Stressed out by logging when accidentally eating too much

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  • WorkInProgress323
    WorkInProgress323 Posts: 114
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    I hate the red #'s too. Sometimes I want to raise my total calories just to avoid seeing red numbers :embarassed:
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
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    I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Now that was scary to see the total.

    Now that's funny. I've made mistakes when logging, like putting in 500 of something instead of .5 (point five) and wow does that make the daily total red! Eating a pint would be more enjoyable than a logging mistake though.
  • Savlona
    Savlona Posts: 84 Member
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    I try to look at a whole week at a time rather than one day. I'm regularly in the red at weekends, but over a week it evens out.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    That's exactly why I do log it. As a reminder that if I keep eating that way, I'll gain weight back.
  • Alsvic
    Alsvic Posts: 93 Member
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    Man...What is it with Ben and Jerry's they got me in trouble with my doctor?

    I log everything all the time I don't freak out about the red numbers but I am disappointed in myself when it happens. I started on MFP in early February. On my first visit to the Doctor she was very happy that I had lost 18 pounds, this was the first time I had actually lost weight prior to a Doctor Visit.

    So she was asking me how hard it was to log my diet and was there any issues with what I was doing. I explained to her that the previous Saturday was bowling night and I had 11 beers that night. and was kind of disappointed in myself. She ask me how I felt after drinking 11 beers. I said I was kind of embarrassed to log that I drank that much beer and the calorie total was off the wall. Her reply was, You knucklehead I was asking how you felt when you woke up after drinking 11 Beers.

    She then proceeded to tell me I didn't get to 350 pounds by eating 2000 calories a day. 56 years of bad eating habits can't be erased over night and I need to realize that the occasional lapses should be expected.
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
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    I log everything, good or bad. Even if I'm at a local restaurant and am just guessing, I take my best guess and log it. As others have said, it's educational, and helps you make better choices. Painful as it is, when you see what you'd weigh if you ate that way for 5 weeks should help guide your choices in the future.

    Sometimes it can help you to NOT freak out. I pre-logged my Thanksgiving dinner (I knew what the menu would be) and rearranged it to be "only" 1,750 calories over maintenance. That's a half pound of weight. So I knew even with that enormous feast, in the long run, I was only going to gain a half pound from that day of eating.

    And someone wise once pointed out, "whether you log it into MFP or not, your body is logging it." So you're just lying to yourself if you don't log it.
  • autumn_moon86
    autumn_moon86 Posts: 13
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    When I have a bad day, I go to this article:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

    It helps me remember that it's okay and to get back on track!! :smile:
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    It is a good measure to keep you in check. It is so very easy to overeat. This way you'll know ahead of time if you are about to go over your limit.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I log on MFP then take that number and input it into an Excel spreadsheet that I've created. It calculates my calories eaten and my calories burned (I get that number from my Fitbit) and then calculates my deficit (or non-deficit at times). That way I look at it on a weekly basis and not a daily basis. As long as I have more good days than bad, I'm okay.

    Maybe if you look at it from a weekly perspective and not a daily perspective it will help.
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
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    Look, don't make an excuse and say you accidentally ate too much. Generally when we do it, we know we are doing it... That being said if you choose to go over it isn't the end of the world, just do better tomorrow. I do hate seeing red and it bugs me that 0 is red not green...
  • Woodspoon
    Woodspoon Posts: 223 Member
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    I just give myself 1 day off a week, usually fridays where I don't bother logging, but make extra sure to log and stay under all the other days.
    If you can't have a day off to be content, what's it all for?
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
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    The best thing about it is when you went over by a significant amount one day and still lose weight that week! That actually helped me to relax and helped me understand it's about what you do MOST of the time. You don't have to be perfect every day.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
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    MFP is a tool to help you find balance in your diet. That's it, just a tool. If you go over, you go over. You know what to do differently tomorrow. Don't obsess, you're a work in progress and it takes time to find out what will work for you. :flowerforyou:
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
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    When I have a bad day, I go to this article:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

    It helps me remember that it's okay and to get back on track!! :smile:

    LOVE THIS!! Thank you!!! :flowerforyou:
  • yasoyyo
    yasoyyo Posts: 15
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    And someone wise once pointed out, "whether you log it into MFP or not, your body is logging it." So you're just lying to yourself if you don't log it.

    Yeah, I'm definitely aware of that - for me, the whole "not logging" thing is really only about keeping my mental state in a better place (because I find that my mentality towards dieting is really the main thing that decides whether I'll be successful or not). It's a tricky balance, though, trying to not be too perfectionistic as well as not getting too lenient.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I log on MFP then take that number and input it into an Excel spreadsheet that I've created. It calculates my calories eaten and my calories burned (I get that number from my Fitbit) and then calculates my deficit (or non-deficit at times). That way I look at it on a weekly basis and not a daily basis. As long as I have more good days than bad, I'm okay.

    Maybe if you look at it from a weekly perspective and not a daily perspective it will help.

    You can also do this on the MFP App if you have a smart phone, at least look at the weekly numbers...

    OP try to remember that you have a calorie deficiit built into your daily goal, and even if you go over one or two days a week, you likely still are under for the week. And even if you are over for the week, you would have to be 3,500 cal over your maintenance (not your deficit goal - your maintenance level) to gain one lb. Not sure what you are set at today, but if you are set to lose a lb/week, that means you have a 3,500 cal deficit for the week built in. In order to gain a pound you would have to be 7,000 cal over the weekly goal.

    Perspective...
  • katiekakes68
    katiekakes68 Posts: 1
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    When I see that I have gone over or know I want something that is an indulgence, I simply say to myself, " Looks Like I am gonna walk the dogs again". I just remember that if I am unhappy with the red numbers I have the power to reverse it. I am in control not my food.
  • TRIX5884
    TRIX5884 Posts: 318 Member
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    When I see that I have gone over or know I want something that is an indulgence, I simply say to myself, " Looks Like I am gonna walk the dogs again". I just remember that if I am unhappy with the red numbers I have the power to reverse it. I am in control not my food.

    I like that...."I have the power to reverse it". It's so true - we all do. I guess it really is always in our "power" - good or bad.
  • skcardiog
    skcardiog Posts: 316 Member
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    Tomorrow's another day. We can t change the past, but we are in control of our future. Day at a time .
  • Jenky85
    Jenky85 Posts: 190 Member
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    This is one of the things I dislike about MFP...as soon as you even hit your calorie goal it turns red! I think it should give you up until 100 over before it turns red.

    As others have said...you should log regardless. As long as you're not doing it all the time you will be fine on your weightloss journey but by logging you are making yourself accountable and therefore less likely to overeat every day. :)

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