total confusion...!

Options
Superdubios
Superdubios Posts: 5
edited March 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello dear friends,

i am confused today. Once a week I allow myself an "indulgence-day" (better known as "chat-day") where i consume 3000 kcal maximum. Unfortunately I ended up today with 3800 kcal. :/

My BMR is at 1500 kcal and my TDEE is at 2100 kcal. I train 5-6x weekly and consume 1500 on average. My training consists of 3x HIIT (1x 1000 calories workout and 2x 450 kcal) and 2x weekly Pilates as strenghth training (i just burn approximately 170 kcal...i know, it is not a lot but its purpose is building some muscle and strengh.

So, how tragic is it, if i consumed almost 4000 kcal like today? Are all the efforts of the whole week just gone?

Second confusing thing...these weekly net-calories: Do I have to be below them?
I am usually 2000 kcal below the weekly net-calorie-goal. Is that enough? (well, this week's deficit is certrainly less :/ )

I hope to find some helpful answers here and many thanks!

Take care

Replies

  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Usually the baseline I give people is for every 1 cheat day it sets you back 3 days of good diet and exercise, now it is very possible to add 1lb of fat with that much of a surplus in one day but most likely you passed most of it, I would just suggest tracking what you eat before you eat it on your cheat day so that you can still cheat without getting too far off track.
  • Superdubios
    Superdubios Posts: 5
    Hello Chris,

    thank you for answering! I was just wondering, which calorie-amount is good for an appropriate indulgence-day but still while achieving further weight loss? (I am female, if this is relevant information)

    And could you maybe also tell me, what it is about the net-calories? (question above)
  • violasmith85
    violasmith85 Posts: 274 Member
    I prefer to do a cheat meal once a week, instead of a whole day. Much less impact on your weekly progress and I look forward to that dinner all week. Plus I don't have the horrible guilt the next day. :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    If you overeat one day, it will undo the good work of the previous day (or days, depending on how much overeating you did.)

    If you want to overeat, that's great. But you'll have to undereat by more on other days if you want to lose weight.

    It all counts.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    If you overeat one day, it will undo the good work of the previous day (or days, depending on how much overeating you did.)

    If you want to overeat, that's great. But you'll have to undereat by more on other days if you want to lose weight.

    It all counts.

    Pretty much this... You need to eat 3500 calories to gain 1lb of fat. Likewise, you need to burn that much to lose it. So overeating by that much is a set back, especially if it can happen often.
  • Superdubios
    Superdubios Posts: 5
    According to myfitnesspal, i would still be below my weekly net calorie goal. What does that mean? should i have a certain net calorie goal-deficit?

    The reason why i spike the calories on one particular day is because I have to re-awaken my metabolism - according to my nutritionist, my metabolism-age is 26, but i will soon be just 21.
  • Superdubios
    Superdubios Posts: 5
    So, let's say if i eat 3500 kcal on one day, does that equal to a surplus of (3500-2000=1500) 1500 kcal? because my TDEE is approx 2000 kcal.
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    Ok, so assuming you're following TDEE method, you're currently eating at a 600 cals deficit each day and you were yesterday 1700 cals over maintenance. Basically, you just erase three days of calorie deficit. This won't make you gain weight (except, probably, water weight because of the sodium and the carbs that usually come with a cheat meal), it will only slow your progress a little.

    I would suggest you to try the "one cheat meal" method instead of on cheat day, at least for a couple of weeks. It's easier to manage and you will feel better the next day (well, this is my assuming that when you overeat, you feel bloated and tired the next morning, because it happens to me).

    I personnally try to throw in a big work out before a planned cheat meal. It gives me room for my favorite food and some booze, and often, I'm not even over my "new" calorie goal (because I'm following MFP method). That's a good way to find balance between pleasure and hard work.
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
    When I want to take a break from calorie deficits, I eat just at maintenance. It is like pressing the pause button on your diet and having a day when you dont contribute to your caloric deficit, without actually erasing deficits you already worked to accumulate in previous days. Plus, it is good practice for eating healthy once you hit goal, to practice eating at a maintenance level. I'm trying to get away from the cheat day binge/starve day penance pattern that caused me to get fat in the first place (let's just say I got out of the habit of the penance part...)

    As for needing to do this to wake up a metabolism, that sounds like some pseudoscience gobbledygook. Your metabolism is already awake...unless you are dead. If you want to burn more calories or have a faster metabolism, eat healthy amounts of food and stay active and build lean muscle mass. Binge eating isn't the path....
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
    Oh, and about the net calorie goal....if you are using MFP and have your goals set to match what you are trying to do (I think lose weight but you didn't say), then you should be trying to hit that weekly number, not go above it or below it. It is already telling you what to do to meet the goal you gave it, so just eat the calories it tells you to eat. The deficit you need is already built into the calculations.
  • Superdubios
    Superdubios Posts: 5
    Alright then, next time i will eat a more reasonable amount....Yeah, i always asked myself, what's the difference between binge eating and a cheat-day? - probably the ability to control your eating habit...?
    I hate binge-eating and the last thing i want is ending up with an eating disorder where all i think about is just food....that is just sad. Life should really be more than that.
    Anyway, what I am going to do is, tomorrow I will do my 1000 calorie-workout as always, and eat lightly, because i will usually have less appetite the next day after my indulgence-day.
    And then get on with my life :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you overeat one day, it will undo the good work of the previous day (or days, depending on how much overeating you did.)

    If you want to overeat, that's great. But you'll have to undereat by more on other days if you want to lose weight.

    It all counts.

    Pretty much this... You need to eat 3500 calories to gain 1lb of fat. Likewise, you need to burn that much to lose it. So overeating by that much is a set back, especially if it can happen often.

    Correction...3500 calories over whatever maintenance might be. Also, the human body doesn't work quite this simply...one day of indulgence, even if it was in excess of 3500 calories isn't going to result in putting on 1 Lb of fat. The human body is an amazing machine and strives to maintain...it requires consistently uner-eating to lose weight and consistently overeating to gain weight.

    That said OP, doing this consistently is likely to stall progress or at least significantly slow it.
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
    Sounds like a good plan. And as for what makes a true binge, I think the sense of control is key. I try to avoid even an in-control eating of large quantities because it makes it harder for me to control my eating afterward. Brings on a lot of cravings for the next few days so that controlled cheat days become an uncontrolled cheat day the next time. So I try to stay away from extremes (very high or very low cal days) and stay on an even keel. I maintain and lose better this way I have found. I but that's just me, maybe you don't have a struggle with overeating or binging.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Second confusing thing...these weekly net-calories: Do I have to be below them?
    I am usually 2000 kcal below the weekly net-calorie-goal. Is that enough? (well, this week's deficit is certrainly less :/ )

    I'm confused about this statement. How are your MFP goals set up?
    If you already have a deficit built in (ie: eating 1500 calories per day), then you should be reaching your weekly net calorie goal. You shouldn't be under it by 2000 calories. This may be causing your weekly cheat day high calorie limit.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories