Diet for 6 days and eating whatever on day 7

BlackPantherChick123

So, I calculated my maintaince calories and its between 2300-2600 (according to different websites). I'm now eating like 1800 a day and I will have a deficit of like 6000 calories if I eat 1800 for 6 days. So, if I eat those 6000 calories on day 7, will I maintain my weight? (Not saying I'll fully eat all those calories but eat whatever I want on day 7 like 3000). I use to eat like 1400 every day but end up binging 2 days in a row by days 6 and 7. I just want to no if this is how weekly calories work just to maintain my weight because by day 7, I have a huge appetite and could eat more than 3-4000 calories. Starting back on day 1, I tend to eat less because I'll be full from the precious day. I just want to know if this is how to maintain weight.

Days 1-5 1800
Day 6 4000-6000
Day 7 less/recover (I can eat like 700-1400 calories when I recover)
2400 X 7= 16800
1800 X 5= 7800
Recover day 1000
16800-1000-7800=8000 deficit weekly
If I eat like the 8000 (which is impossible for me) will I maintain my weight? This is just an example.

mamadon

You can take your weekly maintenance total and divide it up however you want. I do it all the time. I eat at a deficit during the week, so I have more on the weekends. People usually call it banking their calories.

Kimblesnbits13

Yeah it'll work but make sure it doesn't turn into a "binge/restrict" type cycle. If it fits your schedule then I would totally do that. My problem for banking calories for one day is that my family and friends like to go out to eat sporadically and I never know when I'll have that "high day" or 3 or 4 lol with how much I would go out to eat in one week. Also keep in mind you'll see a jump in the scale the next day from such a huge eating day but it's just water weight that will go away within 3-5 days depending on your body.

BlackPantherChick123

I do usually eat more on weekends, usually just on Fridays (not all day). I tend to have a really big meal and a big dessert and that will be eat. I don't know how many calories unless I decide to count and weigh them, then I'll no. I might do that because I am curious. So even if I eat those 8000 deficit calories, I would maintain my weight? (I'm very active so I'll burn a heck of a lot day after a "cheat" day)

BlackPantherChick123

Ok this helps me a lot. Problem is I have no idea what my actually maintaince is because I'm very active. I do intense cardio now 90 minutes instead of 2 hours a day on my incliner treadmill.

trigden1991

Yes that is how it works. Try it and log your calories meticulously for 4-6 weeks and you'll be able to work out what your maintenance is. 2600 sounds pretty high for a light female but it depends on your stats and activity.

TimothyFish

Yes, that will work. By doing that you are storing what you eat on day 7 as fat and then burning that fat off during the rest of the week. One of the difficulties is that it is harder for your body to get energy from fat stores than from carbs in your gut, so your fitness may suffer.

StaciMarie1974

Check your math? TDEE of 2300 and intake of 1800 = 500 deficit, so for 6 days: 3000 deficit. Not 6000.

If you ate 1800x5, 4000x1, 1400x1 would be a deficit of 1700 over the course of the week.

But yes, assuming your #s are correct in terms of Ci, Co then you would have a slight deficit for the week, or eating more thru the week would be a way to maintain.

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

So, I calculated my maintaince calories and its between 2300-2600 (according to different websites). I'm now eating like 1800 a day and I will have a deficit of like 6000 calories if I eat 1800 for 6 days. So, if I eat those 6000 calories on day 7, will I maintain my weight? (Not saying I'll fully eat all those calories but eat whatever I want on day 7 like 3000). I use to eat like 1400 every day but end up binging 2 days in a row by days 6 and 7. I just want to no if this is how weekly calories work just to maintain my weight because by day 7, I have a huge appetite and could eat more than 3-4000 calories. Starting back on day 1, I tend to eat less because I'll be full from the precious day. I just want to know if this is how to maintain weight.

Days 1-5 1800
Day 6 4000-6000
Day 7 less/recover (I can eat like 700-1400 calories when I recover)
2400 X 7= 16800
1800 X 5= 7800
Recover day 1000
16800-1000-7800=8000 deficit weekly
If I eat like the 8000 (which is impossible for me) will I maintain my weight? This is just an example.

nowine4me

You could also spread it out more and eat a few more calories each day to avoid the binges. OR -- back off the cardio and start lifting if you really want to see a positive change.

nxd10

I hit my goal over the week not the day. But that would make me feel sick. I often eat more on Friday or Saturday. But just a few hundred over. I feel sick if I eat more than that. That's plenty of variation for a treat. I think if I made myself suffer 6 days and waited to splurge on the 7th, I'd eat too much and feel better. So I eat naturally. A little more some days when I want it. Usually less the day after because I'm not hungry.

trigden1991

nowine4me wrote: »

You could also spread it out more and eat a few more calories each day to avoid the binges. OR -- back off the cardio and start lifting if you really want to see a positive change.

If they're planned and accounted for they are not binges.

ARGriffy

i tend to do this, i'll massively under eat some days, massively over eat others. long time maintaining is way to hard for me if i track everything every day, i obsess. I have success by eating the things i want, but just not all the time. If i ate a whole pizza, a chocolate pudding and had 3 pints of cider in a day, i'm not going to do the same the day after but i sure as hell wont get mad at myself for it!

LivingtheLeanDream

yes of course, its about the overall deficit in general... personally 6000-8000 cals in one day would make me feel like cr@p though but techically yeah, you will maintain your weight.

At maintenance I eat at deficit during the week to allow for more on the weekends, my weekdays are 1700-1800 and my weekends are 2200-2400 - I can't actually eat any more than 2400 without feeling really rubbish...(I'm 5ft 2 and active)

ferd_ttp5

I started doing that last 2 weeks and then sadly i can't eat all the heck calories i bank i calculated it all and theres such a big deficit in my weekly needs so i learn and adjust some things of and it works!

BlackPantherChick123

I honestly have no idea how much I'm really eating on my free days. I can tell it's less than how much I banked but that's ok. The diet week is hard but if I feel very hungry like I could binge, I would just eat a little extra that day. This last week was hard. I'm on day 2 after my free day. I usually feel better once I wake up because I tend to get severe cravings at night before I go to bed. When I wake up, they are gone and that helps me stay on track up until Friday. I always look forward to Friday's. Saturday's are cleanse day where I do a lot of cardio and I tend to no be hungry that day but I don't fast all day. If I do, I'll end up binging the next day. So far I been doing this for 2-3 weeks and I feel great. It works for me.

WinoGelato

OP if I recall, you've posted in the past some threads which indicate you have some struggles with disordered eating and taking extreme approaches (extreme calorie deficits, long and intense workout sessions, etc). This approach while on paper, would probably work if your goal is to maintain, it again seems like an overly extreme approach.

If your maintenance is 2200, why not just eat a little under that M-Th and then have a couple hundred extra cals on Friday for the dessert you enjoy. Aiming to have thousands of extra calories to have a blowout on Friday, a "cleanse" on Saturday, and describing the days you ate at a deficit as really hard - just doesn't sound like an overall healthy mindset. It sounds like a binge and restrict cycle, just wrapped in different packaging.

Have you seen a doctor in the past for disordered eating?

TavistockToad

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

I honestly have no idea how much I'm really eating on my free days. I can tell it's less than how much I banked but that's ok. The diet week is hard but if I feel very hungry like I could binge, I would just eat a little extra that day. This last week was hard. I'm on day 2 after my free day. I usually feel better once I wake up because I tend to get severe cravings at night before I go to bed. When I wake up, they are gone and that helps me stay on track up until Friday. I always look forward to Friday's. Saturday's are cleanse day where I do a lot of cardio and I tend to no be hungry that day but I don't fast all day. If I do, I'll end up binging the next day. So far I been doing this for 2-3 weeks and I feel great. It works for me.

This doesn't sound healthy at all if you feel the need to plan a binge day and then do extra cardio to 'cleanse' yourself afterwards.

That's not normal behaviour of someone with a healthy relationship with food.