What's with this guilt?!

  • Okay... let me start this by asking you not to think I'm completely crazy.

    I'm a calorie counter. I'm not obsessive, exactly... but it's pretty important to me to be able to approximate my calories day-to-day.

    I had a very healthy day and stuck to around 300 for breakfast and like 350 for lunch. Then dinner came around and my boyfriend and I decided to get sushi. We got the miso soup and the salad as appetizers. I ordered the same spicy tuna roll I always do, but this time they brought it to me deep fried?! I'm not the type to complain, so I just ate it. Then boyfriend wanted Coldstone. No big deal, I got a small, sinless sweet cream. It was like 140 cals, so pretty reasonable for ice cream.

    Now I'm home, and counting up my calories for the day, and even though I only went over my normal by like 50ish cals I'm still feeling really guilty... like I totally screwed the pooch today. hah

    Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? Am I crazy?!
  • Sushi is one of things that I never feel guilty about indulging! I LOVE LOVE sushi!!!

    Don't worry about it. Tomorrow just eat 50 cals less and it will all even out

    When I feel guilty about it is when I eat 1000+ over my goal for the day.... I try not to feel that way, but sometimes I can't help it.
  • Don't worry about it. You did great and remember, calorie counting is always estimations. A sushi roll is never the same amount of calories for each roll. Each apple is not the exact same and so on. With knowing that, you can maybe relax knowing that 50 calories is within the margin of error anyway.
  • Someone wise here on the forum once wrote: "food is nutrition, not emotion" and that is something I take to heart when those creepy guilty feelings arise. You didn't do so badly....but I think what is coming into play is the notion that you had no choice. You planned to have X and got Z instead by someone else's mistake, then to top it off you indulged (even tho just so slightly) in ice cream which, again, wasn't your choice and you probably wouldn't have had it at all if it wasn't someone else's idea. Would you have felt better if you said no to Coldstone? Would you have felt better if you went and didn't have any? It was too late by then for the fried sushi.....so what is done is done, no, you're not alone in your thinking cuz we've all felt that way at times....but it isn't as if you bought and ate an entire Entenmann's after a hefty dinner....so its all okay.
  • I totally get where you are coming from!!!! people think I'm insane because I'm so obsessive with calorie counting! Today me and my bf went to Cici's and I ate 2 slices of pizza,water, and some pasta,and then got a smoothie for dessert and I can't stop thinking about it!!!! I think I'm gonna do like 2 hours of Tae-bo NO JOKE!!! It's just I feel like if I mess up a little I will lose control and just go back to eating again...my OCD is driving me crazy HA! If it bothers you that much just work out 15 minutes more than usual so those 50 calories will be burned.
  • Weight loss is about changing your lifestyle, not just for the time you're losing, but for the rest of your life. The fact is you're not going to be exactly on plan for the rest of your life, so when days like these happen you cannot let it get to you. I know you're feeling guilty, but sweety, 50 calories is nothing! You need to learn to loosen up and not be really controlling of your calorie counting, because that's a common symptom of how people end up cracking and gaining weight or under eating. Have an idea of what a good day is and just try and stick to it, but if you go over one rare day then it's not going to make you gain back 10 lbs.

    I wouldn't recommend reducing 50 calories tomorrow, because your body isn't that simple. Just forget about it and stay on plan tomorrow. Some trainers/nutritionists tend to say have a day where you eat a little more than usual to keep the body guessing. When I've been on plan all week then go out for a meal and eat something unhealthy sometimes I even lose weight the day after, as if my metabolism has sped up to compensate for the big meal. I think planning a cheat day can be unhealthy, but when cheat days come up by surprise they're not so bad as long as you still have control of your portions.

    So all in all, just relax, move forward and don't think you've failed. Calorie counting is useful but it's not the be all end all of weight loss, going over isn't going to erase all your hard work!
  • I wouldn't advise to eat 50 calories less tomorrow, but the choice is yours.

    Do you exercise?

    I always feel better about going a few calories over my daily amount if I have exercised and burned calories for the day.

    MyFitnessPal is great for calculating everything, if you don't already use it.
  • Quote: Someone wise here on the forum once wrote: "food is nutrition, not emotion" and that is something I take to heart when those creepy guilty feelings arise. You didn't do so badly....but I think what is coming into play is the notion that you had no choice. You planned to have X and got Z instead by someone else's mistake, then to top it off you indulged (even tho just so slightly) in ice cream which, again, wasn't your choice and you probably wouldn't have had it at all if it wasn't someone else's idea. Would you have felt better if you said no to Coldstone? Would you have felt better if you went and didn't have any? It was too late by then for the fried sushi.....so what is done is done, no, you're not alone in your thinking cuz we've all felt that way at times....but it isn't as if you bought and ate an entire Entenmann's after a hefty dinner....so its all okay.

    I really love this mantra! It's crazy I've never stopped to think about that before, but it makes perfect sense!

    I went to bed still feeling a little bad, but I woke up with my usual, "It's a new day" attitude. Then when I finally got on here, you guys made me feel even better. It's nice to read I'm not alone with my occasional weird guilt, and I'll definitely just lighten up about it.

    I knew it was a great idea to join one of these forums. You guys are awesome!