Fell off the wagon

hi everyone....

this is only my third week really...very new to counting calories and better eating and i realized that when my good food is gone, and i haven't done my groceries, i start to pick away at anything i can find....

last night i ate a whole container of cottage cheese - it was one of the few things in my fridge that was edible. i am waaaay over in my total calories because of this little splurge... i then went to my parents house and tried really hard to make taco night healthy - i didn't over do it - eating only two soft tacos with ground tofu.

i know that one day isn't going to ruin everything, but in the few short weeks i've been doing this, i seem to have fallen off the proverbial wagon at least three times... that's an average of once a week. i need to stop this...but i am struggling with how...

i am starting a fitness routine, but i still feel terrible for going over in my calories today....

anyone have any words of wisdom? what do you do when you overstep your caloric needs for the day?

thanks everybody

*looks at food log, shaking head..no,no,no*

1 day a week is actually really good!  think about what you were doing 4 weeks ago.. 7 days a week of overeating right?  4 weeks later you're down to 1 day a week.  where will you be 4 weeks from now?  put things into perspective dear.. you are doing well.. you are starting to exercise.. you're trying very hard to make food healthy for your body.. you are aware of the work you need to do and you sound like you have the drive...

my advice to you is dust yourself off.. acknowledge that today was not the best it could have been, learn from it and move on.. tomorrow is a clean slate to keep on fighting the good fight.. :)

a lot of "diets" fail because people tend to get an all or nothing attitude about what they eat.. either you're eating well or your not eaitng well.. this is a fallacy.. nothing is black and white.. there are many differnt shades of grey.. :) 

I don't know whether this will help you, but it helps me! I set a goal of eating x number of calories (this month, 1750; last month, 1800) 5 out of 7 days. I don't need to be perfect, I just need to be better!

Another note from me - I'm all over you today!!  In a good way **wink**
I was reading your profile, and I'm wondering if maybe you're using too much of a deficit in your calories. As you're only on your third week (as am I, started July 26th), baby steps are definitely where we need to be.  My "maintenance" calories are 2100; to lose the amount I want per week by the date they gave me, I need to only eat 1300.  To go from 2000-3000 calories a day down to 1300 is waaaaaaay too big a jump for me.  So my reasoning is if I drop my calories to 2000 AND add in some exercise, I'm still creating a deficit - not a big one, but I don't need a big one yet.  I can work my way up to exercising more and eating less, but if I do too much too soon, I'll burn out and I DON'T WANT TO BURN OUT ANYMORE!!!
This isn't a diet - it's a healthy way to eat, and after xx years of eating like crap, it can't & won't happen overnight. So a step at a time is how I'm doing this.  :)

are you depriving yourself too much?  i.e. eating foods because they're "diet" or "good for you" but not really enjoying them?  if so, try for foods that are both good for you and enjoyable.  I've found that when I restrict myself too much is when I'll tend to binge.  And as Obsidyan said, one day a week is actually good... just don't continue it...   I was beating myself up for having a burger and fries last night (when I could have had a turkey burger and salad)... but then said to myself: I really enjoyed that burger! ... and today I'm back on track.   

Once a week.  Don't feel bad, I am usually every other day.  I would love to be once a week.  So I think you are doing pretty darn good.  It isn't like you went to the mall and got a cinnabon with extra icing :)

I agree, you need to eat foods you enjoy because if you don't it will lead to binging.  Research shows that is why so many of us fail at dieting, we restrict ourselves too much.

Keep up the good work. 

P.S. how do you make tofu tacos?

Kim

Magic...YEAH!!  I fell...fall...oops...WAY too often!  Don't get down!  You can do this...make that WE!  I have a new record of ONE DAY without splurging.  Pretty sad, huh?!  I am going for my second day in a row TODAY! I'm pretty new to C-C too.  Feel free to add me to your friends list.  Maybe we can keep eachother on the wagon for longer intervals!  I'm getting back to my fitness routine after an extended hiatus.  Good luck...hope to hear from you soon!

After years of eating badly it takes time to form those good habits.  I started in June and I still have a lot to learn and I am by no means perfect.  When I look back on how I used to eat, it is amazing how much has changed in a short time.  Everyone falls off the wagon every now and then, what really makes the diffrence is when you keep getting right back on. 

Read the post from FAT BITCH she fell off the wagon as well. 

Sorry havn't learned how to link yet.

Forgive and forget, Sweetie.  You are moving in the right direction and that's all that matters. We are human, therefore, imperfect. Striving for perfection is thought to be a good thing by some but I personally think its a set up for failure.  Do your best, be mindful of your food intake but don't allow it to dictate your happiness. You'll get where you're supposed to be. Burn the proverbial wagon. Who needs it?