Why is this so hard?

nurseginger603 · November 2015

I'm bummed day 2 got something at a restaurant that I thought would have 700 calories tops...1380!
I'm tired of being overweight. I committed to end the BS and loose weight and get back in shape. I know one day isn't the end all but sabotaged on day 2?

JJLive · November 2015

You are not sabotaged. Just log the calories and keep going. It helps to plan what you are going to order before you go to the restaurant and logging the calories in advance.

plantedinpots · November 2015

a helpful tip, if you plan where you're going to eat in advance, take a look at their online menu and nutritional information (if provided) and pick what you're going to eat before you go.

nutmegoreo · November 2015

I agree, log it, move on, and preplan. Look up the nutritional information before you go, and don't even look at the menu when you get there. It's much easier to still to your plan. If you make a choice that doesn't fit, don't beat yourself up about it.

nurseginger603 · November 2015

Yeah. I'm going to download an app that has restaurant calories lists.
Thanks for the fast responses!

nurseginger603 · November 2015

nutmegoreo · November 2015

Preplanning can be a great help! Best wishes.

nurseginger603 · November 2015

Thank you!

physioprof · November 2015

Depending on the size of your deficit, you can always reduce the rest of the week's calories just a bit to make up the difference. This is a bit like calorie cycling which has actually been shown to be very effective in weight reduction. It's a good idea to plan ahead and look at the menu, and reduce the number of days you eat at restaurants in general.

nurseginger603 · November 2015

Great advice. Thanks.

Derf_Smeggle · November 2015

So I just happened to be reviewing my net calorie intake from Sat 10/31 to Friday 11/06 because I was a little fast and loose on 3 days in that time frame. Then I happened on your post and thought I'd throw out some numbers. I hope this helps with the perspective.

Note - I weighed, in grams, 97% of my meals in the past month.

Those 3 days I was significantly over my target calories by ~918, ~363, and ~775 respectively. The other 4 days I was riding close to the goal. MFP has me over the weekly total value goal by 1,858.

Time to panic, right? Sounds really bad. 1,858 calories over for the week!!!

Here is the thing though. Set at 1.5 pounds of weight loss per week, MFP calculates a 750 cal/day deficit. That is a total deficit of 5,250 calories for the week.

So even going over that target goal 3 times still left a 3,392 calorie deficit for the week. In that time frame the body weight dropped 1.4 pounds.

Don't worry about going over a couple of days. Weight loss takes a significant investment of time.

Be flexible. Be positive. Be accurate and honest in your log. If you don't see changes in a month, then you need to evaluate and adjust your methods. You will be successful in the long term.

VisofSer · November 2015

It is a good idea to remember your weekly average is more important than any single day. There are some great tips here too, especially from Derf and physio. Be flexible and consistent and each day is a step towards your goals. Even when they aren't perfect days.

robertw486 · November 2015

Derf_Smeggle wrote: »

So I just happened to be reviewing my net calorie intake from Sat 10/31 to Friday 11/06 because I was a little fast and loose on 3 days in that time frame. Then I happened on your post and thought I'd throw out some numbers. I hope this helps with the perspective.

Note - I weighed, in grams, 97% of my meals in the past month.

Those 3 days I was significantly over my target calories by ~918, ~363, and ~775 respectively. The other 4 days I was riding close to the goal. MFP has me over the weekly total value goal by 1,858.

Time to panic, right? Sounds really bad. 1,858 calories over for the week!!!

Here is the thing though. Set at 1.5 pounds of weight loss per week, MFP calculates a 750 cal/day deficit. That is a total deficit of 5,250 calories for the week.

So even going over that target goal 3 times still left a 3,392 calorie deficit for the week. In that time frame the body weight dropped 1.4 pounds.

Don't worry about going over a couple of days. Weight loss takes a significant investment of time.

Be flexible. Be positive. Be accurate and honest in your log. If you don't see changes in a month, then you need to evaluate and adjust your methods. You will be successful in the long term.

Excellent points made. Weight loss is about a long term lifestyle change, and a few "bad" days here and there will rarely hurt. It will slow progress some, but it's not too hard to correct. And if a person throws in more exercise, it gives even more flexibility.

For anyone that freaks out about a single day, I invite you to look at my diary for August 1st for this year. My trend continued down.

iecreamheadaches · November 2015

its day 2. You dont miraculously change your eating habits overnight darling. It was one mistake, dont beat yourself up over it or youll never finish this journey. You will have bad days I promise, but they do not define who you are or ruin your entire plan. You will learn to make better choices, I promise. It really does just take time. Take this experience and learn from it. Now you know you should never guestimate the amount of calories in something. Prelog your entire day if that's what it takes to hold yourself accountable for what you are eating daily. I don't personally prelog, but I do get a general idea of what I'm going to eat if we go out and stick to that idea in my head. Like I went to subway last night, I knew i had 800 calories and I knew that the Chicken Bacon Ranch the way I like it in 6" was about 600 calories (its actually 570 tbh) and that the cookies I knew I was going to want were 210 a piece. Now at 800 calories left for the day i should NOT have eaten that second cookie (but PMS is a *kitten* and I ate it anyway) as it pushed me 190 calories over for the day. Instead of beating myself up, I got up, put on my shoes and went for an evening stroll with my boyfriend (who is lovely and supportive). THIS mf'er though had my fat butt jogging some of the side streets (like less than a quarter mile) and hed only let me stop to catch my breath while still walking. I ended up burning off all those extra calories I ate and dont feel as bad about it.

So, sure you had a bad day. Suck it up, shake it off, learn from it and keep moving forward. Feeling real bad about it like i felt real bad about that cookie, go for a walk/jog. it might not burn off all those extra calories, but it will burn some of them and it will make you feel better.

Feel free to add me if you want, im always open to messages, extra motivation, helping anyone out. This is hard to do by yourself.

Unknown · November 2015

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msf74 · November 2015

nurseginger603 wrote: »

but sabotaged on day 2?

How can you learn if you are never challenged

It is not what you do the minority of the time that determines success but rather what you do the majority of the time. Use this as a learning opportunity to help you build solid habits for the future. Now you know what to look out for when dining out.

healthy_hermione · November 2015

It was only day 2 and you were at a restaurant. It's fine, don't beat yourself up over it.

just try and make healthier choices overall. Drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies, etc

lorrpb · November 2015

msf74 wrote: »

nurseginger603 wrote: »

but sabotaged on day 2?

How can you learn if you are never challenged

It is not what you do the minority of the time that determines success but rather what you do the majority of the time. Use this as a learning opportunity to help you build solid habits for the future. Now you know what to look out for when dining out.

^^ Exactly what I was going to say. It is learning, not sabotage.

Why is this so hard?

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