The Birthday Supper...

transientcanuck
transientcanuck Posts: 82 Member
edited February 24 in Motivation and Support
Hey everyone,

It's my birthday next week and we have decided to go out for Thai food. After that, we will go to a pastry cafe to get something yummy. I'm really looking forward to this as I absolutely love eating good food. It's my birthday, I should do something I enjoy.

However:

Over the last few weeks I have been very strict in what I eat. I've been so strict, in fact, that I have almost completely cut out breads, pastas, rice, added sugar, and junk food. I have been very slow at seeing results unfortunately. Since starting this plan a month ago I've only gone down about 2 kg (4 lbs). Despite the fact that I'm exercising a lot and eating the right foods at a calorie deficit, the scale is still stubborn to budge.

Considering this, I'm afraid that my little birthday "binge" will completely unravel any kind of success I made so far. Quite honestly, it seems that if I go even a little off track, I don't lose weight that week. Now if I go way off track (including eating a Thai curry for dinner and having a cupcake afterwards), it is very much expected that I won't lose. I seem to be VERY sensitive to water retention from high sodium foods, and everything I eat shows up on the scale.

So, I need your thoughts. Do you think it is worth it to eat like this on my birthday? I am very much committed to seeing results and sticking with this plan, but a number one downer will to have a day where my diet reverses everything. And it's not a question of if I should eat my birthday treats in moderation - like I said, every little thing that isn't a salad or lean protein in some shape or form seems to show up on the scale.

I'm really looking forward to the prospect of eating all of this delicious food since I haven't eaten many palatable things since starting my diet haha. BUT, I also don't want to regress in my plan :(

Replies

  • MarshallLuke
    MarshallLuke Posts: 177 Member
    The real question is "what are you trying to eat healthy for?"
    Are you trying to eat healthy for the sake of eating healthy and saying I have eaten healthy? Or are you eating healthy so that you can live longer and enjoy life?
    If it is the first, then stay away from tasty foods!
    However, if it is the second, then go nuts for your birthday! Eat your Thai food and enjoy the heck out of that cupcake! Doggone it, have an appletini (if you drink, that is)! That's what life is for, enjoyment!
    Then, the next day, get right back on track with your calories.
    Also, you might want to go for a run (bike ride, hike, jazzercise, whatever you do) the next day because hello extra calories you can put to good use!
    But in all seriousness, losing weight and enjoying life should not be mutually exclusive. Love your life, celebrate the fact you were born, and get back on your weight loss the next day.
  • skrlec70
    skrlec70 Posts: 302 Member
    enjoy your birthday, you wont gain,Thaii is salty so drink lots of water and don't get on the scale the next day, trust me I learned the hard way, I retain water for 2 days after thaii

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    Go out and enjoy you birthday while you are young enough to enjoy it. Go light on breakfast and lunch...do not go hungry....but save some calories. Drink some extra water that day and the day after. Most of all have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
    EAT!! AND ENJOY YOUR BIRTHDAY!!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,180 Member
    Expect to gain suddenly after big eats, but realize that those quick gains are glycogen, not fat. Nice explanation here:

    http://justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/

    A lot of Thai food is very light. Instead of a coconut based green curry, try the grilled meats with a som tam (green papaya or mango salad) with some plain sticky rice. If the grilled meat comes with satay sauce (peanut sauce), ask to have it on the side and don't touch it. Larb or laab (essentialy spicy chicken salad with an oil free dressing) is another delicious lean choice if you don't mind the heat. Red curries usually don't contain coconut so will be leaner than the green and yellow curries, but will be spicier.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Do you really think that one day can unravel everything? If you do, you are mired in minutia and need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

    If someone generally eats like **** most of the time...nothing but junk food, etc...but occasionally they get a wild hair up their *kitten* and eat some broccoli, brown rice, and broccoli and go for a jog, are they suddenly healthy and fit?

    You didn't get to the point of needing to lose weight because of a birthday or a holiday or a vacation or whatever...you don't get fat from overindulging on occasion...you get fat from overindulging all the time.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,180 Member
    Regular blowout restaurant meals are part of my weekend ritual. I realize that is not your situation, with it being your birthday and all. Happy Birthday by the way.

    Here is how I deal with regular blowout restaurant meals: I will do I big cardio workout before hand so I can afford to order anything I like, guilt free. My normal workout is 65 minutes on the elliptical which burns about 500 kcal according to the HRM, but if I plan to order something naughty like spare ribs and fries I might do 90 minutes. On special occasions such as birthdays or vacations, I might just resolve to net at maintenance instead of at deficit.

    So if you don't want to gain weight, just set your MFP goals at maintenance for the day, but expect to gain a little overnight due to replenished glycogen stores.
  • transientcanuck
    transientcanuck Posts: 82 Member
    The real question is "what are you trying to eat healthy for?"
    Are you trying to eat healthy for the sake of eating healthy and saying I have eaten healthy? Or are you eating healthy so that you can live longer and enjoy life?
    If it is the first, then stay away from tasty foods!
    However, if it is the second, then go nuts for your birthday! Eat your Thai food and enjoy the heck out of that cupcake! Doggone it, have an appletini (if you drink, that is)! That's what life is for, enjoyment!
    Then, the next day, get right back on track with your calories.
    Also, you might want to go for a run (bike ride, hike, jazzercise, whatever you do) the next day because hello extra calories you can put to good use!
    But in all seriousness, losing weight and enjoying life should not be mutually exclusive. Love your life, celebrate the fact you were born, and get back on your weight loss the next day.

    Thanks so much for the replies everyone :)

    "Also, you might want to go for a run (bike ride, hike, jazzercise, whatever you do) the next day because hello extra calories you can put to good use!" - that's a really good point. I could use all of those extra calories from my birthday meal and put them to good use for a real workout
  • transientcanuck
    transientcanuck Posts: 82 Member
    Expect to gain suddenly after big eats, but realize that those quick gains are glycogen, not fat. Nice explanation here:

    http://justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/

    A lot of Thai food is very light. Instead of a coconut based green curry, try the grilled meats with a som tam (green papaya or mango salad) with some plain sticky rice. If the grilled meat comes with satay sauce (peanut sauce), ask to have it on the side and don't touch it. Larb or laab (essentialy spicy chicken salad with an oil free dressing) is another delicious lean choice if you don't mind the heat. Red curries usually don't contain coconut so will be leaner than the green and yellow curries, but will be spicier.

    Thanks for the suggestions. Thankfully I've managed to find the restaurant's menu online, so I can do a bit of planning before I go. I just looooooove green curries though...I think it's creaminess from the coconut milk that I love so much. But on the other hand, lots of other healthier options look delicious too.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    4 pounds in a month is actually pretty good. As long as you're diligent most of the time, the occasional thing wont hurt. Enjoy your birthday!
  • transientcanuck
    transientcanuck Posts: 82 Member
    Do you really think that one day can unravel everything? If you do, you are mired in minutia and need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

    If someone generally eats like **** most of the time...nothing but junk food, etc...but occasionally they get a wild hair up their *kitten* and eat some broccoli, brown rice, and broccoli and go for a jog, are they suddenly healthy and fit?

    You didn't get to the point of needing to lose weight because of a birthday or a holiday or a vacation or whatever...you don't get fat from overindulging on occasion...you get fat from overindulging all the time.

    Good point
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