Can you carry over leftover calories??

smagnan
smagnan Posts: 53 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Yesterday I was really good about eating and I excercised for almost two hours and I had 1,100 calories left over but I don't like eating after 10pm...Boy am I hungry today!!! I've only got 105 calories left today and I haven't had dinner!!!

Replies

  • smagnan
    smagnan Posts: 53 Member
    Yesterday I was really good about eating and I excercised for almost two hours and I had 1,100 calories left over but I don't like eating after 10pm...Boy am I hungry today!!! I've only got 105 calories left today and I haven't had dinner!!!
  • FitnessGeek
    FitnessGeek Posts: 487
    I'm not sure about rolling over leftover calories, but I am sure that you should never have as many as 1,100 leftover for the day! You didn't eat nearly enough yesterday! So, if you're hungry today, I'd say eat. In fact, as a general rule, whenever I am actually hungry, I eat. Our bodies know what they need even when we don't. Go eat some dinner and enjoy. :flowerforyou:
  • MisoSoup79
    MisoSoup79 Posts: 517
    I think your calories need to average out over a period of a week or so. If I were in your shoes, I would eat extra because it was so low yesterday. That's just me. I go over on a regular basis and I'm still losing, so I know it would be okay for me. Some people say your calories only count for 24 hours... but I refuse to agree with that. I think the body only knows you're hungry from yesterday's deficit.
  • ladyofivy
    ladyofivy Posts: 648
    Nope. Cals don't roll over. Eat all your cals every day! Please!
  • TudorRose
    TudorRose Posts: 238 Member
    Personally, I wouldn't make a habit of it. Try to keep your food calories and excercise calories equal within the day.
    That said, once in a while won't kill you. If you go to your goals page, you can see how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Keep under this number and, as a one-off, you should be fine
  • amycakes812
    amycakes812 Posts: 441
    Short answer is no, calories can't carry over or get "banked" for another day. Our bodies run on a 24 hour clock and it doesn't recalculate for undereating one day to overeat another.
    That said, if you are still really hungry, go on and eat sonething! You have a 500 calorie deficit built in to you calorie intake, so even if you go over, you can still keep a deficit. One day of going over won't hurt either though. :smile:
  • amycakes812
    amycakes812 Posts: 441
    double post
  • smagnan
    smagnan Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks for your comments. Normally I wouldn't pass up 1 calorie but it was just so late by the time I got a chance to have dinner and log my activities


    I'll plan much better next time!! :flowerforyou:
  • IUChelle423
    IUChelle423 Posts: 197
    I agree with Miso. You can roll calories over the course of a week or so - that's why "zig-zagging" calories is so popular. And if you're hungry today - by all means listen to your body and eat.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    "zig-zagging" calories can work when we're talking about a couple hundred cals or so over the course of a day or 2. You're talking about almost a whole day's worth of calories- which means 1) you didn't eat nearly enough yesterday to fuel yourself for all that working out and 2) if you eat that much extra today to make up for it you're really overeating- and playing major yo-yo with your metabolism.

    If you're hungry and don't have the cals, eat a bit extra so you can have a balanced dinner- but I wouldn't make a habit of this. Plan your workouts ahead of time- and allow for those extra calories in your earlier meals- some milk with breakfast, some fruit at lunch, a larger portion at dinner, etc.
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