Going 'over' Maintenance Calories
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PinkPixiexox
Posts: 4,142 Member
Hi every one :]
Just a quick question - I have a relatively low TDEE. I have a very sedentary full time job and I work out 4 times per week (heavy weights) - so the calorie allowance isn't great (We are talking around 1700-1800 average per day.
I tend to 'bank' calories during the week to allow for higher 'treats' at the weekend but I am scheduled for a night out and a curry soon. Now, the curries in question are around 2000 calories alone so I will certainly be going over my maintenance calories.
I could earn extra activity and I plan to move more to prepare for that event - BUT, I will still be going over my daily allowance. Should I cut my calories by 100-200 the next couple of days to make up for this? I don't want to gain.
Thanks
Just a quick question - I have a relatively low TDEE. I have a very sedentary full time job and I work out 4 times per week (heavy weights) - so the calorie allowance isn't great (We are talking around 1700-1800 average per day.
I tend to 'bank' calories during the week to allow for higher 'treats' at the weekend but I am scheduled for a night out and a curry soon. Now, the curries in question are around 2000 calories alone so I will certainly be going over my maintenance calories.
I could earn extra activity and I plan to move more to prepare for that event - BUT, I will still be going over my daily allowance. Should I cut my calories by 100-200 the next couple of days to make up for this? I don't want to gain.
Thanks
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Replies
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I keep a running tally of how many calories over/under I've gone. I had quite a few indulgent days in August, and was 6000+ calories over by the end of it. The scale didn't show weight gain, but my weight loss was never linear, I'm sure weight gain isn't for me either. (I just never tracked it while I was gaining).
So I've been eating at a small deficit most days until I make up all the calories I overate. In August. I have 375 left to go, and the scale still reads the same.
This may not be practical, but you could also ask them to serve you half the curry and box half to take home for dinner the next day. Whatever you decide - have a great time and enjoy your food!0 -
Two methods that might work for you:
1) Count your calories weekly instead of daily. As long as you stay under your weekly calories, you can have some days that are over and others that are under.
2) Accept that maintenance is a range. Set yourself a 5lb range, and decide that if you ever go over the "top" end of your range, you'll go back to a deficit calorie goal for a couple of weeks.
Some combination of these two methods might work. 'Cause real life happens, you might have holidays or special events or just "oh, @#$% it" days when you go over. You may gain a few pounds. It doesn't have to completely derail you or lead you to regain all the weight you lost. As long as you nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand, you'll do fine.0 -
If you have the iphone app, you can check in to see what what your weekly average is... it'll tell you if you're over or under your goal.0
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Two methods that might work for you:
1) Count your calories weekly instead of daily. As long as you stay under your weekly calories, you can have some days that are over and others that are under.
2) Accept that maintenance is a range. Set yourself a 5lb range, and decide that if you ever go over the "top" end of your range, you'll go back to a deficit calorie goal for a couple of weeks.
Some combination of these two methods might work. 'Cause real life happens, you might have holidays or special events or just "oh, @#$% it" days when you go over. You may gain a few pounds. It doesn't have to completely derail you or lead you to regain all the weight you lost. As long as you nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand, you'll do fine.
Agree with all of this, and that is how I managed things when I was losing and am still now that I am maintaining.
Also OP - if you are expecting to go into this and never see an increase on the scale, then I think your expectations are unrealistic. At a minimum, after a big indulgent night like this, you will likely see an increase on the scale from water weight.
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If it's something I really want to do, I'll definitely go over. Typically I'm not hungry for a few days afterwards and will make up the calories then. I make very sure to hit my weekly goal.
One of the gigs with maintenance is that if you go over consistently, you will gain. When you were at a deficit, you'd just stop losing.
Enjoy! Keep a good tally.0 -
can't you share the curry? go easy on the sides?? I know thats what I do to halve the calories and its really filling anyway.
But last weekend I went to a bbq and had a blow out, ate around 2500 cals which is a few hundred over my TDEE, the next day I wasn't as hungry and ate only 1650 - totally sorted any overeating the night before!
So enjoy that curry and you can get back to deficit for a few days and sort the indulgence.
You would only gain if you kept eating over TDEE, one night does not make you gain anything other than water weight.0 -
I eat at a deficit constantly to make up for those days (I go 1000 over maybe 2-3 times a month). If I didn't eat less the other days, I would most certainly gain, considering that I've been maintaining the same 2 pounds range for close to 1.5 year this way.
I wish I was one of the people who can overeat one day and not gain, but that's just not me... and I'm rarely 'less hungry the next days anyway'.
So yeah - go by weekly average. If you know you're going to be 1000 calories over, cutting 200 for 5 days should do it.0 -
HappyCampr1 wrote: »I'm in the wait until it shows up on the scale camp. I never eat thousands of calories over unless I'm on vacation. (I always have to eat in a deficit for a week or so after a week's vacation and not logging.). But for a few hundred calories here and there, I figure eventually they'll all add up and the scale will tell me. Until then, I don't worry about it. A pound of fat is around 3500 calories. That's a lot of calories extra to only add up to one measly pound.
I also wait and see. I even waited to see after a vacation where I ate out everyday and had dessert twice a day. After my weight stabilized it was only a gain of 1 pound.
1 occasional high calorie day will not lead putting on fat. I have noticed after a high calorie day my workouts are awesome 0 -
Some great input on the replies here. 1700-1800 cals is pretty low for maintenance (unless you are really short). If you're keeping in that range for a majority of the time, some excursions to 3-4K a few times a month will not make a noticeable difference. Just try to keep is as a special treat and not make it a habit.0
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You said you bank calories already so I don't understand the problem. Is it because the curry alone is 2000 calories, plus the rest of the food you'll be eating that day?
My TDEE is 1800 and I usually kept a weekly goal that allowed me to eat at least 2500 or more on Saturday.0 -
Thank you for your help, every one. It's cleared it up for me - appreciate it
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Don't pig out -problem solved!0
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Some great input on the replies here. 1700-1800 cals is pretty low for maintenance (unless you are really short). If you're keeping in that range for a majority of the time, some excursions to 3-4K a few times a month will not make a noticeable difference. Just try to keep is as a special treat and not make it a habit.
1700-1800 is not really all that low for a female. My TDEE is 1620 without exercise and I am 5'7" I've been tracking for almost 2 years, I know that number to be very accurate. I also disagree when you say an extra 304K a month will not make a noticeable difference. An extra 3-4K a month that isn't made up for with a deficit at some later point will gain her over a pound a month or over 10 pounds in a year.
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@PPinkPixiexox wrote: »Hi every one :]
Just a quick question - I have a relatively low TDEE. I have a very sedentary full time job and I work out 4 times per week (heavy weights) - so the calorie allowance isn't great (We are talking around 1700-1800 average per day.
I tend to 'bank' calories during the week to allow for higher 'treats' at the weekend but I am scheduled for a night out and a curry soon. Now, the curries in question are around 2000 calories alone so I will certainly be going over my maintenance calories.
I could earn extra activity and I plan to move more to prepare for that event - BUT, I will still be going over my daily allowance. Should I cut my calories by 100-200 the next couple of days to make up for this? I don't want to gain.
Thanks
@PinkPixiexox short of living in an expensive sealed lab like Dr. Peter Attia did we do not know our real TDEE ever. We have no way of knowing the actual calorie content of what we eat. We can however measure the results of our estimated TDEE, CICO, etc factors by getting on the scales and weighting each day.
Sleep 7-8 hours, go to the bathroom then weigh before I eat or drink anything works for me but everyone can come up with their own method.
As others have stated weight in number will vary a lot but that will all average out we notice when we record and review months of the weigh in numbers. Estimating your TDEE, CICO is good but it may or may not reflect in your next weigh in numbers for many reasons.
Average weigh in numbers do not lie.
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Don't pig out -problem solved!
@Yi5hedr3 that advice does work if applied.
In the real world we can pig out a few times a year without it having a real impact on our body weight year over year. It is the overeating by only 100-200 calories daily that the real problem in my case. Some types of calories makes me feel stuffed for a long period of time so when am going to pig out I try to go for those kinds of foods that burn slower.0 -
Lots of great advice, but this one: LOVE it:
'Cause real life happens, you might have holidays or special events or just "oh, @#$% it" days when you go over. You may gain a few pounds. It doesn't have to completely derail you or lead you to regain all the weight you lost. As long as you nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand, you'll do fine.
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Some great input on the replies here. 1700-1800 cals is pretty low for maintenance (unless you are really short). If you're keeping in that range for a majority of the time, some excursions to 3-4K a few times a month will not make a noticeable difference. Just try to keep is as a special treat and not make it a habit.
Just have to chime in, too, to point out that 1700-1800 cals is very typical for many women. Look around the discussions on MPF - there are hundreds of small women that are in this maintenance range, or lower - and it is very difficult. We may be small, but "typical serving sizes" quickly hurl us over our limits. We have to be exceptionally vigilant and it is not easy, especially when eating at restaurants.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Two methods that might work for you:
1) Count your calories weekly instead of daily. As long as you stay under your weekly calories, you can have some days that are over and others that are under.
2) Accept that maintenance is a range. Set yourself a 5lb range, and decide that if you ever go over the "top" end of your range, you'll go back to a deficit calorie goal for a couple of weeks.
Some combination of these two methods might work. 'Cause real life happens, you might have holidays or special events or just "oh, @#$% it" days when you go over. You may gain a few pounds. It doesn't have to completely derail you or lead you to regain all the weight you lost. As long as you nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand, you'll do fine.
Agree with all of this, and that is how I managed things when I was losing and am still now that I am maintaining.
Also OP - if you are expecting to go into this and never see an increase on the scale, then I think your expectations are unrealistic. At a minimum, after a big indulgent night like this, you will likely see an increase on the scale from water weight.
Agreed!
Don't over think this op. Don't get too caught up in the numbers game. Watch your cals this week, have a nice treat meal , and move forward . in the grand scheme of things, its not that big of a deal . most people expect to have a large treat meal every so often for holidays, celebrations and such.
Most likely , any gain after would just be water weight anyway. Don't sweat it. Keep trying your best and you'll be fine
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Some great input on the replies here. 1700-1800 cals is pretty low for maintenance (unless you are really short). If you're keeping in that range for a majority of the time, some excursions to 3-4K a few times a month will not make a noticeable difference. Just try to keep is as a special treat and not make it a habit.
Just have to chime in, too, to point out that 1700-1800 cals is very typical for many women. Look around the discussions on MPF - there are hundreds of small women that are in this maintenance range, or lower - and it is very difficult. We may be small, but "typical serving sizes" quickly hurl us over our limits. We have to be exceptionally vigilant and it is not easy, especially when eating at restaurants.
Ok but OP is 13 years younger than me and just one inch shorter, so it seems very low to me... My TDEE is 2200, but I guess I do quite a bit of cardio.
But yeah at 1500-1600 calories a day of surplus is definitely not going to hurt.0 -
Sept was a rough month for me due to the sudden loss of my grandma. We were out of town a lot and had to eat out a lot and I didn't have access to the gym. I chose go still track (which probably helped me not go too crazy) buy it stress about what I ate. I averaged about 2000 a day with many days at closer to 3000. I generally maintain at 1700ish. Even at this higher average for most weeks in September I maintained. If I had gained I would have just gone into a deficit for awhile to lose again.
In a normal month I do generally go by my weekly average and try to keep it within my limits.0
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