overeating & maintaining

do you ever have days while maintaining where you overeat or don't eat the helathiest you should? Are days like this ok....


I kind of overate today (for Easter)...mostly by accident (not a binge at all or anything)....just wondering!

That's absolutely normal.  A healthy diet isn't a 'perfect' diet.  If you eat healthily 80-90% of the time with a few days where you eat more than normal or choose some not-so-healthy foods that would be completely A1 normal.

Maintaining is for life, don't forget.  And life includes.... Easter, Christmas, parties, holidays, birthdays, lunch out with friends etc..... So the art of maintaining is to find a way to enjoy and incorporate all of the above but keeping your weight steady at the same time.  That means being consistent about healthier choices, watching the portions but not being obsessive.  Chances are if you overate slightly over the weekend you'll self-regulate and naturally eat slightly less the rest of the week.  Don't worry.

I find this happens to me too. I hit my goal weight last summer and was totally worried about all the holidays, but I've maintained within 3 pounds of my goal despite having overeaten at holiday occasions. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about this lately, maintaining like a 'normal' person does. Here I am, all worried about gaining weight because of holiday foods, but the truth is even my normal weighted friends report a temporary weight gain around these times of the year.

What I have noticed is that it is better to confine your indescretions to the actual day of the celebration, and have all your other days as regular as you can. Yesterday, I ate a bunch of Easter goodies, but I hadn't had one piece of candy until yesterday and I won't have any today. The same was true for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentines Day. I've noticed this year, as opposed to the years I was obese, that some people use the holidays as an excuse to eat pretty much non stop for weeks on end.

That being said, remember your goal is to be healthy - mentally, emotionally and physically. Weight loss and maintenance is as much about thinking as it is about doing. The idea of balance in all things is probably the hardest thing I have to learn, and from reading a lot of posts on the forums, I think that's true for lots of other people as well.

I hope you had a good Easter. Holidays are to be enjoyed, have fun!

of course. there will always be "indulging" days. it's perfectly normal. just pick back up where you left off with the healthy eating and you will be fine.