Weekends

texasbbaygirl972

I know you have to eat in a calorie deficit on the week ,
Do you eat more calories either sataurday or Sunday
Or eat your calories deficit for the whole week

brandice65

I make more bad choices in the weekend. Something I need to work on.

mtaratoot

Both my daily calorie needs and consumption change day to day. I try to hit my daily goal as often as possible. I try to hit as close to the target as I can. I don't want to be under it; just hit it.

More important to me though is being close to target on average over a week. Because both my calories consumed and expended vary, I like to be really close to my goal each week. Day to day is important, but not as important as longer term.

sollyn23l2

texasbbaygirl972 wrote: »

I know you have to eat in a calorie deficit on the week ,
Do you eat more calories either sataurday or Sunday
Or eat your calories deficit for the whole week

What matters is that by the end of the week, you are still in a total calorie deficit. So let's say your calorie allotment is 1500 per day. By the end of a week, you should have eaten no more than 10,500 calories total.

AnnPT77

I'm in maintenance now.

I calorie bank (eat very slightly under estimated true maintenance calories, like 100-150 under) most days. That gives me some calories I can use for occasional indulgences, yet still maintain a reasonable weight. (I'm in year 7+ of maintaining at this point.)

I'm retired, so it isn't a weekday/weekend thing, but the concept could apply in that scenario.

Some people do something like that during weight loss. MFP resets at midnight, but our bodies don't. Weight change (fat change specifically) is about the cumulative effect of net eating/activity calories over a period of time.

I agree with others that hitting calorie goal (or close) as a weekly average is a reasonable thing to do, especially if it makes it easier for you to stay with the loss plans.

Also, I think it's worth estimating your current maintenance calories, just to have a reasonable estimate of that number. Any day you eat less than maintenance, even if over weight loss calorie goal, you'd expect to lose some body fat, just a bit less loss than if you'd hit calorie goal.

Even if considering eating over goal calories for some special occasion, knowing your maintenance estimate can help make decisions about the impact. For example, if losing a pound a week, that implies a 500 calorie daily deficit. In that situation, if a person eats 1000 calories over goal one day, they delay reaching goal weight by about 2 days - the day of the extra 1000, plus it effectively zeros the next day's 500 calorie deficit. IME, that's worth it on the rare occasion, like (say) a birthday or holiday.

Be careful, though: It's fairly easy to zero out 5 days' deficit in 2 days on a weekend, and not lose weight at all. If that's a knowing choice, that's one thing. If doing it out of some misplaced idea that cheat days help the loss effort so going wild, that's a path to disappointment. (I do understand that you're not saying you plan to go totally wild on the weekend, though. ).

Best wishes!

SafariGalNYC

I do 5 days at one calorie goal and 2 days (usually weekend ) at a slightly higher calorie goal. (+300)

This mixes it up a bit for me and has worked for weekly calorie goals.

Kotkoda005

I dont necessarily think of it as "per week". In my mind, I know the body doesn't reset every week so it makes it harder for me to roll with arbitrary timeframes.

I tend to take a more flexible diet approach though - if I'm particularly active on a day, I'll eat a bit more (but not completely eat back active calories). If I'm sedentary on a day, I won't eat as much because I don't need the additional fuel in the tank.

Different strokes work for different folks though!

cats2222

I follow my calories pretty strictly for 6 days a week. On Saturday I am not as careful, but still try and make smarter choices

xbowhunter

For me weight maintenance is a full time 24/7 job.

If I happen to go over one day I don't beat myself up over it. I just start over and look forward.

mtaratoot

cats2222 wrote: »

I follow my calories pretty strictly for 6 days a week. On Saturday I am not as careful, but still try and make smarter choices

Is this method successful in moving you towards your goals?

ridiculous59

I use the weekly average option. I could easily wipe out any progress made if I didn't keep myself accountable. The weekly average helps me with that.

Diary - Upper right pie symbol - Calories - Weekly view

cats2222

Mtaratoot. I do find this helpful. I don't go crazy on Saturdays, but it helps with feeling deprived which is an issue for me sometimes