borrowing calories from the next day
cfmusgrove
Posts: 46 Member
Hi there- I just have a question that I'm sure that ppl here can answer. Is it okay to borrow calories from the next day.... for example, if I'm out of calories in the evening and not doing any further exercise for the day and I eat something, can I just log it on the next day's diary so I can keep the calorie budget down for the day? I was thinking it is okay since it is really the deficit that averages over a few days to a week,....right? I just want to make sure I'm not messing myself up by doing that.....
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Replies
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Yes and no... A lot of people view their calorie consumption over the course of a week and the mobile app allows you to view it that way. That said, I would still log the food you consume on the day you consume it. You may also want to ask yourself why you are going over. How are your macros? Are you getting enough protein? Of course it's okay to go over from time to time, but if it is happening regularly, you may need to reevaluate! Good luck!0
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No, put it all in the day you ate it.
Going over one day isn't going to break your diet. However, logging foods on different days is an attempt at fooling yourself in to thinking that you are sticking to your plan.
It is better to be really honest with yourself. Get back on track tomorrow. Look at how you ate on a day you went over, and figure out where the problem is (not enough protein? not frequently enough? not enough food in one sitting to feel satisfied? just got hungry?) so you can try to fix it in the future.0 -
As long as you log accurately and still stay in your weekly deficit, your body will not know the difference...0
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^^ This0
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I strongly disagree with this - I lost almost 50 lbs doing the "wendy plan" on WW - where you would eat different amounts/calories on different days - it works very well and has got nothing to do with "fooling yourself"......No, put it all in the day you ate it.
Going over one day isn't going to break your diet. However, logging foods on different days is an attempt at fooling yourself in to thinking that you are sticking to your plan.
OP, I would still log it on the day you eat it, even if it puts you over on the one day and under on the next.. - otherwise you would not be able to track any issues....0 -
No, put it all in the day you ate it.
Going over one day isn't going to break your diet. However, logging foods on different days is an attempt at fooling yourself in to thinking that you are sticking to your plan.
It is better to be really honest with yourself. Get back on track tomorrow. Look at how you ate on a day you went over, and figure out where the problem is (not enough protein? not frequently enough? not enough food in one sitting to feel satisfied? just got hungry?) so you can try to fix it in the future.
^^This! I try to stay under as many days as possible, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I make sure to keep an eye on the weekly deficit if I do go over one day. Don't try to fool yourself, it's not going to help.0 -
I say log it the day you ate it, but you can keep in mind that you will have tomorrow's calories or that you had extra the day before to balance out. I do the same thing with money!0
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I strongly disagree with this - I lost almost 50 lbs doing the "wendy plan" on WW - where you would eat different amounts/calories on different days - it works very well and has got nothing to do with "fooling yourself"......No, put it all in the day you ate it.
Going over one day isn't going to break your diet. However, logging foods on different days is an attempt at fooling yourself in to thinking that you are sticking to your plan.
OP, I would still log it on the day you eat it, even if it puts you over on the one day and under on the next.. - otherwise you would not be able to track any issues....
Congrats on your loss! :bigsmile:
However, the OP said her reason for logging it on the next day is "so I can keep the calorie budget down for the day". That statement right there is what pointed me at the OP trying to make her diary look like she stayed within calories every day. When you have to make your diary look like anything other than what actually happened, I think you should stop and think about what you are doing, and if you are starting to sabotage yourself. This is the point of her post that I addressed.
I did not address whether calories for the week would be stayed under, as I think it is secondary to keeping an honest journal. :flowerforyou:0 -
I strongly disagree with this - I lost almost 50 lbs doing the "wendy plan" on WW - where you would eat different amounts/calories on different days - it works very well and has got nothing to do with "fooling yourself"......No, put it all in the day you ate it.
Going over one day isn't going to break your diet. However, logging foods on different days is an attempt at fooling yourself in to thinking that you are sticking to your plan.
That's not what she meant. She meant that if you eat something on Monday, you should log it on Monday, even if it puts you over. You need to be able to see that you are eating above your goal. 3 months from now, if she hasn't lost as much weight as she should have, and she's going back over her food diary to figure out why, it will be of no use to her if her daily diary is not an accurate record of what she actually ate on the given days.
There's nothing wrong with going over slightly on one day and making up for it by undereating slightly the next day, but I think your diary should still be accurate each day. And I wouldn't make a habit of doing this because that suggests that whatever your calorie goal is, it's not sustainable for you. Even worse, it could lead to a binge and punishment cycle where you start doing a ton of cardio or skipping meals to make up for excessive eating, and I think we all know where THAT leads.0 -
I log everything on the day I eat it even if it puts me over. I try to focus on weekly totals. This way I dont feel defeated if I go over a day because I know it will balance out.0
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Is it okay to borrow calories from the next day....
No.
Therein lies the path to perdition.
Log each day as it actually happens.0 -
I personally look at things from a weekly perspective, some days I go over and some days I am under. For me as long as my week is on track I don't fret too much.
ETA: I would log it on the correct day though!0 -
I strongly disagree with this - I lost almost 50 lbs doing the "wendy plan" on WW - where you would eat different amounts/calories on different days - it works very well and has got nothing to do with "fooling yourself"......
That is an entirely different thing than going over the goal and then applying "Congressional Budgeting 101" to make it seem like it didn't happen.0 -
I strongly disagree with this - I lost almost 50 lbs doing the "wendy plan" on WW - where you would eat different amounts/calories on different days - it works very well and has got nothing to do with "fooling yourself"......
That is an entirely different thing than going over the goal and then applying "Congressional Budgeting 101" to make it seem like it didn't happen.
I agree. Always on the day you eat it. Eat a bit less the next day if need be. Keep it all within reason, though.0 -
It would be like those payday loans where eventually you're so far behind you can't pay the rent.0
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I think it's fine but I think you have to make any plan work for you. Obviously, you're not going to be able to push today's meals too far out into the future or it's just defeating the purpose of logging.
You can also define your 'day' how you want. If it helps, start your logging for 'today' at dinner time and end it that time the next day. A lot of people prefer that mindset.0 -
Agreed. It's a slippery slope.It would be like those payday loans where eventually you're so far behind you can't pay the rent.0 -
Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like the consensus is log it on the day that you eat it....but....what if it is past midnight but you haven't slept...that's technically the next day....grey area LOL...... (I'm kidding - mostly)0
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I think people tend to consider their day to be from when they wake from their longest stretch of sleep until they go to bed again for the next long stretch of sleep (8 hours, usually overnight, but some people work the night shift). If the specific time is *always* a moving target, then you do the best you can. If you always go to bed at 3am, then your day ends at 3am.
So, if you eat it before you go to bed, it's part of today.0 -
That's why I log my food for today on the following time frames:Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like the consensus is log it on the day that you eat it....but....what if it is past midnight but you haven't slept...that's technically the next day....grey area LOL...... (I'm kidding - mostly)
04:00-08:00
08:00-12:00
12:00-16:00
16:00-20:00
20:00-00:00
00:00-04:00
NEXT DAY
repeat.0 -
That's why I log my food for today on the following time frames:Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like the consensus is log it on the day that you eat it....but....what if it is past midnight but you haven't slept...that's technically the next day....grey area LOL...... (I'm kidding - mostly)
04:00-08:00
08:00-12:00
12:00-16:00
16:00-20:00
20:00-00:00
00:00-04:00
NEXT DAY
repeat.
Ooh! That's a neat idea! I just have mine as 1st meal, 2nd meal, etc.0 -
Logging on the next day is just going to make a mess. You're going to overeat today, under eat tomorrow but think you didn't under eat because you logged the food in that day. You'll then end up borrowing more calories from the next day because you felt that you under ate but it still says you ate normally and then you'll be as confused as you are reading my post right now. It's just going to create a compounding nightmare.0
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That's why I log my food for today on the following time frames:Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like the consensus is log it on the day that you eat it....but....what if it is past midnight but you haven't slept...that's technically the next day....grey area LOL...... (I'm kidding - mostly)
04:00-08:00
08:00-12:00
12:00-16:00
16:00-20:00
20:00-00:00
00:00-04:00
NEXT DAY
repeat.
Ooh! That's a neat idea! I just have mine as 1st meal, 2nd meal, etc.
Sort of, yes! Although your meals wouldn't work out quite well for me as I'm eating all day long :') haha0 -
That's why I log my food for today on the following time frames:Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like the consensus is log it on the day that you eat it....but....what if it is past midnight but you haven't slept...that's technically the next day....grey area LOL...... (I'm kidding - mostly)
04:00-08:00
08:00-12:00
12:00-16:00
16:00-20:00
20:00-00:00
00:00-04:00
NEXT DAY
repeat.
OHHHH I really love this idea!!0 -
There is this popular logging method on the WW forums where people log their dinner from today in tomorrow's slot, then proceed forward from there. I guess it in effect changes the definition of your 'day' so it starts at like 5pm instead of 12am. So if you want more calories 'available' for dinner and night time and to eat the 'leftovers' for breakfast and lunch instead of vice versa, it works like that.0
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