can i add up my calories and average out over the week?

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vintagemiss
vintagemiss Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
ok so not a good start, joined Cpl weeks ago .. was good for few days then felt totally restricted having to eat an *exact* amt of calories .. hate being told what to do lol

I naturally eat more at the weekends, and am so busy on a Monday can get easily have less calories without feeling it - wondered if I added up the recommended daily calorie intake could average it out over the week so would be something like this:

mon: 1000
tue: 1650
weds:1650
thur: 1650
fri: 1650
sat: 2000
sun: 2000

has anyone tried this? would it work? xx
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Replies

  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    Yea I don't stick to strict numbers. If I end up with an average of around ~1400 per day at the end of the week I'm happy. If you have the mobile app you can track your weekly calorie average and you don't have to do the math yourself. :)
  • Change_is_Good_
    Change_is_Good_ Posts: 272 Member
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    I would be quite interested in knowing this. I occasionally save some up if I know I'm going out for a meal or something but don't know about in the long run.
  • syntaxxor
    syntaxxor Posts: 86
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    Yes, you should considering the entire week and not daily as being important. Some people will suggest bouncing around like this. A few bodybuilders I've spoken with do it.

    It has to work for you though, if it does, then awesome!
  • kayaksara
    kayaksara Posts: 157 Member
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    Yes, I think it will work. If your average for the week is where you want it. I think it keeps your body guessing what you are going to do next. That is a good thing. I have read that helps with metabolism.
  • berthabunny
    berthabunny Posts: 251 Member
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    Lots of people average throughout the week! Don't worry about it :smile:
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    Weight loss does not happen in one day, so I would say do what ever works for you. Eat less then you burn over a long period of time and lose weight.
  • Jewles1285
    Jewles1285 Posts: 119
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    My dietitian told me that as long as at the end of the week my "average" was between my target intake (which is 1500-1700) then i am good to go! So yes, that means that if you ate less on one day and more on others, as long as your average is at your target you're good to go!!

    FYI, ive lost 15 lbs of body fat and gained 7 lbs of muscle in 4 weeks for an average of 7lbs lost doing my diet this way (along with zumba, strength training and yoga)!!
  • EmilyMarieMo
    EmilyMarieMo Posts: 67 Member
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    I use the graph on the app to watch my weekly intake. You typically lose weight or gain weight "weekly" to give yourself a better idea of overall weightloss/gain average since we fluctuate on the scale so much daily. I think it's easier to not feel so restricted daily too! Splurge a little one day, cut back a little another day.... so long as you average what it takes for you to meet your goal weekly! :)
  • vintagemiss
    vintagemiss Posts: 18
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    wow that was quick !!!
    thanks for the replies, great news .. feel under less pressure now already!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    It's worked for me.
  • fattyfoodie
    fattyfoodie Posts: 232 Member
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    This is pretty well what you do on Weight Watchers. I eat my daily allotment of points. I can earn extra points by exercising which I can use any day in the week. I like to earn all week and then use the extra earned points on the weekend.

    So far, so good. If it stops working, I'll change it up.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
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    I am just starting doing the weekly average! I set a daily goal for myself and I want to still keep my "cheat day" on the weekend.

    Then I average out my daily calories for the other 6 days and I will eat any "extra" I banked on that 7th day.

    This way I won't exceed my weekly goal while still being able to have some wine or a meal out on Saturdays.
  • carrieliz81
    carrieliz81 Posts: 489 Member
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    Yea I don't stick to strict numbers. If I end up with an average of around ~1400 per day at the end of the week I'm happy. If you have the mobile app you can track your weekly calorie average and you don't have to do the math yourself. :)

    Cool! I have never explored that part of the mobile app. I guess you have to make sure to log every day to get it to work. I went back and finished logging last night's dinner when I got to work this morning, and I completed the entry for yesterday, but it did not show up in the weekly total. But, still a cool tool to reference, especially for the days that I go over and feel horribly guilty. Maybe it's not so bad if I can be sort of under on most of the other days...
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,265 Member
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    Google "zig zagging calories" to learn more about this. I have been doing it for the last year - it definitely works and is much easier and less boring than trying to eat the same number of calories every single day. Not only do you hit plateaus when you do that, but your metabolism gets screwed up - and you will most likely end up eating the same foods all the time, and get bored with it - which will make you more likely to stop following your diet.
  • Baileys83
    Baileys83 Posts: 152 Member
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    I purposely have up and down ays, it's called zig-zag diet but my average week is right :)
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
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    you don't lose weight on a 24 hour schedule. of course you can average out your calories!
  • sprintto50
    sprintto50 Posts: 410 Member
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    That is perfectly fine if you are careful about tracking your weekly total. You lose weight by having a deficit of calories over intake over a period of time. I wouldn't have really low days, less than 1200, but your plan looks sound.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
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    Yes you can. I like to eat lower all week then have 1 high day on the weekend. Do whatever works for you.
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
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    Yes, it works just fine. I use the daily tracking for my macros but I keep a seperate spredsheet for my weekly and monthly averages. Losing weight and/or maintaining just fine.
  • BuffyEat2Live
    BuffyEat2Live Posts: 327 Member
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    Yep, works for me. I have mine set to maintain just because I hate seeing the negative numbers when I go over. Some days I'm right at maintaining calories or even over it (for me that's netting just over 2000), some days I'm way under (netting less than 1200) but most days I'm right around 1600 net. It all evens out in the end. I agree that it's best to not obsess at getting to a specific number.**





    **within reason.

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