Fasting good idea?

Yeah, going down the road of punishing yourself for one day being a bit over (and in the grand scheme of things 500 isn't a lot) is a slippery slope. You logged it. Move on.

What amusedmonk says.

I know that tomorrow I'm having a very indulgent lunch, that will potentially on its own set me over my calorie limit. I won't skip breakfast, so I am already planning no dinner or have a very light soup if I really am hungry. (I doubt it) I will also have a very light Sunday. This, I feel, is ok, because it is planned and thought-through in advance.

Fasting after an unexpected binge, however, is a different story. You are fasting out of guilt and to punish yourself. Because it is not planned, it is much harder to go through with it (fasting is a very taxing process mentally). As a result, there is a high risk of you slipping up, getting more frustrated at yourself, and going over again, leading to a vicious circle.

So no. Don't do it.

Try this instead: open up your week and look at your intake. You'll see a big blue bar going over the limit. Scary, right? Ok. Now take that surplus, and distribute it evenly across your days. How many extra calories is that per day? Assuming you started counting on Monday, that is 100 calories per day. That is really not a lot, is it? Besides, you still have Saturday and Sunday. So in fact, you barely have a surplus of 71 calories a day, assuming you bounce back and stay within your limits.

Hope that helps.

Edit: A quick disclaimer - while the first strategy works for me, it definitely does not work for everyone. If you feel like implementing such a strategy could lead to a binge-fast cycle, don't do it.

Yeah, if you're set at 1 pound a week, all you did was eat at maintenance for a day. If you have your goal set at 2 pounds a week? Then you just switched to the "pound a week plan" for ONE DAY.

So many people seem to not understand the calorie goals. If you select a calorie goal for weight loss and you go over it, you don't go straight to GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT MODE!

First, you start to have a smaller deficit. You're in "Lose less than I planned" territory.
Then you might have no deficit. That's "Maintenance."
Only when you go OVER that point MIGHT you gain weight, and that's only if you keep doing it.

I agree that you need to look at your week as a whole. Not just one day. One day wont derail you. I don't fast at all, I have a play date with a friend. She is bringing her three kids over and all 6 kids are going to make homemade mini pizzas and eat chips and play. And YES I plan to have pizza too and a glass of wine. This plan for Saturday, for me, meant that I ate less exercise calories the past 2 days (not extreme but 150 less each day). This gives me 300cals "banked" for Saturday. I can eat maintenance and those (if needed, I may not need them at all) without feeling like I have "gone off the rails".

Sometimes these things happen and we can't plan like that. In these cases? Just track it, so you can have that record, and move on. Don't dwell on one day! I know so many people who throw in the towel based on that one bad day or meal, cause they think they failed.

melto1989 wrote: »

Today I went over my limit by 500 calories and I feel like a pig. It was only 1 meal that was giant but it was a family thing so I thought I'd relax a bit. I just tried jogging and it was a stop start for 10 minutes, then was so exhausted so forced myself 30 minutes back to my house.
But still have plenty calories still too much.
Can I fix all this by fasting all day tomorrow?

melto1989 wrote: »

Today I went over my limit by 500 calories and I feel like a pig. It was only 1 meal that was giant but it was a family thing so I thought I'd relax a bit. I just tried jogging and it was a stop start for 10 minutes, then was so exhausted so forced myself 30 minutes back to my house.
But still have plenty calories still too much.
Can I fix all this by fasting all day tomorrow?

I wouldn't. Punishing yourself just leads to more guilt/binge cycles.

Log it, count it as a learning experience. Move on.

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Fasting as a strategy in a well rounded plan, not attached to a cycle of guilt and punishment is a good idea for some. Fasting as punishment is the worst idea for a diet and builds unhealthy behaviors. Don't feel guilty for eating with family, it's meant to be enjoyed not loathed. If it caused you to deviate from your plan then just move on and get back to your plan the next day as if nothing happened.

I agree with this. I fast one day a week as part of my weight loss plan. But feeling guilty should not be part of the equation. Especially over only 500 calories. That shouldn't even stop you from losing fat this week.

mstein5195 wrote: »

I tried fasting once a week and it was not for me .. I would always eat more than my calories the next day and feel nauseous .. now I just eat higher protein and stay in my calories.. I still eat sweets and junk lol

I find that the day after my fast day is usually my lightest day of the week. I seem to get full so easy after 36 hrs of not eating.

I have had some stressful news today. I am holding on to the edge of things with my fingernails, and know that I will be over calories today because I do NOT have the emotional energy to give to it. But guess what? It's one day of many. I accept - I log - I move on.

I had a crazy food day yesterday for my son's birthday dinner where I netted out for the day at maintenance. Today is another day and I'm keeping to my goal calories.