Anyone else feel bad after going over your daily caloric limit?

Options
zumbagirl2526
zumbagirl2526 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If so how do you feel better about it?

How do you counteract the guilt?
«1

Replies

  • Samuraiko
    Samuraiko Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    Just for myself, it depends by how much I've gone over. If I go over by about 100 calories (out of my daily allotment of 1560), I just sort of go, "Well, drat," and carry on. I don't punish myself, and I generally try not to brood. I will still lose weight, it just won't be AS fast. But it will still HAPPEN.

    If I MASSIVELY go over (I think the most I've done is by like 400-500 calories), then I will do my best to shave a bit off the next few days. I don't totally fast because then I get hungry and grumpy and generally a PITA, but 100 here, 100 there, and within a few days I feel like I have balanced the scales (haha). And if I'm a week slower losing weight because of it, well, then I acknowledge it and move on. I just don't let it stop me.

    But really, the best thing you can do is to just keep going as normal the following day, and the day after that, and the day after that. No one's perfect.

    ONWARD!
  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    I've gone over by over 1,000 calories before. I ended up doing 3x more exercise the next day to burn it off (mathematically speaking). It worked.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Options
    I haven't gone over 25 yet. But if/when I do I will just reduce calories the next day by the amount I went over in order to continue the same weekly deficit.

    Plus I don't log exercise calories yet (I'm only walking) so that makes up for the overage. This is going to be a lifelong thing for me so I have a plan on dealing with it when it happens and make sure I get back on schedule.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    Options
    I just promise myself that I'll do some extra cardio over the next few days and not stress about it. I had a 'hungry' day yesterday and went over by 600 calories. It looks really bad, but if I divide that up by extra 30 minute power-walks, that's just 4 extra walks to make up for it, or an extra 20 minutes of hula-hooping for 4 days.
    If I wept about it, I'd make myself crazy.
  • jmidd97
    jmidd97 Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    When I go over, I feel like I just killed my cat, the guilt is horrible. For a good two days it's really all I can think about. Something I need to work on...:/
  • taraccarter729
    taraccarter729 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    I don't feel guilty but I do get mad at myself. That said, what I love about this lifestyle is that we can start over every single morning. Your slate is wiped clean each day. Give yourself a break, you're only human.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Options
    I used to, but then I kept reminding myself of the math. I try to eat at maintenance and lately I've been under my goal by 300 to 500 calories daily. Yesterday my appetite kicked in and I ate 310 calories over my goal. By the time the day was done, I burned off more by moving around so I was 150 over my goal. Either way, 310 calories over goal is a ~.08 pound gain and 150 calories over is a ~.04 pound gain. Neither one of them is even a tenth of a pound and I had a huge deficit for the week anyway.

    If your daily goal is a deficit, at the end of the day if you go over you're most likely still at a deficit for the day, just a smaller one. I've noticed, even with myself, that people tend to feel guilt going even 20 calories over their goal, but don't mind being hundreds of calories under their goal. Technically the point is to come as close to your goal as possible. I guess it's that pesky green/red font. :D
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    synacious wrote: »
    I used to, but then I kept reminding myself of the math. I try to eat at maintenance and lately I've been under my goal by 300 to 500 calories daily. Yesterday my appetite kicked in and I ate 310 calories over my goal. By the time the day was done, I burned off more by moving around so I was 150 over my goal. Either way, 310 calories over goal is a ~.08 pound gain and 150 calories over is a ~.04 pound gain. Neither one of them is even a tenth of a pound and I had a huge deficit for the week anyway.

    If your daily goal is a deficit, at the end of the day if you go over you're most likely still at a deficit for the day, just a smaller one. I've noticed, even with myself, that people tend to feel guilt going even 20 calories over their goal, but don't mind being hundreds of calories under their goal. Technically the point is to come as close to your goal as possible. I guess it's that pesky green/red font. :D

    This. It's all about perspective. If you have a goal of losing 1 lb/week, then MFP has built in a 500 cal deficit per day into your target, or a weekly deficit of 3500 cals. Even if you exceed your allowance by 200-300 cals on one day, you are still in a deficit. Additionally, I often bank calories during the week for more indulgent weekend events, so if I shave 100-200 cals M-F then I have an extra 500-1000 cals for Saturday/Sunday. I was able to lose my weight pretty easily with this approach and am now maintaining.
  • WynterDreaming
    WynterDreaming Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Yes, I do feel guilty. Because I'm cheating on my diet and cheating myself of desperately wanted progress. But I'd rather feel guilty about looking at calories and then work to correct what I did than feel guilty looking at a scale as my weight climbs back up.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    I feel bad, but I wouldn't say I feel guilty. I get over it by getting back on track. No need to continue feeling bad unless I continue with the bad behavior.
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
    Options
    It's important to remember that you have a calorie deficit built in; in my case, even going over by 400 still puts me in a deficit of about 100. I let myself eat at maintenance one or two days a week, depending on how I feel. Going over by 500+ would require (for me) some real deliberate effort, terrible planning, or both -- such as eating out all 3 meals and drinking full calorie pop all day. Obvs I don't do that type of stuff anymore.

    Also remember: it's a marathon, not a sprint. One day is not even a drop in the bucket.
  • niblue
    niblue Posts: 339 Member
    Options
    Your daily calorie allowance is just a tool to assist with achieving your targets. So as long as your overall trend is inline with what you're targeting I can't see any reason for guilt or concern about the occasional day when you've gone over.
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    Yes I feel terribly guilty when I do. I'm pretty OCD and a former anorexic so it's difficult for me mentally. I just make sure the next day I'll be at a deficit for sure so I can keep going towards my goal.
  • katiebean
    katiebean Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    No, not really. I tend to look at calories weekly. So on Saturday, I went over by nearly 1,100 calories but weekly it didn't really matter as I had eaten less throughout the week. This weekend will be the same as it's my birthday.

    The way I look at it is, it took me a lot of going over to put on the weight I did, one day of going over every so often won't make a big difference. And I'm setting this up for life. There's no way I can guarantee every day for the rest of my life I won't go over my maintenance calories, so for me there's no point in getting worked up about it.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    Options
    Not really. Because I know I was eating huge amounts . . . like 2,000+ calories a day before I started tracking. MFP says I should eat 1200 calories. That's a huge change so if I go over I still see it as an improvement over where I was and my overall choices are better. I'm not going to beat myself up when I ate too much fruit or even for a 2nd helping of protein. However, I do feel bad when I'm over but they were empty calories like booze &/or snacks (Chips, cookies, etc) I just try to do better the next day.
  • _piaffe
    _piaffe Posts: 163 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    Not if I've been generally consistent with my plan.

    I am definitely mad at myself for eating as much as I did on vacation, however. I'd planned on eating maintenance, and, well, yeah, no. Total fail.

    I am counteracting by holding off on the scale until I've got a week of deficit under my belt.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    Options
    I always save some calories in case I go over at the end of the day. I don't usually eat my exercise calories back either so I know if I go over by 100-200 calories I'm still in a good deficit and don't let it bother me. That's life really, there are going to be days when your hungrier than others and want more to eat, so I prepare for that as I would when maintaining.
  • thatdesertgirl777
    thatdesertgirl777 Posts: 269 Member
    Options
    Meh. Been there done that. Guilt and feeling "bad" are the things that encourage disordered eating. And trying to exercise "x" amount of calories to "make up for it" is called Bulimia. You don't have to throw up to have it. Just move on and do well the next day. Guilt can cause a cycle of overeating.

Categories