Borrowing calories from next day?
cthakkar1985
Posts: 137 Member
Hi all,
Was wondering if anyone came across a similar situation and how they handle it. Let's say you're right at your calorie goal for the day and something unexpected comes up late in the day. This unexpected event involves consuming more calories (surprise visit from a friend, etc.) Would it be ok to go over by a couple hundred calories and make it up the next day? Any reason this wouldn't be ok?
Was wondering if anyone came across a similar situation and how they handle it. Let's say you're right at your calorie goal for the day and something unexpected comes up late in the day. This unexpected event involves consuming more calories (surprise visit from a friend, etc.) Would it be ok to go over by a couple hundred calories and make it up the next day? Any reason this wouldn't be ok?
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Replies
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This is perfectly OK. Matter of fact I did this 2 days ago. It's fine providing you're still in a deficit by the end of the week. I'm a huge advocate of flexible "dieting". Saying that, that doesn't mean eating all of tomorrows calories today then fasting throughout tomorrow, that's stupid. This is just there if you need it.7
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No reason it wouldn't be ok. Its a calorie deficit over time.
I have some low calorie days and high calorie days (google zig zag or calorie cycling) and as long as my average daily intake over a week doesn't exceed my calorie goal then I'm good.
The only thing you might need to watch is that you don't have too many "over" days because the calories could creep up through out the week.
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I've been averaging my calories by the week instead of the day for a year now. I've lost 95lbs. Your body doesn't know it's the next day. It all averages out.12
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This is perfectly okay and I do it often in an organized manner in the form of intermittent fasting or unorganized like the situation you mentioned. Banking calories (eating lower for a few days to have a higher day) and borrowing calories (having a higher day and making up for it) are regular practices in my diet. It has not affected my weight loss.2
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I do it all the time0
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Yeah I'm going to start banking calories today for the excessive alcohol plus hangover food this weekend. Figure if I take a bit off each day from now and then for a few days after it should balance me out!3
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There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it14 -
There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
i tend to do this more than borrow, like for my dads birthday this month for the 6 days leading up to it I have those days pre logged and all 250cals under goal so iv got the extra for a good night out and not stressing about what im eating or drinking too much on his birthday2 -
There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
Why does "borrowing from the future" equate to an emotional need lol. Where does that logic come from? Some days my body wants more some days it wants less, so it balances itself out over the week. If I eat more a certain day I tend to require less the next, that's with or without logging. I think using this app one can easily forget they're not a robot or a monkey simply punching in some numbers. I listen to my body for the most part and sometimes more food is required.3 -
BodyzLanguage wrote: »There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
Why does "borrowing from the future" equate to an emotional need lol. Where does that logic come from? Some days my body wants more some days it wants less, so it balances itself out over the week. If I eat more a certain day I tend to require less the next, that's with or without logging. I think using this app one can easily forget they're not a robot or a monkey simply punching in some numbers. I listen to my body for the most part and sometimes more food is required.
I think she meant that for her saving for the future is less likely to cause compliance issues than borrowing from the future. It makes sense. When you are saving for the future it feels like working for a reward. When you are borrowing it feels like you've already had your reward and may slack on the working part. Saving for something feels more rewarding than working to repay a debt because it feels more like a choice than damage control or necessity.
It is often safer to save than borrow, but if it's something out of your control like in OP's case, you just need to make sure you actually do what you planned.8 -
I use this line "ooooh, sorry. have had some indigestion today. nothing more to eat for me! gonna take it easy"0
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Wynterbourne wrote: »I've been averaging my calories by the week instead of the day for a year now. I've lost 95lbs. Your body doesn't know it's the next day. It all averages out.
this same for me (except the losing 95lbs bit well done you!)
using the app means I can keep an eye on my average daily consumption and I keep it within a range. This means that on some days i'm really not massively hungry, and don't feel the need to hit my target calories, and on other days I might go out with friends and have a couple of beers and a burger and not feel bad. When I was sticking to a strict daily target, I found myself eating when I didn't want to, and generally overeating.
This way I get to have that burger, not feel guilty, enjoy my food and my lifestyle and still lose weight.2 -
Calorie banking and cycling week to week makes perfect sense to me. If I may piggy-back on this question with my own:
When calculating your deficit/banking/barrowing of calories, are you utilizing 'total' calories in or 'net' calories in? Or, even more complicated, 'total' calories + 1/2 burned calories?0 -
76thrasher wrote: »Calorie banking and cycling week to week makes perfect sense to me. If I may piggy-back on this question with my own:
When calculating your deficit/banking/barrowing of calories, are you utilizing 'total' calories in or 'net' calories in? Or, even more complicated, 'total' calories + 1/2 burned calories?
I have a daily target set at 1390 (I'm 5' tall, and 128lbs with not a lot of deficit and not a long way to go)
I did calculations using scoobysworkshop, and took two readings - the first my calorie needs based on my stats, at a sedentary setting, aiming to lose 5% weight (because I don't have lots to lose). This I use as my NET figure to aim for when using the weekly average on the app (it's around 1500)
the second figure I take is based on my calorie needs if I am on a moderately active setting (I dance twice a week and run 3 times a week). This figure is my TOTAL figure to aim for (around 1900)
These are my two ranges of figures, there are days when I may be more sedentary than I would like, or days when I am more active than I realise. because I appreciate that MFP and other apps (I use a fitbit, and Strava synced to my MFP) don't calculate the calorie burn so well, I focus more on the TOTAL average figure, and tell myself to do more exercise.
I'm losing, slowly, I'm getting fitter, and I'm enjoying my food without feeling restricted.0 -
An easy way to keep a check would be to log today's "extra calories" under tomorrow's diary so you see the right number to balance the books without having to perform any arithmetic.
Overall a weekly view of your calorie allowance seems far less restrictive to me.
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An easy way to keep a check would be to log today's "extra calories" under tomorrow's diary so you see the right number to balance the books without having to perform any arithmetic.
Overall a weekly view of your calorie allowance seems far less restrictive to me.
See, funny thing you say that because for whatever silly reason, my rather concrete, self-judgmental mind thinks that is truly cheating, especially since I have 100 lbs to lose before I feel I am in the "health safety zone," and it's a challenge for me to take the lbs off anyway, so if I end up eating more than my allotted calories, it just shows where I need to tweak as far as where I get my food (home-made, from a convenience store, etc).0 -
BodyzLanguage wrote: »There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
Why does "borrowing from the future" equate to an emotional need lol. Where does that logic come from? Some days my body wants more some days it wants less, so it balances itself out over the week. If I eat more a certain day I tend to require less the next, that's with or without logging. I think using this app one can easily forget they're not a robot or a monkey simply punching in some numbers. I listen to my body for the most part and sometimes more food is required.
Why? Because that's my psyche
I have "hungry days" or days when I think "fuggit, cannae be bothered with this malarkey" ...if I do it and think I'll make it up tomorrow chances are I won't ...chances are I'd eat to my limit but not under it because I'd think I can make it up tomorrow and tomorrow, as James Bond knows, never comes
If I listen to my body it will tell me to eat ...it will tell me to lie on the couch
My body is dumb, it is a barely functioning idiot on its own
Thank god for my brain.9 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
Why does "borrowing from the future" equate to an emotional need lol. Where does that logic come from? Some days my body wants more some days it wants less, so it balances itself out over the week. If I eat more a certain day I tend to require less the next, that's with or without logging. I think using this app one can easily forget they're not a robot or a monkey simply punching in some numbers. I listen to my body for the most part and sometimes more food is required.
I think she meant that for her saving for the future is less likely to cause compliance issues than borrowing from the future. It makes sense. When you are saving for the future it feels like working for a reward. When you are borrowing it feels like you've already had your reward and may slack on the working part. Saving for something feels more rewarding than working to repay a debt because it feels more like a choice than damage control or necessity.
It is often safer to save than borrow, but if it's something out of your control like in OP's case, you just need to make sure you actually do what you planned.
Yup, for me safer to save than to borrow.
I can almost always predict higher calorie occasions.
In the case of the OP with an unplanned event when I was out of calories, I might try to exercise more the next day, but I would probably just let it go as these are rare.0 -
76thrasher wrote: »Calorie banking and cycling week to week makes perfect sense to me. If I may piggy-back on this question with my own:
When calculating your deficit/banking/barrowing of calories, are you utilizing 'total' calories in or 'net' calories in? Or, even more complicated, 'total' calories + 1/2 burned calories?
I no longer on MFP but
When I entered exercise calories I would double click and adjust them on entry
I would always use net calories
I proved over time that my Fitbit step calorie allowance was en pointe (well slightly low balling actually)
I would use the app and the 7 day report ..this was my most useful feature from MFP
But the glitches got too much and I moved my logging elsewhere1 -
BodyzLanguage wrote: »If I listen to my body it will tell me to eat ...it will tell me to lie on the couch
My body is dumb, it is a barely functioning idiot on its own
Thank god for my brain.
LOL. I love this!
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I've spent 40 years borrowing calories from the future, unfortunately it now IS the future and I'm having to give them back.8
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BodyzLanguage wrote: »There's no inherent issue with it
But I tended to save for future rather than borrow from it
Each day I'd come in 1-200 calories under which meant that on surprise days or at the weekend I would have an extra 700-1400 calories to play with ..I would do this in a rolling 7 day basis .
If found emotionally borrowing from the future would make me more inclined to think it didn't matter, I'd just fix it tomorrow ..it would be easy to see that snowball into non compliance and blow another weight loss programme
Basically treating like money in a bank, if you don't have it you don't spend it
Why does "borrowing from the future" equate to an emotional need lol. Where does that logic come from? Some days my body wants more some days it wants less, so it balances itself out over the week. If I eat more a certain day I tend to require less the next, that's with or without logging. I think using this app one can easily forget they're not a robot or a monkey simply punching in some numbers. I listen to my body for the most part and sometimes more food is required.
Why? Because that's my psyche
I have "hungry days" or days when I think "fuggit, cannae be bothered with this malarkey" ...if I do it and think I'll make it up tomorrow chances are I won't ...chances are I'd eat to my limit but not under it because I'd think I can make it up tomorrow and tomorrow, as James Bond knows, never comes
If I listen to my body it will tell me to eat ...it will tell me to lie on the couch
My body is dumb, it is a barely functioning idiot on its own
Thank god for my brain.
I see zero ratings are being given to your body lol, an impressive one at that. But fair enough.1 -
Yes, it's called eating normally.4
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Wynterbourne wrote: »I've been averaging my calories by the week instead of the day for a year now. I've lost 95lbs. Your body doesn't know it's the next day. It all averages out.
I wish MFP calculated your cals by the week! Or at least rolled over your unused cals☺️1 -
arditarose wrote: »Yes, it's called eating normally.
Now that I think about it, yeah, I guess it is just eating normally lol.0 -
An easy way to keep a check would be to log today's "extra calories" under tomorrow's diary so you see the right number to balance the books without having to perform any arithmetic.
Overall a weekly view of your calorie allowance seems far less restrictive to me.
How do you log it?? I understand the concept, but not sure how to do it??0 -
The only reason it wouldn't be ok is if you're doing it so often that you end up unable to make up for it without having several very low calorie days in a row, and make a habit of it. But being flexible is fine, especially if you're eating more than the 1200 or 1500 calorie minimums.1
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An easy way to keep a check would be to log today's "extra calories" under tomorrow's diary so you see the right number to balance the books without having to perform any arithmetic.
Overall a weekly view of your calorie allowance seems far less restrictive to me.
How do you log it?? I understand the concept, but not sure how to do it??
@Bruja924
Just navigate to tomorrow's food diary and log it. Really is as simple as that.
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I help out with the "calorie borrowing" dilemma, I made this spreadsheet. Add your expected carbs/fat/protein and your actual and you will see the surplus or defecit of the macros you have left.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4Br3VjCtCUaUu0mYLIfOETEX0dygmse-USF-kq--Cg/edit?usp=sharing
Let me know what you think.1 -
OP, our whole eating mechanism is about borrowing and paying, surplussing and deficiting!
It's impossible to be precise with a certain weight. We gain immediately after we eat and we gradually lose as we go farther from the last time we eat. We do that infinitely and hopefully the overall trend is we lose and stay in an acceptable range.
This daily counting and meeting xxx calories gets a lot of people confused 0
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