Do any of you "bank" your calories?

fitchlets

I try to bank calories throughout the week between eating in a larger deficit and exercise calories so I can treat myself on Saturday. Seems to be a good balance for me, anyone else?

myheartsabattleground

It really depends on my schedule, and how many doctors appointments mom and I have during the week.

ASKyle

Yes. I maintain my weight this way, with the exception that I don't log exercise.

shadow2soul

I balance my calories by the week too. It definitely makes parties, holidays, and other things easier to plan for.

shadowfax_c11

No not really. But I sometimes do eat at maintenance or a smaller deficit on my day off if I am really hungry and not active enough to earn the extra calories. During the week I pretty much eat all of my calories.

yeahfatty

I will sometimes log a full drink & not drink the entire thing that day. That way I can enjoy the rest the next day "calorie free". (:

fitchlets

shadow2soul wrote: »

I balance my calories by the week too. It definitely makes parties, holidays, and other things easier to plan for.

YES! I feel like every weekend there is something going on so if I workout really hard and bank my calories I don't have to stress about treating myself. Are you consistently losing this way?

FairyDandy

Yeah, I like to work to a weekly deficit rather than a daily one as I have much more structure and routine during the week and like to have a few glasses of wine at the weekend.

GothyFaery

I do this however, be careful to ensure you are getting enough food during the week. I had one instance where a big food day was coming right before a beach vacation so I tried to bank as many calories as I could. I did extra workouts, ate smaller meals, and cut out all of my snacks. I was netting about 800-900 calories a day and I ended up making myself sick.

I still do bank some calories for the weekend but I try to make sure my net is at least 1200 (normally 1400) a day. Even with that, I can still over eat by a few hundred calories on Saturday and Sunday and be just fine.

KeairaSedai

I do balance things out over the week.. if I know I have a party or eating out coming up, I will prepare in advance.. or remember to make up after. But I agree with GothyFaery, never too low. I rather earn extra by exercise, than eating too little.

1200 is my minimum, net 1000 at least, but never more than two days in a row so low.

tibby531

that's the name of my game. I either do 2000 Sun-Thurs/4000 Fri-Sat, or 2100 and 3750, depending on how the weekend goes. the way I see it, I can either have one candy bar or drink a day... or I can have ALL the candies/drinks on the weekend.

chriskangell

No, but I think banking calories for the weekend is a reasonable thing to do. Instead, I tend to go on monster bike rides on Sat & Sun and eat some calories back the same day. I'm going on a big bike ride in a moment, actually, and I'll eat 300-400 calories extra tonight because of it! Otherwise, it's definitely day to day for me, pretty much without exception.

lindseyyjoee

I do not bank calories - I make sure that I am eating enough when I am hungry and workout daily. If I were to "bank" calories, I would probably not be very successful. The weight I lose throughout the week would come back every weekend. I just use moderation throughout the week and over the weekends... Just do what works for you

auddii

Yup; I save 200 calories per day, and on Saturday I log an exercise of "Saturday calories" with the extra 1400.

jcook197

I count mine. .

_lyndseybrooke_

I used to do that. I guess I still sort of do. Now I just have different macro goals on weekdays than weekends and it all averages out to the final macro averages that I set for myself.

I eat about 2100 calories M-F (250c/65f/130p) and 2250 Sat-Sun (280c/75f/115p). It averages out to 2150 calories (260c/68f/125p). 2150 calories per day is my maintenance. I did something similar while cutting, but all the numbers were lower.

There was a time when I only tracked macros on weekdays and just tracked calories on weekends, so I ate 1850 calories M-F and 2200-2500 Sat-Sun, but I decided to follow IIFYM more closely and it's been good. I don't get nearly as many Oreos now, but I do eat out on Saturday night and get ice cream or fro-yo along with bigger breakfasts like my amazing protein waffles topped with chocolate chips and peanut butter. And, this way, I get to eat more during the week as well. Good stuff.

I also have one weekend a month when I do log, but I don't make any attempt to stay within my macros. I call them fat kid weekends, and they're awesome. There are just certain things that will never fit into your macros. I have ice cream every night and I'm far from a "clean eater," but I'm not going to a steakhouse and ordering off their light menu, nor am I going hungry the whole day to "make up" for the splurge at dinner. It's not cheating, it's living, and it hasn't derailed my progress yet.

Lexfierros

I pretty much know that if I count my calories during the day that the accuracy for my loss of weight or maintenance is pretty accurate...but where I run into problems is banking calories or counting on exercise calories for that occasional or weekly splurge.....since everyone's body is different It might work for you but a 300 calorie workout just might be in reality a 150 calorie workout....(naturally depending on your age, health and fitness) I find that I just stick to my daily calories, adjust during the day, for a larger meal in the evening...and not really bank or try to count exercise calories.....truth is using my fitness pal is a great gauge for me...I have lost more weight on this app than WW or anything else....for me the adage diet and exercise really doesn't cut it...diet above all else works....exercise? keeps me physically healthy but the extra calories that you think you earn from it is kind of a trap....so I don't count em, or use em....

WinoGelato

I invariably have some event, special day, or even a weekend of indulgence that I know I'm going to encounter from week to week. The App gives you the option to look at a weekly report (although the math has been kind of off lately) so it's not a big deal to make sure you are under or at gaol for the week.

I usually try to finish 100-200 cals under goal each day when I'm taking this approach but my calorie goal is ~1700 so I have room.

Kimegatron

I don't know if I could... I have very little willpower I never thought about it, either.

kshama2001

I'd be hungry during the week if I banked for the weekend so what I do instead to get extra calories is exercise more on those days.

Kalikel

I used to, but don't now. Now, I eat to my hunger. If I overeat one day, I may undereat another. I'm just beginning this and don't know how it's going to work out, though.

Unknown

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tannibal_lecter

No, I eat my exercise calories after I exercise because that's when my body needs the extra nutrients(or I will eat a portion of those calories as carbs before my workout since I have a really good idea what 50% of my workout calories will be).

Eating those calories when you aren't exercising is kinda counter to the process in my opinion. But to each their own.

Owlie45

Not unless I'm going out for dinner the next night. Otherwise if I have more than 250 left I have a snack and let the rest go.

arditarose

Yes. Especially in maintenance. I find that in a deficit I can get a little crazy with it so I have to watch myself and try not to save for a 2,500 calorie day when really I should save for something closer to maintenance. I don't do cardio so unfortunately don't have exercise calories to bank.

ahoy_m8

Yes! I bank a glass of wine every weekday & drink them all on weekends.

atypicalsmith

Who says calories have to be counted on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis? Of course it's easier to count daily, so why not eat under your calories during the week so that you can eat more on your Saturday night date? As long as you're losing weight, all is well.

fitchlets

atypicalsmith wrote: »

Who says calories have to be counted on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis? Of course it's easier to count daily, so why not eat under your calories during the week so that you can eat more on your Saturday night date? As long as you're losing weight, all is well.

Yes!!!! Thanks

shadow2soul

fitchlets wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

I balance my calories by the week too. It definitely makes parties, holidays, and other things easier to plan for.

YES! I feel like every weekend there is something going on so if I workout really hard and bank my calories I don't have to stress about treating myself. Are you consistently losing this way?

My average weight loss is what I would expect with my average intake. Hormones, sodium and such cause scale weight to fluctuate, so I focus more on what averages of 4+ weeks show.
I was able to get through the holidays last year and still lose weight.
If my average intake gets close to 2200, I lose about 0.6 lbs per week on average.
If my average intake is in the 1800 - 2000 calorie range, I lose about 1 - 1.3 lbs per week on average.
I guess you could consider it consistent in that it always comes out to what I should expect based on my deficit. My deficit isn't always consistent though (it changes based on what I find manageable any particular month).

I don't necessarily save all my exercise calories (that would be a lot, since I use adjustments from an activity tracker instead of logged exercise), but I will some days be under by 200 - 300 calories so that I can have a day or two that's at maintenance or slightly higher and still be at my desired deficit for the week. I've tried sticking to the same amount everyday, but it doesn't work that well for me since some days I'm ravenous and others not so much. My intake never gets very low though unless I'm sick.

I_Will_End_You

Banking calories is how I've been maintaining my weight for the past couple of years. Deficit during the week, surplus on the weekends. It all balances out in the end.

KarenJanine

Yep. I have more structured meals during the week when I'm at work and packing my own lunches. Then at weekends I have a higher calorie allowance, nearer maintenance, so I can enjoy takeout, celebratory meals, etc. without impacting on losses.