Remind me that one bad meal isn't the end of the world?
Can you lovely people please remind me that having eaten way too much Ethiopian food tonight isn't the end of the world? I've been doing really well on counting calories for the last month or so, and my GoWear Fit tells me that I've been sticking to about a 1000 daily calorie deficit.
That said, tonight I went out with coworkers for Ethiopian food. Ethiopian food is DELICIOUS, and we had the veggie platter which involves lots of different dishes that come served on delicious spongy bread (injera). I ate a lot - enough to feel bloated and uncomfortable - and I have no idea what the calorie content of the meal was. I'm going to estimate at about 1000 to 1200 - I don't *think* it would have been more that, but there's a lot of oil in the food and there was a lot of bread. I think I'll end up having eaten maintenance calories today - no deficit, but *probably* still burning enough to make up for all that I've eaten. I hope, anyway.
So basically - can you just remind me that this isn't the end of the world? I feel anxious about the fact that the scale will probably show a 2 or 3 pound gain tomorrow, I'm concerned that I won't lose weight this week (even though, logically, I haven't eaten enough to gain anything), and I feel physically uncomfortable from having eaten too much. I know intellectually that eating at or above maintenance occasionally can be helpful and I know one huge meal isn't going to completely ruin everything, but sometimes it's helpful to hear that from other people and have it reinforced!
Last edited by m4mitchell; 04-17-2012 at 11:53 PM.
As long as you don't make a habit of it, I say enjoy your treat that you had! I have always wanted to try Ethiopian food, there is actually an E Restaurant in New Orleans... but anyway... if it caused you to gain weight it is most likely water weight anyway! Back on the wagon tomorrow and you'll be fine!
I guess I'm having a hard time categorizing it as a treat! I keep viewing it more as a slip-up and not knowing if I ate over maintenance or not today stresses me out. Argh.
Maybe I should just not weigh myself tomorrow so I can avoid the worst of the numbers.
Yeah, no scale for the next couple days is an excellent plan. I was tempted to go home and start bingeing - once fallen off the wagon for the day, why not continue, right? - but I'm not going to.
You know that the only way to fail is to give up. One day of overeating (heck even a month of constant overeating - even enough to gain many pounds) isn't failure. Failure is deciding to quit because you think you're destined for failure.
The art of "moving on" is extremely important to weight loss success. When you obsess and see every imperfect choice as a disaster (or at least as a spectacular failure) you make dieting/weight loss efforts a constant misery. And no one wants to be miserable, so "giving up" sometimes seems less painful than continuing on.
But continuing on is the only true success. Realizing that one day of overeating (or a dozen) or one pound gained (or a dozen) doesn't matter in the long run. What matters is picking yourself up as soon as you can, and continuing on. And the quicker you pick yourself up, the less "backtracking" you have to do, but even if you do find yourself backsliding (gaining) even that doesn't matter in the scheme of things. Getting back on plan is all that matters, forever.
We act as though weight management is a pass/fail course, and it isn't. Just like most things in life there are endless shades of gray and success isn't absolute. You do the best as you can, for as long as you are able, and when you make mistakes you get back to doing the best you can for as long as you are able.
It's become a socially-entrenched tradition to see weight loss mistakes and/or imperfect choices as a portend of doom. A sign that we're "not ready" to lose the weight, and we might as well give up and at least get to eat what we want (until we do regain the weight and then we start on the endless yoyo dieting rollercoaster).
Only by breaking "tradition" can any of us succeed. Most of us won't make perfect choices forever, so we have to learn to "get back to business" as soon as possible.
What I find incredibly sad is that most people don't quit weight loss attempts because of failure, but because they see failure in their success because the success doesn't come in the form (or at the speed) they were expecting. We believe that a mistake or even an intentional indulgence "means" more than it does. It doesn't mean anything in the long run, because mistakes and even intentional detours can't derail us unless we give up.
Ethiopian food is incredible. I love it. (I cook it, too.) The trouble is that it calls for the lavish use of spiced, clarified butter. Delicious. I think I did the math once and found that one 12" round of injera is somewhere around 100 or 150 calories.
No matter. One extravagant meal won't do you in. Even if you ate your maintenance calories for today (or even went over them a little), no harm is done and it will all even out in the end.
I always feel so stuffed after Ethiopian food. On, once it comes to the table no one can help but scarf a bit of every single thing and no one talks. Then we go back to our favorites again and again, then eat the flavor-soaked injera. And the injera is spongy so i always imagine it swelling up like a sponge in my belly.
Totally worth a splurge that is just a blip on the radar screen.
Sorry to be a party pooper but the reason your here is because of your bad eating habits so im not going to say its ok. Its not,you joined this site 3 years ago,hardly ever post yet are asking people to justify your mistakes?
Wake up.
That wasn't particularly helpful, Brummy! I wasn't asking for people to justify my decisions or to encourage my behavior, I was looking for emotional support to avoid freaking out and ending up binging. Every other poster was helpful, so thank you.
This is a support site and people can come and go as they need to. They don't need to follow a specific schedule for posting frequency in order to "deserve" support.
M4mitchell, I did the same thing for 2 days in a row, both on Easter as well as the day after because I hate wasting food. I ate so much more than usual because of all the leftovers around the house, I probably went 1000 calories over my budget both days. Then I buckled down, avoided the scale, went back on plan, and a week later I just lost a pound. Do not fret over one meal. In the whole scheme of the length of your life one meal off plan is hardly a blip on the radar.
I don't even consider it a bad thing, just a normal part of life and being human.
Whenever I go to a restaurant I eat WAY over my calorie budget, and it hasn't stopped me from losing 50 pounds last year and maintaining my loss. I've come to accept that restaurant dining, especially gourmet or exotic fare, is something I enjoy too much to skimp on.
As long as you're back on track the next day it's NOTHING to worry or beat yourself up about.
Remind me that one bad meal isn't the end of the world?
