"banking" calories?

cingle87
cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wanted to get people opinion on "banking" calories. What I mean is do people save a few calories for a couple of days so that later on in the week you can have alittle over your daily allocation?

I did it this week sunday monday, I was under my daily limit because I knew on tuesday I was having a few friends round and just to have a buffer incase I drank a few too many calories.

Should I just have eaten my daily calories and just allocated my drink out of that and not to go over, or was I fine aslong as I meet my weekly deficit?

Replies

  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    It is fine. Meal timing has no effect across a couple of days. If you starved yourself (true VLCD) for 2 days so you could eat 4 or 5 days later, that would be another story.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    It is fine. Meal timing has no effect across a couple of days. If you starved yourself (true VLCD) for 2 days so you could eat 4 or 5 days later, that would be another story.

    just interested....but why would it be another story??
  • allenhandley
    allenhandley Posts: 134 Member
    I don't do it intentionally, but I know it is there in the back of my mind. Just like gained calories for exercise, I try to stay within the original daly calorie amount. I don't think it would be that bad to be under a few calories a day as long as you are not below a safe level.

    An once in a while is ok as long as not on continual basis. JMHO.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    It is fine. Meal timing has no effect across a couple of days. If you starved yourself (true VLCD) for 2 days so you could eat 4 or 5 days later, that would be another story.

    just interested....but why would it be another story??
    I have not seen as much good data on that for one thing, which means the rest of what I have to say is shaky at best, but I think this may effect the goal of lowering BF% slightly. You might lose a pound during the VLCD days that was 70% fat and a few days later gain one back during the surplus days that was 80% fat. There is some conjecture in there based loosely on things I think are correct; I said it was another story, but I didn't say it wasn't a fairy tale... :bigsmile:
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    that works. and it is how skinny folk do it. smart on your part.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    It is fine. Meal timing has no effect across a couple of days. If you starved yourself (true VLCD) for 2 days so you could eat 4 or 5 days later, that would be another story.

    just interested....but why would it be another story??
    I have not seen as much good data on that for one thing, which means the rest of what I have to say is shaky at best, but I think this may effect the goal of lowering BF% slightly. You might lose a pound during the VLCD days that was 70% fat and a few days later gain one back during the surplus days that was 80% fat. There is some conjecture in there based loosely on things I think are correct; I said it was another story, but I didn't say it wasn't a fairy tale... :bigsmile:

    ok...so I take it you mean you arnt too sure...fair enuff. Personally, I dont think it matters too much to the overall aim of losing weightif you zig zag a bit during the week..in fact, I think it might be how ordinary, average, joe bloggs, average bmi'ers might approach life without even thinking about it....would be interesting to find out, tho :-)
  • RLDeShazo
    RLDeShazo Posts: 356 Member
    weight loss isn't a daily thing, but over the long run. So as long as it all evens out, you should be fine. I am in fact doing that myself. I have a lunch date tomorrow. I know we will eat a lot (we always do), so I am eating less today, and will make up the rest of the difference over the weekend.
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    I often bank calories to save up for a big dinner or party on the weekend. It actually kind of happens naturally that I eat 50-100 calories under during the week and end up with room for more wine or steak or gelato on Saturday. It's worked fine for me so far, but I haven't done any drastic cuts to bank for later.
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
    I have no problem doing it. cause overall the net calories going in will be the same not matter what day i ate them.
  • Garthhog
    Garthhog Posts: 4 Member
    My "banking" is a little different... I do it on a daily basis. 5 to 6 days per week I wake up at 4:45 am, fuel up with a cup of coffee and about 200 calories of carbs, then complete a moderate to high intensity cardio workout for roughly 90 minutes. I record the calorie count from the heart rate monitor that I wear and use that to "bank" some calories. I usually come in well under my banked calorie goal for the day, which should offset the inaccuracy of the calorie counter. I try to replace the banked calories with quality food, but I do sometimes resort to salty snack from the vending machine due to electrolyte depletion and the fact that I am a salty sweater.

    I also do this on weekends when my daughter decides I need to take her to 5 Guys and Fries or Freebirds Burritos. That ride is 2 to 3 hours long.

    This is dangerous to a diet, however. It is very easy for me to be so calorie depleted that I can't stop eating. I will try not to cross that threshhold until I am well established at my goal weight ( 30 lbs to go ).

    -Ryan
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    It is fine. Meal timing has no effect across a couple of days. If you starved yourself (true VLCD) for 2 days so you could eat 4 or 5 days later, that would be another story.
    just interested....but why would it be another story??
    I have not seen as much good data on that for one thing, which means the rest of what I have to say is shaky at best, but I think this may effect the goal of lowering BF% slightly. You might lose a pound during the VLCD days that was 70% fat and a few days later gain one back during the surplus days that was 80% fat. There is some conjecture in there based loosely on things I think are correct; I said it was another story, but I didn't say it wasn't a fairy tale... :bigsmile:
    ok...so I take it you mean you arnt too sure...fair enuff. Personally, I dont think it matters too much to the overall aim of losing weightif you zig zag a bit during the week..in fact, I think it might be how ordinary, average, joe bloggs, average bmi'ers might approach life without even thinking about it....would be interesting to find out, tho :-)
    I was normal to slightly overweight (BMI range of 24-27) for 20+ years. There were little zig zags but mostly I corrected by clothing fit. I wore the same size for the entire time and when they got tight I would do one of those crazy quick fix diets like cabbage soup. This was often an annual New Years thing and not even every year.

    Anyway, to explain my thinking about it maybe being different if they are spaced further better...
    If they are within 2-3 days of each other, I am pretty sure from actual data I have seen that you can still consider that a single period of eating at a deficit. If there is a further separation, I am not certain of that at all. At some point, it becomes a period of greater than usual deficit and a period of surplus eating and I am not sure the fat taken would offset the fat put on. It would probably come pretty darn close.

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