Have I completely butchered my efforts...?

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1aurelle
1aurelle Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I honestly don't know what's wrong with me recently. I usually eat 1200-1300 calories (Ive actually been maintaining), but recently I've been eating way past that. The day before yesterday, I had around 1500. Yesterday, I had around 1600. Today was unbelievably off the roof - I had 2000+ calories!!! I don't know what in the world possessed me to eat so much food but I think I totally binged today? It was 9:30pm and I FELT like eating food. I don't know if I was hungry but I certainly wasn't stomach-growling hungry. I proceeded to eat an apple banana (those short chubby ones)...Then an apple...Then another banana... Then some leftover pasta... Then another banana!!! Originally I actually felt satiety from that but now I'm totally freaking out after thinking through all that I ate today.

is it possible to gain fat from this if I go back to my routine tomorrow??? I weighed myself and I am 1.5 lbs heavier than what I should be :( I am really saddened by this.
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Replies

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I honestly don't know what's wrong with me recently. I usually eat 1200-1300 calories (Ive actually been maintaining), but recently I've been eating way past that. The day before yesterday, I had around 1500. Yesterday, I had around 1600. Today was unbelievably off the roof - I had 2000+ calories!!! I don't know what in the world possessed me to eat so much food but I think I totally binged today? It was 9:30pm and I FELT like eating food. I don't know if I was hungry but I certainly wasn't stomach-growling hungry. I proceeded to eat an apple banana (those short chubby ones)...Then an apple...Then another banana... Then some leftover pasta... Then another banana!!! Originally I actually felt satiety from that but now I'm totally freaking out after thinking through all that I ate today.

    is it possible to gain fat from this if I go back to my routine tomorrow??? I weighed myself and I am 1.5 lbs heavier than what I should be :( I am really saddened by this.

    If you aren't eating over your maintenance calories, you won't gain fat. You sure as hell don't have to freak out about eating 1500, 1600, or even 2000 calories. You didn't gain 1.5lbs of fat. You would have had to have eaten approximately 10,500 OVER maintenance to gain that much fat. Calm down and go back to your routine tomorrow.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    You're fine.

    Is it possible that you need to eat more and that's part of the reason why you've struggled the past 3 days? I typically eat about 1600 on a day (1400 goal plus exercise calories).
  • silken555
    silken555 Posts: 478 Member
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    I just don't get it. WHY do people run to the scale after they think they overate? It just doesn't make sense.

    You're fine...you can fluctuate +-5lbs in a single day. Partly because we eat and food weighs something.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    You can not gain fat by one single day of pigging out. Even if you would drink like 10 bottles of olive oil, or ate 10 packs of white sugar or something crazy like that it's very unlikely that you would store any noticeable amount. There is only as much as your body is able to process in one day, so don't worry.

    In fact, it is even good to have a cheat day once a week or every two weeks. Having a planned day like this where you ate anything you want and go over your calories will keep you motivated and satisfied so you won't pig out randomly like that.

    You will probably store more water from that tho but that will go away very fast.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    One day won't make a difference. The extra weight is extra solids and extra water from the food; most of it will pass through your system.

    If I'm understanding you right, you are currently maintaining at 1200-1300 calories a day? In that case, 700 extra calories would mean that you'd put on a tiny bit of weight.

    The only problem arises when that one day every now and then becomes the norm....

    I usually advise daily weigh-ins with an exponentially smoothed weighted average for tracking weight loss and maintenance; see John Walker's "The Hacker's Diet" (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/), especially the chapters "Signal and Noise" and "Perfect Weight Forever." That kind of average allows you to filter out daily fluctuations and identify longer-term trends. I'm still losing, but when I reach maintenance, I'm going to continue daily weigh-ins; if my average rises more than 2-3 lbs. over my goal, I'll run a calorie deficit until I'm back at goal. By doing that, I hope to avoid the slow, insensible weight gain that I experienced between 1996 and 2008, whose effects I'm now undoing!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    I honestly don't know what's wrong with me recently. I usually eat 1200-1300 calories (Ive actually been maintaining), but recently I've been eating way past that. The day before yesterday, I had around 1500. Yesterday, I had around 1600. Today was unbelievably off the roof - I had 2000+ calories!!! I don't know what in the world possessed me to eat so much food but I think I totally binged today? It was 9:30pm and I FELT like eating food. I don't know if I was hungry but I certainly wasn't stomach-growling hungry. I proceeded to eat an apple banana (those short chubby ones)...Then an apple...Then another banana... Then some leftover pasta... Then another banana!!! Originally I actually felt satiety from that but now I'm totally freaking out after thinking through all that I ate today.

    is it possible to gain fat from this if I go back to my routine tomorrow??? I weighed myself and I am 1.5 lbs heavier than what I should be :( I am really saddened by this.


    All you ate was a little fruit, and 1.5 lbs. is nothing. Nothing.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    Don't worry too much and get back on track tomorrow.
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
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    The only way you'd seriously butcher your efforts is to give up completely.

    This whole 'making healthier choices' thing is difficult for the majority of us.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    Could the supposed gain be you needing to poop?
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Don't worry, everyone does this. It takes around 3,500 extra calories over your TDEE to gain a pound of fat. Perspective, perspective. Just get back on track tomorrow. Any real gain here will just be water weight. :smile:
  • crk910
    crk910 Posts: 6 Member
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    I woudnt worry about a single day. However if you are beginning to crave certain foods, you may have a candida overgrowth. If thats the case Id suggest eating some yogurt or take some probiotics to help combat it.
  • HealthyNurseK
    HealthyNurseK Posts: 38 Member
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    Pretty much everyone's already said what I was going to....

    You didn't gain real weight (yet). You were hungry (or bored, or stressed, or distracted), and you ate more than usual. I am maintaining now and my weight fluctuates about 2-3 lbs. Some days I'm hungrier than others. I just keep tracking what I eat and making sure I stay in my weight range and it's all OK.

    What you saw on the scale was just the weight of the extra food you ate - it still has to be processed through your system. If I were to weigh myself at the end of the day after drinking lots of water and eating food, I'm often 6+ lbs over what I weighed in the morning. It doesn't really mean anything other than my body is still processing the food and water (metabolism, urine, poop, etc).

    Do you find that typically you're hungry with that calorie amount daily? If not, just go with what you're doing. If so, try readjusting either WHAT you eat (maybe more fiber, full fat dairy, protein), or HOW MUCH you're eating. If you're hungry with your daily diet, you might need to eat more. Especially if you're exercising regularly.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    i was doing this, too. but my night "snacks" weren't on fruit...but peanut butter. I decided I needed to do two things. increase my calorie allowance a bit and have low calorie go to snacks.

    like has been stated multiple times. impossible to gain 1.5 pounds from what you ate. the gain is waste/water/normal fluctuations.
  • Koma_Zd
    Koma_Zd Posts: 11 Member
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    See, I dring much water and eat 3000+ kcal and my weight goes +4kg like 8lbs in one day, so dont worry, youll be fine
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
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    The only way you can butcher your efforts is to give up and go back to your old habits. Everyone has off days, that is part of being human, so after you have an off day(s) you pick yourself up and go forward.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I honestly don't know what's wrong with me recently. I usually eat 1200-1300 calories (Ive actually been maintaining), but recently I've been eating way past that. The day before yesterday, I had around 1500. Yesterday, I had around 1600. Today was unbelievably off the roof - I had 2000+ calories!!! I don't know what in the world possessed me to eat so much food but I think I totally binged today? It was 9:30pm and I FELT like eating food. I don't know if I was hungry but I certainly wasn't stomach-growling hungry. I proceeded to eat an apple banana (those short chubby ones)...Then an apple...Then another banana... Then some leftover pasta... Then another banana!!! Originally I actually felt satiety from that but now I'm totally freaking out after thinking through all that I ate today.

    is it possible to gain fat from this if I go back to my routine tomorrow??? I weighed myself and I am 1.5 lbs heavier than what I should be :( I am really saddened by this.

    1,200-1,300 calories is not for maintenance. It's the a calorie amount with a deficit built in, and if you truly eat this amount you will lose weight with or without exercise. Are you sure you are logging everything correctly? Weighing solid food and measuring liquids? Accounting for all food and exercise?

    That said, one day of eating over your calorie goal is just one day. It's not a big deal at all. Our weight fluctuates on a daily basis, and it does goes fluctuate a bit more when we binge.
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
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    Unless you are 5'0", 1200 for maintenance for an 18 years old female is very low.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    you're 18? you need to be eating more than 1200 calories.

    Second of all. You need to learn what satiation means in terms of food. A banana is about as filling as a cookie.


    and you also need to not worry about jumping on a scale the day after over eating. I over ate like crazy on Wed. 2500 calories. Maintance for me is around 1700.

    Didn't freak out for several reasons.
    1.) Tuesday I had a deficit- I didn't eat all my calories- I had about 500 left over.
    2.) its' one day
    3.) I left a little wiggle room on Thursday.

    Average out Mon- Sun and my trend is 1700- not 2500.

    So I like math- let's do some math. My intake for the week- we are going to do Monday - Friday- and I'm going to put in 2000 for today because- well I want to and it's easier than saying I'm definitely hitting 1700.
    Net calories this week
    10/19 Saturday = 1502
    10/20 Sunday = 1239
    10/21 Monday = 704
    10/22 Tues = 1204
    10/23 Wed = 2309
    10/24 Thurs = 1550
    10/25 Friday = 2000

    sum 10,508

    Average over 7 days 1501.1 calories.

    See- still under- even though I had days when I seriously blew it. (and by the way- the days I seriously blew it- those are my "off days" when I don't work out. Which makes it hard- because I normally work out- and have the room to eat that.

    It's okay.

    Relax. The OVER ALL trend is more important than the individual numbers.

    Also 1.5 lbs means literally nothing- it could just mean you have to go poop. Seriously. You'll probably just feel better if you do anyway :D
  • HealthyNurseK
    HealthyNurseK Posts: 38 Member
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    Relax. The OVER ALL trend is more important than the individual numbers.

    Also 1.5 lbs means literally nothing- it could just mean you have to go poop. Seriously. You'll probably just feel better if you do anyway :D

    Wise words!

    Also, to put it in perspective - I'm 35, weigh 162-164, work on my feet, exercise 3-5 times a week, and my maintenance calories are 2180. And I've been maintaining for 9 months. I would fall down and cry if I could only eat 1200 cals a day!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I was cutting for a photoshoot- the last 4 weeks I did 1200 and then ate back maybe 1/2 of my exercise calories (and I was working out 2x a day at a point).

    Dear.
    God.
    It's torture. My BMR is something like 1500 or something.

    I had a VERY specific goal- and I was VERY driven for it- but it was indeed brutal. BRUTAL. And then at the end of that I did a full carb deplete/load. I had to leave work early one day because it was so cold in my office and I didn't have enough energy to keep myself functional. It was embarrassing. and hard.

    I would cry if I had to do it regularly!

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