Effects of indulgence

Humph

Full Member
Hi, how quickly do you think having an indulgent moment would have an effect on your weight? (ie how quickly do you put on weight?)

For example, the last two nights for me have been seriously off plan. My partner whisked me off on Friday night for a meal out and I didn't hold back, and then last night I cooked a three course meal and whilst I did have the intention of sticking to SW recipes, I know quite a bit of fat crept in there. To top it off both nights were accompanied by a LOT of wine, and whilst I had been quite good in the week and had a few syns spare I certainly didn't have enough to compensate for two nights of over indulgence. So this morning, feeling somewhat guilty (but happy that I'd had a very nice treat) I stepped on the scales to brave how much my gain would be, but not only had I not even STS, but I'm actually on track for my weekly loss of 2lbs. I'm not complaining of course (!!), I'm just a little bit confused. My OH thinks that maybe it takes a while for the body to process all the bad things I ate so the gain won't show for a few days. Could this be true? Or have I actually just been really lucky?
 
How much you can get away with depends on a complex set of factors including how much you have already lost that week, how many calories you went off plan to eat, how much of that was fat etc etc.

What's true is that it affects weight loss less than people think. If you stick to the plan 95 per cent of the time and go off just every now and again (and go off plan in a reasonably sensible way - no eating four pizzas and two boxes of chocolates), you should still be okay. That's why Slimming World permit flexible syns.

That's not to say I recommend it - once you start it's very difficult to stop I've found! - but it really isn't the end of the world - I've done it a good few times and it generally doesn't stop me from showing a loss overall in the week if I get right back on plan 100% and try and get some speed foods in.

It's worth being in mind that you weigh slightly different in the morning than you do at night - slightly less in my experience - and of course your scales might be different to the ones your consultant uses etc etc. So don't forget the usual caveats on weighing at home too.

Listen, you've not broken the law, you were quite sensible in going off plan in that you didn't go completely mad and you're straight back on track. Don't worry about it. I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised by a small loss this week and straight back onto losing normally again next.
 
ive done the same, friday nite had a chicken kebab and a hand full of chips but last night had half a takeaway pizza with a handfull of chips and garlic bread but quite a bit to drink.. (wed gone to friends for a nite out) its the first time ive drunk since xmas and the first time ive gone off plan so badly.. which id planned to do but im determined to get back on track today.. and hopefully it wont show too badly on the scales, but by my own scales ive not put on but really unless im good the rest of the week i know i will so thats what im going to do.. ive got till thursday so ive got time to make up for it!! good luck im sure u will be fine x
 
Thanks guys, very encouraging. I'm definitely back on plan today and do see those two nights as a treat and not a step backwards.
 
I've had the same problem. Last night a bottle of cava, a bottle of wine, & 1 vodka. Chocolates & a banquet chinese. Another problem is I still have a bottle of cava & a box & half of chocolates. :s What I'm baring in mind is Valentine's Day is once a year & as long as I behave myself the majority of the time I'm allowed a few treats.
 
I went more off plan over Valentine's weekend (note, weekend, not day! lol!) than I did over Christmas and Birthday! How did that happen. Thing is, once it's done it's done and the best thing to do is get right back on with things and not worry too much about it. Do some exercise to help burn off the extra calories and have a few really good days on track. If you do show a gain this week, think of it as a minor blip and carry on. The general trend will be downwards!
I think we all have a little crazy eating session now and again.

On a more scientific slant, I did a bit of googling and reading about how long it actually takes the body to convert calories into fat. Apparently (I say that because you can't believe everything you read on the internet!) the food you eat gets digested, and it's during the digestive process that the body decides how much of the energy it gets from calories are needed for use in the muscles and what is surplus goes into your fat cells to be stored as energy for use at a later time (during times of calorie deprivation). Now, the fat actually fills up fat cells that already exist.
This explains why it is easy to gain weight if you've previously been fatter - the empty fat cells don't disappear but if you eat more calories than your body needs, they will fill up again.
Then, if your fat cells are 'full', that's when your body will make new fat cells.
However, although the empty fat cells (when you've lost weight) do stay in the body for a while (no idea how long) ready to be filled up again, they will die over time (like most cells) so if you sustain your weight loss/lower weight for longer, you've got more chance of staying thinner. That's because there are less fat cells there ready to be filled, but also because it's harder for the body to make new fat cells (although it will!)

I hope that makes sense. And don't forget, that might not be technically scientifically accurate *disclaimer*
 
One of the things I have learned aswell is how to try and eat like a slim person who doesn't ever have problems with their weight. I think when you are on a diet, when things like this crop up you tend to go mad and think, 'ok I may aswell eat this entire box of chocs now and get back on it tomorrow' but a slim person wouldn't do that, they would eat the chocolates gradually as part of their normal diet and I think this is the key to maintaining your weight rather than going through the binge/gain/lose cycle. I used to do this, be angelic then a special occasion would come up where I would eat as much and whatever I wanted thinking well come tomorrow I'll get back to being angelic again, now I don't do that, if I get a box of chocolates I don't think I have to eat them all to get them out of the way asap, I have learned to think, yes they're lovely but I have to eat them gradually so they don't affect my weight loss as eating them all at once isn't going to do me any good. I think this is only how you can learn to keep your weight under control long term
 
Thanks guys, really useful stuff to know. As it turns out I lost 1.5lbs this week, which I don't think is too bad considering. As for eating like a slim person, I got given some cheese for Valentines (it's more romantic than it sounds, honest) and this will be slowly incorporated into my HEXs.
 
For me I see the 'gain' almost immediately. But I don't really think I've put on x amounts of fat. I just think my body is holding whatever I have and it takes a few days of me being back on plan for it to even out.

I tend to overindulge every weekend, whether it be by drinking too much or having too much to eat (whether it be free food or syns) and I always feel it on the Monday - which is my wi in day. But because I (naughtily) weigh myself during the week I don't feel too bad.

I am thinking of changing my wi day though (I wi at home) as after a weekend of drinking or eating my saved syns I often feel heavier on the Monday. It's all in the mind I'm sure but I don't want to be put off at all, as I'm enjoying the plan, the choices I'm making and the weight loss - even if it is a little slow.
 
I am dreading weigh in on wed. Like you guys I went off plan and ate a massive curry, hubby made me breakfast in bed with croissants and pan du chocolate, had more on Sunday and there were loads of chocolate hearts as well as lots of alcohol...Not good at all!
 
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