The next day after cheating...

bwb87

Should I eat light today/tomorrow to make up for some of the 900 calories I went over last night? Does it work that way? (Last night was date night)

257_Lag

It sure does work that way! You can "save up" before (recommended by me) or make up for it after. Plenty of people look at a weekly deficit.

Carnhot

I run my cico on a weekly basis to allow for this sort of thing. I have a dinner on Thursday which I am "saving up" for by eating light and doing some extra exercise.

whmscll

It's your weekly calories that really coung toward weight loss. If you want to eat 100 or so calories less today it won't hurt. But if you'll feel hungry or deprived shaving 100 calories off your daily intake, don't. Just go back to your normal logging and tracking. The key is to get back on track and eat at a deficit 80-90 percent of the time. Your weight loss will be a bit slower than if you are eating at a deficit 100 percent of the time, but if you keep at it you will eventually lose.

robertw486

You could, or just look at the week vs the day. If your primary goal is just weight loss, you will have daily fluctuations regardless. A single day of being over isn't going to hurt the long term goal, even if you did it once a week. In the long run you could even plan and allow yourself some slack once a week or so if that is what works for you.

To steal a train of thought from @rankinsect even a day of gross overeating such as holiday meals don't make you gain weight. It's the other 360 days that make you gain weight. or prevent you from losing it.

I usually look at calorie goals more in the sense of the week or the trend, rather than the day. That gives me some flexibility, and removing restrictions is something I like.

bwb87

I just went strong for 2 weeks for the most part and lost almost 9 lbs and I feel really nervous that I ate a big unhealthy meal like that!

cwolfman13

I just generally move on...in the grand scheme...bigger picture...it's pretty irrelevant.

ModernRock

Don't force feed yourself just to get to your calorie goal. On the other hand, don't deprive yourself as "punishment" for going over the day before. That can turn into a cycle of disordered eating in and of itself. for me, I'm focused on eating the same every day, so I get back to the plan the next day.

Also, depending on your calorie deficit, you might not have gone over all that much. If your deficit is 750 calories, for example, and you ate 1000 past your goal, then you are only 250 calories over maintenance. That'll barely slow you down because you should have a 4500 calorie deficit from the other 6 days of the week (6x750). Again, that depends on your deficit. It also explains why people still lose week over week even though they let loose occasionally.

arditarose

Eh. You can cut a few hundred calories here or there throughout the week as you see fit. Generally I prefer to save up for these "date nights" or higher calorie weekend meals.