After a cheat weekend, should I go low calorie for a week or just start over at my regular calories?

GeauxL
GeauxL Posts: 57 Member
edited November 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I had a rough weekend (Friday/Saturday) & consumed more calories in the form of sugar, fats, carbs, & alcohol than I normally do; what approach should I take to get back on track & try to minimize the “damage” on the scale? Should I cut my calorie intake this week (I normally go between 1200 & 1300) to around 1000-1200 or should I just go with my normal intake? Yesterday, Sunday, I only consumed about 900 calories, high protein & veggies, drank a lot of water, & did my normal Sunday cardio & kettlebells.
I’ve lost about 100lbs already & have about 15 to go. These last couple of months have been real slow but I have noticed physical changes more than scale changes, so that’s somewhat acceptable. I was just wondering what the best way to recoup & minimize the bad choices from a weekend.

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    You cant undo what is done * especially without futher compounding things choosing to eat even lower than your already low intake.

    Look at it like a brief diet break and go back on plan.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    I would just move on. Having lost 100 lbs already (and congratulations on that!), surely you've come to appreciate that one day/weekend does not make or break the weight loss process. Yes, your indulgence will cut into your progress for the week, but by cutting calories to "make up" for it, it could set you up for a cycle of binge/cut that would be detrimental in the long run. What you could do is plan a little in advance for a weekend like this and save a few calories during the week, but I wouldn't try to make adjustments after the fact.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Go back to eating normally.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Congrats on your loss so far!

    Surely someone with as much success as you've had has experienced some periods where you've gone a little overboard and indulged more than usual, what was your strategy in the past?

    Also, with only 15 lbs left to goal, have you changed your goal rate of loss to reflect something like 0.5 lb/week, which would undoubtedly give you more calories than the 1200-1300 you said you typically aim for?

    Slowing your rate of loss down as you near maintenance will help ease that transition and help avoid some of the bounce back that many people who lose weight rapidly by cutting cals very low for extended periods of time when they suddenly try to eat at maintenance cals.

  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    Maybe I'd not eat back my exercise calories the next day, but that's about it. I kinda had a cheat day yesterday (I met a friend out and we split a bottle of sparkling rose, followed by movie popcorn...so worth it!), so today I'm not punishing myself, but I am not going to eat back my exercise calories. More importantly, I'm just going to move on.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
    After a cheat day what I do is eat intuitively the first two days, meaning I won't stuff myself if I'm not hungry, but I certainly don't go low cal on purpose either. Just track what you eat to make sure you don't go OVER your plan. Some days I have gone right back to plan, and its worked just fine, so don't worry about it too much.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Congrats on your loss so far!

    Surely someone with as much success as you've had has experienced some periods where you've gone a little overboard and indulged more than usual, what was your strategy in the past?

    Also, with only 15 lbs left to goal, have you changed your goal rate of loss to reflect something like 0.5 lb/week, which would undoubtedly give you more calories than the 1200-1300 you said you typically aim for?

    Slowing your rate of loss down as you near maintenance will help ease that transition and help avoid some of the bounce back that many people who lose weight rapidly by cutting cals very low for extended periods of time when they suddenly try to eat at maintenance cals.

    @lebasgeauxtigers congrats on the 100 pound loss! The last 15 will indeed be very very slow.

    I second the recommendation to adjust your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5 lb/week. If you create too large a deficit for the weight you need to lose, that can definitely contribute to episodes of overeating.

  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited May 2018
    Nutrition > Diet
    Training > Exercise

    As others have said, just get back on track.

    One weekend will not make or break most people when it comes to long-term success and goals.
    Eating for a week or 2 at maintenance (or even ~100 calories above) every month or 2 might help some of your metabolic processes and hormones after 100 lb loss. After that you go right back to being more precise and selective with your nutrition.
    Adjust your calories and macros as appropriate; 15 lbs is not a lot to lose.

    The exceptions would include some sort of pre-contest prep where you are on a schedule - and in that sort of case you should have known better.

    So-called "metabolic syndrome" can be real for some people (to the tune of ~250 calories a day at most) but don't get in the habit of frequently of thinking you've "earned" some sort of "cheat meal", "cheat day" or "cheat weekend" and you should be fine. You've only "earned" it for reaching your goals, not for almost reaching them.
    Most "cheat" meals should be scheduled and really not be cheating at all; they should still fit in your nutritional goals, just closer to maintenance calories. Problem solved.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Just go back on plan. Don't punish yourself. You could start a vicious binge/restrict cycle.

    Yup.
  • CowboySar
    CowboySar Posts: 404 Member
    As others have said just go back to plan.
This discussion has been closed.

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