When You Go Over Your Daily Calorie Allowance Significantly - How Do You Deal With It?

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sastacular
sastacular Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Yesterday I consumed about 700 calories more than I should have. Today I feel really guilty because I've been working so hard all week. I want to correct this and not hate myself so much for doing this. I will try to do some extra exercise over the weekend to mitigate but I still feel terrible about it. How do you weight loss pros deal with this?
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Replies

  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
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    I ate about that much over last week. I was back to pre-meal weight after a day and a half. Don't stress the occasional botched day. Just keep them to a minimum.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I chalk it up to being human and move on :) I might do some extra exercise, but not punitive amounts.

    Might you be premenstrual? My appetite spikes up at this time and I eat at maintenance for a few days.

    Other times when I've eaten more than I intended it was because I had a meal at a restaurant and didn't pre-log it. On days that I know I am going out to eat I try to exercise more and eat less earlier in the day, and approximate the calories of the meal ahead of time.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    If you look at the weekly average...700 calories over in one day is about 100 calories over per day-big deal. (not). Keep on trucking, do a little extra exercise if it makes you feel better.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Go forth and sin no more. ;)
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I was over by almost 1,000 calories yesterday. I tried to sneak in some extra walking, but it wasnr much.

    I just deal with it and move on.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Guilt is destructive so I've learned to treat such events as water under the bridge. Chances are your body didn't manage to absorb ALL the surplus calories anyhow.

    The only productive action is to have a deep think about what motivated the overage, your feelings at the time, the circumstances and environment, so you can plan a different approach next time. Disrupt old habit patterns.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    Best to just move on. At the end of a full week you'll see its impact is less on your weekly deficit than you might have imagined. The WORST thing you can do is stop trying because things are no longer 'perfect.' Days like this will always happen. Look at the positives: you're not lying to yourself. It's just one day. You don't need to punish yourself. Off you go!
  • kettiecat
    kettiecat Posts: 159 Member
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    I would do an extra cardio workout and subtract 200 calories from my next two days allowances. It wouldn't cover the complete overage but minimize it over the long term.
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
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    Don't beat yourself up about it hon, we're all human! Make sure you're factoring in enough calories in the first place, eat a nutritional and balanced diet and allow yourself your favourite foods in moderation. Oh, and give yourself a break ;)
  • sastacular
    sastacular Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you all for the responses. You are truly inspirational. I am just going to go on with my day and keep my head up. I will try to sneak in some extra exercise over the weekend.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    So basically you ate to maintenance...move on.
  • FabianMommy
    FabianMommy Posts: 78 Member
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    It's not what you do occasionally that makes the difference but what you do consistently. It happened to me too yesterday, move on and carry on!
  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 346 Member
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    Track it, draw a line under it, look at what you might have been able to do to reduce the overage, but get on with life & don't stress over it. Oh yeah, & smile. :smile:
  • Mezzie1024
    Mezzie1024 Posts: 380 Member
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    It's not even worth thinking about, really. Know your maintenance buffer range and all is good. An occasional break from a deficit isn't going to make a big dent in your progress (and may actually help if it gives you the freedom you need to stay on track for the long haul).
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I log it and move on. I may try to eat a little less the week following (like 50-100 calories a day). But otherwise I move on from it. It's a drop in the bucket and not worth worrying about.
  • Virkati
    Virkati Posts: 679 Member
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    I did that yesterday too. Going over on some days and being under on some days is part of the process. It is not possible to hit it perfectly every single day. To be successful at this whole thing, you will have to make some mental changes along the way. One of the biggest hurdles is the guilt. Once you are able to allow yourself mistakes, can grant yourself forgiveness, moving forward will get easier. Here's one way to look at it...if your best friend came to you and was very upset because she had a bad day with her eating plan, what would you say to her? Would you berate her for "failing", inform her that she's wasting her time because she'll never be able to do it? OR would you give her a hug, speak gently and with compassion, tell her it's ok because it's just one day out of so many and that ONE DAY does not determine her entire future? Whatever you would do for your best friend is what you should do for yourself.

    I decided that however I would treat someone else who didn't hit the mark for the day is how I needed to be with myself. I wouldn't beat up another person for making mistakes or poor decisions, so why was it ok to do it to myself? I realized I needed to be my own best friend. The ONLY things I let myself listen to from others is when they congratulate me, tell me I'm an inspiration, tell me I'm looking so wonderful. If it isn't positive, I don't let myself hear it. And now the person who is my best cheerleader, my best support system, my best ally, my best friend, is ME.

    All that to say, it was one day. Letting it go could be one of the best gifts you give to yourself. And one more thing I try very hard to live by is this...emotions are for feeling, food is for eating. They are not the same. They cannot be substituted for each other. Once I put that mantra on a loop in my head, some decisions got easier. And I got a LOT better about standing up for myself. That may not relate to you, but it was a HUGE deal for me. Good luck!!
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    Log out and move on, it's just one day in a life long journey.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    Don't give the numbers so much power. Log your calories, if they are over, even hugely, shake your head, learn from it, and move on. Start again tomorrow, WITH A SMILE! There are a lot of days left in our lives, the roller coaster will go up and down, we just need to learn how to ride the ride without falling off. You can do it, just like any of the "weight loss pros". xo
  • IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt
    IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt Posts: 695 Member
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    I find it helpful to look at my weekly average, instead of my day by day goal. If I'm having a low hunger, really busy day, I might end up with a -1000 calorie deficit, which allows me to eat at maintenance on another day. Together they average to two -500 days (the goal for 1 lb. a week). Have a little fun with this process!
  • Dulcemami4ever
    Dulcemami4ever Posts: 344 Member
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    I have a cheat meal each week and it does not effect my weight loss at all. In fact, it seems to boost my metabolism for some reason. But I still exercise on my cheat meal day, so perhaps that makes a difference. Don't beat yourself up about it. Have something each week that you really like.

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