Making up for overeating?

I don't know what you do since I am not into calories. I just don't eat carbohydrates.

If I've over done it on carbs, I just go as low as I can on carbs for a couple of weeks, which seems to work.

edan said:

What should you do if you are on a reduced calorie diet, and fall off the plan and overeat? I don't know why but I probably had over 2000 calories by lunch after a stressful morning. I had been doing well with a reduced calorie diet and losing a few stone.

Should you just not eat the rest of the day and have a few lower calorie days than usual to make up for it and average it out or something?

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Depends on why you're on a reduced calorie diet. If it is not a critical health matter, just log it (if you're logging),eat within limits (excluding the extra calories) for the rest of the day and move on with life. If your weight maintenance calories are 1800/day, and you eat a reasonable supper (500 calories or so), you'll only be over maintenance by 1/5 of a pound. No big deal. You have to eat 3600 extra calories to pack on a pound.

If limited calories are immediately critical to your health, figure out your calorie quota for the week and "absorb" the calories by shorting each of the next 6 days by 300 calories or so.

Just don't punish yourself for this morning's excesses by depriving yourself enough that you feel as if yo need to reward yourself with another day of overeating.

Generally, though, I'm with japes. What matters for me from a diabetic standpoint is wehther I went over on carbs. I watch those like a hawk - and am pretty forgiving about an occasional day of excess calories.

Personally, I wouldn't do anything too drastic or there's the possibility of setting up a yo-yo of over then under eating.

Draw a line on the episode and get back to your plan. Stuff happens and flogging yourself isn't the answer, in my view.

Its a blip on the radar. Sometimes a high calorie day can actually shock your body into letting go of a pound or two. Just finish your day as usual and carry on with your regular diet tomorrow. You can't actually do much damage calorie wise in one day as long as it doesn't turn into a week. Carbs is a different story.

I agree with chalup. A shock day is sometimes a good thing but as a diabetic I don't think shocking it with carbs is a good thing. I like to shock it with a big burger. Once a month or so I need a higher calorie meal to feel good but never higher carbs.

It is a blip, done, over, gone. Move forward

I have read other evidence that this works. Personally I have done that for over two years on a weekly basis and my blood levels were 8.3 when diagnosed and are now 4.7. I have a Chinese meal and ice cream and eat low carb for the rest of the week.

I think the most important thing is to avoid 'catastrophic thinking' (you know, the kind of mindset where you eat more than usual, think 'sod it, I might as well have a bit more...' and then find yourself sabotaging).

So I would just draw a line through the event and carry on as usual.

Presumably, the goal is weight loss, rather than weightloss to a specific target in a set amount of time, so you are going to continue until you hit your goal, whether that takes a day or two extra, so just keep plugging away.

Oh, and one more thing - don't get too attached to the idea that 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat.
That has actually been comprehensively debunked, with attendant studies (I can provide references if anyone wants them, but it is discussed in detail by Jason Fung on his blog, and Zoe Harcombe recently gave a great presentation on the subject at a diabetes conference). The reality is MUCH more complex, and our bodies are very sophisticated at adjusting our basal metabolic rates depending on intake and situation.

I have put on loads of weight because of diets as I used to say monday I starting my diet so would eat as if I was never going to eat again then Monday came and everything good for a couple of days then I fall of the wagon and I used to think broken now so will have what I want now then start again tomorrow but more times than not tomorrow never happened.
Now I follow the advice from most people on here pick yourself up tell yourself its happened get over it and get straight back on the wagon and carry on with the good way of eating believe me this definately works.