Over calories do you draw a line under it?

Mandy72CM
Mandy72CM Posts: 59 Member
in Getting Started
Three days in a row Iv been over my calorie entitlement. I can’t see how I would realistically recoup these calories back this week. I count 4000 calories over. Do you draw a line under it and move on or do you undereat the rest of the week and work out a bit more?

Replies

  • Lynatea
    Lynatea Posts: 311 Member
    We all have bad days. Brush it off...tomorrow's a new day. Learn from it and move on. The self punishment does more harm than good, at least for me.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    It you are consistently going over maybe look at rate of loss - is it too agressive; consider tweaking macros - maybe more fiber/protein
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    WHY did you overeat that much? You’ve been schooled. Keep going. Do better.
  • sashimimaniac
    sashimimaniac Posts: 71 Member
    agree with the rest of the replies. you will not be doing yourself a favour trying to catch up with those 4k calories. take the time to analyse your eating habits. did they happen when you were bored, stressed or watching netflix? once you get to know yourself, you can adjust your habits and live a healthier lifestyle :)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
    How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.
  • Mandy72CM
    Mandy72CM Posts: 59 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
    How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.
    I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Mandy72CM wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
    How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.
    I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.

    Weight loss math doesn't work this way. Weight loss math is based on calories in vs calories out. Calories out includes all the energy you need to sustain your body, digest your food, normal everyday movement, and exercise. If you eat less than your total energy out you are in a calorie deficit. The only way to know if those 4000 calories are really over your calorie goal is to include the exercise value and have MFP set to the right non-exercise activity level.

    When you went through the guided set-up what did you select for a weekly rate of loss?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Mandy72CM wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    What would be the alternative to writing it off? Punishing yourself? That's not worth it. Log it, move on, hope you enjoyed it.
    How big is your deficit, btw? Maybe it's too big for you? Might be worth to slow down.
    I’ve got 14lbs to lose and regardless of exercise I try to have 1500 calories a day. I’m not tall.

    If you're not eating back exercise calories, there's your problem.

    Start logging exercise. 1500 with only 14 pounds to lose sounds about right for a youngish sedentary person - but NOT if you're also exercising. Start eating 200-400 calories more on exercise days and your binging will likely be stopped.

    That's the way Myfitnesspal is set up to work.

    The other thing is - are you set to Sedentary? Do you truly just sit on the couch all day or do you have a house to run? Kids to take care? That's more like Lightly Active, which would bump up the calorie level.

    I was pretty hungry in that last 15 pounds. I had a lot of days where I was over by 1000 calories - and I knew how to use a food scale and I knew my exercise calories after having lost 65 pounds. I over ate a lot of days during that last 15 pounds. The margins are very slim at that point.

    Make sure your logging is as tight as possible. I used my food scale for every meal. I prepared 13 out of 14 meals per week myself, so I controlled the calories. I exercised five days a week consistently. It's a bit of a long-term commitment! And you know what? It doesn't stop in Maintenance. So make friends with The Process. It's going to be your new normal.

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