Do daily calories work better than weekly?

dizzysarah
dizzysarah Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Say my goal was 2000 calories a day

Could one day I have 1500 and the next 2500?

Would it hinder weight loss?
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Replies

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    I do find it best to look at weekly. I kinda overdid it last night (~400 cals) but have been under most days and will be under today (forgot my snack today). It will all work out in the end.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    A lot of people take a more global look at their calorie comings and goings. I've gone over a little one day when I know I've been 200 under a lot of days previously and it didn't hinder my loss. That said, I prefer to keep my daily in/out tight and neat, for habit's sake, my personality is such that I do well with structure and rules, I find it more relaxing and easy to stick to.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Weekly goal is better than daily!
  • Kschmidt64
    Kschmidt64 Posts: 18 Member
    Doesn't really work that way. Consistency is the key. If you want a 2000 calorie diet, stick to it. If you are trying to lose weight go for a 1500 calorie diet low in fat & carbs but high in protein. I am having the gastric sleeve in March done. My surgeon has me on a 1200 calorie a day diet with no more than 40-45% carbs, 30-35% fat and protein. I eat a bit more protein as I feel better. Log what you eat for every meal. You would be surprised at all the hidden carbs you are eating and not realizing it. That's part of my problem Bad Carbs.
    It doesn't hurt to splurge or treat yourself, as long as you realize the choice you make is going to affect your weight loss for that week. Weight loss is a struggle. It is having to re-train, re-learn what to eat and portions.
    Check with your doctor to find out what calorie goal he wants you at. Exercise is important too. So count that as well. There are a lot of days, where I am working outside that I actually burn more that I eat the whole day. Use MFP and make sure you add in the negative calories. Finally, did that and was surprise at what I was seeing. It was positive to say the least.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I find it easier if every day is a new day. For that matter, I kind of like making every meal a new day. But effectively, when we lose weight we are averaging out our calories over a year or more. We eat at a deficit to make up for the many days of eating at a surplus. Just keep in mind that the longer the period you use the more likely it is that you will be storing fat for a while and that you will have times of hunger to bring it back down.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    doesn't matter as long as you don't try to cheat the system somehow. Over time it all works out as an average anyways.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,131 Member
    They both work just as good. You just need to find what works best for you. Lots of people eat under their goal during the week so they can eat more on the weekends. That doesn't always work for me because I end up not using the extra calories on the weekend. But I do sometimes eat lighter the day before a special event.
  • LenGray
    LenGray Posts: 852 Member
    It depends on what suits your goals :)

    I tried to do the weekly calorie thing and it didn't work out for me. It only encouraged a negative way for me to view food. I might go back to it one day, but for now a day-by-day focus on calories works the best.

    That said, I do think that being aware of your weekly trend can help you find trouble spots in your diet and logging, as well as allowing some flexibility.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    edited January 2017
    That's a good question .. I think it's an average over a longer period of time .. days and weeks are easier to track and make corrections from .. for example if I needed to loose 100 pounds I would need to eat less than my TDEE by 350000 calories over a period of time to attain my goal .. well I can't do that in a day or week but over time I can .. just have to find a way of eating that allows me to do that ..

    Good luck and thanks for posting this question
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Daily does not work best for me. Some days I'm hungrier than others so I like to be able to eat more on those days.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    I work on a a moving average over 7 days. Been doing that for 3 years and it works for me
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    Seasonal is the best. You don't want to miss the holidays.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I guide myself in daily, but I might slip a bit one day and make it up over the next few. My goal is to eat below for most of the week and try to 'save up' to compensate for the weekend if needed. MUCH better and easier than eating like crazy and thinking you will make it up later in the week, only to get to Sunday and realize you are going to starve! lol. Been there...done that!
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
    It's a strategy, if it works for u....
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    I think whether or not it is "better" varies from person to person. For me, I have to do it weekly because I always eat a little more in weekends and looking at a weekly goal helps me plan better.
  • dwulet130
    dwulet130 Posts: 108 Member
    Like everyone else said, it comes down to whichever works best for you. I like to think of every day as a fresh start, but the once a week or so I inevitably go over, I look at the week as a whole which is comforting.
  • Naaer
    Naaer Posts: 212 Member
    Try to keep track of your calories DAILY as much as you can...One day over and one under should be OK. though...I have a tendency if I REALLY indulge on one day to try to get several days under to compensate...
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    I look at the daily count, but I keep in mind the weekly count. Like previous posters, if I'm under by 100 cals for three days and then one day, I am over by 300 cals...it balances out. I do try to stay within the daily count, but don't sweat it too much.

    I compare it to setting a monetary budget for myself. I can spend 1700 dollars per day (LOL I WISH!) and 11,900 dollars per week. If I move 100 dollars from Monday to Tuesday, I'm still within my limit.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,946 Member
    Weekly average is fine for weight loss . . . but for psychological, physical, and sustainability reasons, I'd add this: Don't let that idea get you going on binge/restrict cycles, which can lead to a dysfunctional relationship with eating.

    It's one thing if (say) you have an intermittent fasting plan, and another if you let yourself off the leash by hundreds/thousands of calories one day, then make steep cuts on subsequent days to try to "make up" for it. If you have one way-over-goal meal or day, but it's a rare thing, it's probably better just to go back to your healthy routine the next day, rather than trying to compensate.

    Personally, while losing, I was more comfortable cutting a bit for several days in advance (or working out a little extra) to make room for an upcoming planned big day (social event or celebration), vs. cutting calories after the fact as if it were some kind of weird penance for sin. Just my opinion, though.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    It's personal preference. I find it helps me to try to stay consistent from day to day. But if there's a day where I screw up, I know it's the long-term average that's really gonna matter. No single day is gonna break me.

    But, I'm not the type to try and "make up" for a bad day later in the week. If I'm way under one day, I'm not going to binge later to make up for it, and if I'm way over, I'm not going to starve myself the next day, either. I usually just let every day be a fresh start, but I pay attention to long-term trends.

    The day to day focus is easy for me, because I am very consistent with my intake. I don't have many days where I'm significantly over or under goal. Might not work for everyone...
  • dizzysarah
    dizzysarah Posts: 34 Member
    Thank you for all of your replies.

    Still new to all this. I went way over my calories last night drinking wine so today I'll rein it in a bit :) x
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    TmacMMM wrote: »
    I do it weekly, but in a structured way. When I log exercise calories, I put 2/3 on the day earned, and the remaining 1/3 on Sunday, which is actually a rest day and take-out night. So by the end of the week, I have an extra 900 cals banked and the daily count doesn't turn red, which makes me happy. :)

    What a clever method; I like that a lot.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    Weekly works best for me. I do try to plan it out, though, staying lower on most days because I know I'll go over on, say, Wed rather than catching up after the fact.

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  • missmagnoliablossom
    missmagnoliablossom Posts: 240 Member
    I will say that I'm trying to implement a policy of "no calories on credit" - no pre-spending! Haha.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why would it...

    Same reason that we can predict tomorrow's temperatures with extreme precision, but two weeks from tomorrow is no better than rolling dice.

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