If you're going to go over, does it matter how far?

Mr_Boy

Is there some limit to the calories your body can usefully process in a single day? e.g. if you overeat 400 calories every single day, is that the same as overeating 3000 calories once a week or if you have all your extra in one binge, do you "get away with it" to some extent?

I'm not asking for permission to binge, but because I'm wondering if I should simply aim to meet my daily limit and if I go over one day, start from scratch the next day... or if I should try to balance it out so my average calories/day for the week are on target?

This is a separate discussion from having the odd "day off" which you deliberately choose not to count. I'm just interested in whether calories "carry over" to the next day or if trying to eat less the next day to balance it out is pointless?

cwolfman13

It depends on how much of a deficit is in your calorie goal. your MfP calorie goal has a built in deficit from maintenance...it is NOT a maintenance level of calories...so if you go over you're most likely still in deficit unless you really go to town. 1 Lb per week is roughly 500 calories per day deficit..2 Lbs per week is 1000 calories per day deficit built into your diet.

I went over some pretty much always when I was losing...

judykat7

curious about the correct answer here. However I am of the belief that if you are going to eat the whole pie, pan of brownies, or batch of cookies - just do it all at once and get it over with. Surely my body eliminate most and will not process it as efficiently into fat than if I drag it out and am over every day that amount till it is gone. Just my theory-nothing scientific about it.

jofjltncb6

I think there is some solid support for the theory that all at once is better than over time...

...but I also think it's a potentially dangerous approach from a "relationship with food" perspective.

I'm mostly just in to hear the answers from those who actually know.

Stoshew71

From what I have been reading, whatever your body doesn't process for energy, it will store it as fat.

There are countless posts on here asking very similar questions. Just do a simple search on "binge".

What you will read are examples where people eat at a high level of calorie deficit then at the end of the week, they binge and end up eating back their entire deficit for the week plus more. Thus, 6 days I was really really good, but on that 7th day I was really really really really really super bad. And in the end I ended up gaining weight.

So from what i am reading, there is no "magical limit" where your body says, eh. I am just going to throw this out and not process it.

On the contrary, (and to the displeasure of your intention to loose weight) your body actually loves that fat. Fat to your body is a security blanket. It wants to save as much of that potential energy as it can as fat for that rainy day. So if you binge not so bad, then you result won't be as bad. But if you binge really really bad, then yeah your result will be really really bad.

Mr_Knight

I'm not asking for permission to binge, but because I'm wondering if I should simply aim to meet my daily limit and if I go over one day, start from scratch the next day... or if I should try to balance it out so my average calories/day for the week are on target?

Balance it out.

born2drum

OH GAWD? Serious? SMH!

Mr_Boy

It depends on how much of a deficit is in your calorie goal. your MfP calorie goal has a built in deficit from maintenance...it is NOT a maintenance level of calories...so if you go over you're most likely still in deficit unless you really go to town. 1 Lb per week is roughly 500 calories per day deficit..2 Lbs per week is 1000 calories per day deficit built into your diet.

I went over some pretty much always when I was losing...

Thats a good point. Going over your limit 1000 calories takes quite some doing although a few pints and a kebab after would surely achieve it... It's still quite a "safety margin".

mingecrackers

OH GAWD? Serious? SMH!

Sorry, I don't see how this a SMH kind of question?

jadelovesveg

I'm no expert, but in 'The 4 Hour Body' one of the rules is that once a week you have to binge. You eat healthily with a deficit of calories 6 days a week (there are a few other rules for these days) then on day 7 you eat as much as you want, and as much junk as you want.
I don't really remember the science behind it but it's something about that when you're eating a low calorie diet, your body gets used to the amount of calories you're eating, and slows down the metabolism to cancel out the calorie defecit (to prepare itself for 'starvation mode') and if you binge a large amount of calories occasionally, it forces your body to speed its metabolism back up, and reminds your body that you're not starving so you don't need to conserve fat.

As I say I'm not really sure of all the science myself and I don't follow the diet as there are some other rules in there that I disagree with, but it's an interesting theory.

I have to admit I binge pretty often, so I was happy to read that it might actually help me lose weight! Haha

magerum

Short-term overeating results in incomplete energy intake compensation http://t.co/VVXhhC87yA

Stoshew71

I'm no expert, but in 'The 4 Hour Body' one of the rules is that once a week you have to binge. You eat healthily with a deficit of calories 6 days a week (there are a few other rules for these days) then on day 7 you eat as much as you want, and as much junk as you want.
I don't really remember the science behind it but it's something about that when you're eating a low calorie diet, your body gets used to the amount of calories you're eating, and slows down the metabolism to cancel out the calorie defecit (to prepare itself for 'starvation mode') and if you binge a large amount of calories occasionally, it forces your body to speed its metabolism back up, and reminds your body that you're not starving so you don't need to conserve fat.

As I say I'm not really sure of all the science myself and I don't follow the diet as there are some other rules in there that I disagree with, but it's an interesting theory.

I have to admit I binge pretty often, so I was happy to read that it might actually help me lose weight! Haha

Go back and reread that book. Make sure you are quoting it correctly. If you are, then that book contridicts a lot of other theories.
It all depends upon how much your body needs in food intake for energy and other bodily maintnenance; how much you actually eat. What is the net result? Surplus or deficit? Surplus = weight gain. Deficit = weight loss. Deficit of 3500 calories per week (comes out to 500 calories per day) = 1 lb loss.

So if you binge only a little to the point where your weekly total is still at a deficit, then no big deal. If you binge to the point where you end up at a surplus for the week, then that = weight gain.

Eating to trick your body into slowing down or increasing the rate of metobolism is not being a good steward. Binging a little every so often (so you are still under your calorie deficit) only serves to sooth your mind that loosing weight and eating less (or not the kind of food I want to eat) pretty much sucks.

red_road

I'm no expert, but in 'The 4 Hour Body' one of the rules is that once a week you have to binge. You eat healthily with a deficit of calories 6 days a week (there are a few other rules for these days) then on day 7 you eat as much as you want, and as much junk as you want.
I don't really remember the science behind it but it's something about that when you're eating a low calorie diet, your body gets used to the amount of calories you're eating, and slows down the metabolism to cancel out the calorie defecit (to prepare itself for 'starvation mode') and if you binge a large amount of calories occasionally, it forces your body to speed its metabolism back up, and reminds your body that you're not starving so you don't need to conserve fat.

As I say I'm not really sure of all the science myself and I don't follow the diet as there are some other rules in there that I disagree with, but it's an interesting theory.

I have to admit I binge pretty often, so I was happy to read that it might actually help me lose weight! Haha

Im not sure any diet would promote binging. I have followed the 5:2 diet before, and while it does recommend eating as you wish on regular days, the author made clear that the intention is not to binge but to eat around your maintenance which to many people would be how you regularly eat when not on a diet and therefore would not need to obsess about calories. Also even though the two fast days on 5:2 have women eating only 500 calories a day, if i binge after a fast day i will quickly regain any loss. I am not sure if calorie cycling is more efficient than eating at a general deficit every day, when on 5:2 i have less plateaus but other than those occasions of a stall i lose about the same on both diets. If you really want to binge i would suggest the JUDDD diet which fasts every other day giving you much more leeway on your feast days.

brower47

There's a limit in my body.

It's the point at which I puke.

jeffd247

If you are gonna be late... you might as well STAY OUT ALL NIGHT!!!

\m/ WOOO ROCK AND ROLLLLLLL!