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I went walking today and I burned 861 calories. I didn't want to put them all into today's log because then my food diary would be adjusted and it would say I had all these calories left. My daily intake is 1320.

What I did was split up my calories burned and put some on Friday's exercise diary (I was over calories that day) and I put the rest on today. What do you do?

I walk 5 hrs a week but I walked an extra 1 1/2 hrs today to make up for my bad calorie day on Friday. Another MFP member said that she doesn't go back and adjust a day but that she would've put all those calories burned on today's date so that she could see that she had made up for a bad previous day. I understand the logic in that but with what I have eaten today and my regular hour of exercise leaves me with not many calories for dinner. If I put in that extra 90 min. of exercise, I still have over 600 calories (if I'm remembering correctly) left over? This isn't about eating the calories (there have been to many posts on this already) but asking what you would do!
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  • librarygirl
    librarygirl Posts: 182
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    I went walking today and I burned 861 calories. I didn't want to put them all into today's log because then my food diary would be adjusted and it would say I had all these calories left. My daily intake is 1320.

    What I did was split up my calories burned and put some on Friday's exercise diary (I was over calories that day) and I put the rest on today. What do you do?

    I walk 5 hrs a week but I walked an extra 1 1/2 hrs today to make up for my bad calorie day on Friday. Another MFP member said that she doesn't go back and adjust a day but that she would've put all those calories burned on today's date so that she could see that she had made up for a bad previous day. I understand the logic in that but with what I have eaten today and my regular hour of exercise leaves me with not many calories for dinner. If I put in that extra 90 min. of exercise, I still have over 600 calories (if I'm remembering correctly) left over? This isn't about eating the calories (there have been to many posts on this already) but asking what you would do!
  • rstarks54
    rstarks54 Posts: 163
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    I would just input the way it should be, last Friday was what it was, nothing you can do now can change that, just input today what you have done today...Best to you always, Rick
  • whitehandlady
    whitehandlady Posts: 459 Member
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    it's best to let friday be friday

    you need to be honest with yourself and the site if you want to really be successful
    you earned it today

    so i'd use it for today:smile:
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    not sure what exact;y your asking but I will try to understand...I personally dont add excercise to days I have gone over on calories especially when I havent done the excercise on that exact day....Im not sure what you gain from doing that other than less guilt...I think its not going to help you in the long run in regards to staying dedicated and sticking to your plan daily...because what happens is you may think ahead and say I can work out another day to make up for it...but we never know really what the days to come may bring and it could really end up being a huge setback for you....its kind of teh same theory as saving calories for other days...to me it just doesnt work like that..just advice..good luck MFP is just a guide let the food diary say what it may at the end once 24hrs is up its not there to look at anyhow unless u go back and see..
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    What you do today counts for what you do today. What is your purpose for manipulating your numbers? The logs are simply there for you to be able to go back to and see what is working and what's not working. I've had a few days where I felt like I had really eaten terribly - but entered the information in anyway... and what I learned is that MOST of the time, I don't do much damage. If you're not being honest about what you did and when you did it - you don't have an accurate log to go back to and see what's going on.
  • stef_e_b
    stef_e_b Posts: 593
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    I wouldn't bother changing friday's log. The site doesn't care where you post what. You know that you over ate a bit on friday and you worked a little harder the next day. It all balances out. Remember time doesn't exist. Humans use time as a way to govern actions and keep on track. This site is just a tool helping us to balance our lives (or calories anyway)
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    I wouldn't bother changing friday's log. The site doesn't care where you post what. You know that you over ate a bit on friday and you worked a little harder the next day. It all balances out. Remember time doesn't exist. Humans use time as a way to govern actions and keep on track. This site is just a tool helping us to balance our lives (or calories anyway)

    that is one of the most interesting posts I have ever read here.

    thank you
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member
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    I don't you can really "pay back" or "save" calories, so I would log them today. It really is a reflection of how today went. I get your logic, since overall you will average out, but you can't "uneat" Friday's food.

    It's ok if you log them today and don't eat them all back....extra exercise still makes up for Friday and one day of lower calories than target won't put you in starvation mode. My advice would be to follow the plan but remember that it's not a perfect science where the numbers add up day to day, but the overall result of lots of good days.

    You might find that because of today's exercise you are a little hungrier tomorrow. I exercise at night, cause it works best for me and sometimes if I have "under-eaten" during the day, based on the extra calories I am hungry the next day. Then I will pay my exercise calories forward a bit to balance the hunger. It's working for me. I don't juggle the numbers on the log, but I figure that it's also helping me manage the lifeskill of managing my eating and exercise habits by recognizing my body signals.

    In any case, congrats on "owning" your bad day and getting a little extra exercise to make up for it! I bet you feel great.
  • librarygirl
    librarygirl Posts: 182
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    I wouldn't bother changing friday's log. The site doesn't care where you post what. You know that you over ate a bit on friday and you worked a little harder the next day. It all balances out. Remember time doesn't exist. Humans use time as a way to govern actions and keep on track. This site is just a tool helping us to balance our lives (or calories anyway)

    that is one of the most interesting posts I have ever read here.

    thank you

    Dave.....I was wondering if you were on here somewhere! I made sure in my post I said that it wasn't about whether or not to eat the calories and I swear I put that in because of you! :happy: I have seen so many people ask about whether or not to eat their exercise calories and I always see your reply....
  • librarygirl
    librarygirl Posts: 182
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    I don't you can really "pay back" or "save" calories, so I would log them today. It really is a reflection of how today went. I get your logic, since overall you will average out, but you can't "uneat" Friday's food.

    It's ok if you log them today and don't eat them all back....extra exercise still makes up for Friday and one day of lower calories than target won't put you in starvation mode. My advice would be to follow the plan but remember that it's not a perfect science where the numbers add up day to day, but the overall result of lots of good days.

    You might find that because of today's exercise you are a little hungrier tomorrow. I exercise at night, cause it works best for me and sometimes if I have "under-eaten" during the day, based on the extra calories I am hungry the next day. Then I will pay my exercise calories forward a bit to balance the hunger. It's working for me. I don't juggle the numbers on the log, but I figure that it's also helping me manage the lifeskill of managing my eating and exercise habits by recognizing my body signals.

    In any case, congrats on "owning" your bad day and getting a little extra exercise to make up for it! I bet you feel great.
    Thanks paddlemom! Great advice! You have just proven why I love this site so much. People give their opinions...some good and some bad....but always positive and encouraging. I liked what you said about it not being a perfect science but the overall result of lots of good days!!
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
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    What she said!
    But also, if you keep it accurate & look back at your reports it will help to see what actually happened...whether good or bad.
    I love to look at my exercise reports & compare my loss rate.
  • Vanessa1969
    Vanessa1969 Posts: 144 Member
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    Your situation is the perfect argument for throwing away the scale, or at least not weighing yourself every day.
    I was weighing myself weekly, but have changed it to once every two weeks because of my treats at Easter. If you leave longer between weighing in, it will all balance out as long as your overall habits are good.
  • librarygirl
    librarygirl Posts: 182
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    Your situation is the perfect argument for throwing away the scale, or at least not weighing yourself every day.
    I was weighing myself weekly, but have changed it to once every two weeks because of my treats at Easter. If you leave longer between weighing in, it will all balance out as long as your overall habits are good.
    I officially weigh in once a month on the Saturday after my 'friend' has left. I do peek once or twice during the week but I will know in a few weeks what my results are.
  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
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    Very interesting discussion, and quite frankly not what I was expecting! I just want to say thanks to those of you who responded to the OP. I like the answers, I appreciate the thought behind them and I think that THIS kind of thinking will help us on our journey as opposed to some of what I see here. Very thought provoking and good food for the mind. Thanks!
  • Vanessa1969
    Vanessa1969 Posts: 144 Member
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    Your situation is the perfect argument for throwing away the scale, or at least not weighing yourself every day.
    I was weighing myself weekly, but have changed it to once every two weeks because of my treats at Easter. If you leave longer between weighing in, it will all balance out as long as your overall habits are good.
    I officially weigh in once a month on the Saturday after my 'friend' has left. I do peek once or twice during the week but I will know in a few weeks what my results are.

    Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were weighing yourself every day, it's just that so many people have posted about how often they are unhappy with the results. If you leave it longer between weigh-ins, a bit of a treat now and then won't make people so upset.
    :happy:
  • kel9680
    kel9680 Posts: 173 Member
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    I don't see the point, who are you really lying to? a website?? you did the exercise today, log it in today. you had a bad day friday, move on, learn from it, today is a new day.
  • Ms_Lady
    Ms_Lady Posts: 31
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    Just log the day as you usually would, and don't worry about Friday! You did an EXCELLENT job today! :flowerforyou: And, remember you can look at your overall results for the week--the counter keeps track of your daily entries, so you'll have a better idea of your OVERALL results.

    Keep up the good work! And remember, what's more important is that you're moving, and getting closer to your goals! Don't let one day thwart your success! :happy:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Are you using a HRM? because walking for an hour and a half and getting 800+ calories from it does not sound right. I didn't burn that many when I ran a 10K.

    I do think it all balances out, but I also wonder about the accuracy of the #s you are providing.
  • pdj1220
    pdj1220 Posts: 175
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    Are you using a HRM? because walking for an hour and a half and getting 800+ calories from it does not sound right. I didn't burn that many when I ran a 10K.

    I do think it all balances out, but I also wonder about the accuracy of the #s you are providing.
    According to the data base, 90 minutes at 4 m.p.h. would equal 735 calories. Any idea how accurate these numbers are?
  • kfeuvrel
    kfeuvrel Posts: 89 Member
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    4 mph is really fast - like frenetic college "I'm late for an exam and it's all the way across campus fast". Or at least it is for my short little legs. Are you sure you were going 4 mph? One mile in 15 minutes? If so, kudos to you.

    I am with everyone else though. What you did today - goes towards today. While you were sleeping on Friday night, your body efficiently packed away those excess calories into your fat cells for storage. And then hopefully, had to unpack them again as you were walking.

    Best of luck,
    Kathryn