I went over my calorie limit?!?! Help?!?

Shiningstars1415
Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
Hi, so I binge quite a lot! I try not to but it feels like I'm out of control! I've tries really hard today but have eaten 1356 calories rather than my calorie limit of 1200. I've gone 156 calories over and I'm feeling like 'oh well i've already failed, I may as well give up and eat everything in sight!'. Is it really that bad? And what can I do to 'fix it'. Should I go on the stationary bike for an hour? Thanks

EDIT: Just to point out (as I didn't word it particularly well!) that I definitely do not think I binged today. I count a binge as the days when I go thousands over my calorie limit/goal. I think I just panicked today because I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and if it's not under 1200 calories then I have failed! I am considering upping my cals to 1300. Thanks for the answers!
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Replies

  • dmwh142
    dmwh142 Posts: 72 Member
    Yes you should ride the bike for an hour and while your doing it try to figure what caused you to binge. I have this problem also and I feel like I really need to get to the root of the problem or I'll never fix it. It if very frustrating.
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    Look at this like a week rather than a day. giving up makes absolutely no sense.

    there's so much to ask here and so little info. How are you counting your calories? How much you trying to lose? How long have you been at this? Do you have a food scale? Did you do any exercise at all and how did you account for that? What is your TDEE?

    I suggest you listen to your instincts and if they are telling you to get on the bike, get on it!

    one day and certainly 156 calories is in no way at all a failure. Chill/relax. commit to the long haul. there will be many many days like today. the people who succeed never stop until they reach their goal and even then, they just eat a little more than when they were losing and keep going.
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    edited April 2017
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    dmwh142 wrote: »
    Yes you should ride the bike for an hour and while your doing it try to figure what caused you to binge. I have this problem also and I feel like I really need to get to the root of the problem or I'll never fix it. It if very frustrating.

    The OP should not do this, all this does is reinforce the yo yo of chasing calories and that they are being bad.

    The OP needs to find her correct calorie level and play about with her macros until she finds her satiety.

    Well she shouldn't not ride the bike. :) do what you say but go ahead and ride the bike. if you feel you want to drop a few calories from something you ate, more power to you.

    But OP would appear to have a lot to learn.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    1. Weight loss is a long term proposition, going over your calories one day is not something to freak out about.
    2. It sucks that "binge" is a trendy word right now. Eating an extra 150 calories is not a binge - it's not even a respectable snack.
    3. Everybody goes over every once and a while. With such a small overage, you will still be at a deficit for the week if you get back on track tomorrow.
    4. It's fine to do a little extra exercise to get more calories, but considering how emotional you are over 150 cals, I am concerned that you will fall into a habit of punishing yourself with exercise, and that isn't healthy either.
    5. You are probably struggling to stick to your goal because it's unnecessarily low. Very few people have to eat that low to lose weight. If you set your goal to 2 lbs per week, change it to 1 lb and eat more. And if you are using MFPs calorie goal, they expect you to log your exercise and eat back some of those calories.

    Short answer - it's no big deal. :drinker:
  • grant7767
    grant7767 Posts: 2 Member
    While it is important to use the guidelines provided, what you eat, when you eat it and why you eat it are things to consider/
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    edited April 2017
    You are worried about nothing. You are still at a calorie deficit, or UNDER your what your body needs to maintain. You are losing sight of the true picture. A deficit is for fat loss. Eating normal maintenance is actually what your body needs. All you need is a slight deficit over time, or more days per week at a deficit compared to at your normal level (maintenance). You can even eat at maintenance 2-3 days a week and still lose fat over time. In fact at least one day a week at maintenance (TDEE) is best for keeping your hormones stable.

    You've got it backwards. You are treating your calorie level for today like it's normal, but it's not, it's still corrective action. Like medicine. Some days it's okay to not take so much medicine. You will still lose weight because you are UNDER what your body needs.

    It's important to understand what your body needs VS the calorie deficit for fat loss. Do some research on that subject.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It's only 156 calories. It's a minor blip. Learn why you did it (stress? overrestriction of food/calories?) and move on.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's a measly 156 calories...you're still in a substantial deficit...it's certainly not worth the drama.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited April 2017
    Going over by 150 is nowhere near a binge. A proper binge I was expecting 3K+
    You're still in a deficit, relax you didn't do any harm.
  • Shiningstars1415
    Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
    redvelvetcupcake123 wrote: »
    Going 156 calories over your calorie limit (which is really low anyway) is not a "binge" and will not cause you to gain or slow down your process.
    Going thousands of calories over your calorie limit is a binge.
    Why are you freaking out over something that is not a big deal? At first I thought you were trolling.
    Maybe you should keep track of weekly calories and not daily calories, that might help.

    Thanks! I'm thinking of doing weekly calories, I think it might help me! I think I might be freaking out because I'm a little bit of a perfectionist! I tend to binge often because when I go a little over I give up and think I've already failed so why not just eat 1000 more calories? After reading some of the replies though, I don't think I will properly binge, I'm trying my best not to!
  • sarraheclark
    sarraheclark Posts: 125 Member
    Don't freak out over 150 calories. Learn from it and move on. After a few weeks, re-evaluate to determine if 1200 cal a day is something you can keep up with. I did it for about 6 weeks and then upped it to 1350 to give myself a little more wiggle room and to stress less.
  • Shiningstars1415
    Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    How tall are you and how much do you weigh? How much are you trying to lose?

    It's likely that you are STILL in a deficit and will lose weight after eating 1356 calories in a day. In fact I would not call that a binge. I suspect you have your MFP goals too aggressive. The majority of people have a TDEE (maintenance calories) much above 1356, usually closer to 1800-2200 for average height/weight women (it goes up if you're taller, weigh more, are more muscular, or are generally very active in your daily life and job) and even higher for men.

    You can ride a bike if you want... but I suggest only doing it if you want to. Don't do it to punish yourself for going over your low calorie goal.

    It's okay to relax and enjoy the process. Don't beat yourself up just because MFP makes the numbers turn red.

    If it makes you feel better, I eat close to 2200 or 2300 calories a day to maintain my weight. 5'6" and typical maintenance weight of 140ish lbs @ 29 years old. I could eat 1700 or 1800 calories a day and lose weight (though possibly slower than you're trying to). So trust me. 1356 should not make you gain weight! Unless maybe you're only 4' 6" tall (yes four feet).

    Thanks, I'm 5'5 ". My weight fluctuates quite drastically and I can be anywhere between 190-210, I can change this much over a week or 2. I think this is because I binge so much. I'm currently 208 lbs and from the weight I am now I'm looking to lose about 80 pounds.
  • HazyEyes93
    HazyEyes93 Posts: 89 Member
    Hm, I'm seeing some red flags in this post. 156 cals isn't even enough to push into maintenance. Also, it's worth noting that a binge is when you literally cannot control yourself and eat enough food to make yourself ill. A binge isn't eating a little more than you had planned. I suggest you speak with a therapist. I think there's more going on here than you're letting on in this post, tbh
  • Shiningstars1415
    Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
    Tomk652015 wrote: »
    Look at this like a week rather than a day. giving up makes absolutely no sense.

    there's so much to ask here and so little info. How are you counting your calories? How much you trying to lose? How long have you been at this? Do you have a food scale? Did you do any exercise at all and how did you account for that? What is your TDEE?

    I suggest you listen to your instincts and if they are telling you to get on the bike, get on it!

    one day and certainly 156 calories is in no way at all a failure. Chill/relax. commit to the long haul. there will be many many days like today. the people who succeed never stop until they reach their goal and even then, they just eat a little more than when they were losing and keep going.

    Thanks for the reply! I'm counting my calories using MFP if that's what you mean? I'm looking to lose about 80 pounds, but I'd be at the higher end of a healthy weight after losing 60! I've been at this for over 2 years but I have only gained weight. I do have a food scale and I count my calories very accurately and will not eat anything I have not weighed/is pre-calorie counted! If anything I tend to overestimate my calories so I'm defnintley not eating more than I think! I do as much exercise as I can (running, long walks in the woods, stationary bike, sometimes gym, weights etc...) But I don't log it or change my calories for it. Just calculated and my TDEE seems to be a little over 2000!
  • Shiningstars1415
    Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
    fascha wrote: »
    Going over by 150 is nowhere near a binge. A proper binge I was expecting 3K+
    You're still in a deficit, relax you didn't do any harm.

    Thanks! I don't think I binged today but I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and I do quite often binge over 3k! I'm very black and white with calories and either I'm under 1200 calories or I'm over. No matter how many by. Typically the trigger for a binge is when I go a little over and think all is lost and end up going waayy over. I just didn't want that to happen today!
  • Shiningstars1415
    Shiningstars1415 Posts: 9 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    1. Weight loss is a long term proposition, going over your calories one day is not something to freak out about.
    2. It sucks that "binge" is a trendy word right now. Eating an extra 150 calories is not a binge - it's not even a respectable snack.
    3. Everybody goes over every once and a while. With such a small overage, you will still be at a deficit for the week if you get back on track tomorrow.
    4. It's fine to do a little extra exercise to get more calories, but considering how emotional you are over 150 cals, I am concerned that you will fall into a habit of punishing yourself with exercise, and that isn't healthy either.
    5. You are probably struggling to stick to your goal because it's unnecessarily low. Very few people have to eat that low to lose weight. If you set your goal to 2 lbs per week, change it to 1 lb and eat more. And if you are using MFPs calorie goal, they expect you to log your exercise and eat back some of those calories.

    Short answer - it's no big deal. :drinker:

    Thanks for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it and your answer was really helpful! I don't think I binged today but I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and I do quite often binge over 3k! I'm very black and white with calories and either I'm under 1200 calories or I'm over. No matter how many by. Typically the trigger for a binge is when I go a little over and think all is lost and end up going waayy over. I just didn't want that to happen today!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    carabussey wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    1. Weight loss is a long term proposition, going over your calories one day is not something to freak out about.
    2. It sucks that "binge" is a trendy word right now. Eating an extra 150 calories is not a binge - it's not even a respectable snack.
    3. Everybody goes over every once and a while. With such a small overage, you will still be at a deficit for the week if you get back on track tomorrow.
    4. It's fine to do a little extra exercise to get more calories, but considering how emotional you are over 150 cals, I am concerned that you will fall into a habit of punishing yourself with exercise, and that isn't healthy either.
    5. You are probably struggling to stick to your goal because it's unnecessarily low. Very few people have to eat that low to lose weight. If you set your goal to 2 lbs per week, change it to 1 lb and eat more. And if you are using MFPs calorie goal, they expect you to log your exercise and eat back some of those calories.

    Short answer - it's no big deal. :drinker:

    Thanks for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it and your answer was really helpful! I don't think I binged today but I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and I do quite often binge over 3k! I'm very black and white with calories and either I'm under 1200 calories or I'm over. No matter how many by. Typically the trigger for a binge is when I go a little over and think all is lost and end up going waayy over. I just didn't want that to happen today!

    Perfectionism will give you a really hard time when dealing with your weight :). Do whatever you can to set it aside! You CAN'T be perfect. If you have 80 lbs to lose, you've got to figure at least a year to make that happen. Neither you nor I is going to be perfect for 365 straight days at anything. So cut yourself some slack. And look at bad days as learning opportunities - where did I go wrong? Is there something I can do so that doesn't happen again? And sometimes you just say - I went 300 calories over my goal because mom made an awesomely delicious meal and it was worth it. Best of luck!
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    carabussey wrote: »
    fascha wrote: »
    Going over by 150 is nowhere near a binge. A proper binge I was expecting 3K+
    You're still in a deficit, relax you didn't do any harm.

    Thanks! I don't think I binged today but I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and I do quite often binge over 3k! I'm very black and white with calories and either I'm under 1200 calories or I'm over. No matter how many by. Typically the trigger for a binge is when I go a little over and think all is lost and end up going waayy over. I just didn't want that to happen today!

    Do you log your calories when you do an actual binge and go way over your target? I'm betting you don't bother, and you are missing an important opportunity to build proper self awareness.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I find that logging overage really helps eliminate a "kitten it" attitude since I can clearly see that even though I may be over by a Big Mac combo that's only 950 calories, a 1 day lean bulk's worth by anyone's standards. It helps me to stop there and realize i didn't do that much damage. Food for thought
  • 1DancewithLove2Heart
    1DancewithLove2Heart Posts: 54 Member
    It's ok, I end up doing it sometimes. it's say after u complete your diary, IF everyday was like today you would be....
    As long as u don't do it everyday
    Or really often your fine.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    grant7767 wrote: »
    While it is important to use the guidelines provided, what you eat, when you eat it and why you eat it are things to consider/

    1. Weight loss is all about calorie deficit
    2. Food timing has no impact on weight loss
    3. This one I do agree with.
  • ConquerAndBloom
    ConquerAndBloom Posts: 94 Member
    I agree with those who have previously stated that 1200 is quite low for the average person, especially for your weight/height.

    If I have a day that I'm over, I try not to fret. I'm usually right where I should be, so a few calories here or there isn't going to destroy me, especially if I'm still within maintenance.

    I, too, have had a very black and white attitude in the past and it's been my downfall. This time around I'm ditching the "all or nothing" approach and it's helped tremendously. The scale continues in a downward motion and I'm not driving myself crazy.

    Keep up the good work but definitely sit and take the advice here of evaluating your calories, your BMR, and your TDEE. :) Good luck!
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 402 Member
    1350 calories is not a binge.
    I'm also 5'5 and my starting weight was185; a year and a half later I'm maintaining at 139, and I don't think there was a single day I ate as low as 1350, let alone the dreaded 1200.
    I ate 1600-1800 calories consistently, increased my activity to over 10000 steps a day to keep my calories out around 2000, and it worked.
    Why did I set to lose slowly? Exactly because I knew that if I set out to eat 1200, I'd probably lose the will to live and end up eating even more than 1800.

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    For successful weight loss, perfectionism is the first thing you need to work on. Besides, if your phone hits something and there is a barely noticeable scratch on the cover, do you say "it's already ruined" and take a hammer to it?
  • coryfisher180
    coryfisher180 Posts: 7 Member
    I tend to binge easily myself so I can relate. One thing that helps me keep from breaking my motivation when I go over the goal is know that there is 3500 calories in one pound of body fat. That means a deficit of 500 calories a day will be roughly a pound a week lost. At 1300 calories daily you have a pretty large deficit especially if you are a guy. 200 calories over on a 1 day goal will still keep you in a calorie deficit. It takes a lot more to break even for the day. Knowing that keeps me focused even if I do go slightly over. Just don't be fine with going over reportedly because it adds up and slows your overall goal.

    If you are like me, learning these scientific facts about how the body works with weight loss may help you tremendously. Bodybuilding. Com is a great place to learn. Nobody knows how to control the body as well as bodybuilders. I lost almost 80 lbs in 6 months a few years back thanks to this knowledge, but I tend to binge cause I love food and slowly got it back over the years so here I am again haha. Best of luck
    This is a marathon and not a sprint
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