Do you ever feel like you are constantly messing up on your diet?

[devotchkas]

How do you cope with these feelings? I feel like I am busting my ass only to find out I've been doing _______ wrong, all the time.

[sonti]

Yes, so I bit the bullet and got a plan from Kim. Sometimes we can't see things for ourselves correctly. Some can, some can't. Best to let a professional do their work!

[juliacheh]

What exactly do you mean by messing up?

I never feel guilty because I plan treats into my plan and allow for some "unclean" things pretty often. On the days when I want to eat out and relax, I'll do cardio and be more active in general - e.g., walk more. Even if I overeat by a couple of hundred calories and don't do cardio, it's not the end of the world. My physique won't be ruined. It takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound of fat.

Of course, I'm not in contest prep and don't have to be as strict as competitors, but so far everything has been working out well for me.

You were planning a bulk in September, right?

[devotchkas]

Yes, so I bit the bullet and got a plan from Kim. Sometimes we can't see things for ourselves correctly. Some can, some can't. Best to let a professional do their work!

I've had such bad experiences with trainers/people planning my diet for me I've been following a carb cycle and I've lost quite a bit of fat on it..but just found out today that weekly I'm about 41 carbs over It's just frustrating because I've been following this diet for about 10 weeks (I have 5 weeks left of it) and I feel like I've almost wasted my time now that I know I've been doing it 'wrong'. I also feel like I'm going to miss those extra 40 grams of carbs for the next 5 weeks because I haven't necessarily felt hungry but certainly not satisfied.

[devotchkas]

What exactly do you mean by messing up?

I never feel guilty because I plan treats into my plan and allow for some "unclean" things pretty often. On the days when I want to eat out and relax, I'll do cardio and be more active in general - e.g., walk more. Even if I overeat by a couple of hundred calories and don't do cardio, it's not the end of the world. My physique won't be ruined. It takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound of fat.

Of course, I'm not in contest prep and don't have to be as strict as competitors, but so far everything has been working out well for me.

You were planning a bulk in September, right?

Not necessarily a bulk, just a little over maintenance calories and I won't be carb cycling anymore.

[sonti]

I've had such bad experiences with trainers/people planning my diet for me I've been following a carb cycle and I've lost quite a bit of fat on it..but just found out today that weekly I'm about 41 carbs over It's just frustrating because I've been following this diet for about 10 weeks (I have 5 weeks left of it) and I feel like I've almost wasted my time now that I know I've been doing it 'wrong'. I also feel like I'm going to miss those extra 40 grams of carbs for the next 5 weeks because I haven't necessarily felt hungry but certainly not satisfied.

The problem with hiring professionals for nutrition is that there aren't really any regulations, so you can end up picking a bad apple. I'll vouch for Kim and so will many other girls here. Or, you can modify the one you have and pick up tomorrow. Feeling sad about it isn't going to change anything, so you just have to get back on the wagon and stick to it. The whole game of fitness is more of a mental thing than physical - anyone can count a carb or lift a dumbbell, but it takes a different kind of person to stick to it and not let the past get to them.

Hell, I used to be 5'5, 120lbs with a 6 pack. 9 months later after having my baby, I'm 136lbs with a jelly belly that looks like a bear clawed it. I still bust my ass in the gym - you can't let what happened yesterday stop you from doing the right thing tomorrow.

[juliacheh]

Not necessarily a bulk, just a little over maintenance calories and I won't be carb cycling anymore.

A bit over maintenance is a clean bulk.
IMO (I might be in the wrong here) too many people jump into carb cycling when there is no need to. It is a pretty advance dieting technique that should be used when the ordinary methods (calorie reduction) don't work that well anymore. It is used on contest prep to get to really low body fat levels. It might be a good idea for some people.
I know I would be miserable on this diet because I can't function on very low carbs.

[devotchkas]

The problem with hiring professionals for nutrition is that there aren't really any regulations, so you can end up picking a bad apple. I'll vouch for Kim and so will many other girls here. Or, you can modify the one you have and pick up tomorrow. Feeling sad about it isn't going to change anything, so you just have to get back on the wagon and stick to it. The whole game of fitness is more of a mental thing than physical - anyone can count a carb or lift a dumbbell, but it takes a different kind of person to stick to it and not let the past get to them.

Hell, I used to be 5'5, 120lbs with a 6 pack. 9 months later after having my baby, I'm 136lbs with a jelly belly that looks like a bear clawed it. I still bust my ass in the gym - you can't let what happened yesterday stop you from doing the right thing tomorrow.

I plan on following the correct diet now and something I really need to focus on getting rid of is the 'all or nothing' mentality. Thank you so much for this post, it definitely made me feel a lot better.

[devotchkas]

A bit over maintenance is a clean bulk.
IMO (I might be in the wrong here) too many people jump into carb cycling when there is no need to. It is a pretty advance dieting technique that should be used when the ordinary methods (calorie reduction) don't work that well anymore. It is used on contest prep to get to really low body fat levels. It might be a good idea for some people.
I know I would be miserable on this diet because I can't function on very low carbs.

Even my lowest carb days aren't that low. I've been eating about 121 grams on those days (but now that I've caught my error it will be about 100). That's still only twice per week Just because I have some mental issues with eating a lot of people on this site think I'll have a problem with bulking so I just wanted to verify that it won't be too drastic of one. I just don't feel a need to eat below maintenance when summer is over

[crouton]

If this was a misunderstanding in the plan you're following and you now know how to correct it, then correct it and move on. This is a lifestyle, not something temporary, and tweaking the diet and workout is going to be a fact of life. So many people are so different and there is no perfect plan anyway. So correct whatever mistake was made and move on toward your goal.

[andrerox80]

I've been following a carb cycle and I've lost quite a bit of fat on it..but just found out today that weekly I'm about 41 carbs over It's just frustrating because I've been following this diet for about 10 weeks (I have 5 weeks left of it) and I feel like I've almost wasted my time now that I know I've been doing it 'wrong'. I also feel like I'm going to miss those extra 40 grams of carbs for the next 5 weeks because I haven't necessarily felt hungry but certainly not satisfied.

um, i don't see the problem. you said you've been losing fat, which is your goal. so who cares that you've been eating more carbs than you're "supposed" to? you're getting the results you want, and probably doing so feeling less deprived. that's a good thing. imo, you keep getting hung up on every little thing and make even the smallest of things into a huge ordeal. breathe a little.

[Jeanle]

um, i don't see the problem. you said you've been losing fat, which is your goal. so who cares that you've been eating more carbs than you're "supposed" to? you're getting the results you want, and probably doing so feeling less deprived. that's a good thing. imo, you keep getting hung up on every little thing and make even the smallest of things into a huge ordeal. breathe a little.

41 carbs over A WEEK? That sounds pretty good to me. It is a good thing that you realize you need to work on this.

Relax. If you are getting the results you want, you don't need to be as strict as you have been with carb cycling.

Good luck!

[KaraPhoto]

um, i don't see the problem. you said you've been losing fat, which is your goal. so who cares that you've been eating more carbs than you're "supposed" to? you're getting the results you want, and probably doing so feeling less deprived. that's a good thing. imo, you keep getting hung up on every little thing and make even the smallest of things into a huge ordeal. breathe a little.

Yup. I agree with this 100%.

Are you really going to freak out and scrap everything over 41 carbs? 41 carbs is NOTHING. It's 160 calories. A WEEK. That's 23 calories a day.

Honey .. get a grip. Seriously. You have a plan that's WORKING for you. Quit making everything into a crisis. It's obviously not.

[Amanda76]

I also don't see the problem. When I've discovered I can meet a goal without putting in the work I'm "supposed" to, I'm pretty stoked about that. Whether it's something like I don't need an entire week to finish a project at work or I don't have to do an hour of cardio a day to lean up, the fact that I manage time better or don't have to work as hard as other people must assume is nothing but awesome.

It's great that your nutrition plan gave you a base that worked. Isn't it great to know you don't have to be so nit-picky to make progress? THAT should be your realization. I do agree that being worried about 23 calories a day is totally silly, though. That doesn't even add up to a "pound" of calories a month.

[devotchkas]

Thanks for your help everyone! I know I'm being a bit silly, but it's definitely more of a mental thing than a physical one for me.