What to do after a binge you thought was healthy?

jennahaines108
jennahaines108 Posts: 58 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I frequently find myself banging my head against the wall when I go out to eat somewhere like Whole Foods and try something new. Although I'll never actually know the calories, I'll type it in to my mfp later, and WOAH! What do you guys do when you make mistakes like that? Work out more? Adjust dinner calories? Or shrug your shoulders and move on? Basically, how do you recover from a binge?

It's just really frustrating when that happens because it's like, if I wanted to eat 800 calories, I would have bought something that tasted like a splurge.

Replies

  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Look up the calories first?
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    First off, that's not a binge. As for what to do about it, move on with life as normal. Just log it and move on, one meal or one day every so often won't hurt you so there's no need to take extraordinary measures.

    Rigger
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
    My best advice would be to look up calorie informatin before you go out to eat. That's what I do. Then, you know what you're consuming.

    Also I'd assume food is high calorie anytime you eat out. "Healthy" and "low calorie" are not the same thing. Something can be made of healthy ingredients and still pack a huge calorie count. Even salads are often high calorie at restaurants.

    As for what to do after you have already eaten it, you can try to eat less the rest of the day or forget about it. Unless this happens all the time, it probably won't affect you too much.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    First off, that's not a binge. As for what to do about it, move on with life as normal. Just log it and move on, one meal or one day every so often won't hurt you so there's no need to take extraordinary measures.

    Rigger

    Right, not a binge. We need to stop using these words so casually. A binge is a purposeful (albeit shameful) indulgence in food, alcohol, etc. It is what happens when you know that you are doing them in excess but you can't/won't stop.

    Next, if this becomes a consistent issue, you need to start planning ahead. Look up the calories beforehand or even right there in the store.

    Lastly, don't stress too much. Food happens! Just try to be consistent and don't worry about the occasional high day.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    First off, that's not a binge. As for what to do about it, move on with life as normal. Just log it and move on, one meal or one day every so often won't hurt you so there's no need to take extraordinary measures.

    I agree with this.

    I don't use a smartphone app for MFP, so I'm kind of blind when I go out to eat somewhere without knowing in advance. I usually just chalk it up to a learning experience. Last summer I went to Chili's with friends and thought I was ordering something relatively light (shrimp tacos and didn't finish all of the tortillas) and then I "indulged" at a theater event after, sharing a cone full of candied pecans with a friend. I got home and logged and found out the dinner was 3X the cals I thought and holy moly sodium while the candied pecans weren't so bad, I could have had my own cone. Learning experience...
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    First off, that's not a binge. As for what to do about it, move on with life as normal. Just log it and move on, one meal or one day every so often won't hurt you so there's no need to take extraordinary measures.

    Rigger

    This ^^
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
    I would move on. I just ate something that I knew was a splurge and then looked it up. Yeah...210 calories for half a cookie. What is it made out of?? Straight Lard?!

    However it seems that you may know where these traps are laid but you keep walking in to them. I like to plug things into my diary for fun to see how many calories.

    For example yesterday I got an email from McAlister's deli with a photo of a Spud Ole'. You can get it with veggie chili. I was like "that shall be my lunch!" Calories on MFP said that stupid potato was almost 600 calories. I was like "no way!" But when I went to McAlister's website it was more like 880 calories!! (I wound up making chili for dinner so it was an all around win!)

    And as someone said before "healthy" does not mean "low calorie." Look at Salmon... yikes!
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    And as someone said before "healthy" does not mean "low calorie." Look at Salmon... yikes!

    Or avocados!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I like to plug things into my diary for fun to see how many calories.

    For example yesterday I got an email from McAlister's deli with a photo of a Spud Ole'. You can get it with veggie chili. I was like "that shall be my lunch!" Calories on MFP said that stupid potato was almost 600 calories. I was like "no way!" But when I went to McAlister's website it was more like 880 calories!! (I wound up making chili for dinner so it was an all around win!)

    I totally agree with this! I talked myself out of a Panera egg spinach & artichoke soufflé this way just the other day.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
    I never let the calorie content keep me from trying something new. If it was from Whole Foods it could not have been all bad> Unless of course it was from their bakery, tehn it would ahve been deliciously bad. I would not worry about 800 calories of something healthy. Just consider yourself a little smarter now
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    I frequently find myself banging my head against the wall when I go out to eat somewhere like Whole Foods and try something new. Although I'll never actually know the calories, I'll type it in to my mfp later, and WOAH! What do you guys do when you make mistakes like that? Work out more? Adjust dinner calories? Or shrug your shoulders and move on? Basically, how do you recover from a binge?

    It's just really frustrating when that happens because it's like, if I wanted to eat 800 calories, I would have bought something that tasted like a splurge.

    i'm a bit confused Whole Foods is a grocery store so how are you eating 800 calories at a grocery store? i know they do free samples but one or two samples do not equal 800 calories? second are you saying 800 calories in one meal or for an entire day? please tell me it's 800 for one meal.

    i would just move on. put the day behind you and that's it.
  • jennahaines108
    jennahaines108 Posts: 58 Member
    800 calories for one meal. And yes, it did have avocados. It was a half sandwich and a side kale salad, and I was estimating the calories by typing the kind of sandwich into mfp--so it's not exact.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    First off, that's not a binge. As for what to do about it, move on with life as normal. Just log it and move on, one meal or one day every so often won't hurt you so there's no need to take extraordinary measures.

    Rigger

    +1
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    800 calories for one meal. And yes, it did have avocados. It was a half sandwich and a side kale salad, and I was estimating the calories by typing the kind of sandwich into mfp--so it's not exact.

    My lunch was over 1,000 calories- 800 is hardly a binge :tongue: Binge eating is where you cannot control yourself-many times eating until you are literally sick, but cannot stop eating. Binges can be thousands of calories at a time. Binge eating is a serious issue that some people really struggle with, and it's not a word to be thrown around lightly.

    What you did was a newbie mistake-you ate something before you figured out the calorie content. All of us have done this and it's not a big deal-learn from the lesson and move on.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    800 calories for one meal. And yes, it did have avocados. It was a half sandwich and a side kale salad, and I was estimating the calories by typing the kind of sandwich into mfp--so it's not exact.

    this is very different than say i just ate 800 calories in doritos. avocados are great for you. and kale is amazing. i wouldn't worry at all. wipe the frown lines from your forehead no need to stress over a meal like that.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Log it. If you can mitigate the damage by exercising or planning to eat less calories later, do that. If this was lunch, then have something low cal for dinner, like an omelet, or fish and steamed veggies. If you can't do that, then learn your lesson and move on. You could eat a little less for the rest of the week to offset the amount you were over, so for the week you will still be at goal.

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