Saving up exercise calories for the weekend?

BlueLikeJazz · February 2010

I've gotten into the habit of having one day a week where I eat maintenance level calories (which is about 2,350 for me at this point) so that I can have a few drinks and have just about anything I want for supper. I still count the calories in whatever it is I choose to eat, but I just have something for supper that simply would not fit into my diet plan any other day of the week.

Okay, so in order to stay at my goal of losing 2 lbs a week, could I just save up the calories I burn exercising and instead of eating them each day, use them on the weekend so I can have a "Free" Day?

So for instance, MFP has me set at a net intake of 1390. If I burn about 300 calories six days a week (1800 total each week) and then on Saturday use those calories so it's 1390 for my daily allotment + 1800 what I've burned= 3190, the deficit would still be the same. So does it make any difference if I spread them out or just eat them all that day?

Or what about going half-sies. Eating half my calories burned through exercise on a daily basis and then the saved up half (900) on the weekend?

KristinaL · February 2010

Well I dont think you reall need to worry about how many calories you eat on Saturday.. everyone needs a cheap day to take care of all those cravings... and it gives you something to look forward to and to keep your self going .. I mean look at it this way .. if you were on a diet without a cheat day then your going to end up cheatin everyday because your cravings and hunger may take over!!! Therefore if u had a cheat day your body wont need to eat that stuff during the week and then you will adjust to the diet cause your body knows it will get those cravings and hungers taken care of.. I hope I worded this for you to understand..Good Luck!!!

leilamarie · February 2010

I actually do that. I very rarely hit my caloric intake for the day. I take one meal or night where I log but it is a free-be.. I have found that I am conscious on my decision making but it also gives me something to look forward to and save myself for what I am REALLY looking forward to. With a another site that begins with a W. You were able to "save" your workout points for when you needed them. I think if you are still thinking in moderation you should still lose!

omid990 · February 2010

Banking calories doesn't work, unfortunately.
Your body doesn't "think" you didn't use all of your calories monday so lets put some of those extra calories in for tonight.
each day is a new day. what ever you don't eat one day doesn't roll over to the next. as long as you don't go crazy, there is nothing wrong with having one meal a week where you can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go crazy.

AMarie471 · February 2010

Banking calories doesn't work, unfortunately.
Your body doesn't "think" you didn't use all of your calories monday so lets put some of those extra calories in for tonight.
each day is a new day. what ever you don't eat one day doesn't roll over to the next. as long as you don't go crazy, there is nothing wrong with having one meal a week where you can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go crazy.

Why doesn't it work? Isn't that what weight watchers does? I don't see why it wouldn't work if it's calories in - calories out. You weekly total will still be negative and isn't that where the weight loss comes in? I always have a cheat day where I bank exercise calories, and I am still losing weight every week.

tlblood · February 2010

Banking calories doesn't work, unfortunately.
Your body doesn't "think" you didn't use all of your calories monday so lets put some of those extra calories in for tonight.
each day is a new day. what ever you don't eat one day doesn't roll over to the next. as long as you don't go crazy, there is nothing wrong with having one meal a week where you can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go crazy.

Why doesn't it work? Isn't that what weight watchers does? I don't see why it wouldn't work if it's calories in - calories out. You weekly total will still be negative and isn't that where the weight loss comes in? I always have a cheat day where I bank exercise calories, and I am still losing weight every week.

This is exactly what WW does, and it does work. Your body will get used to what you're doing if you keep everything the same, so mixing it up and eating less some days and more other days is actually better for your weight loss.

mvl1014 · February 2010

omid990 is correct. Just as sleeping 4 hours a night for 5 nights a week and then sleeping 18 hours on the weekend doesn't balance out to what your body wants.

AMarie471, omid990 explained it. But I don't know anything about WW's program.

poustotah · February 2010

For me, 'banking' calories doesn't work. I asked my trainer about it and he told me that if you take in 1200 calories and burn 500 through exercise regularly, but you don't eat those exercise calories, after a few days, your body thinks you can survive on a net intake of 700 calories. You then put your body into starvation mode. When your body goes into starvation mode, your body no longer attacks its fat stores, it attacks the protein stores in your organs. I recently read that the damage that this can do to your brain is the same as drinking killing off brain cells. I've noticed now that I've lost a lot of weight that if I don't eat my exercise calories, my weight loss stops completely and I'm super grouchy.

smv1981 · February 2010

Weightwatchers does not bank points - all the programs I've tried with them have advised against it. I haven't tried their new momentum program but with their old flex program it was ok to have cheat days. That's why you have you flex points (from what I can tell, their new program allows a whole cheat day instead of limiting the number of flex points), but you are still supposed to eat your daily points and exercise points. Your body doesn't know know the future. It doesn't know you are going to eat more later. Banking calories doesn't work long term. Sure you'll see short term results but you're not going to keep the weight off. Banking points is the same as a starvation diet.

swtally80 · February 2010

So controversial lol! I think halvies sounds great if you ask me. So many do a cheat day and it works for them. Basically you have to figure out how it works for your body try it for a couple weeks if you quit seeing results try something else! Really this journey is about finding a lifestyle that works for you and your body!

BlueLikeJazz · February 2010

Weightwatchers does not bank points - all the programs I've tried with them have advised against it. I haven't tried their new momentum program but with their old flex program it was ok to have cheat days. That's why you have you flex points (from what I can tell, their new program allows a whole cheat day instead of limiting the number of flex points), but you are still supposed to eat your daily points and exercise points. Your body doesn't know know the future. It doesn't know you are going to eat more later. Banking calories doesn't work long term. Sure you'll see short term results but you're not going to keep the weight off. Banking points is the same as a starvation diet.

WW gives you those 5 daily flex points (which is equal to about 250 cals) that you can either use every day or save up until the end of the week. When I did the program, they didn't want you to bank your exercise points throughout the week, but they also didn't stress that you had to eat them. So to me, eating half of my exercise cals and saving half for the weekend would be breaking even.

It seems like the biggest concern is ensuring that the body doesn't go into starvation mode, but 6 days a week I would be eating half my exercise calories, which, from what I've seen and read so far, is what a lot of people do here on MFP without negative consequences. For me, eating half of my exercise calories is only going to equate to about 125-150 calories a day so it's not like there's going to be a huge difference. I dunno, we'll see what happens I guess!

Really, I don't think it's too much different from any other user on here that eats half their exercise cals and has one cheat day or cheat meal a week. I'm just working out the mathematics of it.

imagymrat · February 2010

I think a whole day of cheating is a little extreme, why not just a just meal once a week....I do believe that once you get accustomed to a very healthy way of eating, you really don't want to put any of that crap into your body anyhow.

editing because I cannot spell :ohwell:

BlueLikeJazz · February 2010

I think a whole day of cheating is a little extreme, why not just a just meal once a week....I do believe that once you get accustomed to a very healthy way of eating, you really don't want to put any of that crap into your body anyhow.

editing because I cannot spell :ohwell:

In my first post I did specify that I use the extra calories to have a few drinks and whatever I want for supper. I don't go buckwild all day long and I still count everything I eat. So it's not like for that one meal I'm ordering an appetizer of mozzarella sticks and a meal that consists of a huge plate of pasta with cream sauce and then having a big dessert. I stay within a set calorie "budget" and usually get a foot long sub that I split between supper and...late supper lol.

robbienjill · February 2010

3600 calories = a lb of fat no matter how ya dice it!

kalmf · February 2010

I agree with the posts that stress this is an individual process and one needs to find one's own rhythm. We're all looking for healthy ways to lose the excess weight and then maintain a healthy weight consistently. On the one hand, feeling deprived can lead to failure. On the other, having cheat days or meals can be like taking a few puffs of a cigarette, then just the one cigarette and then, oh well, why even bother resisting. (In case you have ever known anyone who's done that.) (twice) :blushing:

If I have a big night coming up, I do up the exercise for a few days before, and eat lightly the next day. I don't know if it helps, but at least I feel better knowing I am making conscious choices as opposed to acting impulsively and then reactively.
K

BlueLikeJazz · February 2010

I agree with the posts that stress this is an individual process and one needs to find one's own rhythm. We're all looking for healthy ways to lose the excess weight and then maintain a healthy weight consistently. On the one hand, feeling deprived can lead to failure. On the other, having cheat days or meals can be like taking a few puffs of a cigarette, then just the one cigarette and then, oh well, why even bother resisting. (In case you have ever known anyone who's done that.) (twice) :blushing:

If I have a big night coming up, I do up the exercise for a few days before, and eat lightly the next day. I don't know if it helps, but at least I feel better knowing I am making conscious choices as opposed to acting impulsively and then reactively.
K

I definitely concur with you over the fact that we all need to do what works for us. As a recovering problematic drinker, I spent over a year in a recovery program that stressed that a person must never drink, that drinking at all is a set-up for failure. So for a year, I would get in a few days sober, end up drinking, feel horrible about myself that I had to start over counting (if you've ever known anyone in AA, counting days is sometimes a lifelong affair, one of the reasons I did not use AA), and end up drinking all day every day for a week straight because of the guilt that ensued.

Now I drink once a week, and that works FOR ME.

It's for the same reasons that I want to set aside some calories so that I can still have whatever I want one night a week. The likelihood that I'm going to do so whether or not I have a few hundred calories saved up is quite high, so why not plan ahead? And as you can see, the opinions and what has and hasn't worked for people spans quite a range. A method that is perfect for one person may not be perfect for another.

I wish someone had told me that a year ago so I wouldn't have drank half my days away.

kalmf · February 2010

Good for you BLJ! It's all about finding our own way, isn't it. If the scale starts to climb consistently and you feel sluggish, you'll know it doesn't work. If your loss just slows up a bit - so what.

Saving up exercise calories for the weekend?

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