Overate again :(

aleena2975 · July 17

Hi guys I've posted before that I'm 5'5 175 lbs tryna get down to 135. I used to eat 1600 calories a day along with heavy strength HIIT workouts at a bootcamp I go to (think f45 but more cardio).

When I ate at 1600, at least 2-3 times a week I got to 2300 with higher calorie meals or bad planning essentially.

I tried to even out my calories to 1850 a day. That worked for a week. I still had a few days here or there where I under or over ate by 100-200 calories but when I calculated to the week it was still around 1850.

Now... I'm trying to do a consistent number every day as recommended by my registered dietician. I was trying to hit 1750 daily. Sunday I did good. Monday I did good. Today I ate a humongous burger that put me at 2400 calories if not more! I'm so sad. I also went to an intense workout that involved both weights and cardio so I felt a little extra hungry, but really I ate mindlessly and didn't want to eat only half the burger bc I didn't want leftovers. So yeah. I feel sad bc even if I'm evening out my calories, I'm still getting 2300+ days at least once a week.

I thought I saw some progress with losing my first pound when I dropped to 173, but now it's back up to 175

any advice?

cmriverside · July 17

I had a LOT of days of eating 2400 during weight loss. My goal was 1500-1600 plus 200-400 hundred more on exercise days.

Guess what? I still lost that 80 pounds and I'm still at my goal weight 16 years later and I STILL have big over-eating days on occasion.

Don't beat yourself up. Just make a note of it (log your food!) and move on. Weight loss isn't a perfect process. Hunger will cause bigger eating days. Just try to get right back at it, and learn what there is to be learned without the self-criticism. You're fine. Really.

AnnPT77 · July 17

Great advice from Riverside as always.

There's no point in catastrophizing about an over-goal day. This is life, not a melodrama about the battle between good and evil. It's just food - we need to eat some - not sin that needs to be expiated. Feeling sad feels icky, and doesn't really accomplish much that's productive, at least for me.

I get that you're trying to eat the same amount daily. That's fine, if it suits you. But what matters for weight management is averages over time.

I'm not suggesting you should try to "make up for it" after the fact. That's just more drama.

I'd encourage you to think about your own personal eating preferences, and about whether your plan suits *you*.

If you're more hungry on workout days, eat more on workout days and less on other days . . . even if your nutritionist says otherwise. It doesn't have to be explicit "eat exercise calories", it can be eating 100 or so under goal on non-exercise days, and 100 or so over on exercise days. Stuff that works for you works.

If it's that that particular workout in context of your day didn't work out, because of schedule and eating timing, then think about how to tweak your plan to avoid a repeat. (Example: Schedule a small snack before or after your workout that helps you with your overall nutrition goals and avoids appetite spikes. Myself, when losing I used to carry shelf-stable pleasant but not super tempting nutritious snacks in my car to eat if I got dangerously peckish unexpectedly.)

You don't give us a time context for your loss of a pound then regain. If it's quick (few days), what you're seeing is still distorted by water retention fluctuations and/or random digestive contents in your digestive tract on the way to the exit. It's multi-week averages that tell us whether we're losing or gaining, not the day to day variations.

Like Riverside said: Log it, and go on with life.

Best wishes!

csplatt · July 22

I think you need smaller goals. What if for now you just tried to make it two weeks with meeting your goal each day? It gets easier the more success you experience, in my opinion, so why not let the two week mark be your first success?

Kirsten_EasyHealthyKitchen · October 1

@aleena2975 This is exactly what happens to me if I cut my calories too low. I can stick with it for a few days, but cravings hit hard from too low calories and I overeat. I've lost 100 lbs slow and steady in a moderate calorie deficit.

Also, zoom out and assess your weight trends over a few months instead of days or weeks. You will see an overall downward trend if your calories/protein are in your body's sweet spot for weight loss.

csplatt · October 2

What if you gave yourself 1-2 days a week to eat at maintenance and eat at a deficit the other days? Could ease you into success with fewer days way over.

elisa123gal · October 2

You've got some great feedback here. Bottom line.. if you fell off the wagon and ate a gigantic burger. You know what happened. You overdid it to the point where you lost all will power. So tweak what you're doing to where you don't have those insatiable cravings. Or make healthier option.. like a bunless burger on a bed of lettuce with red onions and even a piece of cheese. Sounds like you're working hard.. and you're gonna be successful.

csplatt · October 3

Try planning your whole days food by the time you finish breakfast. Maybe the night before. Don’t make food decisions throughout the day when you are hungry. Make them ahead of time so you already know what is for lunch, dinner, snacks. Then no need to be impulsive.

Overate again :(

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