If you eat over your calories for the day, which do you do

2

Replies

  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    Were you over or under your maintenance level?

    This is what I go by. If I'm still under maintenance I don't really worry about it. If it's over I just make a mental note and try to make up for it over the rest of the week- maybe by not eating back exercise calories, or if I have a few calories left at the end of another day I will forego the after dinner treats I sometimes use those for.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    If I eat over my calories for a day, I say "Oops, that was naughty ;)" and make better choices the following day(s) :)
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I look at my weekly average vs. daily, although daily is important too... but when I do that I just say "Eh, whatever, I'm human" and I make up for the it the next day through proper nutrition and exercise.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I look at my weekly average vs. daily, although daily is important too... but when I do that I just say "Eh, whatever, I'm human" and I make up for the it the next day through proper nutrition and exercise.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    purplishblue wrote: »
    A ) Carry the extra calories over to the next day, so that both days end up averaging out to the caloric amount you eat

    B ) Say whatever, and just go back to eating at your caloric amount the next day

    I'm trying to figure out which I want to do. Yesterday I ate over, so I just added it into today's amount. Kinda sucks though cause now I'm hungry :P Maybe that will help deter me from going over though in the future.

    Depends on how I feel. Usually if I eat a lot one day, I am not as hungry the next so I eat under my calories. Occasionally I either ate too much to make up or I am still hungry so I just aim for each day's goal on that day. The one thing I try never to do is severely undereat one day because then I can get really hungry and am setting myself up for a late night binge. Better to aim for my daily target.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Depends on how far over it is.
    If I ate at maintenance level then I would just eat my regular calories the next day.
    If I went way over then I might spread the excess calories out over the whole week instead of shorting just one day or exercise more that week.
  • jamaica111
    jamaica111 Posts: 9 Member
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    jamaica111 wrote: »
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.

    I don't eat back my exercise calories because I can't be sure I burned the amount totted up on the App. Instead, I worked out my TDEE and subtracted 250 for a 0.5lb per week loss. This already accounts for my 4 work outs a week. I find it easier that way :)
  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
    I do option B. I find it works a lot better for my mental well-being to just take it one day at a time.
  • MrPriolos
    MrPriolos Posts: 17 Member
    I look at the week all the time. MFP has "Reports" then choose "Calories" as the report. Look at the week. This daily calorie count stuff stresses me out. Plus I "intermittent fast" throughout the week. daily counts would be "unhealthy" during those days anyway.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    jamaica111 wrote: »
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.

    If you are using the MFP method (NEAT + Exercise), then yes, eat back your exercise calories. Many people advocate eating 50-75% of their exercise calories back instead of 100% due to inaccuracies. I sometimes eat 100% back just cause I want to eat more.

    If you are following some other method, then it depends on the method.
  • LenGray
    LenGray Posts: 871 Member
    I personally go with B.

    I have my calories set to lose 2 pounds a week (1000 cals less than maintenance), so going over one or two days isn't going to derail my progress. Also, I strength train and swim a lot throughout the week and don't eat all of those calories back the majority of the time. All in all, it makes for a pretty nice calorie buffer for the days that I want something calorie-heavy.

    I would personally use going over as a learning experience. I can only remember one day in the last month that I went really over my calorie intake and I felt fussy and too full for the rest of the day. Then, the next day, I felt really bloated and slow. It was so miserable! But, now that I know what happens when I let myself eat too much, I'm better equipped to make good nutritional decisions in the future.
  • althea5883
    althea5883 Posts: 40 Member
    I let it go and make better choices the next day. I'm not going to beat myself up for having a double fudge ice cream sundae once in a while :D
  • mlaccs
    mlaccs Posts: 25 Member
    Do not over think this. If you eat it record it. For THAT day. If you are over or under in a given day\week\month then that is what it is. Work on that challenge. But once your start fudging the numbers you will not stop. You will get to the end of the day\week\month and be over-under and decide to "carry over" and before you know it you will be eating a gallon of ice cream and recording a non-fat cup of yogurt. At least that is my theory but I know me and I know I will lie to me and cannot be trusted ....... that is why I am here in the first place. :smiley: ) :smile:
  • ErinV1974
    ErinV1974 Posts: 21 Member
    This is why I wish MFP would show you the weekly cumulative calorie count, instead of day to day.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    I've done both. I've also just gone on with life and not tried to correct for it. It depends on my mood and how successful (or not) I've been lately.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    ErinV1974 wrote: »
    This is why I wish MFP would show you the weekly cumulative calorie count, instead of day to day.

    You can get it on the iPhone app, but not on the website for some reason (just checked).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Sometimes I do one, sometimes I do the other. It just depends on what I'm feeling at the time.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    ErinV1974 wrote: »
    This is why I wish MFP would show you the weekly cumulative calorie count, instead of day to day.

    The phone/tablet app does. The website is seriously lacking in features that the app has that could easily be put on the website.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    It depends. Some times I do the first, sometimes the second.
  • NotGnarly
    NotGnarly Posts: 137 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    jamaica111 wrote: »
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.

    I don't eat back my exercise calories because I can't be sure I burned the amount totted up on the App. Instead, I worked out my TDEE and subtracted 250 for a 0.5lb per week loss. This already accounts for my 4 work outs a week. I find it easier that way :)

    Yup I do the same! I workout 4 days a week and subtract 250 cals. I tried the 500 cal deficit and was so hungry.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I have done both. Sometimes I will up my exercise for the day and continue on like normal.
  • jenlo1971
    jenlo1971 Posts: 49 Member
    Typically just do a fresh start the next day. I think most people go over at times. I am trying to make a lifestyle change here so I don't worry about it too much- log it on the day it occurs and move on.

    Or hot the treadmill at 11:02pm and try to burn those extra calories. Lol
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    NotGnarly wrote: »
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    jamaica111 wrote: »
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.

    I don't eat back my exercise calories because I can't be sure I burned the amount totted up on the App. Instead, I worked out my TDEE and subtracted 250 for a 0.5lb per week loss. This already accounts for my 4 work outs a week. I find it easier that way :)

    Yup I do the same! I workout 4 days a week and subtract 250 cals. I tried the 500 cal deficit and was so hungry.

    We are doing exactly the same! I completely agree with the hunger on the 500 deficit. Not only was I hungry but I was MEAAAN! Haha :)
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    If I only go over a little bit then no big deal I just log it and move on. If I go over a lot(+1000) then usually its a big dinner out or something like that. I have found that I can do a semi-fast day the following day with no problem. If I had a 1500 calorie dinner the prior day I can go most of the day without being that hungry...maybe just a couple of snacks and a light dinner. Of course it depends upon what you ate and how filling it was. I don't think you should go hungry the next day, but if you're not hungry don't eat just because you think you should.
  • jenniferpiotrowski0
    jenniferpiotrowski0 Posts: 215 Member
    I usually do B,but never considered choice a...that never crossed my mind before
  • marsinah1
    marsinah1 Posts: 106 Member
    B. I log it as it happened and move on. There may be some extra exercise to soak up a few of those extra calories, but just as often I don't worry about it.
  • thintribe2014
    thintribe2014 Posts: 36 Member
    edited September 2015
    Log it is crucial. Without integrity of your record keeping you've lost the foundation. Worry about it " actually be very aware" once you do it and carry over you might well see it as acceptable and thus be prone to do it again to a greater amount. Bad habits might set in. In real terms if you've been consistent and you cals equal to your target over the course o a few days then it will have no effect other than in your mind. Exercise it off seriously! Nope..that will possibly drive great demand ..just be consistent This is all a note to myself..others might handle it differently ...I tend to find if I start to slip even slightly unless I dig my heels in I can quickly unravel..
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    I log it, draw a line under it and move on.

    I find if I hold it over to the next day, it just gets too burdensome and I will be more likely to give up. "Tomorrow is a new day" works best for me.

    But I do cast an eye over the weekly averages every so often. I don't make vows or plans based on it, but I think being aware of it makes me pa bit more careful if the average is already high. It's like being aware of your bank balance makes you less likely to overspend.
  • NotGnarly
    NotGnarly Posts: 137 Member
    edited September 2015
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    NotGnarly wrote: »
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    jamaica111 wrote: »
    i have a question? When you work out, and they tell you have more calories to eat to make your daily calorie intake. do you eat them??
    I don't really understand. Should i just make my calorie max and just be happy that i worked out.

    I don't eat back my exercise calories because I can't be sure I burned the amount totted up on the App. Instead, I worked out my TDEE and subtracted 250 for a 0.5lb per week loss. This already accounts for my 4 work outs a week. I find it easier that way :)

    Yup I do the same! I workout 4 days a week and subtract 250 cals. I tried the 500 cal deficit and was so hungry.

    We are doing exactly the same! I completely agree with the hunger on the 500 deficit. Not only was I hungry but I was MEAAAN! Haha :)

    Same here! Was extra hangry On a 500 cal deficit lol
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