Do you have a refuel day?

sophzhr

My daily calorie amount is around 1550, and I don't eat back my exercise calories (but I don't worry if I go over by some calories, although I try and avoid it). I've been going strong for about a week, and I thought I should have a "refuel" day - nothing bad, all healthy food but I ate around 2100 calories (I worked out, so my net was probably around 1900...), but I couldn't shake the feeling of having slowed my progress or "messed up".
Does anyone else have a day when you eat at maintenance? Or is it a bad idea?

AllonsYtotheTardis

The entire time I was losing, I had 1 day a week where I would eat at maintenance. It was good for my mental health, and made this process a little easier.

It did not slow my progress.

ana3067

No. But I also eat 2200 calories and have never netted below 1800 calories. I also smartly ate back my exercise calories for the short time I did NEAT method. I have taken diet breaks for weeks at a time as desired.

what you eat has no effect on weight loss, btw. Just how many calories. YOu can eat as much "bad" food as you want.

Liftng4Lis

Log it and move on. Incidentally, it doesn't matter "what" you it, its how much you eat.

sophzhr

Thanks for the answers

ana3067 wrote: »

No. But I also eat 2200 calories and have never netted below 1800 calories. I also smartly ate back my exercise calories for the short time I did NEAT method. I have taken diet breaks for weeks at a time as desired.

what you eat has no effect on weight loss, btw. Just how many calories. YOu can eat as much "bad" food as you want.

That makes sense - one of the reasons for me sticking to 1500 and not deliberately eating back exercise calories is because when I was eating 1800 calories a day, I found that I was more tempted to binge I have no idea why though. Also, since I do have emotional eating issues, the extra calories I 'save' means that if I do have a bad day, I can move on much more easily.

I'm glad that others have higher calorie days too though - it means I can forget about it now without worrying more

lemurcat12

AllonsYtotheTardis wrote: »

The entire time I was losing, I had 1 day a week where I would eat at maintenance. It was good for my mental health, and made this process a little easier.

It did not slow my progress.

I did this regularly early on when I was eating lower calories and did not have a lot of exercise yet. I later incorporated it by covering it with my exercise calories, but having one day where I ate more (not crazy, just like maintenance) helped me a lot at first, although later I preferred eating the same most days and just raising my calories overall.

I'd think of it as a weekly deficit if that helps you.

Khukhullatus

sophzhr wrote: »

My daily calorie amount is around 1550, and I don't eat back my exercise calories (but I don't worry if I go over by some calories, although I try and avoid it). I've been going strong for about a week, and I thought I should have a "refuel" day - nothing bad, all healthy food but I ate around 2100 calories (I worked out, so my net was probably around 1900...), but I couldn't shake the feeling of having slowed my progress or "messed up".
Does anyone else have a day when you eat at maintenance? Or is it a bad idea?

OK, so by definition eating extra calories is going to slow your weight loss, but you are talking about 550 calories once a week, so it will slow your weight loss by a pound about every six weeks. If it makes you feel better to relax a bit once a week, I say go for it.

SergeantSausage

I tend to do an extra 500-600-ish calories of re-feed the day before and often the day after a long run day (anything into double-digit: 10-miler or more). Those will almost always be high-carb and/or "sugary" foods... I kinda need it after depleting stores and emptying the glycogen tanks.

Hasn't hindered my losses at all. I'm doing fine and even quite a bit ahead of schedule.

obscuremusicreference

I'm doing one today because I'm struggling to break my running time and I'm actually able to do fewer pushups in a row than I was a few weeks ago. But do I understand you correctly and you need to do one after a week? Maybe you should start eating some of those exercise calories back.

BWBTrish

I dont really have re-fuel days.
Sometimes when i work out more or harder i need to eat some more and so i do. Just to keep the body going.
My weight loss (1.5 a week) is steady all the way for 4.5 months now

But this last week i went from Wednesday till yesterday away. Had a birthday etc etc
So i ate more to fuel the sudden life style change from desk job ( sedentary) to more active.
Added a couple hundred a day...and lol lost 4 pounds in only half a week.

Crazy...but yes when i am more active i dont re-fuel...but i fuel more because i think my body needs more nutrition's for those days.

shadexer

If you're talking about cheat meal yes! I always make it 1time a week my last cheat meal was in a chinese restaurant and its so good and delicious.also on the next day i had so much energy from these carbs from the reis and so it was insane..

MysticRealm

I eat less during the week so I can eat more on the weekend, but not for any kind of 'refuel'. I just know that I'm more likely to eat out or such on the weekend so like to save cals for that. I try to stay under my weekly calorie goal rather than a daily one. A 2300-2600 calorie day on the weekend is not unusual for me.

sophzhr

obscuremusicreference wrote: »

I'm doing one today because I'm struggling to break my running time and I'm actually able to do fewer pushups in a row than I was a few weeks ago. But do I understand you correctly and you need to do one after a week? Maybe you should start eating some of those exercise calories back.

Yes, it is after one week, but it's for mental purposes rather than physical. I get emotional eating urges, and could feel them coming yesterday, and today I was very hungry. Luckily my strength doesn't seem to be suffering, but it's early days yet

sophzhr

shadexer wrote: »

If you're talking about cheat meal yes! I always make it 1time a week my last cheat meal was in a chinese restaurant and its so good and delicious.also on the next day i had so much energy from these carbs from the reis and so it was insane..

Haha it sounds like it was amazing Makes me wish I'd used my calories on something so delicious-sounding