Eating back YESTERDAY'S calories

aeloine
aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I stayed on track in terms of my calories IN yesterday but went to the gym kind of late. I don't sleep well when I eat too late, so I just skipped the meal that I'd made for myself for after the work out. SO my question is, do you guys ever eat back YESTERDAY'S exercise calories?

I think this could go along with counting calories on a weekly average basis rather than as daily inputs, but I'm just curious is that's ever backfired. Would you log it today or retroactively to yesterday?

I do feel hungrier today, and this would give me enough extra to have a second breakfast. I don't eat ALL of my exercise calories back, just half.

Replies

  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    Some people do things like this on purpose. I remember the first year I was losing, I ate 100 calories under every day for a week to "bank" the calories to have some cheesecake for my birthday.

    As you said, it's like you'd be eating on a weekly average. Your body doesn't stop and start a caloric timer at midnight :)

    If you're hungrier today, go ahead and eat some of those exercise calories back.

    Thanks! I guess sometimes I need to make sure that this "extra cheat treat" isn't a "cheat" at all!
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
    I always eat a little less during the week so that date night doesn’t feel restricted for my hubby, or football snacks can be a little heavier. It has worked just fine for me.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    edited November 2017
    Yeah, I go by weekly average. I generally aim for 1800 on weekdays and 2500 on weekends for an average of 2000.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited November 2017
    I’m pretty sure your body isn’t worrying about the numbers nearly as much as you are. I maintain a deficit by week and haven’t noticed any issues losing weight even with my daily totals swinging all over the place - in fact, I haven’t even noticed issues that seem very common, like excessive hunger, nagging cravings, or plateaus. I have no idea if the two are related, but it's one theory.
  • WhereIsPJSoles
    WhereIsPJSoles Posts: 622 Member
    Unless I’m like unusually hungry during the week, I save exercise calories for the weekend. It works for me. I’m not the same amount of hungry every day. Some days I could feel full on 800 calories and some days I need 2,000. It all comes out in the wash.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    Yep. If you're working on the weekly net calories, it all evens out - your weekly calories eaten, expended through exercise, all that jazz. You might just be a little heavier for a day or two from water weight, mass of food in your system, etc.

    I save most of my exercise calories all week and eat more on the weekends because we usually go out for dinner.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    maggibailey wrote: »
    I always eat a little less during the week so that date night doesn’t feel restricted for my hubby, or football snacks can be a little heavier. It has worked just fine for me.

    I do this as well. Even now that I'm in maintenance I eat at a deficit during the week so I can overeat on the weekends without gaining.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Yep, look at your weekly goal, not daily.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I do it regularly. I'm very low on calories (net) for the past week. Today I'm ravenous, and I'm eating what I want.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I did yeah but if its just one day then probably don't need to stress it unless you are hungry. If you are hungry go ahead and use some of yesterdays deficit as a refeed. Either way I wouldn't make a habit of it if you can avoid doing that.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
    Always yes to second breakfast! ;)

    I'd log it under today, because I think honest logging is the best approach.
    So yesterday would show well under and today over. You can always add a note to today.

    I normally do it the other way round and have a lighter day after I've wildly over-eaten. I generally feel less hungry anyway. Doesn't seem to do any damage.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    It's just math. A lot of people do stuff like this and it seems to be working for them.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Second breakfast conquered! Thank you guys!
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    I often do a lot of cardio on Saturday but the hunger from it doesn't usually hit until Sunday. Usually Saturday is under and Sunday is over. It all balances out.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I do something similar. I count today's dinner against tomorrow. This is helpful to me as I don't usually make dinner, and have no idea if we're having something light or something heavy. That way I can plan the whole day's calorie budget out the day before.
  • ttreit
    ttreit Posts: 59 Member
    Sometimes. Sometimes I track calories by the week instead of the day.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    edited November 2017
    I think it is a good idea to eat them even if the next day--if not, if you are under your calorie goal and create a huge deficit, THAT can backfire. I made the mistake of not eating back exercise calories on Sunday since I didn't feel hungry (I did zumba, and MFP says I burn between 800-900 calories--that might be inflated but I usually do eat back all my exercise calories and I've been losing on schedule).

    But the next day I did feel hungry, and did not eat back Sunday's calories. I was determined to stay at the goal each subsequent day, and that kept me from sleeping well for a few days until the hunger finally caught up with me on THURSDAY and I really had to just NOT work out and just eat about 200-300 extra. Had I just eaten extra on Monday and not concerned myself about going over, I would have felt better all week. Lesson learned.

    I will log it in the day that I eat it--not retroactively into the previous day. I will also make a note in the "food notes" about how I was feeling, why I ate it, etc.

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