When I eat poorly over the weekend...

hottamolly00

....I like to lower my intake to 1000 calories during the week to make up for it. Do you do this, and if not, is there any health reason why not?

Over the entire week, I still consume below my weekly calorie goal.

erickirb

....I like to lower my intake to 1000 calories during the week to make up for it. Do you do this, and if not, is there any health reason why not?

Over the entire week, I still consume below my weekly calorie goal.

1000 in any day is not enough. if your goal was 1600 changing to 1400 would make sense but your body requires certain nutrition daily and it is difficult to do on 1200 calories, let alone on less.

Pandorian

Your goal here on MFP is a number you're supposed to get close to, not be 500+ calories under on a regular basis, it's a goal to strive for, not to go over / under but to get to.

Beebs33

I just have on cheat day a weekend so I do not have to lower mine during the week. I have had many PT tell me that you need that cheat day not just for your sanity but for the insulin spike you get from it.

Egger29

eating better on the weekends is a habit that needs to be formed through practice.

Lowering your calorie intake through the week to "make up" for bad habits isn't ideal as chances are you'll be denying your body quality calories and essential nutrients needed on a daily basis for optimal health.

A healthy diet is about making a lifestyle change and committing to better choices....weekends included.

hockeyman28

I don't eat poorly on the weekend. That would seem to rectify the problem and is an easier fix than "let's just starve ourselves all week"

Fidgetferguson

I don't do anything nearly as systematic...I have a hard enough time with energy levels on 1200 calorie days, I doubt I could bring myself to do much more than get out of bed on 1000. When I have a particularly bad day, weekend or otherwise I do try to make some adjustments however. If I was only a little over my goal, I just give myself a "do better next time" pep talk and move on. If i was wildly out of control however, I do try to shave off some calories on subsequent days, but not in huge chunks like that. I'll just try to add maybe 10 more minutes of cardio each day, or cut out an indulgence planned for later in the week, something like that.

hottamolly00

Thanks y'all! I am going to take y'alls' advice and just stick to my net caloric intake and start watching what I eat over the weekend. It seemed like the obvious answer, but I guess I just needed someone to talk me out of my dumb logic. :P Y'all rock!

monoxidechick

When I have a bad eating day (or a few) I dont do much to make up for it except for watch my sodium and sugar intake for the next few days. The weeks that I have had a bad day or so are the weeks that I tend to have the biggest losses and keep it off. I make sure to drink extra water for the next few days as well. I think that anything lower than 1200 is not going to help fix any problems that you have caused, just my thoughts though. It seems to work for me to just start off each day new. Good luck!