Okay, 6 years ago, I did the slimfast diet and lost 25lbs which I then weighed 135lbs, I had my second son, and things have been down hill since.... I now weigh 173 lbs, three years after the birth of my second son. I looked in the mirror and saw lots of well yuck, finally monday, I returned to slimfast. Back in the day, this online support system did not exist, so the menu and caloric planning makes life so much easier..... Anyways, here is the problem, I went to Wendy's tonight, and had my entire meal planned out there... it was a small chili with a baked potato which totaled my calories for today to 1490 calories, so i get to wendy's and no chili, so I ended up eating chicken nuggets and felt hungry 2 hours later... at that point I updated my calorie info and to my own disappointment I brought my caloric intake up to 3,380 calories, and now I am eating doritos (that is also added into the above calories) Now I am really upset with myself because I cheated... I am feeling a lot of guilt... I have worked so hard over the past week and I know this diet works because I did it before. What should I do? and how do I get over cheating??? I just feel yuck now.....
Hey girl! I just wanted to tell you, I've been through this too. I think lots of us have, so you aren't alone, ok? :) How many calories were you used to eating before you started your diet? Was it close to the 3,000 you had yesterday? If so, then it's probably too big a jump to go from that to 1,500. It's WAY easier if you step it down gradually. Start at 2,000 or maybe even 2,500 depending on what you're used to.... The big thing is just to go at a pace. A lot of times, we look in the mirror and feel "fat" so we try to go from where we are immediately to where we want to be. And that just isn't the best way to do it. You didn't gain that weight in a week; you didn't increase your calorie intake in a week.... Maybe your body just needs time to adjust to lower calorie intake levels, to keep you from feeling hungry. Even if you step it down 50 calories per day each week (like 2,000 per day this week; 1,950 per day next week, etc), that will help a LOT, and go a long way in helping your body to adjust. We all want a "quick fix" but I think if you're really interested in changing your lifestyle, then a few extra weeks will be worth the time and effort in the long-run :)
Also, just because you had a day where you ate more than you originally intended... That's nothing to beat yourself up over!! Something I've had to tell myself lately is "It's JUST food. It shouldn't have anything to do with my emotions." :) I think that equating what you eat with a feeling of happiness or sadness is what causes a lot of us to over-eat. Thinking "I'm good" for sticking to my diet or "I'm bad" for over-eating at snacktime isn't going to help in the long-run. It's better to try to think of it as "just food" and not let it determine how you feel about yourself. Acknowledge that you messed up... and forget about it :) It's a new day; and when your healthy days outnumber your junk-food days you still win :) And eventually, your junk-food days will become fewer and further between. It's a process, so just stick with it and don't get down on yourself :) Good luck!!