"over" and "under" calorie days

NWfluffy

I'm having a hard time being consistent with my calories. Some days I'm up to a couple hundred over, other days I"m as much as 500 under.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Does it all average out over the course of a week?

2) On the days I realize I'm way under I'll eat something at 9:30 or 10 (sometimes dried fruit, sometimes cake Is it better to be way under for a day or to eat right before bed?

HeyLisa

Bump... interested in responses

LizC26

Yes it averages out over the week....Many people do this on purpose. It's called Zig-Zagging...LOL....It's what I do, and it helps keep your metabolism from slowing down from the lower calories...As long as you add up your calories at the end of the week, divide them by 7 and that number is around your daily need, you are doing good!!!

TwinMom12409

Personally I have always felt that it evens out. I am not a doctor or scientist but it makes sense to me that your body can easily adjust to a fluctuation of a few hundred calories.

As far as eating before bed- if you are hungry you should eat. I am also a firm believer that a calorie is a calorie regardless of when it is consumed.

Not much help. Sorry.

outwiththeoldinwiththenew

Awesome question because I have been wondering about the same thing. I try not to be too under because it tends to catch up with me and make me head for a binge, but I would think it would all workout over the course of the week. Will be checking back for other responses.:bigsmile:

elizabethblake

I'm interested in replies too - my first thought is that if your weekly calorie totals are in line with your goals, then it's no problem.

The days I do weights and cardio, I'm consistently under and finding it hard to eat back my exercise calories. I find myself snacking at 10:00 and I know that's not good. Hopefully someone can offer healthy suggestions! I typically try to eat when I'm hungry and let my body tell me when to eat and when to stop eating, but when it's that late at night and I'm still hungry, it's hard to fix something healthy to eat.

registers

What you're doing is fine, it's an advanced technique for calorie reduction it's called zigzagging. You're just doing it naturally.
What matters is how many calories you consume over the week... I don't know what your recommended caloric intake is by my fitness pal, but you should multiply that by 7, and see how many calories you should eat a week.

Compare that to your actual caloric intake.

sister_bear

I've been active on the website for about 6 weeks or so. Here's my personal experience:

When I under eat, it's not a good thing. I need to at least hit my minimum calories, even though I'm not likely to fully eat any exercised calories back. Occasionally I do, usually I'm not hungry, so I don't. When I just under eat... I'm messed up the next day. I feel weak, sometimes I'm moody, and I usually over eat the next day.

When I go over my calories, this is not the end of the world. Some days... you just need more fuel. I tend to stay between 1200-1400 calories. With my activity level, that works. Once I go over 1400, it's a setback unless I'm spiking my exercise levels and doing more. If I'm not compensating for that extra food I ate... I'm a different person the next day. I want to EAT... NOW... anything, everything. I don't like that person, so I try to keep her at bay.

I don't eat right before bed... usually, but I do believe in an after dinner snack. Usually I have a babybel cheese or a half serving of dry cheerios, something about 50 calories. It quells my desire to snack and gives me that last bit of fuel to make it to bed time. If I eat right before bed, I have acid reflux issues.

Okay, so my point is... this is what works for me. If something isn't working for you, try something else. It's taken me several weeks to get into a rhythm with all of this and I'm still fine-tuning and adjusting.

registers

I've been active on the website for about 6 weeks or so. Here's my personal experience:

When I under eat, it's not a good thing. I need to at least hit my minimum calories, even though I'm not likely to fully eat any exercised calories back. Occasionally I do, usually I'm not hungry, so I don't. When I just under eat... I'm messed up the next day. I feel weak, sometimes I'm moody, and I usually over eat the next day.

When I go over my calories, this is not the end of the world. Some days... you just need more fuel. I tend to stay between 1200-1400 calories. With my activity level, that works. Once I go over 1400, it's a setback unless I'm spiking my exercise levels and doing more. If I'm not compensating for that extra food I ate... I'm a different person the next day. I want to EAT... NOW... anything, everything. I don't like that person, so I try to keep her at bay.

I don't eat right before bed... usually, but I do believe in an after dinner snack. Usually I have a babybel cheese or a half serving of dry cheerios, something about 50 calories. It quells my desire to snack and gives me that last bit of fuel to make it to bed time. If I eat right before bed, I have acid reflux issues.

Okay, so my point is... this is what works for me. If something isn't working for you, try something else. It's taken me several weeks to get into a rhythm with all of this and I'm still fine-tuning and adjusting.

I just want to say something about under eating. Under eating can be very effective in a fat loss program. It's not recommended for beginners. When you know what you're doing exactly with nutrition, it can be very effective if designed effectively in a eating program. If it's not done properly it can lead to eating disorders.

registers

I've been active on the website for about 6 weeks or so. Here's my personal experience:

When I under eat, it's not a good thing. I need to at least hit my minimum calories, even though I'm not likely to fully eat any exercised calories back. Occasionally I do, usually I'm not hungry, so I don't. When I just under eat... I'm messed up the next day. I feel weak, sometimes I'm moody, and I usually over eat the next day.

When I go over my calories, this is not the end of the world. Some days... you just need more fuel. I tend to stay between 1200-1400 calories. With my activity level, that works. Once I go over 1400, it's a setback unless I'm spiking my exercise levels and doing more. If I'm not compensating for that extra food I ate... I'm a different person the next day. I want to EAT... NOW... anything, everything. I don't like that person, so I try to keep her at bay.

I don't eat right before bed... usually, but I do believe in an after dinner snack. Usually I have a babybel cheese or a half serving of dry cheerios, something about 50 calories. It quells my desire to snack and gives me that last bit of fuel to make it to bed time. If I eat right before bed, I have acid reflux issues.

Okay, so my point is... this is what works for me. If something isn't working for you, try something else. It's taken me several weeks to get into a rhythm with all of this and I'm still fine-tuning and adjusting.

I just want to say something about under eating. Under eating can be very effective in a fat loss program. It's not recommended for beginners. When you know what you're doing exactly with nutrition, it can be very effective if designed effectively in a eating program. If it's not done properly it can lead to eating disorders.

jenjenlv

Woh!! Good to know, from the responses it seems like you are doing things right Fluffy and you helped me make sense out of those over and under days with this post so thank you!

ladybug1620

I tend to zigzag, even though I don't have a set zigzagging schedule. I find myself pretty low a few days a week. I aim to never net below 1200 for more than 3 days in a row, though. I also throw in a cheat day on Saturdays to bring my weekly total up to where it should be.

Ajaay

If you're hungry right before bed sometimes a glass of milk helps. It has calcium which you need and if you drink 1% or 2% it will give you a bit of fat along with the protein so you will feel more satisfied. I know the days I don't bother to eat anything b4 bed when I'm hungry, I wake up feeling terrible.