When you have a few bad eating days, and step on the scale, and obviously gain a few pounds, how do you deal? Do you just shake it off, and go back to your routine? Or do you have a few 'low calorie'/less food days to make up for it?

How do you keep it from getting in your head? I tend to beat myself up over it, but I know falling off the wagon is just part of weight loss.

I try to get right back on plan and not do anything too drastic like go way under my calories. I've noticed that when I have a few bad eating days and there is a gain of 4 or 5 pounds that most of that is water weight anyway and will go away on its own. Give it a week or two and you should be right back where you were and maybe into new territory again.

Try not to beat yourself up over it as it happens to everyone at some point.

I don't go way under my calories but since my target is a range anyway, I try to hit the low part of my range either before or after having a day or days where I'm high.

I see this as part of my training for maintenance - the people I know who are "naturally thin" tend to adjust their eating to account for meals out, special treats, etc. I think one of the reasons I gained weight was that I didn't do that - I had my normal lunch even if I was going out to a restaurant that night. Now if I'm going out, I make sure to eat sparingly the rest of the day so I can relax a bit more for the meal out and still be where I want to be overall.

But like Matt said, I definitely would not worry too much about what the scale says. I've started thinking of these sorts of gains as "fake weight" because they typicall come off pretty quickly as soon as I'm back on plan with food and drinking lots of water. The biggest thing is not to focus too much on it and especially not to use it as an excuse to not get back on plan!

I wouldn't restrict my calories by much, if anything - why punish yourself - what's done is done and why set yourself up for another setback by being too hungry and then eating everything in sight.

Get back to your healthy eating plan as soon as possible. Don't make it an option not to.

I'd also get on that scale and *own it* so to speak, yes there's most likely some water weight happening, but after a few off days, there's probably some not water weight too. You should be able to see what a few off days does to you and your body.

I would also try and figure out how you could avoid in the future a couple of bad DAYS. Did you not plan well? Did you allow yourself to get to hungry? Did you not have the *right* foods on hand? Did you allow stress/boredom/anger to send you to the food, etc...

Both. If it happens over a weekend I just get back on track as soon as possible but no later than 1st thing Monday morning. If it happens on a weekday, this week it was Monday because we were out of town, then I rearrange my cals for the week. Because I zigzag my cals it's is very easy for me to switch my cals around. For example usually I have a higher cal day on Wednesday, but because of the unexpected temptations Monday, I just switch my cals and had Monday's cal range Wednesday and I'm still losing. Honestly, though I think your best bet is just except it, no one is perfect and this is going to happen throughout your journey and through maintenance, and get back on track as soon as possible. A few lbs is not going to negate all the work you've done and yes it sucks but you will lose them again and then more.

I move on and shake it off. But I do review so I know the reason.

1) I check my food log to see if my sodium was crazy high. If so, I try to drink more water to help flush it along and take note of the high sodium foods.

2) I check my cycle date, to see if it is PMS related. If so, I just note it and carry on knowing that when period is over it will settle down.

3) I consider if I had extra/harder workouts. Sometimes this can cause a little water retention as muscles heal. If I feel sore, I fit in a stretching workout/epsom salt bath.

4) I consider my bathroom habits, and if my fiber has been low, I consider adding more to get things moving along.

HTH!
A.



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This I have struggled with personally and I do agree with Robin. No need to go around hungry for a day because you splurged the day before.

Try not to be too hard on yourself. Face it, forgive it and move on