Too late to undo overeating last night?

livloves90
livloves90 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I am 5'4 177lbs and have been doing well since I started 8 days ago, avg 1550 cals for the first week. Unfortunately last night I lost my will power and ended up consuming a whole pint of Ben and Jerry on top of my 1550 cals for the day, so a total of 2750. My tdee is 2100 according to most sites. My question is would it make a neg or positive impact if I were to go to the gym today for at least an hour (burn 600 cals) to balance out last night a little bit? Id eat my usual 1550 cals but I dont want to eat back the exercise cals back for today, is it okay? Id go back to normal tomorrow, Any help appreciated.

Replies

  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    Best thing I can suggest is try to think of it weekly rather than daily. Just make small adjustments. It's not like your body locks in your net cals at midnight or anything.

    Check this out, this is my net cals, one week last year. You can see I massively overate one day, but can then see how it slowly balances out if you do better on the other days.
    E9C63F9B-6CDB-4D3E-9586-909E7D000DDD-11822-00000C5109C525D6.jpg
  • curly1986
    curly1986 Posts: 98 Member
    I usually think of my calorie goal on a weekly basis, rather than daily. That doesnt mean I pig out several days and starve the rest of the week, but if I go over I know I can balance it out the rest of the week. And I have consistently lost weight. So I think it will work for you.
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
    I dont see how it could have a negative impact but I also wouldnt worry about that one day throwing off your progress. Just make sure you stick to your limits the rest of the week. One day doesnt make or break you.

    I am 5'4 and started at 180lbs. I am now 139lbs. MFP says my maintenance level is 1660. There have been maybe 3 times in the year and a half I have been doing this that I ate 2200 calories ( usually because of wine and desserts on a certain occasion) and all 3 times I did not gain any weight any of those weeks.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    If you want to, just look at your weekly average; some people "save" calories for a night of drinking, so they just look at a weekly average. You don't have to kill yourself at the gym today :) although if you can burn 600 calories in an hour, go for it. Your body doesn't have an internal alarm clock that says "Oh, that's too many calories today! Start storing!" It doesn't know that midnight means it's tomorrow know.

    I guess what I'm saying is, do what you feel comfortable doing, and don't flog yourself.

    Welcome to the site, it sounds like you've made a strong start, and just need to iron out the wrinkles!
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
    Last night was done- focus on today.

    Consistent eating is what makes you gain or lose.

    If you consistently eat well and one day consume 4000 calories and decided to not work out- you're not going to gain.

    If you consistently eat 4000 calories a day, don't work out and eat a salad one day a week- you're up *kitten* creek.
  • cecasteele
    cecasteele Posts: 3 Member
    Take a deep breath....and remember this is a journey. Don't beat yourself up!
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    One meal/snack/overdoing won't undo everything you've done. Don't make it a daily thing. Learn from it and move on.

    You might have consumed the whole thing because I'm betting you're telling yourself that there are foods you can't eat. Am I right?

    This is not a diet, it's your life. You need to make it a lifestyle change. There are no bad foods. You will have ups and downs. Keep moving forward. Make changes that you can sustain the rest of your life. I've lost 44 lbs, I eat what I want, drink what I want. You can too!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If the ice cream was truly over your needs for the moment (like you went to bed and didn't burn them up) - it's stored as fat already.

    You get to the gym now and workout hard, you'll be burning mostly carbs.

    600 calories burned with maybe 20% being fat means 120 calories of fat, with 9 cal / gram = 13 grams of fat.

    Ya, I'm betting the ice cream had more fat in it than that.

    And that's why you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

    Just cut back an extra 100 from assigned daily goal for 5 days, then get back on board.

    Then again, 600 cal over TDEE for a week? Mere blip, small % of your calorie intake and burn viewed as weekly.

    Forget it, spend time thinking about why it happened and how to stop it next time. That's better use of energy.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    I agree with the weekly statement. Just do a couple houndred calories a day to even it out unless you have something you really like ... like Zumba. :)
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
    I have even seen a few "plans" out there that have built in over-eating days that are followed by a large calorie deficit the next day. I wouldn't try it every week or anything, but most importantly, DON'T beat yourself up about it...

    others are right, your body doesn't really know if its midnight or noon - hang in there!!!
  • livloves90
    livloves90 Posts: 3 Member
    Wow what quick responses! :-) I will try seeing what my weekly goals look like! Appreciate all the advice, and I will make smaller adjustments if necessary to counter act any overages, I will stop by the gym today mkst likey but I wont go too crazy with restrictions. Again, thank you all for your quick responses, I definitely feel better
  • redbev306
    redbev306 Posts: 62
    Don't let one day de-rail you! Look at the big picture, & keep going! The gym is a great idea :)
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Best thing I can suggest is try to think of it weekly rather than daily. Just make small adjustments. It's not like your body locks in your net cals at midnight or anything.

    Check this out, this is my net cals, one week last year. You can see I massively overate one day, but can then see how it slowly balances out if you do better on the other days.
    E9C63F9B-6CDB-4D3E-9586-909E7D000DDD-11822-00000C5109C525D6.jpg
    Great advice! I'd add that if you have a weakness for ice cream, just don't keep it around. When my wife and I are in the mood for ice cream, we go to a local ice cream parlor and have some. If we had a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer, it wouldn't be there very long. Don't worry about one day, it'll be fine. Good luck!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I usually think of my calorie goal on a weekly basis, rather than daily. That doesnt mean I pig out several days and starve the rest of the week, but if I go over I know I can balance it out the rest of the week. And I have consistently lost weight. So I think it will work for you.

    Same here. I tend to spread calories between 2-3 days if I'm going out or have something huge.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    I agree with the others, plus 'punishing' yourself with exercise to 'atone' for eating sets up a bad pattern, and could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Just get back to your normal diet.
  • grinner30
    grinner30 Posts: 122 Member
    Last night was done- focus on today.

    Consistent eating is what makes you gain or lose.

    If you consistently eat well and one day consume 4000 calories and decided to not work out- you're not going to gain.

    If you consistently eat 4000 calories a day, don't work out and eat a salad one day a week- you're up *kitten* creek.

    I agree!
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    I agree with the others, plus 'punishing' yourself with exercise to 'atone' for eating sets up a bad pattern, and could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Just get back to your normal diet.

    Van-Der-Beek-High-Five-GIF.gif
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    So I am 5'4 177lbs and have been doing well since I started 8 days ago, avg 1550 cals for the first week. Unfortunately last night I lost my will power and ended up consuming a whole pint of Ben and Jerry on top of my 1550 cals for the day, so a total of 2750. My tdee is 2100 according to most sites. My question is would it make a neg or positive impact if I were to go to the gym today for at least an hour (burn 600 cals) to balance out last night a little bit? Id eat my usual 1550 cals but I dont want to eat back the exercise cals back for today, is it okay? Id go back to normal tomorrow, Any help appreciated.

    In addition to what everyone else is saying about looking at it as a weekly deficit, the answer to your question about working out today would be yes. You can work out today and burn some calories to counteract some calories you overate last night. It will all even out for the week. And you wouldn't need to eat back those calories today, since you ate them last night.

    ETA I wouldn't look at this as 'punishing yourself' for overeating last night, but simply evening out the weekly deficit.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Like Pyrowill, I focus on my weekly average. Sometimes I eat well over my daily target. I make it up later. Sometimes I can't meet my target. Saturday I ate 3122 calories, but I burned over 3200 calories in a 6-hour bike ride through the hills (that's real calories; MFP estimated nearly 6000!). In that case, I ate more for the next couple of days so as not to deprive myself of the nutrients I needed to recover.

    I also set my MFP target for losing 1.5 lbs./week, but I'm content if I exceed the target and lose less, as long as I'm still running a deficit. I've averaged 1.08 lb./week since January, and I'm happy with that progress.

    Even if you don't compensate later in the week, though, one bad day isn't going to ruin your progress. Too many bad days will, but not one.
  • crackur
    crackur Posts: 473 Member
    If the ice cream was truly over your needs for the moment (like you went to bed and didn't burn them up) - it's stored as fat already.

    You get to the gym now and workout hard, you'll be burning mostly carbs.

    600 calories burned with maybe 20% being fat means 120 calories of fat, with 9 cal / gram = 13 grams of fat.

    Ya, I'm betting the ice cream had more fat in it than that.

    And that's why you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

    Just cut back an extra 100 from assigned daily goal for 5 days, then get back on board.

    Then again, 600 cal over TDEE for a week? Mere blip, small % of your calorie intake and burn viewed as weekly.

    Forget it, spend time thinking about why it happened and how to stop it next time. That's better use of energy.
    you really don't know anything about weight management or loss. You might need to read up on more information before you respond to others.

    I'm just saying.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If the ice cream was truly over your needs for the moment (like you went to bed and didn't burn them up) - it's stored as fat already.

    You get to the gym now and workout hard, you'll be burning mostly carbs.

    600 calories burned with maybe 20% being fat means 120 calories of fat, with 9 cal / gram = 13 grams of fat.

    Ya, I'm betting the ice cream had more fat in it than that.

    And that's why you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

    Just cut back an extra 100 from assigned daily goal for 5 days, then get back on board.

    Then again, 600 cal over TDEE for a week? Mere blip, small % of your calorie intake and burn viewed as weekly.

    Forget it, spend time thinking about why it happened and how to stop it next time. That's better use of energy.
    you really don't know anything about weight management or loss. You might need to read up on more information before you respond to others.

    I'm just saying.

    Pray tell, which part do you think I'm wrong with that you are mis-informed about.

    The fact that what you eat goes to immediate (3-4 hrs perhaps) energy needs first and restoring glucose stores before being stored as fat? (hence comment of at night, after dinner, then going to bed as OP said)

    Or fact that hard exercise is burning mainly carbs rather than fat? (OP said going to gym to burn 600 cal/hr which is hard work)

    Or the fact that an overage of 600 cal for 1 day out of a week over TDEE is a minor % of the week? (600 / (2100 TDEE x 7 = 14700) = 4.1% of weekly burn, or 600 / (1550 eaten x 7 = 10850) = 5.5% of weekly eaten)

    Or the fact it's much easier to eat 600 calories than exercise 600 calories away? (can't out-exercise a bad diet)

    Or the fact a pint of Ben & Jerry's is going to have more than 13 grams of fat?

    So which part specifically do I know nothing about?

Categories