Saving Calories / Fasting

DupreeTheTRex
DupreeTheTRex Posts: 105 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So my wife bought me a cheese of the month subscription for my birthday before I decided to try really watching my calories. I’m fasting today to save my calories for when the cheese arrives so I can have a little extra (skipped my lunch).

Are there dangers to doing this? Should I not make this a habit?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Lots of people bank calories for special events or meals. Typically this is done by saving a small amount each day instead of skipping whole meals. If I was skipping meals, I'd personally worry about getting so hungry that it would be hard to stick to my calorie goal. This may not be a concern for everyone.

    Is it dangerous physically? No. I'm on the opinion that anything you do for one day probably isn't going to be a big deal for the average person without medical conditions. Would I make a habit of skipping meals that I usually ate to save calories? I wouldn't - that's based on what I know about myself.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited September 2020
    I'd say keep it reasonable. Skimming cals for a few days and/or putting in an extra workout and banking those calories for a special occasion or meal makes sense. But totally fasting one day so you can afford an extra 2000-3000 calories the next? That would be a bit extreme in my opinion and could lead to some bad habits.

    If you feel fine skipping a meal, then ok. If it makes you hangry, distracted, etc. then try a lower cal meal instead.

    I will sometimes start 'banking' calories around Wednesday/Thursday if I plan to drink on Saturday for example. If my drink of choice is 300 calories each, it would be near impossible for me to be active enough on Saturday to have room for 3-4 drinks and some minimal level of nutrition. But I can 'bank' 150-300 calories on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and make sure to remain active on Saturday and fit them in.
  • Chrisjbrawn
    Chrisjbrawn Posts: 28 Member
    You could do a OMAD diet for a day and enjoy the cheese
  • DupreeTheTRex
    DupreeTheTRex Posts: 105 Member
    nanastaci2020 wrote: »
    I'd say keep it reasonable. Skimming cals for a few days and/or putting in an extra workout and banking those calories for a special occasion or meal makes sense. But totally fasting one day so you can afford an extra 2000-3000 calories the next? That would be a bit extreme in my opinion and could lead to some bad habits.

    If you feel fine skipping a meal, then ok. If it makes you hangry, distracted, etc. then try a lower cal meal instead.

    I will sometimes start 'banking' calories around Wednesday/Thursday if I plan to drink on Saturday for example. If my drink of choice is 300 calories each, it would be near impossible for me to be active enough on Saturday to have room for 3-4 drinks and some minimal level of nutrition. But I can 'bank' 150-300 calories on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and make sure to remain active on Saturday and fit them in.

    Okay, sol I’ll give it a go and see if I can maintain my balance. If I can’t I won’t do it again!
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    If you use the app, you can see your weekly average. That's very helpful for those of us that sometimes eat a little under our calories earlier in the week knowing that a big meal or night out is coming up. I too could eat a lot of cheese in one go, but when it gets averaged out over a week the damage may not be as bad as you fear.

    Try different things and see what's best for you - a very light lunch such as a plain salad with some protein or some soup vs skipping lunch vs smaller portions for a few days during the week (easy if you just slightly reduce the amount of pasta, potatoes or rice on your plate). You definitely don't want to be skipping the cheese!
  • Noodlesprout
    Noodlesprout Posts: 15 Member
    I do this all the time. Sometimes save a pile of calories previous day and enjoy the occasion the next. It’s not all the time and sometimes I find this helps drop the weight off faster the following days
  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
    edited September 2020
    Cheese does not spoil fast, you dont need to eat it at one go. Just take it with you if you can.
  • cerad2
    cerad2 Posts: 70 Member
    When the cheese arrives, go down to your local food bank and donate it. It will not only help keep you calorie intact down but will probably make you feel good.
  • msapplek
    msapplek Posts: 95 Member
    @DupreeTheTRex - Have you considered giving the cheese away? I can help you out, just sayin'!

    (I need a wife like yours.) :)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    DupreeTheTRex wrote: »
    So my wife bought me a cheese of the month subscription for my birthday before I decided to try really watching my calories. I’m fasting today to save my calories for when the cheese arrives so I can have a little extra (skipped my lunch).

    Are there dangers to doing this? Should I not make this a habit?

    How many calories do you normally allot for lunch? Are you really planning on eating a lunch's worth of calories just in cheese? Or are there maybe accompaniments (e.g., fruit, bread/crackers, etc.) that will bring it up to a lunch's worth of calories?

    My point is that a whole lunch's worth of calories in just cheese seems like overdoing it (but if you're only doing it once a month, it's really not a big deal, anyway), and if your lunches are routinely so small that if you have to skip lunch to fit in a "normal" snack of cheese and fruit, that's a different kind of concerning.

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