A redundant question...(about starving after a cheat day)

JadeMonroe · July 2014

I know this is probably a redundant question. I have been perusing the internet and have found many "weigh ins" about heavy weigh ins the day after a "cheat day". I have been going steady for a month on low carb. I'm on week four, been lifting, and running every day. Losing a bit of weight and some inches. But last night I went to a concert with some friends and after we ended up at a dive bar. Something about being at our local dive made me so hungry for my favorite dish. So I kicked back, had a rum and cherry coke and a huge bleu cheese burger and fries. "I'll be okay, it's just one time," I said. Then this morning came, and I have a 3 pound weight gain. Logically, my brain knows this is just salt. But my emotional brain wants to log in those 3 a.m. calories (which wipes out my entire day + exercise). Guess what? I'm starving and it's only 1. So, what do you do? Start fresh? Log in a small calorie amount every day for the rest of the week? And how do you deal with guilt after you "blow it"?

michellesz · July 2014

What's done is done. Don't look back. Move on with healthy eating & hydration especially for the sodium. Listen to your brain as you stated & don't weigh yourself for a couple of days. With this, you will recoup.

editorgrrl · July 2014

Weight loss is not linear. Weight yourself weekly, and look for a downward trend.

Eat "healthy" (whatever that means to you) 80% of the time, and fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

As for last night, log everything you ate & drank accurately & honestly. Then forgive yourself and move on. Eat normally today, and look at your nutrition for the past 7 days, not just yesterday. (It's easier in the app.)

Please, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

lavaughan69 · July 2014

First, do your best to log exactly what you ate. You could try the 5/2 approach this week, where you pick two days that you eat at 500 cals/600cals and the balance of the week eat your normal cals. Or you could just say it's one night, go back to eating your normal calories and ramp up your exercise and drink lots of water. Odds are your scale will rebound. Oh, and in the future don't weigh in the day after!! Wait a week, give your body time to process that food.

JSHamm · July 2014

It's not "starting fresh"; it's living your life. What you do is log it - the burger, the fries, the drink and then you move on. The thing is you were honest with yourself about it which is a huge hurdle for a lot of people. Maybe it wiped out today but it didn't for tomorrow. One of the greatest demoralizers is beating yourself up for something in the past. I believe if you're truthful to yourself and consistently hold yourself accountable it'll work out in the long-term and, frankly, we could all use a 3:00 am burger and drink occasionally.

scubasuenc · July 2014

Those times happen. I believe in logging them faithfully. Even if they wipe out the day's exercise, etc. If you accurately know what you ate, then it gives you the confidence to say 'I know I didn't eat 10,500 calories above my maintenance level, therefore it *must* be water.' Then get right back on track and drink plenty of fluids. Those extra pounds will disappear in a few days.

I used to think I had to make up for the extra calories with more exercise or eating less the days afterwards, but I don't even do that now. This is a lifestyle not a race. I may reach my goal a few weeks later, but I won't sabotage myself along the way.

I eat a lot of protein and reduced carb. I don't restrict my carbs enough to be low carb. Sometimes on the weekend I get my macros out of balance. The following Monday, I get hungry even if I am well within my calorie goal. My body is used to getting lots of protein and when it doesn't get it, I get hungry. I try to make sure I eat some satiating protein on those days.

6ftamazon · July 2014

I'd just follow my diet normally. What's the point of starving yourself the next day? Then you'll be even hungrier and likelier to binge or overeat again. Overeating once in a while isn't a bad thing. I had an insanely high calorie meal last week. The next day I was up 5 lbs, but a few days later I was down 8. It's about every day habits, not what you do once in a while.

Mav3rick54 · July 2014

I will tell you what worked best for me. I had what I call a “free day” every week. I did not call it a cheat day because I did not look at it as cheating. I looked at it as a day to eat what I want. Since I did not cut any food groups out of my diet, it is not cheating….right? The point is….it was a PLANNED day to eat foods that might not fit into my calorie goals the other 6 days of the week. For me, this freed me psychologically from stressing over things during the week. I started in October and made it through all of the holidays, an anniversary and a birthday with steady losses.

I also prefer to weigh daily. Over time, this showed me that I would go up a couple of pounds every weekend and then those pounds would come off plus some the following week. I have been maintaining for about 3 months now, and I follow the same routine. I get that not everyone can deal with the 2-3 pound fluctuation, but if you can get past that, then I found I could enjoy food so much easier without having to worry about whether I was going to be up a pound or two. I KNEW I would be up….but I also knew it would be gone in a day or two…so no big deal

Francl27 · July 2014

I just go back to my goal the next day. A couple days of eating at a deficit will make up for it anyway.

ekat120 · July 2014

Well, the extra calories will wipe out your day and exercise whether or not you log them.

Resume your normal eating and don't worry about it.

A redundant question...(about starving after a cheat day)

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