Do you guys overeat once in a while?

Options
Lexandreia
Lexandreia Posts: 82
in Health and Weight Loss
I just ended up munching through about 2000 calories worth of fruit and nuts tonight for no reason and I feel terrible about it. Does this happen to anyone else? I'm usually very strict about eating healthy and I work out everyday but tonight I have no idea why I did it. Am I just undisciplined or do normal people slip up this badly as well? Will I gain weight from this and how do I deal with tomorrow? Should I cut back or eat normally? Thanks

Replies

  • SheGlistensasSheSings
    SheGlistensasSheSings Posts: 278 Member
    Options
    Totally normal. No you should not restrict your intake in any way cause it could set you up for another binge.
    Its very possible if you're strict your body simply needed more calories and made itself clear.
    It may even spike your metabolism in a good way its extremely unlikely it will hinder your weightloss in any way.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Options
    It totally happens, no worries.

    It could be that you are being too strict on yourself with your diet (either too limiting on calories or cutting out too many foods). I know for me, if I try to avoid something I'm really craving (like ice cream or potato chips), I end up eating 3x as much in "healthy" calories without batting an eye.

    Or, it could just be that you had an off day. Figure out why you overrate today to help prevent it in the future if possible, but don't beat yourself up. Just get back on track tomorrow. If you want to, you can try to eat a little bit under your goal for the rest of the week, but it's not really necessary and you shouldn't do it if further restricting is going to cause future overeating. Just move on and don't worry about it. In the grand scheme of things, it probably won't even put you over maintenance level for the week, so you shouldn't gain weight.

    Look at it this way, if you're set to lose 1lb a week, that means you're eating 500cal below maintenance every day. That's under by 3500 cals a week. So, even if you really did eat 2000 calories over today, you're still going to be at a 1500 cal deficit for the week. You would theoretically need to eat another 5000 calories over between now and the end of the week to gain even 1lb of fat. You're fine.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Options
    Yes. Being very strict can often backfire in just this way.
    There are always going to be days that come along that don't go according to plan, they make great learning experiences for when you get to goal. You might do better thinking in terms of a weekly goal than a daily limit.

    This is a really good group to check out, be sure to read all the stickies.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Options
    I'm over today myself, but I was way under the past two days and was feeling dizzy and icky. I bought a big can of nuts, lol! Now the big problem will be staying out of them when I'm supposed to.

    Nuts can be evil because they are so tasty and small. They are so darned calorie-dense. You went overboard on healthy food, so that part is great :)
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    Options
    Its really easy to eat a lot of calories in nuts. A handful is enough, but get me near a bag of cashews....

    The best thing to do, as with any snack, is measure it out into a bowl and calculate your calories before you eat, then put away the rest. That way you dont keep muching until everything is gone and wonder, oh god how much did I just eat?

    Dont sweat it this time. Just learn the lesson and continue on your journey.
  • FrankieBenjamin
    FrankieBenjamin Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    Yep the last two days! but actually lost weight somehow , which has inspired me to be better. Don't worry about it it happens to us all, I try and keep a blog to write down how I feel on a daily basis and what I did food wise - been very useful in working out my triggers and getting better (mostly) at working around them. Whats done is done, fresh day start again :0)
  • SerenaFisher
    SerenaFisher Posts: 2,170 Member
    Options
    Overeating whilst in a caloric defecit is silly. Likely, by the sounds of your post perhaps your body was craving more especially after low days.

    If I overeat it is because I planned out my day for meals and got a hankering for a juicy burger and fries, or pizza. I still lose weight, so no worries.
  • fierydeluge
    fierydeluge Posts: 63
    Options
    I tend to go over my caloric intake on my cheat days. Usually 1-2 days a week is a cheat day for me. I tend to go over 2000 during those days but I watch my intake afterwards and paired with 4-5 gym days still managed to lose weight. I got to admit I usually expend 600 to 1000 calories per session.

    As they say every breath is a chance to make a better choice. So don't be too hard on yourself.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Options
    Haha yes. Just tonight I ate a whole medium pizza from Pizza Hut. I'll be extra careful for a couple of days and won't worry about it.
  • mariancrumble
    mariancrumble Posts: 10
    Options
    I think most people have days like that. Do not worry about it, just move on and do not look back. Each day is a fresh start
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    Options
    I eat more than usual when I go on vacation. I just get back on track when I get home. No big deal.
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
    Options
    i overeat (go waaay over my calories) at least once a week. just look at your calorie average on a weekly scale rather than daily. if it averages out to your goal at the end of the week it doesn't really matter if one day you were really hungry and ate 3000 calories and maybe another day you just weren't hungry at all and only managed 1000. it's pretty normal even in people who have never had weight issues, i see friends and family overeating on special occasions or the weekends all the time. think long-term and don't beat yourself up over indulging yourself once in a while. i'm pretty convinced that the reason i managed to lose weight this time and keep (most of it) off is that i didn't let one bad day spiral into a week of bad eating. i try not to let myself feel guilty or attach any kind of moral weight to overeating, and that's worked out really well for me.

Categories