counting burned cals via exercise

akvz
akvz Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
So the general consensus seems to be that losing weight is a simple formula: burn more calories than you consume. My question is, does this just mean "on a daily basis"? For example, if I were to eat 500 calories over my target net intake one day could I just burn that 500 the next day and then go about my day as if that 500 had happened yesterday without causing my body any problems? Or is that a bad idea

thanks

Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    What happens within any one 24 hour period is not nearly as immportant as the overall trend. You can measure your burn and intake weekly if you like. For most, it just helps keep on track to log daily but there would be no drawback to being over one day and under the next. In fact, that is how level eating plans work. You calculate you burn for the week and your intake for the week and divide the intake up over the days. Assuming you don't workout every day and have some rest days, you are over on some days and unnder on others.
  • StarIsMoving
    StarIsMoving Posts: 437
    mmapags said it great. Keep in mind though, that some of us (me included), sometimes lose track if it's not on a daily basis. So if you have 500 more today, and 3 days from now you forget to up the activity level, that could bite you in the butt. However, if you don't fall in that category of having a hard time remembering and tracking weekly instead of daily, then it won't make a difference on your weight loss endeavor
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    mmapags said it great. Keep in mind though, that some of us (me included), sometimes lose track if it's not on a daily basis. So if you have 500 more today, and 3 days from now you forget to up the activity level, that could bite you in the butt. However, if you don't fall in that category of having a hard time remembering and tracking weekly instead of daily, then it won't make a difference on your weight loss endeavor

    Yup! That's why I'm on it every day!! I'll forget and studies have shown that self reported intake and burn can be off by as much as 40%!! Staying on top minimizes the margin of error for me.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
    Michael's (mmapags) advice is right on.

    Over time, I'm finding that it is best for me to do exactly that - average my intake over a week. This takes some data gathering of course. I now have a handle on what my TDEE is for my typical days of a typical week. My exercise/activity is fairly consistent.

    I prefer to know what calories I'm going to eat each day ahead of time instead of adjusting daily. With that said, adjustments are often made because "life happens". Maybe I"m hungrier one day vs. the next. Or perhaps I didn't perform my usual workout that day. My goal is not to overcomplicate things if I can. It truly is a "numbers" game - gotta find what works for you - and yes, it is often trial and error. Ohhhh yes : )

    Edited to say: I log daily - I don't try to "remember" anything. EGADS! I'm saying that I know my average daily TDEE is 2200. I base my cut on that #. Example: My weight lifting days are higher burns than my HIIT cardio days and both of those categories of days are higher burns than my mostly sedentary rest days. I average out those #s to get my average daily TDEE of 2200 even though some days may be 2700, some 2300, some 2100. Hope that made sense - or did it muddy the water more ??
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Your body doesn't work by the clock, even though that's how we tend to live our lives. I agree that it's the overall trend, not a single day. I went over my calories the last two days, but I'm not worried because I am still under my TDEE for those days. I tend to eat less on the weekends, but not always. I look at the overall trend, by the week, and then again by the month. Weight loss is not linear. Yes, it's calorie-calories out, but there are other variables (sleep, exercise) that can affect our water retention and thus our overall weight. But water retention is temporary, so the overall trend is that the weight eventually drops.

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