Little Over Yesterday, But Little Under Today - That OK?

pinktoque

So I've been using MFP for a whole three days now (I know, THREE whole days, I'm an expert!!) and I have a few nutritional related questions I'm trying to figure out.

I've noticed that on Monday, one of my workout days where I do 30 minutes of intense cardio, I was 300 calories short of reaching my target calorie goal at the end of the night when it was bedtime. I had already reached my carb/fat goals so I wasn't sure what I could do about the 300 calories. I know that's a bad thing... but...

on Tuesday I only did a 30 minute walk, but no hard cardio workout like on Monday. I was just at 300 calories OVER my calorie goal on Tuesday.

I typically have the same breakfast daily during the week and the same basic composition of foods at lunches during the week when I work. And then we have been making healthier dinner choices, too. So if I'm not really changing much diet-wise day to day... I can understand then why I might be a little under or over. Thanks to MFP I've made wiser food choices and it's stopped me from eating some bad-for-me things because I could visually SEE how or where it would affect my goals. It's really eye opening when you know just how many calories/fat/carbs/etc. you have left to "use up" in a day to keep you on track of your goal. It's a powerful thing.

So I guess my question is... it seems like between Monday and Tuesday I balanced things out. 300 under on Monday, 300 over on Tuesday. But is it good to do things this way? Can I/should I be looking at it from the standpoint that it's "balanced" like that from day to day? Obviously I've only been here 3 days now and that's not really long enough to see if that's a typical trend or not for me that I potentially need to squash, but I just want to know how bad it may be to balance myself this way. It's not purposeful of course, but it seemed to naturally even itself out across the two days. Any thoughts?

Thanks for any input or advice in advance

pinktoque

So I've been using MFP for a whole three days now (I know, THREE whole days, I'm an expert!!) and I have a few nutritional related questions I'm trying to figure out.

I've noticed that on Monday, one of my workout days where I do 30 minutes of intense cardio, I was 300 calories short of reaching my target calorie goal at the end of the night when it was bedtime. I had already reached my carb/fat goals so I wasn't sure what I could do about the 300 calories. I know that's a bad thing... but...

on Tuesday I only did a 30 minute walk, but no hard cardio workout like on Monday. I was just at 300 calories OVER my calorie goal on Tuesday.

I typically have the same breakfast daily during the week and the same basic composition of foods at lunches during the week when I work. And then we have been making healthier dinner choices, too. So if I'm not really changing much diet-wise day to day... I can understand then why I might be a little under or over. Thanks to MFP I've made wiser food choices and it's stopped me from eating some bad-for-me things because I could visually SEE how or where it would affect my goals. It's really eye opening when you know just how many calories/fat/carbs/etc. you have left to "use up" in a day to keep you on track of your goal. It's a powerful thing.

So I guess my question is... it seems like between Monday and Tuesday I balanced things out. 300 under on Monday, 300 over on Tuesday. But is it good to do things this way? Can I/should I be looking at it from the standpoint that it's "balanced" like that from day to day? Obviously I've only been here 3 days now and that's not really long enough to see if that's a typical trend or not for me that I potentially need to squash, but I just want to know how bad it may be to balance myself this way. It's not purposeful of course, but it seemed to naturally even itself out across the two days. Any thoughts?

Thanks for any input or advice in advance

PrincessLaundry

I've noticed that on Monday, one of my workout days where I do 30 minutes of intense cardio, I was 300 calories short of reaching my target calorie goal at the end of the night when it was bedtime. I had already reached my carb/fat goals so I wasn't sure what I could do about the 300 calories. I know that's a bad thing... but...

I just got home from working out so I am couch bound...Let me try to break each part up and answer. I'm sure others will jump in as well.

A tad over or under is not a big deal IMHO, but try to get as close as possible for best results. I am slowly learning that food is my friend. The best way to find success is to plan your days.

If you plan your days out (what you are going to eat, and goals for working out) either a few days prior, or the day of, you will have a better chance of hitting your nutrition needs better. This will really help you out to stay focused and in control without "wanting" at the end of the night. It sounds hard to plan, I nearly fainted when I was told to do that way back when, but it is so rewarding and worth it to know your target food and workout goal each day.

heartshapdworld

That is a good questions-I have had the same "problem" this week too...

PrincessLaundry

I typically have the same breakfast daily during the week and the same basic composition of foods at lunches during the week when I work. And then we have been making healthier dinner choices, too. So if I'm not really changing much diet-wise day to day... I can understand then why I might be a little under or over. Thanks to MFP I've made wiser food choices and it's stopped me from eating some bad-for-me things because I could visually SEE how or where it would affect my goals. It's really eye opening when you know just how many calories/fat/carbs/etc. you have left to "use up" in a day to keep you on track of your goal. It's a powerful thing.

YOU KNOW IT GIRLFRIEND!

EM13

dito. ??? :huh:

PrincessLaundry

dito. ??? :huh:

dito??? Did I diddat?

iftcheiaf

I'm not an expert by any means. I usually just go by what I read on posts here. I know that there is something called zig-zag dieting, although I'm not exactly sure the mechanisms of it. The idea is that you change up your calorie intake and rate of exercise every few days so that your body doesn't get used to it. For example, you don't want to only eat 1400 calories every day + plus 600 calories for exercise, which means you're eating 2000 calories everyday. Some days, like you did, will be harder cardio so the calories will be different. I'm not sure if there is a balancing out or not though. But I know for me, when I "overeat" on one day, then I might tend to exercise a little harder the next day and not eat all the calories. In your overeating, were they healthy choices, because that will make a huge difference I think in how your body processes it.

If you goes into the posts and maybe search for "zig zag dieting", I know that Shorerider has posted stuff on it before and a few others. It might offer you some insight. I'd be curious to see what everyone else thinks on this too.

BTW, three days is a HUGE deal, so stick with it. Sounds like your family is getting involved too, which is awesome.

PrincessLaundry

So I guess my question is... it seems like between Monday and Tuesday I balanced things out. 300 under on Monday, 300 over on Tuesday. But is it good to do things this way? Can I/should I be looking at it from the standpoint that it's "balanced" like that from day to day? Obviously I've only been here 3 days now and that's not really long enough to see if that's a typical trend or not for me that I potentially need to squash, but I just want to know how bad it may be to balance myself this way. It's not purposeful of course, but it seemed to naturally even itself out across the two days. Any thoughts?

With Weight Watchers, their plans have often focused on "entire week" goals of calorie in and out. So in my humble opinion (IMHO) I think that it is okay to do this at times. Like yesterday I worked out in the afternoon biking for over 1 1/2 hours burning 1224 calories on the beach. That night I hadn't eaten my full 3948753405893 calories allotted for the day, so I could have rolled some over into today. I'm sure there are "better ways" to divide calories. But who says your 24 hour day starts at midnight and ends at 11:59 PM???

Have you heard about zig-zagging? Here is a calculator:
http://www.naturalphysiques.com/tools.php?itemid=64
This talks about altering your calorie intake during the week for different "highs" and "lows" to keep your body guessing.

Anyway, I wouldn't treat them like Cingular's Rollover Minutes, but shifting within 24 hours sounds okay if you need to and can't get all the calories in and our correctly. I'm sure there is a "good," "better," and "best" way to do this balancing act. I can't wait to hear the others chime in too!

Sunibc22

Pinktoque, thank you for asking this question. I too am a 3 day old expert!!! I've been staying tuned for all the responses!!
Suni22

pinktoque

Wow, thanks for all of the good advice, PrincessLaundry

I'm going to do a little looking into the zig-zag dieting. And I wanted to point out (thanks, iftcheiaf for asking -- I wasn't clear!) the 300 calories over day was all due to healthy choices. I wasn't eating anything bad for me -- it wasn't 300 empty calories, does that make sense? That might change things a bit, though I still felt a little guilty that I was "over" my goal.

You all are so wonderful, helpful and supportive. Lots and lots of love to all of you

paulamma1

I look on it like this. Our bodies are not computers. Consistency is the thing. I wouldn't be too concerned about 100 calories here or there. I still want to be attentively doing this in 2 months time. THAT'LL be the challenge.

When I did WeightWatchers, we were advised to look at our weight loss over a monthly period as often weekly didn't encapsulate (great word!) this dynamic, wonderful thing that is our body.

Now, if it becomes 400 calories here or there, well that's a different matter.

This weight didn't go on overnight and it won't come off that way either.

pinktoque

I look on it like this. Our bodies are not computers. Consistency is the thing. I wouldn't be too concerned about 100 calories here or there. I still want to be attentively doing this in 2 months time. THAT'LL be the challenge.

When I did WeightWatchers, we were advised to look at our weight loss over a monthly period as often weekly didn't encapsulate (great word!) this dynamic, wonderful thing that is our body.

Now, if it becomes 400 calories here or there, well that's a different matter.

This weight didn't go on overnight and it won't come off that way either.

Very good point Thanks for helping me look at it from that point of view ! (And encapsulate is a FAB word)