Can I maintain this way?

hippiesaur

So I try to maintain now (rather recomp...), but my daily activity is so diverse during the week, that it is very difficult to eat according to MFP calories. There are days when I walk a lot + doing a workout and I have 2300-2400 calories to eat, then usually on the weekends I move much less and my calorie burn is around 1500-1600 calories (I track my activity with a FitBit). It's very easy for me to overeat during the weekend and undereat on weekdays since I hate to force myself to eat 2400 calories, and then eating 900 cals less in the weekend would be a struggle (when there are so many cookies and delicious stuff made by my mom... ). Is it okay if I eat over my maintenance calories in the weekend then under it on weekdays when I'm also more active? I usually don't have problem with my energy level during workouts (especially on Monday when I ate a lot the previous day...) when I don't eat that much. I would make sure that I don't eat in deficit or surplus on a weekly basis... Could this cause any problem regarding my health?

pinuplove

Your calories on any given day don't have to match your expenditure. A weekly average with lower and higher days that gets you close to maintenance overall is perfectly fine.

errollmaclean

Totally fine to track weekly totals. The premium MFP lets you set up specific daily goals too.

sijomial

Why not regard your calorie allowance as a weekly thing rather than daily?
A common analogy is your bank balance, you don't have to match deposits and withdrawals on a daily basis do you?

At maintenance you really need to be thinking about long term adherence, making it easier and more enjoyable. Including how your eating fits comfortably into your lifestyle, rather than compromise your lifestyle by making it fit into your eating.
You really don't need to think day to day (or even week to week...).

Unless you are doing long duration endurance cardio specific fuelling on the day really isn't required, especially when at maintenance. Us humans carry an energy store with us.

hippiesaur

Thank you so much for your replies, they were really helpful! It's so good to know that this will work as well

mph323

Another vote for weekly Daily calorie expenditures are all over the place depending on if I'm going out for lunch or dinner, or riding for several hours, or hiking or sitting around the house all day. I'd go crazy trying to meet daily calorie requirements!

fiddletime

I maintained for 8 months eating over on the weekends. The problem was that I was starting to slip on the good habits of portion control and counting and logging that I’d implemented over the years and my weight finally started to creep up. So, be sure to log your weekly calories with the same diligence you’ve been logging your daily calories! Don’t slip into guesstimate land at your mom’s house, for example.

ladyhusker39

Yes, this sounds like a really good plan. Also, you might consider using a weight trending app if you're not already. I find it helpful for taking my head out of the day-to-day fluctuations and it helps me focus on my weight over time.

hippiesaur

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Yes, this sounds like a really good plan. Also, you might consider using a weight trending app if you're not already. I find it helpful for taking my head out of the day-to-day fluctuations and it helps me focus on my weight over time.

Yeah I log my weight in FitBit app daily, it shows trends and a weekly average weight, such a helpful tool

hippiesaur

fiddletime wrote: »

I maintained for 8 months eating over on the weekends. The problem was that I was starting to slip on the good habits of portion control and counting and logging that I’d implemented over the years and my weight finally started to creep up. So, be sure to log your weekly calories with the same diligence you’ve been logging your daily calories! Don’t slip into guesstimate land at your mom’s house, for example.

Before MFP I guesstimated my calorie intake and I could lose 16 kgs, then maintained for 1 year. With MFP I lost another 3 kgs, so I think I will be fine. I always weigh everything now of course whenever I have my food scale with me, I'm even a bit obsessed with counting calories that's why I feel like I have to use MFP now even though I was able to maintain before (but I don't know how I did that since I wanted to lose weight at that time as well... ).

ladyhusker39

reeeggiii wrote: »

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Yes, this sounds like a really good plan. Also, you might consider using a weight trending app if you're not already. I find it helpful for taking my head out of the day-to-day fluctuations and it helps me focus on my weight over time.

Yeah I log my weight in FitBit app daily, it shows trends and a weekly average weight, such a helpful tool

I did this too when I had a FitBit (I have a Garmin now). If you're curious, I find Trend Weight gives me some very interesting feedback as well. There's also Happy Scale (which I think is for iPhone) and Libra (for Android or vice versa, I forget).

HeyJudii

So glad I read this thread. Had been struggling with this myself now that it is too hot to hike and my weekends are now in the same range of activity as the OP, so I upped my calorie burn during the week to compensate.
I didn't want to decrease my calories on the weekend to match the low weekend calorie burn, since I track weekly and am well within my set calories in.

nxd10

I calculate by the week. I hit my calorie goals most days - I'm hungry when I work out a lot and less when I am sedentary. I usually eat over at least once a week. But I ALWAYS hit my weekly goal. I've maintained within 5 pounds of my original goal for 6 years.

rimir74

I am maintaining a weekly log of daily average calories - trends noted in 4 week sets. I am not tracking weight because it seems to be stable within a decent,/ narrow range

My data is on Google Docs here
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x-U5_S1FOLICblo3jzexdgYx7f34SiKsqk1Tg0kTTHo