"midnight snacks" count as...?

RyanneRose

First off, I know I shouldn't really be doing it in the first place. This is the first time in 25 days that I've slipped and gone over my calories, and I fed that embarrassment and disappointment with a cup of milk and a chocolate square. Which obviously is counter productive...but there it is.

Anyway....what do I count that as at 2am? Does it go onto today's count (a new day) or do I add it on to the day before since it was just 2hrs past? What would you do?

elektradarling

I'd say if its before you go to bed add it onto the previous day......but to be "proper" it is actually the next day at 2am!

JesterMFP

It doesn't matter in the slightest. Just pick one. I personally prefer to log everything in the period before I sleep in one day, regardless of the time I go to sleep. Other people like to stick to midnight-midnight. It doesn't matter though, since your body doesn't reset at 12.

Also, I found it really helpful to let go of the "embarrassment & disappointment" (aka shame) regarding going over your calories. One day will not undo your progress so far, and one day will not stop you from reaching your goal, just like one day of fasting won't make a chronic over-eater suddenly become slim. You were eating at a deficit for 24 days in a row, one day of going over will not wipe that out. Also, depending on how much you went over by, chances are you were still at a deficit anyway. You don't have to be dead on (or under) your goal every day to succeed. It's not a "slip", it's just life. Try to look at the bigger picture. :flowerforyou:

kirstyfairhead

If you put it on yesterdays count then it is just calories you ate that you can do nothing about. If you put it on todays count you can lower your intake or do some more exercise today to counteract it or at least some of it.

If you want to 'cheat' put it on yesterday

If you want to feel good about yourself put it on today, do something about it and pat yourself on the back

AnDiallo

If I had calories left for yesterday, then i fill up those to the limit, then put the rest of the midnight snack's calories are part of the next day in 'breakfast. Usually by breakfast i'm not that hungry anyway because of the snack, so the snack is technically a very very early breakfast!

XXXMinnieXXX

Yesterday because it was before you went to bed. One day is not the end of the world. Today is a fresh start like every day is! Embrace it!

Zara

RyanneRose

If you want to 'cheat' put it on yesterday

If you want to feel good about yourself put it on today, do something about it and pat yourself on the back

How does putting it on yesterday make it a cheat? Do you mean in the sense of a cheat day where calories are disregarded? Because it seems like putting it on today, where I can work it away with exercise and better choices would feel more like "cheating" in the sense that I can kind of get rid of it. On the day before, it is what it is, and it's stuck that way.

Anyway, I did put it on the day before under the category of a late snack, so it is what it is. I'll make up for it (and the initial surplus that caused it) in the following days.

broscientist

Just don't log it at all.
Free snack day (night)



It will be our little secret.

watfordjc

I have insomnia and circadian rhythm disorder. My meals are based on whether they are breakfast-like, lunch-like, or dinner-like. My snacks go roughly where in the "normal" day they would be, depending on where I have calories available (e.g. an evening snack using calories from the day before would be logged under the day before's late snack, using calories from that day as a pm/late snack, using calories from the next day under AM snack).

Since my exercise usually finishes after midnight and I only eat ~50% of my calories back during and ~50% after, and my Ki Fit uses midnight-midnight when syncing to MFP, my "midnight" snacks are usually logged under AM snack unless I still have calories available.

You could also have two midnight snack "meals" - 1 before breakfast and one after late snack and log where calories are available, do what I do, log it the day before and work towards a weekly deficit instead, log it the next day and make up for it, log it the day before and say "oh well, was still in a deficit", or something else that works for you.

JesterMFP

If you put it on yesterdays count then it is just calories you ate that you can do nothing about. If you put it on todays count you can lower your intake or do some more exercise today to counteract it or at least some of it.

If you want to 'cheat' put it on yesterday

If you want to feel good about yourself put it on today, do something about it and pat yourself on the back

This makes no sense. It doesn't matter when you log it, your body will use that energy just the same. It's got nothing to do with "cheating" or patting oneself on the back. If you wanted to mitigate the effect of those calories, you can still lower your intake/increase exercise the following day regardless of when you actually log it. I think you're over-thinking things.