getting discouraged by how many calories..

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ambersanford94
ambersanford94 Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
when i log my food i feel fine at first until i add something with alot of calories and its still only the beginning of the day and your whole day is shot already. am i the only one that gets discouraged by eating too many calories a day and then quits logging and just binges out for the rest of the day?

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  • daisylovespink
    daisylovespink Posts: 89 Member
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    You are not the only one!!! This is why I end up not logging for long periods of time. But I think I've finally kicked myself in the rear and am forcing myself to log no matter what. If it makes you feel better set your diary to private so you know only you will see it.

    Yesterday I did great until about 2pm then I caved and got fast food. Normally I would've just said "f" it and not logged it then ate like crap when I got home for dinner (even if I wasn't hungry). Well I made myself log it and used the calorie overage to motivate myself to exercise when I got home so I could negate those french fries, and it worked! I got my calories back to a deficit and wasn't even hungry for dinner.

    Just keep plugging away and don't let it discourage you, you can do this!!!
  • Ambrelle
    Ambrelle Posts: 8 Member
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    I try to avoid this by checking calories before eating. If we're out I take and extra 5 minutes before ordering and check calories on anything I'm interested in. I also try to plan my big meal and then know ahead of time my other meals will have to be smaller. That may not help you, but I've been there before and these things have gotten me back on track. Know that you can do it and take a deep breath when you feel like quitting or bingeing for the day. :)
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    You may want to try pre logging your day. If you know what you are going to have for your meals, you can plan your snacks and make adjustments accordingly.

    Giving up and going on a binge or not anything for the rest of the day after one bad morning will not accomplish anything but weight gain and disordered eating. Weight control is 90% mental.
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
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    I plan ahead a lot. Try to log your food before you eat if you can. And if you find out after the fact that you ate something with more calories than you would have liked, just try to do a good job for the rest of the day. A big muffin won't blow it, but a big muffin and greasy pizza for dinner might.
  • M155AUS
    M155AUS Posts: 52 Member
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    Yep, all the time! But I have learnt by having one calorific meal I will only compound the problem and I will only feel worse. Now even when I do go off course, I track it as sometimes its not as bad as you think.

    Good luck!
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
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    Prelogging & meal planning helps a lot.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I pre-log my food. That way, the night before, no surprises. No binges. :)

    Just because you have a larger calorie meal doesn't mean it has to ruin your entire day.
  • Wonderwoman2677
    Wonderwoman2677 Posts: 434 Member
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    I do it too... I try to plan ahead when I can and work out to make up for it when I can't. I also try not to beat myself up about it and try to do better the next day...it's not a race. Just keep logging and working at it.

    Also. Don't tell yourself it's ok to binge out when you get home. Eat like you didn't have too many calories earlier.
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
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    Don't sweat one bad day. Exercise a little more, and eat a little less for the next couple of days, and by the end of the week it will be all good! This is a long process - one day will not destroy your progress. (5 days in a row can though - so get over it and move on!)
  • malins2
    malins2 Posts: 154 Member
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    Prelogging helps me, then I can make adjustments when I need to BEFORE I had the food :)
    Also, if you DO eat something bad or too much , just leave it behind you and focus on what is coming next. Don't feel guilty, don't feel bad and don't feel like "there is no point in eating healthy today because I already messed up". The past is the past and just leave it behind you and try to focus on making your next choice a good one!
    Good luck!!
  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 655 Member
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    Don't sweat one bad day. Exercise a little more, and eat a little less for the next couple of days, and by the end of the week it will be all good! This is a long process - one day will not destroy your progress. (5 days in a row can though - so get over it and move on!)

    ^^^THIS^^^
  • mr_rat
    mr_rat Posts: 35 Member
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    when i log my food i feel fine at first until i add something with alot of calories and its still only the beginning of the day and your whole day is shot already. am i the only one that gets discouraged by eating too many calories a day and then quits logging and just binges out for the rest of the day?

    I do this often... it's getting better but I still will mess my diet up tehn binge
  • chellebelle315
    chellebelle315 Posts: 298
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    I plan, plan, plan. And once in a while I throw it all out the window and have a day where I don't track anything. (Once a week, or every ten days if I'm not losing at all) This has worked for me in the past. This time around I'm logging my "no count" days even though I don't plan to stay within a set number of calories. This is helping me be a little more aware and conscious even on my free day.

    Bottom line, don't let the numbers control you and how you feel...take control of the numbers. Make super conscious choices, and plan healthy meals you can look forward to.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 616 Member
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    The way to combat that is to plan ahead. Try putting food into your diary before preparing it then add or subtract items to fit.
  • Racheldt87
    Racheldt87 Posts: 25 Member
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    I used to do the same thing and undestand the frustration.. Pre-logging meals helps a lot.. It is very time consuming but every Sunday I plan out my meals for the entire weel (5 small meals a day) and then grocery shop and prepare as many of these meals as I can (the ones that don't spoil). Of course I've learned to write in pencil on my weekly food chart b/c I change my mind or flip flop meals. I log them about 2 days in advance on MFP so I can see how many extra calories I have to eat what I want that's extra.. Also even if I workout in the morning I wait til the end of the day to log my exercise. it's more helpful for me to see my actual remaining calorie amt all day (even if I go over) than the new amt/goal made from net calories after exercise.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
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    planning ahead is definitely the best way to prevent this!!

    what i did to get me started was i took out a sheet of paper and wrote out some healthy snacks and meals i could have and wrote down the calories on it. i basically made a food list of my staple food choices including snacks, drinks, and meals as well as from fast food places. it took a bit of time but it was nice to have cheat sheet with all of the food i could have and choose from. of course i ate other things not on the list but only after checking the calorie content first!

    good luck :)
  • Warren_Carrol
    Warren_Carrol Posts: 21 Member
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    I prelog when I can...for me it makes it easy to reconcile how the rest of my day should go mealwise.
    I also try to get the bulk of my calories into me earlier in the day if possible to give me time to digest...it's been a combination that works for me to this point.

    if I'm close on calories, then I know I have to put in some work to give myself space.

    good luck
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    Prelogging & meal planning helps a lot.


    This. I plan and log my meals ahead of time and it has taken all the stress out it. I no longer get to dinner and realize I only have 150 calories left because dinner is already in my diary and I've built the rest of my meals around it.
  • amanda3588
    amanda3588 Posts: 422 Member
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    Plan your meals to avoid over-eating. In the morning I always log everything I'm going to eat for the day. It keeps me on track and away from mindlessly stuffing my face
  • AlliedF
    AlliedF Posts: 9
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    I plan my menu roughly for the day and log it in before eating.. this way I am committed to only having what is on there.. and I am more committed to keeping to it! Same for the exercise I add it before I actually do and it makes me keep to it! Helps keep me in check with myself and accountable as well.

    Try this and see if it helps when you have a bad ( binge) day... make a list of every hour and half hour of the day like this:-
    6:00am ^
    6:30^
    7:00^
    7:30^
    8:00x
    8:30
    ......

    6:00pm ^
    6:30 ^
    7:00 x

    etc... until you reach the evening then place a tick (^)beside all the times that you were still on track and a cross (x) when you go off track - then you will see clearly that you have been on track more than you have been off track - this should encourage you and help you not to go and binge as you were on track, more than when you are off track! Does that make sense to you!
    I know this helped me years ago when I was struggling and wanted to just give up! Now when I think I might be tempted or discouraged I put this into practice and its not so bad after all.

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