I ate way too much... now what?

Yesterday - I had come in about 1400 calories as of lunch, and had planned on eating a small dinner, having a glass of wine... maybe I'd end up using it as a "maintenance day" (1920 for me).

Well... we saw an outdoor concert, and my friend brought cheese, meat, and baguettes, so of course I ate my fill.  And had a second glass of wine.  And a brownie.  I ended the day at a whopping 2,939 calories! WOW. 

To top it off... the extra wine (I'm a lightweight) shot down my well-intentioned plans of working out after the concert...  Ouch.

Which means I'm already 1,000 calories OVER maintenance yesterday.  And I didn't exercise. I plan on working out like crazy tonight after work to make up for it... but a thousand calorie workout on top of my usual, plus making up for yesterday?  Ouch.  I guess I'll be hitting the gym instead of the lunch room.

Since I'm trying to eat around 1500 a day... that would mean to do damage control, I would only eat 500 calories today.  Which is of course a terrible idea, so I'm going to split the difference and aim low for lunch, high for exercise.

I feel pathetic and ashamed.  What do you guys usually do when/if you go over?

Take a nap.

Original Post by mkl39:

What do you guys usually do when/if you go over?

I accept it and move on.  There is nothing you can do about what you ate, so try to learn from the experience.  Perhaps you can work out a bit more than usual, but do not try to burn off all of the extra calories you ate.  If you do too much exercise, you might hurt yourself, which would put you in a very difficult position.

Try to view this as a learning experience on how to plan your meals a little better, but try not to worry or obsess over it.

Good luck!

+1 on both those responses... What happened yesterday is in the past.  All you can do is try to learn from it and move on.  An extra 1000 calories may mean you meet your goal one day slower than you otherwise would have, but that's hardly worth losing sleep over.

One learning might be that when you've got social activities planned in the afternoon/evening, you may not make it to the gym that night, so working out in the morning or at lunch might be a good idea.  Of course, if you didn't plan on the concert, that doesn't help much. :)

Clint

"Damage control" does not exist. Take it as a cheat day and go back to your normal diet. You can't "make up" for it by eating less.

Thanks. 

I do wonderfully when I'm at work, since I can look at the lunch menu in the morning, plan it all out on CC, and stick to it mostly.  I do well with planning.  But once there is no structure, it gets almost impossible to control myself.  To top it off, I often get home and my roommates are having meats, icecream and beer for dinner...

I really struggle with this - I think I have a binge eating problem. It's like my brain goes into a craze when food comes into the picture and I lose all self control. Even at the mention of a treat, I start drooling and daydreaming (?) about eating.  I just can't stop.  It has always been this way, but I am trying to change it.  It just feels terrible when I slip up.

i think the majority of us on here do the same thing "It's like my brain goes into a craze when food comes into the picture and I lose all self control. Even at the mention of a treat, I start drooling and day-dreaming about eating.  I just can't stop." We all have to learn self control, and being on here is the way to do it. Forgive yourself, don't look back and believe that you will do better today.  That is my motto.  I have three kids and have been skinny to big back to skinny a few times... and am now shooting for "thin" again after my last child.  Believe in yourself and just KNOW that you have the will power to do it.  Also, I would suggest never having one meal that has more than 500 calories. Try to spread your calorie intake throughout the day into smaller 200-500 calorie size meals.  It's tough for your body to digest 1400 at once.  Also, taking in less complex carbs will lighten your "food craze"... i seem to have more control over my appetite with the less "sugar" (i.e. bread, pasta, rice) in my diet.  Make 90% of your caloric intake green leafy veggies, some fruit and some whole grains... and stay away from too many oils (often in salad dressings). I'm a vegitarian, so I say stay away from meat.. there is no such thing as "lean protien" in animal products as some say.  Check out www.drmitraray.com   She has great advice.  Oh... and get your omega's through ground flax. Good luck to you!

Original Post by mkl39:

Which means I'm already 1,000 calories OVER maintenance yesterday.  And I didn't exercise. I plan on working out like crazy tonight after work to make up for it... but a thousand calorie workout on top of my usual, plus making up for yesterday?  Ouch.  I guess I'll be hitting the gym instead of the lunch room.

Since I'm trying to eat around 1500 a day... that would mean to do damage control, I would only eat 500 calories today.  Which is of course a terrible idea, so I'm going to split the difference and aim low for lunch, high for exercise.

ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN YOU'D BE DOING "DAMAGE CONTROL" TWICE...IF YOU EXERCISE OFF THE CALORIES, WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO EAT ONLY 500? THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLAN, AND YOU ARE BEING WAY TOO HARD ON YOURSELF. 

THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE YOU. I'D THINK ABOUT THE YUMMINESS OF WHAT I ATE SO THAT IT WOULDN'T FEEL LIKE A TOTAL WASTE. THEN I'D SAY OKAY, 1000 CALORIES OVER YOUR GOAL, SO THAT CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO 7 ADDITIONS TO YOUR REGULAR WORKOUT SCHEDULE, IF YOU BURN 150 CALORIES EXTRA FOR 6 DAYS, THAT'S 900 CALORIES, AND AN ADDITIONAL 100 CALORIES 1 DAY THAT MAKES 1000. SO, AN EXTRA 15 MINS A DAY OF MODERATE TO HIGH INTENSITY EXERCISE IS NOT THAT MUCH AND YOU CAN DO IT IN THE MORNING OR AT NIGHT, SEPARATE FROM YOUR REGULAR WORKOUT. THIS WAY YOU CAN CONTINUE EATING THE SAME, NOT BE FAMISHED AND, IT'S SUBTLE. 

I HOPE THIS HELPS, OH AND I'M NOT SHOUTING BY THE WAY, I JUST WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE MY WRITING FROM YOUR OWN :)

Honestly, I have days where I consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories at least once if not twice a week and I'm still losing weight. Most of it is probably due to alcohol, but also dining out. Sure, my weight loss is slow, but I enjoy life and don't stress it when it happens. I've lost 70 lbs (from 258 to 188 and still going) in about 1.5 years and am very happy. Take that for what it's worth. Don't sweat the small stuff and don't consider 200 cals a "meal" ^^