Spike day + exercise, good or bad?

jlr_12

I've been stuck with my weight loss for the past few weeks, and taking a look back I've realized that I haven't had a spike day in a while. I figured today would be a good day to throw one in since it's the superbowl and all! I had planned on going to play some indoor soccer tonight, where I will burn anywhere from 600-800 cals (wearing an hrm), which will increase my calories for the day to 2000-2200. My question is, is it possible to do a spike day on a day where you've created a large deficit from exercise, or does it all even out, not resulting in the metabolism boost that I'm looking for? Normally for a spike day I would eat at maintenance or just over...I would aim for 1800-2000. If I burn those extra cals today, would I have to eat even more (say 2500)?

I'm really not looking for anyone who doesn't believe in spike days to come and tell me why it's wrong. Advice from people who often include spike or cheat days would be greatly appreciated!

jlr_12

bumping for answers.

InvidiaXII

I'm curious about the same. I just hit the gym and burned about 1000 calories, but I don't want to have to eat over 2000 calories today! That's a lotta food. At the same time, I don't want to go into this "starvation mode" MFP keeps threatening me with. Can I eat just a few hundred over my usual intake goal, without making up all of the deficit? If I really should make up all the cals, of course I will, I'm just wondering what others have experienced with this. Thanks!

hiker282

I spike once a week and it's been working well for me. I usually just focus on my 'net calories' being what they need to be for the week.

MaximalLife

I do not exercise on such a day.
I just let the food orgy commence. Who has time to exercise?
Cheat day for me is all about eating.
I love my cheat day, or as I prefer to say: "RE-FEED THERAPY"
I have a weekly day where I eat about twice my daily goal, and a monthly food orgy where I eat like a man going to the electric chair for 24 hours.

LOVE IT!
It's nice knowing I am never more than 7 days from eating anything I desire in whatever quantity I want.
I'd go nuts otherwise.

hitman1978

I usually have one day a week where I'll either have an extra long workout or two workouts in one day and I don't eat more that day to make up the calories I've earned due to exercising, but I will have about 100-250 calories more than usual that day due to protein shakes and other post workout foods. I think its good every once in awhile to jolt the system, especially if you find you're plateuing, but who knows, I'm not a doctor or nutritionalist.

tabinmaine

I do not exercise on such a day.
I just let the food orgy commence. Who has time to exercise?
Cheat day for me is all about eating.
I love my cheat day, or as I prefer to say: "RE-FEED THERAPY"
I have a weekly day where I eat about twice my daily goal, and a monthly food orgy where I eat like a man going to the electric chair for 24 hours.

LOVE IT!
It's nice knowing I am never more than 7 days from eating anything I desire in whatever quantity I want.
I'd go nuts otherwise.

well put !

ShrinkRapt451

This is me just spitballing, but I'd guess that you'd need to eat back the exercise cals and go over to call it a spike. Unless you never eat your exercise cals, in which case your body will consider the exercise cals a spike.

@maximalife: and that strategy clearly works for you.

@invidia: if you have MFP set for a 2-lbs per week loss AND you burn 1000 calories, that's a 2000 calorie deficit for the day. Probably far, FAR under your basal metabolic rate. If you want to slow your metabolism to a crawl that's your choice (and it'll happen if you burn like that and don't eat some cals back, unless MFP is set to maintain your weight). If you work that hard every day and want to keep your metabolism burning, though, I'd suggest you consider finding healthy ways to eat 2000 calories a day.

jlr_12

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

ShrinkRapt451

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

Up to you, but if you eat 100 less than your exercise cals for 6 days, that's a 600 calorie spike that doesn't affect your weekly net. I know folks who eat all their exercise cals and also do a spike day.

thelowcarbrecipes

Starvation mode is a myth.

It could not be 1200 for everyone

jlr_12

That's where I get confused! I think for me though, it'd probably be a good idea to eat 100 less a day and have the 600 surplus without going over my goals, as I already have a fairly small deficit. When I was still eating 1200 a day I could probably get away with eating exercise cals AND a spike, but I've bumped up to 1400-1500 recently (5'2 with about 17 lbs to goal). Thanks so much for the advice everyone!

4theking

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

The best way to do it, is not eat back exercise calories. Set your daily calories at bmr and 2 x bmr on spike day. If you exercise on spike day, eat your exercise calories in addition to 2 x bmr.

MaximalLife

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

Just my take...

Experiment and see how various approaches work for you.
My spike day is on top of a normal MFP program where I eat back exercise calories 100%.

Maybe some egg head can properly explain the actual science here.
I fell asleep trying to read some study....BORING!

BrownEyedJerseyGirl

I'm fairly new to MFP so please be patient with me but - what is a Spike Day?

jlr_12

I just checked my BMR on a few different sites and got just over 1500, which is pretty much what I've been eating for the past 3 weeks anyways since changing my weight loss goal to 0.5 lbs a week. I find myself pretty satisfied at that amount of calories and don't need to eat my exercise cals like I did when I was at 1200. So the plan is to stick to 1500, not eat my exercise calories, and eat up to 3000 on my spike day (though I doubt I will be able to get that high). Hopefully this works...I'll give it a try and see what happens at least.

Cathyvil

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

This is exactly what I've done for the last two weeks and it's been working at least for me.

LuckyAng

I have a Spike Day once a week. It's not always about going over on calories for me, but I let myself eat things I normally would not. Today is a Spike Day for me. As far as working out on that day, I haven't done that. Not saying I wouldn't.

luvmybaby333

I normally do eat my exercise cals.

SO what I gather from the responses is that in the future I should NOT eat all of my exercise cals and "bank" some calories to be used for a spike day down the road?

Just my take...

Experiment and see how various approaches work for you.
My spike day is on top of a normal MFP program where I eat back exercise calories 100%.

Maybe some egg head can properly explain the actual science here.
I fell asleep trying to read some study....BORING!

Interesting! I thought everyone who had a spike day chose not to eat back their exercise calories, and so their spike day really just keeps them right at their calorie goals for the week. But you're saying that your spike day is *not* the result of exercise calories you've banked? It really seems like it's working for you. How long have you been doing it?

alabughosh

Sometimes I have a spike day and sometimes I don't. I generally eat back all my exercise calories (if not on the day I earn them then on a day when I want them). Yesterday I spiked all the way up to what I'm going to be eating at maintenance. I weighed myself this morning and amazingly I was one pound lighter than my weigh in day two days before. Don't be afraid to eat what you want....just exercise!