Your thoughts on "saving" calories

JoLeeFA

My situation...

My husband and I, often get together with a couple we are best of friends with. Our usual get-together includes lots of food... I mean, lots. We usually sit around the bar in my kitchen and have chips, dips, nuts, crackers, cheese... you know, all those "feel good snacks" THEN we have supper and desert!!

Tonight, our friends are coming over. I will have fresh veggies with some sort of lower calorie dip (maybe hummus, not sure), supper, and maybe some homemade ice cream (made with low fat milk). I don't want to shock our friends, who are both thin. But they will be supportive of my efforts to loose weight.

My question, do any of you "save" calories when you know you have a special event coming in th evening, so you can eat more at the event? PS... I try not to eat back the calories I burn through exercise, so please don't just suggest I burn plenty.

skinnyhappy

Yes I definitely do that! I'm meeting with a friend this weekend, I rarely see her, and I know we'll be going out to eat a lot. Thankfully she's losing weight, so we've planned salad time, but we're still going out to eat at a nice place and we both want to enjoy ourselves. That said, I'll definitely eat very lightly Wednesday evening and all day Thursday and Friday just to prepare!

chuisle

If you don't eat exercise calories it seems to me that's your only choice. That or going over. Neither is a big deal one time but best not to make it a daily habit.

Umeboshi

I definitely do it. I don't skip meals, but I will try to cut back on eating as much during the day if I know I'm having a big dinner or a dessert.

glypta

I do, for sure. I'm eating out tonight, would be STARVING if I ate less as I'm working so may just need to take it on the chin, but normally yes, I'd save up.

camille97

Yes, when I know I'm going to be eating a lot later during the day, I drink lots of water and stick to the fruits and veggies, which are as low cal as you can possibly get. Hopefully you get the rest of the nutrients you need during dinner. Have fun!

jennahiggins

I don't "save" calories. I will work out that much harder if I know that I have a get together to go to. I tend to over eat if I save the calories throughout the day....

Keefypoos

why do you want to eat more and the 'event'?

bgeer34

I would definitely "save" them too. I would be so very careful all day and leave most of my calories in case I couldn't resist a second serving of something or in case they bring something with them I want to try. Also, I would probably plan ahead by entering what I know I will be eating in your food diary to see what is left and try to eat about half of what is left throughout the day so you aren't starving when they arrive. If you go a little over, then the next couple of days I would push the water and eat a bit lighter each day.

Good luck.. it's so hard with these situations but you'll get better as time goes on and maybe you can suggest a different setting or something else to do (card games maybe?) so that you are doing something with your hands and get out of the kitchen?

daniellerp

Yes, I do it often.
Although it is best to eat your daily calories in healthful choices throughout the day to keep that metabolism going I don't see anything wrong with saving your calories every once in a while. Also, it keeps you from cheating and going over in calories because let's face it everyone is faced with a meal or an outing where we just aren't going to make the healthiest choices and if you've eaten well and saved calories all day it's better than pigging out morning noon and night.

JennaM222

I do it as well. Today I am eating a VERY light lunch/breakfast because I am going to a little gathering where i will want to be able to have some wine and enjoy the snacks

CARNAT22

I wont starve myself to comepensate for a big dinner but I will def go for a very low cal breakfast and dinner. I will also try to exercise a little more to earn some extra calories!

sociable15

Yup, sure do. I don't skip meals, but I'll make a very purposeful choice to eat light calories heavy in veggies if I have something line going out to dinner or something later. I've also been known to exercise more to have more to burn.

Huskeryogi

I absolutely save calories. I also give myself one "maintenance" day a week. I've got MFP set to lose one pound/week so a daily deficit of 500 calories. One day a week I can go my MFP goal (I don't eat exercise calories either) by 500.

Most of the time on my maintenace day I end up going over the MFP goal by 200-300. 500 calories feels like a lot and I'm too full.

moseler

Absolutely... I learned this little trick from my brother who is a fantastically fit fire fighter and diabetic. If he knows he's going to a party where there will be cake or something, he just builds the cake into his diet by substituting the necessary carbs and what not. If I know that I am going out to dinner or meeting with friends for a beer (or four), I will build it into my food diary and make sure that whatever I eat during the day is lower in carbs, fat, etc.

BTW... I don't eat back my exercise calories either... works for me.

cheddarboy

awww yeahh, stay under for 4 -6 days then hit that buffet hard :happy:

00trayn

I've been known to do that as well (although if I can I will workout to get some extra as a cushion). Anyways, the best thing to do is make sure you do eat sufficiently throughout the day, but I'll go with lower calorie and filling foods, like a decent salad I make myself and less higher calorie snacks (so I skip the protein bar in the afternoon). I find that leaves me a reasonable dinner "cushion".

However, be careful not to starve too much during the day! You'll end up eating a lot more at your dinner because you're starving at that point and end up eating everything in sight. If you eat reasonably so you're just hungry for dinner, you'll end up consuming less calories overall.

PecanTanDiva

I have done this before. What I do is eat low calorie foods during the day...eg oatmeal for breakfast 150 calories or 1 egg with salsa 110, snack I will have yogurt with fruit another 120 calories, drink plenty of water, lunch have a salad from my job which is has shredded lettuce totalling no more than 200 calories (its big by the way) and another piece of fruit for snack, watermelon 30 calories, which will leave me with enough for dinner, plus I walk around on each 15 minute break & the last 15 minutes of my 1 hour lunch at 3.0 pace to add more calories for dinner or a night out.

hyde1977

To screw up....to gain a pound from one night you would need to eat just over 3500 calories! its not going to hurt...

You cannot save calories...it does not work that way.....but still porition your food out....you don't have to over eat to enjoy yourself! induldge!!!

myself I work out before having a night out....keeps your body running and helps to break down the food faster! but that is just me and we are all different!

JoLeeFA

I would definitely "save" them too. I would be so very careful all day and leave most of my calories in case I couldn't resist a second serving of something or in case they bring something with them I want to try. Also, I would probably plan ahead by entering what I know I will be eating in your food diary to see what is left and try to eat about half of what is left throughout the day so you aren't starving when they arrive. If you go a little over, then the next couple of days I would push the water and eat a bit lighter each day.

Good luck.. it's so hard with these situations but you'll get better as time goes on and maybe you can suggest a different setting or something else to do (card games maybe?) so that you are doing something with your hands and get out of the kitchen?

THANKS Something hit me that you said... Prelogging will work beautifully... like preplanning my meals, this way, I will know how much calories is in what!! ALSO, Duh, what a revelation!! get out of the kitchen!! We really CAN do that, can't we?? I have a new game we have been talking about trying (Apples to Apples). Time to go into the livingroom and try it out!!

vnvdvci

I definitely do. I mean, I don't skip meals either, but I definitely try to eat less.

I notice a lot of skinny people eat this way. My size 4 friend never eats lunch (maybe an orange or a cappuccino instead) if she's going to have a big restaurant meal later that night.

ChitownFoodie

When I was trying to lose weight, I would zig zag my calories. I would have high day and low days. My high days would be designated for Saturday, which was usually the day that I was out and about with friends. You should look into it, if you havent already.

NicLiving

If I know that I am going out to dinner, I drink a Slim Fast Shake (only 190 cals) and eat some fruit so that I am not starving when its time to go out. And if you kinda sorta know what you are going to be eating, you can look it up on mfp.com and enter it ahead of time so that you will know how many calories your consuming.

Be Ncouraged!

SarahofTwins

Yes I save my calories for the evenings because thats the time I like to eat most...as long as you are staying in moderation with what you are eating then I see no problem :drinker:

SeasideOasis

I don't "save" calories. I will work out that much harder if I know that I have a get together to go to. I tend to over eat if I save the calories throughout the day....

Im like this too...I mean, I personally eat workout calories, but its because of a doctor recommendation, and that isn't for everyone. If I hold off all day, I ravage everything in sight (no a pretty picture, let me tell you). However, in your situation, you only have two choices...so I guess go with whichever you think is best for you.

iAMaPhoenix

No saving here. I pay for it in the gym. If I know I am going to Bonefish Grill, say on tomorrow night, and I know I am going to eat a Bang Bang Shrimp, Cerviche, and drink a Rum Punch(total of 800+calories). I know I gotta get my *kitten* out of bed tomorrow morning at 4:30 to start hitting the gym so I can have the reserve built in when I go eat tomorrow night at Bonefish Grill at the Loop 2 in Kissimee, Fl at 7:30pm...But I digress.

bookyeti

I do a combination of both 'saving' calories and working out a bit more. :-)

GirlTuesday

This is just my two cents, but I don't see anything wrong with saving calories on occasion. Just don't make it a habit. Your body needs "fuel" throughout the day to keep going. Make sure you drink a lot of water to stay hydrated and whatever you eat prior to your event should probably be high in protein and/or a healthy source of carbs to give you energy and keep you feeling full.

mlek13

I would definitely "save" them too. I would be so very careful all day and leave most of my calories in case I couldn't resist a second serving of something or in case they bring something with them I want to try. Also, I would probably plan ahead by entering what I know I will be eating in your food diary to see what is left and try to eat about half of what is left throughout the day so you aren't starving when they arrive. If you go a little over, then the next couple of days I would push the water and eat a bit lighter each day.

Good luck.. it's so hard with these situations but you'll get better as time goes on and maybe you can suggest a different setting or something else to do (card games maybe?) so that you are doing something with your hands and get out of the kitchen?

THANKS Something hit me that you said... Prelogging will work beautifully... like preplanning my meals, this way, I will know how much calories is in what!! ALSO, Duh, what a revelation!! get out of the kitchen!! We really CAN do that, can't we?? I have a new game we have been talking about trying (Apples to Apples). Time to go into the livingroom and try it out!!

Apples to Apples is really fun... my friends and I get really into it. Have fun!

DixieDarlin1987

Oh I definitely save. Matter of fact, I'm doing it right now. My son's 1st birthday is Sunday and dang it, I'm gonna eat what I want lol! So all week I'm just lowering my calories by about 150 and on Sunday, I'm CHEATING and I'm not even going to worry about logging it. I've found that an occasional "cheat day" actually helps me get the scale moving again. So yeah, I don't see anything wrong with that.

atsteele

I would definitely "save" them too. I would be so very careful all day and leave most of my calories in case I couldn't resist a second serving of something or in case they bring something with them I want to try. Also, I would probably plan ahead by entering what I know I will be eating in your food diary to see what is left and try to eat about half of what is left throughout the day so you aren't starving when they arrive. If you go a little over, then the next couple of days I would push the water and eat a bit lighter each day.

Good luck.. it's so hard with these situations but you'll get better as time goes on and maybe you can suggest a different setting or something else to do (card games maybe?) so that you are doing something with your hands and get out of the kitchen?

Pre-logging has worked best for me! I do it almost every day. Plans change many times but at least its something to strive for!

THANKS Something hit me that you said... Prelogging will work beautifully... like preplanning my meals, this way, I will know how much calories is in what!! ALSO, Duh, what a revelation!! get out of the kitchen!! We really CAN do that, can't we?? I have a new game we have been talking about trying (Apples to Apples). Time to go into the livingroom and try it out!!