reversing the effects of a bad meal

delsey2007
delsey2007 Posts: 68 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
So I caved this morning and gave in to a terrible breakfast. .. when I logged it it was like 970 calories! :-( how much should I workout to reverse the effects?

Replies

  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
    I don't think you can "reverse" the effects. Just log it, and plan lunch and dinner to be lighter. Also plan in some exercise (but only count half the calories that MFP gives you for that exercise). Then just start fresh tomorrow.
  • delsey2007
    delsey2007 Posts: 68 Member
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    Well, it'd take me about two-three hours of running to burn around 970 calories.

    Or you can just count it as a lesson and move on. A single bad meal won't de-rail your efforts.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Surely you won't need lunch after nearly 1000 cals? Do a workout and you've got 500cals for your tea.

    Or eat at maintenance today. Either way it's not a big deal. One big meal doesn't make you fat, just like one salad doesn't make you thin.

  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because the estimates given by MFP for calories burned by different exercises is very unreliable.

    Short of starving yourself for the day or thrashing yourself with exercise (neither advisable), there's nothing you can do. You could consider pre-logging in the future to avoid nasty surprises! Just eat as you normally would for your calorie limit for the rest of the day and move on.
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
    edited August 2015
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    edited: oops, sorry Happy Day, I didn't see that you'd replied with the same thing. :blush:
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Some people count 50-75% of their exercise calories because many entries are over-estimated (give you more than you are actually burning). I just log them all.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Monklady123 wrote: »
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    I actually get MORE calories now I track with a HRM, so it's a bit of an overgeneralisation to say MFP overestimates all the time.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Monklady123 wrote: »
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    I actually get MORE calories now I track with a HRM, so it's a bit of an overgeneralisation to say MFP overestimates all the time.

    Your assumption about the accuracy of HRM estimates is controversial, at best.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    sheldonklein wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Monklady123 wrote: »
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    I actually get MORE calories now I track with a HRM, so it's a bit of an overgeneralisation to say MFP overestimates all the time.

    Your assumption about the accuracy of HRM estimates is controversial, at best.

    If I'm eating back those cals and losing weight, I'd say I'm fine with my assumption.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    one meal is not going to make you fat.
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    Monklady123 wrote: »
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    edited: oops, sorry Happy Day, I didn't see that you'd replied with the same thing. :blush:
    MFP got me close, but I had to come up with my very own calorie burn rate based on trial and error.

  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    one meal is not going to make you fat.

    100% agreed. Not even one day of "bad eating" will make you fat -it's when you constantly and consistently eat above your maintenance calories that weight gain will result.

    To the OP, take this as a small lesson in the value of pre-logging, and don't worry about "making up" for the calories. Eat a sensible lunch and dinner (don't starve yourself to make up for the calories), maybe do a little bit of exercise (if that is what you normally do), and acknowledge that all of us experience these surprises. You said you're have a 1200 calorie goal (is your goal set to lose 1-2 pounds a week?), so you could go up to 500-1,000 calories over your goal and not experience fat gain (maybe a few pounds of water weight).
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited August 2015
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    So I caved this morning and gave in to a terrible breakfast. .. when I logged it it was like 970 calories! :-( how much should I workout to reverse the effects?

    What is so terrible about your breakfast? You just work the rest of your calories around that. If you have a larger deficit with only 200 to 300 calories left, plan to eat at maintenance for the day.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    You may find that your breakfast holds you pretty well through the day :) Just move on from here - reasonable portions for the rest of the day, and a lot of water in case that breakfast had more sodium than you are used to :)
  • Nanogg55
    Nanogg55 Posts: 275 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Surely you won't need lunch after nearly 1000 cals? Do a workout and you've got 500cals for your tea.

    Or eat at maintenance today. Either way it's not a big deal. One big meal doesn't make you fat, just like one salad doesn't make you thin.

    Yep!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    You cannot uneat food. You can't undo it.

    I have days where I eat more than my allowance. I have days where I eat less. I keep an eye on weekly and monthly numbers to make sure I never am way over (or, more likely, under) my goals. So, if I have an 1800 calorie day (which is way high and very rare), I just don't sweat it. I might push my workouts harder for a couple days, but even that is unlikely. Just back to business on losing.

    Don't let food become your master or rule your emotions. If you overeat today, so what. Get back to losing tomorrow.

    Don't punish yourself by refusing to eat the rest of the day, but don't say, "Day is ruined, I'll just chow Oreos!" either. Eat a couple more healthy meals, log it all and be done with it.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    chill. and then chill some more.
    as long as you don't go above maintenance levels, you won't gain, you'll just lose one day of losing. which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't a big deal.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    One meal won't undo all your hard work. Don't over think this, it's just one meal.
    If you eat at maintenance for one day , so what ?! Its not that big of a deal. Consider it your treat meal for the week and move forward.
  • wiggawaggle
    wiggawaggle Posts: 50 Member
    I think just eat at your maintainance calories today then your average for the week would still be a defecit overall?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Do you know what your maintenance is? You can figure this out by looking at what MFP estimates you will lose on 1200 (for example, 1.8) and multiplying it by 500 and adding it to the 1200.

    That means that so long as you eat less than that number the day will be neutral or a day that contributes to the weight loss, just less than if you ate at plan.

    I also think--as someone else said--that a huge breakfast on a weekend is a perfectly good replacement for lunch, if you feel full enough. So you aren't that far off a reasonable dinner already. Just do some exercise and log the calories as you normally do if you want more calories or decide you'll go over a bit today.

    The main thing is not overreacting and learning from it.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    So I caved this morning and gave in to a terrible breakfast. .. when I logged it it was like 970 calories! :-( how much should I workout to reverse the effects?

    Go run 10k.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Monklady123 wrote: »
    delsey2007 wrote: »
    Why would you only count half the calories that you burn? Even eating bad I'm still burning them. The thing is if I plan lunch and dinner around that I won't be eating. . The limit mfp has set is 1200.

    Because MFP overestimates the number of calories you burn from exercise. If you compare MFP's numbers with a good heart-rate type fitness tracker you'll discover how it overestimates. So it's best not to eat all of them, unless you can do it and still lose.

    I actually get MORE calories now I track with a HRM, so it's a bit of an overgeneralisation to say MFP overestimates all the time.

    HRM numbers are typically just as over-estimated as MFPs.
  • jms5137
    jms5137 Posts: 26 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    You cannot uneat food. You can't undo it.

    I have days where I eat more than my allowance. I have days where I eat less. I keep an eye on weekly and monthly numbers to make sure I never am way over (or, more likely, under) my goals. So, if I have an 1800 calorie day (which is way high and very rare), I just don't sweat it. I might push my workouts harder for a couple days, but even that is unlikely. Just back to business on losing.

    Don't let food become your master or rule your emotions. If you overeat today, so what. Get back to losing tomorrow.

    Don't punish yourself by refusing to eat the rest of the day, but don't say, "Day is ruined, I'll just chow Oreos!" either. Eat a couple more healthy meals, log it all and be done with it.

    Thank you for this great advice! Just wondering, is there a spot on MFP to view your weekly calories, or is that something you track on your own?

  • Mezzie1024
    Mezzie1024 Posts: 380 Member
    edited August 2015
    Don't reverse it; learn from it. Figure out your maintenance calories as others have suggested (make sure you're honest about your activity level, too -- don't choose sedentary if you aren't). Once you get that number, you'll know your calorie cap. Anything under that is moving you in the right direction and is nothing to stress out about.

    Right now my deficit is 250 calories. Sometimes I come in a little under, sometimes a little over. It generally balances out by the end of the week. Some days I indulge so much it ruins my deficit for an entire week, and that's okay occasionally. If I come in at maintenance one week because I enjoyed an awesome meal with people I care about, then that's one week I'm neither losing nor gaining. It's a wash.

    Regarding the calorie allowance from MFP -- I think that's a trial and error deal. I must be ridiculously average in my effort for certain activities because I eat 100% of my exercise calories and still lose at the predicted rate. If I didn't, I would adjust the calorie burn accordingly, allowing 2-4 weeks for each adjustment to see what happens (ex: If I wasn't losing after a month of eating 100% of my burn, but wasn't gaining either, I'd drop to eating 75% to see how that affects my loss).

    None of this means you can't work off some of your indulgence. I just don't think it's wise to work off *all* of it unless that would happen by increasing your planned activity by 5-10%. Burning an extra 50-100 calories today probably wouldn't hurt; burning an extra 500? That sounds like a ticket to injury to me.
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