Can I use leftover calories tomorrow?

WallyGirl358

I was wondering if I have leftover calories today can I use them tomorrow? If I go over today by 200 calories can I workout more tomorrow or not eat as many? I guess it would be like weight watchers.

Topher1978

It would be fine.

slingshotsparro

I know I that I always do better when I think of each new day as a clean slate. Really best not to go over at all, but it will happen from time to time.

I am also the sort that gets easily frustrated and if I found myself having 2 bad days in a row, I think it would be discouraging over time.

Just a thought.

Topher1978

I look at it like this; in everyday life circumstances will occur when we eat more than regular. Birthday parties, date nights, holidays… I see it like this, if I get used to compensating as a norm for such things now, it will not be an issue later. It will lead to long term success, rather than a backslide, trudge, then backslide continuing experience. That's just my take, though...

tallgirlshelley

The wisest words I've heard here were something like, "If you keep it for a week, it's yours". That's a paraphrase, but it packed a lot of punch with me. If you're going to eat 3 servings of something over 3 days, does it really matter what day you account for it?

Synapze

I reset every day. Forget yesterday.

Ive done the 'save up' calorie thing. Always backfires on me.

ajs31

You can't change yourself unless you want to.
So you ask, "Can I use leftover calories tomorrow?"
Well, do you really want to? It's up to you.

hubtech

I prefer to start each day as a clean slate too. Think of it as a GPS. You plot a course from where you are now to where you want to be. Don't worry about adjusting because of where you were yesterday. Just focus on your goal and be persistently working towards it. That's my approach.

Neon_Apple

I wouldn't because you could easily go over your limit for your other things. Like today, I have 400 calorie wriggle-room...but I am already over my fat limit, yes I could have fruit, or a fat-free option (haha who am I kidding, I'm a college kid! Money and fresh fruit: what's that?!) of a snack, but I know that if I scrounge my calories and push them to....say the superbowl, I might accidentally over-do it and start a steady backslide by accident.

But you can, I don't think there are rules that say you can't, so if you think you can, then do it I guess! That's kind of the beauty of it, you can pick your own rules inside the very loose guidelines!

Topher1978

I wouldn't because you could easily go over your limit for your other things. Like today, I have 400 calorie wriggle-room...but I am already over my fat limit, yes I could have fruit, or a fat-free option (haha who am I kidding, I'm a college kid! Money and fresh fruit: what's that?!) of a snack, but I know that if I scrounge my calories and push them to....say the superbowl, I might accidentally over-do it and start a steady backslide by accident.

But you can, I don't think there are rules that say you can't, so if you think you can, then do it I guess! That's kind of the beauty of it, you can pick your own rules inside the very loose guidelines!

A bag of blood oranges is under $4. That is about 7 healthy snacks. $3 cheaper than 7 candy bars… Bananas are even cheaper… If you are going for mangos. kiwis and pineapples, that may get expensive… But not fruit in general.

glitteredgrave

I do that quite often. As long as I'm not over my weekly calorie allowance I'm good.

SideSteel

Yes.

ashesfromfire

I look at it like this:
If a pound is 3500 - I'm not going to lose a pound in a day, I'll lose it in a couple, maybe a week. Instead of obsessing over one meal or a single workout, being driven my the very immediate future doesn't work for me (like weighing in every single day)
OVERALL I need to cut 3500 calories to drop a pound, if little comes from one day and a lot comes from the next, who cares, as long as you're making progress.

alaskaang

Yes, I do it intentionally and just look at my rolling 7 to 10 day average. Your body does not reset at a specific time of day.

silencethelamb

I prefer to start each day as a clean slate too. Think of it as a GPS. You plot a course from where you are now to where you want to be. Don't worry about adjusting because of where you were yesterday. Just focus on your goal and be persistently working towards it. That's my approach.

^Love this

BinaryPulsar

a Yes from me too.

Chibea

Your question make me think of the old, "you MAY, but CAN you?" distinction. Certainly there are no rules about this. Try it and if you can manage it, then its fine. We are all so different on here. I am doing well in a 'one day at a time' mode, so I wouldn't risk it right now.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

I am often a bit over one day, a bit under another, and in my opinion, it's nothing to be concerned about. I find looking at getting fit in the big picture keeps me from getting discouraged; I used to look at each day as a "make or break" day for my fitness goals, and subsequently would be down on myself if I went over for the day, and that made it so much easier to fall off the wagon. I still try to stay within a couple hundred calories of my net goal, but if I am over or under, who cares? I give myself a few days to even things out.

If you use the MFP app, you can track your calorie goals for the week, rather than just per day. I find this to be a pretty helpful tool in seeing how I'm doing in general. There's nothing quite like this on the website, but if you have a smartphone or ipod, up at the top of the home page you can switch from the "summary" tab to the "weekly" tab to get a more overall perspective. The week before last, I went over my net caloric goal, but last week I was under. As long as you're mindful, you'll be fine!

jenj1313

yep.

fatalis_vox

I save them for my "Cheat" day! I've been accidentally banking calories all week. I think I'm up to 400 calories under my required deficit--I've been eating healthy all week, and I've been in my "target zone" for the intake:burn ratio, but I've been eating at a 550, or a 600, or in one case a 750 deficit. When it comes down to it, 150 calories isn't that much in a day. Since I -do- have a cheat day, I consider these "banked" calories compensatory. Over the course of the week, I'm eating at an average 500-per-day calorie deficit, resulting in the overall weight loss that I'm aiming for.

That's just the way I look at it. Makes me feel better about my cheat day, but it also reminds me to keep track of those calories too.

EvgeniZyntx

Physiologically, yes.

Mentally? If you consider it a failure (it isn't) and are likelier to discontinue tracking because of that then no.

Sarauk2sf

Yes, its fine...just try not to get yourself too 'in debt'.

Cait_Sidhe

It all averages out. Should be fine.