fast food

i used to live off of fast food.  litterally.  so i haven't had a burger in more than a month now and today i was craving one since i woke up.  so i went out tonight and got a guac/bacon burger from carl's junior.  i stayed under my calorie limit today.  1467 out of 1500....but i feel like crap for giving in.  i've been doing so well, i've lost about 6lbs in the past month...should i have caved?  i feel justified and guilty....i don't know...

Roselie, I would have felt guilty too, but hey, we are all just human. Just don't give up on yourself. :) I have found that being nice to myself, and allowing a little wiggle room when I am trying to lose weight makes me able to stick with it overall. Sounds to me like you've been doing great, AND, you still stuck to your calorie goal.Personally, I can't give up chocolate- so I eat just a little and I don't feel like I am totally depriving myself.

I have recently gained 5 lbs back of the 10 that I lost last year, so here I am again. I never left calorie count but wasn't paying attention. So, I wish you the best with your goals and myself too. :)

elizabeth

Hey, you still managed to be with in your calories! thats good!! So you made a little slip, you are human!! When I have cravings, I usually try to indulge a little in them. Keeps me from going crazy, and then I get it out of my system and I'm okay :)

You have to remember that as a part of a healthy lifestyle, you have to allow for the little treats.  You found a way to work it into your daily allowance without going over you total for the day.  That is great. 

Tuesday I had a jr bacon cheeseburger and a medium fries, went over my maintaince calories by about 600 calories.  Wednesday I wasn't as hungry and stayed in the low end of my allotted calories.  Balance out the two days and I was in my average.  So my cheat meal was a nice little treat with my family and in the long run only meant a couple of extra glasses of water to help flush out all of the extra salt from the fries.

BTW, why do they find the need to put so much salt on their fries?  It was overwhelming and I did not enjoy them as much as I once did.

I totally agree that a life without splurges is not a life worth living.  No one meal is gonna destroy a healthy lifestyle.  My nutritionist reminded me, "Christmas didn't make you fat."

My only concern about what you wrote, roselie84, is that you DID stay under 1500 calories for that day.  According to their website, the Carl Jr. burger you had (it was a single?) was 830 calories, more than half of those calories from fat.  I'm assuming you didn't have fries or soda since you didn't mention it.  That means that outside of that burger, you only consumed 637 healthy calories for the day.  Maybe you coulda allowed yourself up to 2000 calories in order to keep a healthier balance of nutients?

Remember, it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound...Probably the biggest mess you've made is the sodium increase (1390 mg) will make you hang on to some water for a couple days.

But again, for one day, it isn't a big deal and as long as it didn't send you off the wagon for the rest of the week, congratulations!  I hope you allowed yourself to enjoy it, because the only real crime is eating ANYTHING and not enjoying it due to guilt or shame...

Hey its no big deal. You have to be able to enjoy something like that as a treat. You stayed within your calorie count and at the end of the day thats what matters in terms of weight loss. One burger after a month wont hurt.

Personally I think that the reason we all got fat was due to excess. Like they say everything in moderation. I think a well balanced diet should include some fast food.

I don't think you should feel guilty at all. Just think of it as a treat after doing so well to lose the weight and keep going.

Recently there was an entry on the CC blog "Popular diets tested and compared". It more or less says that it doesn't matter what your calories are composed of, the key is the amount of calories consumed and burned.

thanks everyone.  i feel better.  i know the sodium was high, but i typically eat lolw sodium and drink tons of water anyway.  i was able to stay in my calorie range because i had salad for lunch and fruit for breakfast.  i usually eat light earlier in the day.....i did enjoy it.  and i'm not off the wagon, i just craved beef (i don't cook it at home at all, so the only way to get it is to go out)...anyway, thanks for all the encouragement!

Hey, I am new to this weight loss thing, sort of (hoping to stick with it this time). Most of what I read tells me that one cheat day a week will keep you on track the rest of the week. One slip up in a months time is not a big deal. Sometimes your body craves something and rather than ignoring it and binging on everything BUT the one thing you have your mind on, it's better to give in to the one thing and get it out of your system.

The problem with FF is that it is addictive. I don't know what's in it to make it so, but it is. C'mon, that McDonalds hash brown is just AWESOME!!! When they offered a second with a value meal for $.50 I so jumped on that opportunity, and it jumped right on my thighs and butt...LoL! Tonight is House on DVR for me and hubby, and we like to have some ice cream. So I'm making sure to save a few calories for later.

Don't beat yourself up over the one burger, you stayed in your limit. Just eat extra fruits and veggies and drink more water today to help it get out of your body faster. If you continue to think about it you may just wind up saying "Forget it, I already cheated. May as well keep on cheating." Say to yourself, instead, "Boy that burger was really good, and today I'm going to make myself an awesome salad with Lettuce, oranges, grapefruit, almonds, and topped with a fat free Raspberry Vinagarette!" (a recipe I got from this past weekends coupon booklet, thanks to Newmans Own)

yes however guilty you may feel for giving in, it is still better then never indulging.  When you don't indulge/splurge every once in a while, you will always feel miserable.  Where as if and when you do indulge you may only feel miserable for a day or so.  Don't let food control your life.

Hi Roselie

I probably would have felt guilty too but don't be too hard on yourself.  Tomorrow is a new day and you were still under your calorie limit.  I know when I am craving something like that I usuallly give in but then I try to eat only half or I share it with like my   mom or kids.  I have found that if I don't give in sometiomes then that is when I tend to totally fall off the wagon. 6 Lbs!!! Good Job!

Oh my, please don't beat yourself up over one stupid burger :).  I went out last night to eat Mexican- full on fried chile relleno and all.  I went over my usual daily intake, but my dinner last night is not going to pack on any weight!  I'm just eating normally again today and will workout hard tonight.  It's not a big deal.  You cannot deprive yourself of all foods you enjoy for every single day of the rest of your life.  You have to learn to make room for them without guilt IMO.  Life happens and as humans, we will always have cravings and temptations.  Allowing yourself a treat from time to time is not going to interfere with "the big picture" so long as it doesn't become a habit.

psh don't beat yourself up. listen, if you are going to stick with this and change your life, you have to be honest and admit sometimes...you are going to eat fast food.

I go MUCH less than I use to but once in a while I want it.  I allow for it in my day and I go.  I get a kids meal and drink water. 

This has to be something you can stick with...cutting food completely out that you know you enjoy will not last.  Just don't eat as much and don't eat it as often and you'll be fine!

I can't blame you for going after a burger.  Every now and then, you just want something like that.  And the longer you deprive yourself, the more you're going to want it.  So I think you were smart for going ahead and getting it.  Maybe you could get online and find something that'll satisfy your craving that isn't quite as many calories, that way you can still go to the restaurant and still have a burger, but not feel so bad. 

You can't cut fast food out forever.  It's hard to learn, because when you first make a change, you feel so empowered and you're like, "Yes!  I can do anything!"  But we're all only human.  I think you did just fine.