Is it worth logging days when everything goes wrong?

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  • MissKitty9
    MissKitty9 Posts: 224 Member
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    I had one of those days on Saturday, & didn't log it because it was just going to be too annoying (ate out, had a little bit of everything, an indeterminate amount of wine... etc.) but I've logged other days where I messed up. Once you do it, it's not so scary! (& sometimes you even realize you haven't messed up THAT badly)
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
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    An Observation

    Everyone complains on MFP about Derps, Mean People, Special Snowflakes, Angry Denial Types, Rasperry Ketone pushers, and other Silly Topics

    You know what is cool about this thread...

    This is one of the most

    1. Constructive
    2. Helpful
    3. Interesting

    Threads I have come across in a long time!

    Good luck everyone! :drinker:
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I think it's worth it to do your very best to log everything as often as you can. Here's why - at least once a week I see people posting on here asking for help with plateaus and supposedly unexplained gains then you go and check out their diary and see days where they don't log anything and when confronted many admit that they had a bad day and were too embarrassed to log it.

    If you don't use the tools correctly, they won't work correctly for you.
  • bonjalandoni
    bonjalandoni Posts: 136 Member
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    yes
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
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    As everyone has said. Log your good days AND your bad days. You will learn a lot about yourself by doing both and it might drive you to learn different coping strategies for said bad days. Ranging anywhere from learning how to not indulge quite so thoroughly, skimp so heavily, to learning that sometimes its ok to say fuggitall and do whatever for one day and know it isn't going to set you back to square 1 unless you let it. Good luck to you.
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
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    Reference - One of the best threads!
  • munchie3511
    munchie3511 Posts: 64 Member
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    Log it in no matter what. We all fail at some point, but the good thing is, we can always START over! Don't GIVE UP!
  • monalissanne
    monalissanne Posts: 159 Member
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    I log and weigh every day regardless of how good or bad it was. If you ignore the bad stuff, you have nothing to reference as to where you went wrong or what things are affecting your weight. For example, if I have a high sodium day and show an extra pound on the scale, and then the next day I'm back down 2 pounds, I can attribute that fluctuation to my sodium intake. I also use the note section to log which day of my period I'm on. If I gain 5 pounds and then a few days later it's gone without any significant effort on my part, I can see that that is a natural fluctuation from water weight retention. Basically, I use the scale to monitor how things affect my body and not because I really believe I am gaining or losing that much weight overnight. If it stays consistently down for a few days, then, yeah, it's probably because I actually dropped those pounds.

    I know a lot of people are anti-scale. What I think is important is to use it as a tool for learning how things affect your body, and not as an indicator of success or failure. You know when you've succeeded by looking in the mirror, not by looking down at a number on the scale or the label inside a pair of jeans.

    Edited to add: When I don't know exactly what the stats are on what I am eating (e.g. because I am eating out a place that doesn't post the numbers or I know the stats but I'm eating random stuff at the Jason's Deli salad bar and it's not all easily measurable), I tend to overestimate. I'd much rather assume something was more than it was, and get back on track the next day, than think it's less and continue to put myself further into calorie debt.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
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    Is today even worth logging? Should I really re-live every mistake I made and catalog it? Do I really need to see the "if every day was like today, you would weigh xxx in 5 weeks!" Or should I just pretend it never happened, go to bed, and wake up fresh and back on my routine when I go back to work tomorrow?

    Thoughts from someone else who's had a fail day?

    Yes, log it. Then just move on and pick yourself back up!
  • IslandDreamer64
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
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    It might not be as bad as you think! I have had MANY days where I was sure I totally was over by 1000, then when I log everything I find out I was only over by 200-300. I like knowing, but I think there's no harm in not logging it if it's going to cause you stress. Just do better today. One day isn't going to derail you if you don't let it. Unless you ate, like 50,000 extra calories!
  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
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    I personally don't. I suffer from disorder eating tendancies and on days where I have restricted heavily (less than 600kcals) or binged heavily (eaten easily 3500+ kcals) I don't log, because it just helps continue the bad cycle - I'd rather just forget the day and try and get back on track, not have a reminder.
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
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    I never log on days like Thanksgiving and Christmas because I have very few cheat days and I am NOT putting everything I ate out there...It's called a cheat day for a reason. I have been here for a year and 10 months and I think by now I know what I'm doing and I am 5 pounds from goal. You do what you want, personally I would not and I would start over the next day.
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
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    Log it anyway. I was pleasantly surprised by my cookie binge the other day. It was less than I thought. I had a whole ton of junk as I was just so tired and when I am tired like that I need junk. I was well over calories still but under 2000 so not really as bad as I thought. Log it, and move on. At least that way you can track what might have influenced any fluctuations
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    I log my "bad days" because they usually aren't as bad as I think, and I learn what I can fit into a "good day" for the future.
  • OllyReeves
    OllyReeves Posts: 579 Member
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    I just have to say that " I Love" that you typed that you did 2 lunges while carrying bacon to your computer!! lol ...... nothing like a good sense of humor!! lol, love it!! ............ to answer your question though, I usually don't log on days that I screw up and eat whatever I want but today for some reason I did, I think I wanted to see the actual damage today to see if maybe I could make up for it in exercise and not eating the calories a few days this coming week. With that said, I say, " do what ever makes you feel happy ". As long as you get back on the horse after you fall off then you'll be fine, that's what counts :)

    I agree, I think that's just the most hilarious image. From now on, when carrying bacon I will always do 2 lunges, no matter where I am, in tribute to that comment....
  • awlosing30
    awlosing30 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have had "that kind of day" for the past month. I just stopped logging and ate whatever I dang well felt like eating. Cried in the shower last night at all my hard work the previous 2 months gone down the drain. And why?? Because I went over my calorie goal and I knew it, so I Thought, "I'll just skip today and do better tomorrow, I'm doing so well otherwise!" Yea....famous last words. My advice: log it! I'm starting over today. :)
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    OK. I logged it. And it was worse than I thought it was. I was 1500 calories over my goal.

    However.... it was useful because the harm wasn't where I thought it was. Apparently you can eat half a pound of bacon for breakfast, and still be able to recover just fine. After my 8th slice of bacon, I gave up. I shouldn't have. It was what I ate AFTER that bacon that killed me. Not saying the saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, etc was great, but as far as pure calories go... bacon is actually reasonably low! Once again, I'm not saying bacon is good, I'm saying, I shouldn't have said, "Oh, I f***'ed up by eating half a pound of bacon, I'll just eat what i want for the rest of the day because it's screwed to hell and back anyways".

    ^^ Exactly the reason you should log it anyway. You learned a very good lesson, and are on your way to getting rid of the 'all-or-nothing' mentality.
    Had you taken the time to log the bacon, you would have seen that your whole day wasn't blown before you said screw it, and ate all the junk afterwards. And you would not have been truly hungry after all that fat and protein.

    BTW Bacon IS good!

    And calories eaten do not just simply disappear by calling it a reset day. If you don't at least make a note or add x number of quick calories, then you forget about a binge day and a month later you are up a lb and don't know why. But there are a few unlogged days that you forgot about, or selectively remember as 'not that bad'.

    It is all about honesty and accountability to yourself.
  • sheltony
    sheltony Posts: 73 Member
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    Boy, is this the thread I needed today. 4 DAYS of overeating and not logging while on a camping trip. 4 pounds gained. Today, I will try to recreate atll that was eaten and the amount of exercise done during the last 4 days. Thanks for reminding me that honesty is truly the best policy. Back to a real, sane sense of the world and my need for food. Hoping it will last until lunch. One day at a time, one meal at a time. Thanks for the helpful posts, y'all.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    I saved back some calories nearly every day this past week, knowing I was going to have a nice restaurant dinner on Saturday night. I ate lightly on Saturday and logged everything, but made the conscious decision not to log dinner. After reading this thread I rethought that decision and went back to add all the food I ate that night, just to see. Even attempting to overestimate the amount of food I had, I still came in under my DAILY calories, never even dipped into the saved calories I'd set aside all week. Lesson learned: log everything! I could have had a 2nd beer with dinner last night!
  • NeIIaBeIIa
    NeIIaBeIIa Posts: 31 Member
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    LOL - "carrying bacon to the computer", you made my morning! :laugh:

    I know how you feel and I've had some scary days where I haven't logged. Problem is that I then haven't logged for a week... and fallen off track. I've tried to really make it a daily habit, just like the conscious eating.

    Recently I had a bad day, my husband was away (no one watching) and I pigged out. Felt bad, but I logged it and guess what - it wasn't actually anywhere near as bad as I thought... I was over, but I don't think it would have thrown my week off. And I think I still lost weight that week.

    I'd say do it, don't advertise it, but you need to acknowledge it's there.

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