Can you save Calories for the weekend

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Hughesers
Hughesers Posts: 22 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys, does anyone know if you can save a few calories every day and add them on to a Saturday night if you have a night out.
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Replies

  • CookyBell
    CookyBell Posts: 22
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    Love it! The rule of thumb I've always worked to is that if you are eating clean 6 days out of 7, and within your AMR requirements, having a cheat day can be beneficial. But still having a cheat day doesn't give you carte blanche to totally destroy all the good work you've done previously.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
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    What I used to do is just eat a lot less for breakfast and lunch on whatever day it was that I wanted to go out.
  • tonytoo
    tonytoo Posts: 307
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    Yes. Yes you can.
  • slim_photographer
    slim_photographer Posts: 310 Member
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    on paper it works really well. You restrain yourself a little more on weekdays. Let's say you save 100 cals mon-fri. Then you can have fries with that burger or an extra slice of pizza.
    However in my personal experience is not the big intake in one day (cheat meal or day) that kills you but the next day when you say 'what the hell, another won't hurt' and the third day you say the same so a cheat day becomes a cheat week and then you're no longer even trying.
    IF you can do it for one day, IMHO there's no harm. If you find that the cheat meals becomes more than that, then why play with fire?
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
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    No, you cannot. The above are wrong. Eat clean thru the weak and loosen up on the weekend. Done.
  • kri1977
    kri1977 Posts: 63 Member
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    You can also just go for a run to "earn" the additional calories :) You would normally not eat those but at weekend it could be a good thing :)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I worry more about my weekly average than my daily, so that sometimes means I'm under my goal for a number of days, then quite over for one or two. Works for me!
  • FJMilner
    FJMilner Posts: 407
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    IT's my understanding that as long as your cals add up over the week rather than on a daily basis then you're all good. That's only my understanding, not sure if it's right or not! So in theory you could save 100 cals for 6 days and have an extra 600 to play with on yr "cheat" day
  • skinnytayy
    skinnytayy Posts: 459
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    A lot of people on here will tell you that your weekly calorie intake is the number to pay attention to, rather then day by day. So I'd assume if you "saved" calories throughout the week for one particular day, it wouldn't do any harm. As long as you have a deficit at the end of the week, I wouldn't think it matters when you eat your calories. I'm by no means I'm no expert though.
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    Yep. Calories in vs. calories out is not tied to 24 hour buckets.

    Add up your weekly calories. Eat that many calories in a week. From a loss perspective that's all there is too it. Of course you can take it to an extreme - if you eat all your calories in one day and nothing the other 6 you won't feel so hot, but as long as you use a little common sense it works.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I tried this for a while didn't really work. I do sometimes do a high day then a low day, but not sure it works the same carrying them over all week

    Zara
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
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    Yes. Yes you can!!!!
  • Hughesers
    Hughesers Posts: 22 Member
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    thanks everyone for your tips, very helpful
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
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    This was the whole premise of a very famous and popular commercial diet plan 10 yrs ago - you could bank calories for special occasions. .
  • luticiaf
    luticiaf Posts: 92 Member
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    From what I understand its more your average intake that counts, so say weekly average, so yes you can. Additionally, it's best to vary your caloric intake to keep your metabolism 'guessing' - under some days, over others - as long as your average is on par with your goals.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
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    I worry more about my weekly average than my daily, so that sometimes means I'm under my goal for a number of days, then quite over for one or two. Works for me!

    This is what I do as well. I get most of my exercise in 2 or 3 big bursts a week, when I use up 1000-1200 calories a time. If I tried to hit every daily goal I would be eating half as much food again on those days or more, then dropping back down the next. The weekly average is much more useful to me.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    who knew..calories are like cell phone minutes..they roll over!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    This was the whole premise of a very famous and popular commercial diet plan 10 yrs ago - you could bank calories for special occasions. .

    bank of calories?
  • Arazante
    Arazante Posts: 12
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    Binging is not healthy.

    lol(?) to the stuff ndj1979 has mentioned but, it is a little silly to think calories work like cellphones or banks... they don't. Your body needs daily vitamins and calories to function properly. Daily, is the key word. Our bodies are systems, but they are not mechanical systems, they are organic.

    If you continually eat significantly less during the week to "store up" for the weekend, you will screw around with your metabolism and might find it harder to lose weight. You're better off working off what you eat- this a general rule of thumb. If you eat/drink a lot on the weekends, work it off. Spend longer or work out more intensely the day you binge.

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