Do you make sure you eat back your leftover calories at night?

anewell28
anewell28 Posts: 79 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I was very active today and I still have 500 left, and I'm not hungry but I do enjoy eating lol what do you do in this situation?
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Replies

  • sgtx81
    sgtx81 Posts: 466 Member
    You look like you're in pretty good shape. I have a way to go on that myself, so for now coming in under my calorie goal without being hungry I just leave well enough alone and let those calories go.
  • sgtx81
    sgtx81 Posts: 466 Member
    And I just realized I was in the maintaining weight forum... so yeah. Whoops.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    IDK....i'm tracking and weighing and I have lost only 15 pounds in 73 days. I am pretty active. I get a total of 15000 steps on average per day working at the hospital. Im an X ray tech.
    But my MFP is set to sedentary. Why?? Because I don't want to overestimate my calorie burn. Anyways. I allow myself about 1500 calories a day and my weight isn't moving. It's stuck between 169 and 172. I lost most of the weight the first few weeks.
    Anyways, I really don't want to lower my calories.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Save them for tomorrow if you're not hungry. I have a couple hundred calories left today, but I know that I'll be eating out for a couple of work-related events tomorrow, so I'm just going to save those calories. Just be sure that you do eat them...otherwise you could wind up back in a deficit.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    I generally have a lower appetite on heavy work out days so I just let any calories left roll over, just incorporating them into the rest of the week.
    I don't often have a low week. Everything manages to even out.

    Think of looking at your calories as a weekly allotment rather than daily. For some it can work really well. (I've been doing it for years.)

    Cheers, h.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    I would feel restricted if I felt compelled to balance the books on a daily basis and for me at least the feeling of being restricted isn't conducive to happy and successful long term weight maintenance.
    There's likely to be times when you are hungry (especially if you "enjoy eating") but don't have any calories left for the day.

    I just seek a balance over an extended period of time.
    Same applies to holidays/vacations, the period of time is even more extended. :smile:
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I would leave them for another day when you are more hungry and need them. Bound to be a meal out or an occasion when you will be glad of the extra. You might fancy a piece of cake or some cookies later in the week and have those spare calories to use still.
  • RachsLosses
    RachsLosses Posts: 103 Member
    I 'save' my workout calories if I'm not hungry as I will generally go over on a weekend so it's good to have something spare.
  • sapphiretyger
    sapphiretyger Posts: 79 Member
    WOW you guys are really smart! I usually use them that day, but other times, I just "forfeit" them completely. I never thought of saving them for another day.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I generally have a lower appetite on heavy work out days so I just let any calories left roll over, just incorporating them into the rest of the week.
    I don't often have a low week. Everything manages to even out.

    Think of looking at your calories as a weekly allotment rather than daily. For some it can work really well. (I've been doing it for years.)

    Cheers, h.

    Pretty much all of this. While I was losing, and still now that I'm in maintenance, I tend to eat a little lower calories during the week and save calories for more indulgent weekends. It all evens out on a weekly basis.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
    I rarely have much left over, but when I do I know that in a day or two I'll eat too much and it will balance out. I look at it as wanting long term balance, not just one day at a time.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    I definitely focus on finding a balance weekly or bi-weekly as opposed to focusing on the day. I had 750 calories when I went to bed last night. Today I'm more hungry so I will probably eat some of them. I want to go out for sushi this weekend so I'll eat some more. As long as my week or every two weeks balances I'm good with that.
  • TangledThread
    TangledThread Posts: 312 Member
    My hunger comes the day after. So on really active days where I don’t feel like eating I let them roll over. The next day I will want them all and more.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,300 Member
    karintalley wrote: »
    IDK....i'm tracking and weighing and I have lost only 15 pounds in 73 days. I am pretty active. I get a total of 15000 steps on average per day working at the hospital. Im an X ray tech.
    But my MFP is set to sedentary. Why?? Because I don't want to overestimate my calorie burn. Anyways. I allow myself about 1500 calories a day and my weight isn't moving. It's stuck between 169 and 172. I lost most of the weight the first few weeks.
    Anyways, I really don't want to lower my calories.
    I eat between 1500-1600/day. I ate less for a year & lost most of my wt & don't want to go lower. I set my cal to lose 1/2 a week but I got stuck too BUT 2 days ago wt loss started again after 2 months
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,300 Member
    If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just to eat
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    edited November 2017
    Evamutt wrote: »
    If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just to eat

    I always think this is a bit of a double edged sword. Sometimes lack of a hunger queue means one can easily not meet ones goal over time. This can be calories over, or under.

    Aiming for a weekly goals will cover that.

    Cheers, h.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited November 2017
    There are a lot of well-intentioned commenters here, but it's worth pointing out that this is the maintenance forum. OP wants to maintain their weight, not lose weight.

    If you are trying to lose weight, then yes, it's okay for many people to occasionally not eat all of their calories as long as they are still meeting the body's nutritional needs. But if you are trying to maintain your weight, then your average calories eaten need to match up with your average calories burned. Otherwise, you'll lose or gain weight. Many people in maintenance don't eat their exact calorie allotment every day, and instead "bank" calories for weekends. They approach their calorie goals from a weekly rather than daily perspective.

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