day and I'm still losing!
  • nyrina4life
    nyrina4life Posts: 196 Member
    IF you have a bad day...sayyyy like the day I had today. How do you get back on track, because I feel the old "i don't care" coming out. :(

    Bad days are only BAD if you continue to let them bother you. We all make mistakes. Heck, I know I made mistakes this weekend and you know what? Tomorrow is a fantastic, brand new day! Time to dust yourself off and get back on track. Do not let what you did weigh you down. Keep moving forward.

    You can do it =) Have faith in yourself, and make it happen.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
    Thank you so much everyone! Tomorrow WILL be better!! And honestly, I know I need to reassess my calorie goals but I'm so scared of messing them up and eating too much! NO matter how many times I enter my info into different calculators and it says to eat more, I still freak out!

    Just gotta pull yourself out of this mentality.

    Give it a chance. If in 6 weeks you see absolutely no positive changes, re-assess.
  • kf5ljp
    kf5ljp Posts: 31
    you have an unrealistic goal for calories,,,I need to lose in a hurry as well but that low of calorie intake is way too low