so, yesterday, i went over my calories a whole bunch. can anyone say - chocolate fondue!?
so today, i decided to skimp on my calories, so between yesterday and today - if divided - would equal 1400/day.

is that right? or should i never try to "make up" for the mistakes of the day before?

I would just be careful - in the past binging and then restricting had the potential to set me off into a nasty spiral. The binging and the guilt would make me restrict, then I would restrict so much it would make me binge...repeat. I don't see anything wrong with MODERATELY making up the different on the day before or after a big calorie event (like I'll choose to go with my lowest calorie breakfast option if I know I'm having dinner/dessert that night).

The BEST thing to do (in my opinion) is analyze what happened and how you can cope better in a similar situation in the future (didn't have a snack handy, succumbed to group eating etc), forgive yourself, get right back to your healthy eating plan your next meal opportunity. Face it - life is messy and unplanned and you are probably going to eat food you didn't want/didn't plan many many times over the course of your maintenance life. Getting over it and getting back on track is one of the best lessons you can figure out!

Hey! So on another thread you were talking about how you can't seem to eat as much as you're supposed to, and now you've gone overboard. Hmm Could there be a pattern here?

I don't think it's good to get into the habit of overeating a lot one day and then not eating the next to make up for it. This is a binge/starve cycle, and it's very hard on the body.

In my opinion, one can't "make up" for what they eat one day on the next day, either by cutting food or exercising like a maniac. I think it's best to stay with a middle path--eating what you are supposed to eat, and as much as you are supposed to eat, and trying to stay with that.

Good luck!
Jay

So long as it doesn't become part of a continuing cycle, there is nothing wrong with having a bad day and making up for it once in a while. Nobody is going to be perfectly "on" every day . . . hey, if any of us were that perfect, we probably wouldn't need to be here in the first place.

Bad days happen. It's a fact of life. No one's perfect. But trying to skimp too much the next day too make up for it can really set you up to do it again.

If I have a bad day once, I just try to have a better day the next day, to reinforce the good habits I'm trying to create. Dieting isn't about punishing yourself for your mistakes - it's about creating a healthier body.

It really depends on how much of a binge/starve cycle you are creating for yourself.

For instance, if you aim for 1400 calories a day, and you went over today and ate 1600, I don't think it would be a bad thing if you made up for that by eating 1200 tomorrow. You are still eating in a decent calorie range on both days.

However, if you are aiming for 1400 calories a day, and today you ate 2000-please don't try to eat only 800 calories tomorrow to average it out. It isn't enough food to get you through the day, and you are only going to be setting yourself up for a possible binge in a day or two.

I agree with everyone. Minor ups a down--100 calories high today, a 100 calories low tomorrow are fine. But big swings in your calories are likely to have detrimental effect on your weight loss. If your calories are too low, your body stops burning fat and starts storing it. Then, when you start to eat again, everything you eat gets stored as fat. So if your calories are really high one day, and then you cut them in half the next day, your body could think you are fasting and start storing fat.

If you want to make up for an excess like that, I think you are better off spreading it out over several days. For example, if your calories today are high by 500, reduce your calories by 100 for the next five days, rather than trying to make up all 500 calories in one day.

I have to say though, that, I rarely bother to try to make up excesses like this. If I have a day where my calories are high, I just put it behind me and get back on plan at my regular calorie level.