Here it is. 12:50 p.m. I have already consumed my calories for the day. My daughter is home from school, which threw me off my regular gig. I started with good intentions, but was hungrier than normal, so I had a larger breakfast. Then at 11 I was hungry, and thought, early lunch, but the day is still salvagable. Then at noon, I ate again. And in between I've had a nibble of this, nibble of that. Now I have all day left, and the worst is after 4 p.m. for me. I so don't want to sabotoge myself for another day, but I don't know how not to.
Honestly, my advice is to just continue your day - eating as if it were a normal day. I think the worst thing you can do is to try to not eat or eat less. I have those days, too, when I am just super hungry and I think you have to listen to your body too. Sometimes it just needs some more food.
Make a huge cucumber and tomato salad...LOL That's what I do when I over indulge too early in the day. Seriously, don't think that trying to go the rest of the day without eating is the answer. You'll binge by 8:00pm. Pick a number...and that is your limit for the rest of the day. Make sure you and DD go for a long walk and chat, or go shopping, (avoiding the foot court). If anything go to the grocery store and buy a jar of salsa and some summer squash...slice thin and dip into salsa for snacky food. You have not blown this day...
I really don't believe in counting calories, although from this forum it seems this is what most women do. If you are truly hungry, it is fine to eat something. Just try and make sure it is something healthy like fruits and vegetables. The problem most people have is that they wind up eating for every reason under the sun BESIDES hunger. If you're not doing this, there really is no problem, in my view.
Don't stress over it too much, you havn't blown your day. Spend the rest of the day making good food choices.. maybe even having a bowl of oatmeal when your hungry to stay full a little longer. Some days are just like that, where you are hungrier than the norm.. and usually its just your body telling you you need fuel!
I think on days like this.. its important to remember that you are working towards a goal of healthy eating also (not just weight loss!). So for the remainder of the day.. rather than "giving up" and just having junk, you can really pamper yourself.
Head to the mall? Maybe get a mani/pedi? Feel like dessert? Take the time out to bake a banana with a little bit of cinnimon drizzled with some honey or chocolate.. and sit back with your favorite health magazine or book!
It's all about you and there is nothing to beat yourself up over. If youre worried about old habits kicking in around 4:00p.m., then plan something. I know I know easier said than done... but heck.. I've been interested in yoga.. and the evening for right now.. is my time to do some research into it until I decide on a school.
I think part of the answer is not looking at yourself as having failed. Weight loss and maintenance is a complicated skill, and expecting perfection from the start is like expecting to pick up a violin for the first time and expecting to play Carnegie Hall after fifteen minutes.
So, what would have you done in the past in this situation? Looking at progress, not perfection how are you going to make today better than it would have been in the past? If you'd usually just feel defeated and eat out of control for the rest of the day - eating reasonably for the rest of the day would be super progress, right?
Whatever you do, don't throw yourself to the bottom of the staircase, because you slipped on one step. No one is carrying around extra weight because they overate one day, and one day isn't going to stop you from losing either. The cumulative effects of your choices are what matters. Progress not perfection.
My question is what, exactly, have you failed at? Living your life?
If you get the idea of failure out of your mind, it makes it easier to continue. Because if you "fail" .. then you've hit the end right? Isn't that what pass/fail is? A final grade? Ok, you overdid the calories this morning, but the day just doesn't quit now. So how can you determine that you've failed when you're not at the end???
Eliminate all those negative phrases from your vocabulary - your post is thick with them. "I had good intentions" and "I failed" and "sabotage" and "salvageable" and "I don't know".
Plan out the rest of your day now. What will you eat this afternoon. What will you eat for dinner. What will you eat for a snack after dinner? How many calories will you consume the rest of the day?
Instead of "I don't know what I'm going to do" you say "Ok, for dinner I'm going to have X and it's healthy and filling." Instead of "I had good intentions" say "I'm really hungry today so what can I snack on that will fill me up and still be healthy?" Instead of "the worst is after 4p.m." say "I know I'll have the munchies this afternoon, so what do I have in the house that will be healthy and yummy."
Pop some popcorn. Plan to eat an apple. Think about dinner - can you have a big salad? Or a huge bowl of veggies?
Plan, plan, plan, plan. And stop thinking in terms of failure and sabotage. This is your life - no one fails at life.
Hey! Tell us a bit more about your plan. Are you calorie counting? If so, what is your daily calorie target? I'm asking because it could be that you're undereating... and that's why you feel so hungry.
I have had days where, through poor planning, I ate more at lunch than I intended, which left me short for the rest of the day. I used strategies like choosing the lowest calorie foods I could find to fill up on for supper. Lots of vegetables, for instance, with some grilled chicken breast, no skin. I still went over for the day, but I did better than if I had just tossed in the towel.
We divide our lives into artificial segments. It is easy to break up calories into "days worth" but it is not necessary.
I keep watching normal weight folks. They have some high calorie days, and generally follow them with lower calorie days. (Or precede them.) How often have we heard our normal weight friends say things like "I'm going out to dinner so I want a really light lunch." (Or "last night I had cake, so I'm watching it today.")
You ate more than usual this morning. Don't feel as though the day is gone, just move forward. The most important thing is that you are becoming more aware of what you eat.
The best thing about dieting is that you can start over anytime. Don't stress because you ate too many calories. Continue the day as if that did not happen and have the low calorie meal for dinner that you had planned .....you do plan your meals. don't you ?
Most important do not beat yourself up over one day of bingeing, it happens.
Here it is. 12:50 p.m. I have already consumed my calories for the day. My daughter is home from school, which threw me off my regular gig. I started with good intentions, but was hungrier than normal, so I had a larger breakfast. Then at 11 I was hungry, and thought, early lunch, but the day is still salvagable. Then at noon, I ate again. And in between I've had a nibble of this, nibble of that. Now I have all day left, and the worst is after 4 p.m. for me. I so don't want to sabotoge myself for another day, but I don't know how not to.
I'd say lots of water and maybe soup for dinner? Or get a really good workout in and burn the extra calories so you can eat a regular dinner....The day is not shot! Good Luck.
I'd say: don't consider your day as a "failure", go on with normal meals, don't try to "make up for it" or whatever (as others have said, if you restrict, it'll be harder to not binge later on). Probably a good plan would be to simply pick lighter alternatives in terms of calories: if you had planned meat, maybe you can cook fish instead, etc. What matters most is the overall balance, for instance on the whole week and not on a day by day basis (I find that a week is a good measure, at least in my own case).
I used to think in terms of "failed days", but every time, it just made me feel worse, and made me feel like binging. Now I just do the "I plan on having dinner out with friends, so I'll have a light lunch to compensate for it", but I don't try to not eat anything, or eat things that really don't appeal to me. Feelings of guilt can really undo our efforts on a wider scale than just one or two days.
Everyone here has really good suggestions! And you didn't fail because you realized a behavior that you might want to work on next time! Like everyone said, don't punish yourself for eating early on in the day. Just proceed normally and everything should work out...the road to weight loss is long and not perfect. Just don't put yourself in reverse by beating yourself up! Move on!!!
When I eat more than I should, I start right then and there to do better. I don't wait til the next day. I also try to take a walk or get on the exercise bike. Turn the negative into a positive but don't give up!
How do you recover when fail before noon?
That's what I do when I over indulge too early in the day. Seriously, don't think that trying to go the rest of the day without eating is the answer. You'll binge by 8:00pm. Pick a number...and that is your limit for the rest of the day. Make sure you and DD go for a long walk and chat, or go shopping, (avoiding the foot court). If anything go to the grocery store and buy a jar of salsa and some summer squash...slice thin and dip into salsa for snacky food. You have not blown this day...
