Did you freak out over many decisions about dieting at the beginning?
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sugarfreesquirrel
Posts: 268 Member
Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
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Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.0 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.
Why have high calorie/low calorie days if it causes you this much mental stress? I'm going to agree with Tom. Keep your calories roughly the same every day. Fit in foods you like ever day. "Cheat days" or "low calorie/restrict" days will often lead to disordered eating. It looks from your thinking like you're heading in that direction.4 -
tomcustombuilder wrote: »Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I mean, when people have an unexpected high calorie day, they just roll with it and pretend it didn't happen, continuing on as usual, not eating less the next day to make up for it.0 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.
Why have high calorie/low calorie days if it causes you this much mental stress?
I think I'm just stressed because I'm not used to eating to lose weight over a long period of time, I'm asking if it gets more relaxed over time when you know what to expect.0 -
This is very personal and I can only talk about me. When I know I can't have a snack on one day, but I can on the next I'd be very stressed out. I rather work snacks into my calorie allowance and enjoy them every day. Yeah, there might be days where I really want a pack of crisps. Then I eat it and not have dinner instead (unlikely to happen as crisps don't fill me up a lot) or I just accept that I'm over my calories and log it. Stressing over calories just makes me stressed and more likely to fail than accepting that they are part of a normal diet.2
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sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.
Why have high calorie/low calorie days if it causes you this much mental stress?
I think I'm just stressed because I'm not used to eating to lose weight over a long period of time, I'm asking if it gets more relaxed over time when you know what to expect.
Once I started losing weight (against all expectations) that's when I started to trust the process. From following up on my long-term weight trend and food intake, I learned that short term fluctuations were irrelevant for fat loss (but still interesting to see the effects of certains foods, exercise,... on water retention).
As for high calorie days: I don't worry about individual days anymore, if the overall week is still on target (target being loosely defined, during weight-loss, as being in a deficit, or maintenance at the worst). The worst that happens if you don't reach your intended calorie deficit for the week is that it takes longer to reach your goal. Time will pass regardless, I don't have the mental energy to worry about a deadline on top of weight-loss itself.
I never had a deadline for weight loss and I wasn't impatient (I always chose the slowest rate of loss) but my view in my calorie intake definitely evolved. I started out eating within my calorie goal every day, now I take a longer term approach.5 -
Well....I didn't stick to my calories very well at all - even in the thick of my weight loss it was a struggle.
It doesn't make the weight come off as fast, but it isn't a race.
You'll get there. It's a mental game. I think for me I wanted certain foods that I really can't eat in moderation. I have some sort of mental or physical glitch that causes me to eat the entire package in one sitting and I kept trying to negotiate with that fact. I'm better off just not buying those things.
Then I do what you said. Some days I'm just really hungry and will go over in an unplanned way. I don't try to "make up for it" because that's how the binge/restrict cycle gets started and that's a really dangerous mindset.
I just get back at it. So what if I've delayed my Goal by a day or two? I don't usually have those days back to back, since I have dealt with the hunger (or the wanting of a particular food) and the next day is a lot easier. So yeah, I just get back at it.
Easier is relative. Guilt is over-rated.
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If you're indulging tonight, it makes no sense to have a scheduled "cheat day" tomorrow too. Also, what are you cheating by doing that? Your own goals, that's all.
If I've had a binge, I find it easier to eat fewer than expected the following day, because my body is full of stored glycogen already so I'm still working through that.
It's simpler if you try to keep most days around the same levels. It's what you do on the majority of days that matters. If that allows for a small or medium treat, that's fine. I'm more inclined to have a 90 calorie fudge bar as a dessert if my dinner was about 600 calories and I'm on track for the day, than if my dinner was 1,000 calories and I'm likely not on track as a result.5 -
I mostly only have a cheat meal on vacations.An cheating for me is something like 90% chocolate an a banana.2
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do that often enough and they won’t lose weight.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I mean, when people have an unexpected high calorie day, they just roll with it and pretend it didn't happen, continuing on as usual, not eating less the next day to make up for it.
Even one high day can wipe out a whole weeks deficit if the high day was high enough and the deficit the other 6 days was small enough.
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Did you become 'overweight' after one weekend of eating whatever you wanted? Did you have to go buy a bigger size of jeans after just a few days of eating over your caloric needs?
No.
So, it's nothing to freak out about. Do not steal from yourself tomorrow to make up for today. MFP has your calorie goal set already at a deficit, so even if you overate today, you are likely not in excess of your caloric needs and even if you were - it's ONE day. Just get back on track. Have the meal you were planning on having tomorrow.
Gaining weight happens due to consistently eating more calories than you need in a day over a period of time. Weight loss is the same, just the opposite. Consistently eat a little less calories than you use in a day and you will see consistent success. But there is a base level of calories your body needs just to function ( BMR ) and you shouldn't be eating less than that.4 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.
Why have high calorie/low calorie days if it causes you this much mental stress?
I think I'm just stressed because I'm not used to eating to lose weight over a long period of time, I'm asking if it gets more relaxed over time when you know what to expect.
It did for me
I used to get stressed about eating out or family gatherings, but got over this. I'm used to logging every gram and either not being able to or it not being practical was stressful at first, but eventually I realized these rare occasions did not impede my programs - it was the day-to-day consistency that was more important to me.3 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »
Don’t have cheat meals. Include those foods as part of your diet. High days are fine as long as the overall weekly calories allow you to hit your calorie deficit target.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Do you get used to it, and start to relax about fluctuations in calories and weight on the scales? I've seen people here who will have one high calorie day or more in a week then stick to the original plan the rest of the week and be fine with it. I feel like I need to make up for high calorie days on other days, like tomorrow I want to skip my cheat meal because I am indulging big time tonight.
Add 7 days worth of calories, divide that number by 7. This is you actual daily calorie amount average. This is the number to look at.
I've already done that. I have premium and have three high calorie/treat days and four medium calorie days.
I feel like you've set up this very structured thing for yourself (by choice), and now you're feeling stressed by it. I don't mean to be accusatory in saying this, but are you making things more difficult than necessary for yourself? You have the reins. You can revise your approach, if it's creating more issues than it's solving.
Yes, I was a little more careful at first about hitting my calorie goal, but relaxed more as I got more experienced. But I don't think I was ever as stressed about it as you sound? The averages, or the majority of our days, are what determine the majority of our results. Being exactly on plan every day is not essential.
Eating more than usual will delay reaching goal weight, sure. Often, not by all that much.
Learn your maintenance calories. (Ideally, use weight loss experience, by adding your weight lost calories to your eaten calories averaged over several weeks. That will be more accurate than a calculator. Use the assumption that 3500 calories over maintenance = roughly one pound of fat, or a bit under half a kilogram.)
Let's think about implications of a "no make-ups" approach: Any day you eat above your goal calories but below your then-current maintenance calories, you're still losing fat, just a little slower. If you eat at maintenance calories, you're delaying reaching goal by one day. If you eat over maintenance calories, you've delayed reaching goal by a little more than one day (how much depends on how many calories over, but often it's less than an additional day). Honestly, in my world, sometimes the delay was worth it - birthdays, holidays, really special restaurant meal, whatever.
If you eat more than usual, or a different mix of foods than usual, you may see a sudden scale jump upward. Anything in excess of the calorie overage is increased water retention and digestive contents that will become waste. It's not fat, so it's not worth stressing over. The water/waste weight will drop off over then next few days to a couple of weeks or so. NBD.
So, one day is a drop in the ocean, not a tide that inevitably drowns us. As others have said, you can look at average weekly calories, not as a compulsion to stay within that goal, either, but as a way of recognizing that hungry days and less hungry days will level out to some extent without managing them compulsively.
Food is just food, it's not a sin we have to atone for. Rescheduling your cheat meal doesn't even seem like making up for anything, it's just changing the day you plan to eat more, it seems like.
You're the one who makes the rules for how you do this. Choose manageable rules. Others above have made some great points.
Best wishes!0 -
I don't remember feeling a lot of stress at the beginning, and what stress there was quickly disappeared as I saw I really could make this work and that flexibility could be part of the process.
I think your instinct to not have a scheduled big treat (cheat meal) tomorrow after indulging tonight is a reasonable one. As others have noted, you're the one who decided on your pattern of X calories for days A, B, and C and Y calories for days D-G, or whatever it is. You can decide, "OK, I'll just shift tomorrow's extra calories to this evening." Do the math, and see if that works. I think that's a healthy, flexible approach.
What I don't think is a health, flexible approach is people who say, "Oh, I was so 'bad' this evening, I don't deserve the cheat meal tomorrow, and maybe I better be even more strict than I would on a 'normal' day to make up for it." I'm not saying that's you, but it's hard to see past your anxiety to how you're thinking about this.
Best of luck.3 -
I was more stressed about being fat than I was about calorie counting. For me- if I know I’m indulging at an event or special occasion then it’s normal for me to deduct calories on the following day or preceding day. It’s not punitive.. it’s just making sure I don’t derail my goals or gain weight.
For instance- last week I had a piece of birthday cake celebrating my aunts 82nd bday. I went over about 400 cals for the day. I ate lighter that day for lunch and the following day I ate a bit lighter as well. In the end I was still within my weekly calorie goal.2 -
OP, as you move through the process you'll encounter many phases. Starting out, you're attempting to acclimate to the new eating program, then you won't see immidiate results so it feels like you're walking in the dark plus you're uncomfortable with the low calories and you wonder if your calories are correct.
If you've done things right and you've trusted the process you start seeing a little progress and that is the point where you see that you can do it for the long haul.3 -
For the people saying that I need to cut back on calories today to make up for last night, I walked for a few hours this morning and took 600 calories off todays calorie budget, so I am back to a normal eating day :-)1
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If you walked 6 miles then you’re good. Figure 100 calories per mile.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »For the people saying that I need to cut back on calories today to make up for last night, I walked for a few hours this morning and took 600 calories off todays calorie budget, so I am back to a normal eating day :-)
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »
If you walked 6 miles then you’re good. Figure 100 calories per mile.sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »For the people saying that I need to cut back on calories today to make up for last night, I walked for a few hours this morning and took 600 calories off todays calorie budget, so I am back to a normal eating day :-)
I actually did walk that far! But with a bmi of 35 I probably could have gotten away with less1
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