What do you do if you have a bad diet day?

"one day of bad eating didn't make me fat just as one day of good, clean eating isn't going to make me healthy/skinny, it's a journey that never ends"

Apparently I eat a Strawberry Cheesecake blizzard, log it and get back to my regular program.

I just move on and don't try to play catchup or do anything different. I do find I'm a little more hungry the next day so eat more then as well.

Equally if I happen to go nuts on the exercise I don't take it as an excuse to eat out (restaurants are may downfall)

Give a little, take a little.

Depending on how much I was over on my bad day sometimes I try to shave an extra hundred calories off each day for the rest of the week to balance it out.

Great I idea, I'm going to try this!

How do you react after or during a bad diet day?

It's usually associated with a good day full of fun with friends or family, so I'm usually content.

Do you do extra exercise the day after?

No.

Do you change your diet the day after in order to compensate?

No.

Just get back on the regular plan.

I just draw a line under it and move on. It took me a long time to get fat, so it's going to take a long time to get slim again and one day isn't going to ruin all the good work I put in the vast majority of the time.

Life is too short to punish myself with cutting back calories or exercising more etc beause of one bad day, so I just say "Ah well, what's one bad day" and climb back on the wagon!

I know it is an old thread, but the questions are still relevant.

First of all, the question is, does having a bad day have an effect on weight loss, particularly if you have been on a good roll for several weeks/months?

Back in June, during my fragile period where I had just hit my momentum, I had to go on a work trip with co-workers. It got messy, massive steaks, beer, lots of good food, taxis all the time, all expensed, very indulgent. We did this for 3 consecutive days.

I remember I used to feel so guilty that when I got back to the hotel I just did mad push ups, ab crunches, anything I could do to get the muscle moving.

When I got back home, for a good 2-3 weeks I lived in the fear of stepping on the scale and finding that I'd gained an extra kilo or two. But you know what? I actually continued to go down, FASTER than before?!

It got me thinking, how can this be? Can 1 or 2 days really break off your cycle? And if not, what is happening with all those extra calories. Is the body just saying, hey thanks, now I am out of starvation mode and my metabolism can go back to normal, so you continue losing? Or is it like, hey this is TOO much but I know you will be back to working out soon, so I won't store them in places you can't get too?

I know that makes no sense, but surely fat storage mechanisms are too complex for it to be affect by a couple of bad days every couple of months?!

How do you react after or during a bad diet day?

During - I enjoy it immensely. I'm not a binge eater so a bad diet day means a celebration of some sort.
After - if hungover - regret, vow not to do it again for a while

Do you do extra exercise the day after?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If I'm hungover, no.

Do you change your diet the day after in order to compensate?

No. Just back to my usual diet.

I DON'T
I AM PERFECT

How do you react after or during a bad diet day?

First time was after a visit to my aunt in July. I ate takeaway and necked a few bacardis. I consumed about 1600 cals when I was supposed to be on 1200. I felt fine! I realised life happens, it was the first time I'd seen her in months and had a great time. That day, I decided to be extra good for the next few days. Stay within cals but no sweeties.

The second time was a 3 course roast pork dinner at my sisters 3 weeks ago. Still on 1200 then, but went up to 2000 that day. The day was so brilliant and the meal so delicious, I decided not to beat myself up over it. I never gained and never changed my diet after wards and lost MORE that week. Thats when I realised I should up my calories as it will benefit me.

Do you do extra exercise the day after?

No. I stay within my calories as always. I find just eating at a defecit is absolutely fine with me and my body. My work is very hard going, and I am losing faster than expected purely from eating under 1400 ( It was 1200 for 55 days )

Do you change your diet the day after in order to compensate?

I used to, but not any more. I realise my body reacts just fine to the treats that I add in daily. The first time I went over I did, but the second time I didn't " behave well " with my intake and I was still doing fine. 2lbs a week steadily back then.

Look at it this way...if someone generally ate like crap most of the time...but occasionally had a "good" diet day and ate all their veggies and hit all of the macros and calorie goals...and maybe even got a run in...does that suddendly make them healthy and fit? Of course not..and the reverse applies. It's not about a particular day, good or bad...it's about how you're livin' most of the time over an extended period of time...like months and years, not a few days or weeks.

Get upset for a few seconds, and then move on. These days, I don't even try to make up the deficit the next day. Knowing that I have to make up for the deficit just brings on more guilt and makes me want to quit.

Freak out and obsess like half the people on here?

Just kidding. Move on. It won't kill you.

I don't diet, so I don't know if I can answer this.



When I go over my calorie requirements, though, I just make small adjustments for the next few days to compensate.

Calorie requirements = diet.