What do you do with excess calories at the end of the day?

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  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
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    I'm a bit confused... If your goal is 2,800-2,900 calories per day, your macros should reflect that amount of calories.

    I worked through the math earlier. The link you provided doesn't give a calorie or gram range for carbs, leaving it as "fill in the remaining calories..."

    It's the "remaining calories we're talking about here.

    The remaining calories don't matter. If you've met your fat and protein goals and possibly carb goals if you need energy for a workout all the rest can be whatever you like.

    For me, usually dark chocolate, cheese if I have any, yoghurt and muesli if I remembered to buy yoghurt, popcorn, salami if I have it.

    One time I had to quickly go through 1400 calories and I ended up scarving all this stuff down. That didn't go too well.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I'm a bit confused... If your goal is 2,800-2,900 calories per day, your macros should reflect that amount of calories.

    I worked through the math earlier. The link you provided doesn't give a calorie or gram range for carbs, leaving it as "fill in the remaining calories..."

    It's the "remaining calories we're talking about here.

    Get them any way you want. Seriously. Ice cream, steak, toast, milkshake. Whatever. Enjoy your extra calories.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 500 Member
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    I have a little over 2000 calories left over for today. Most of those are exercise calories. If I'm starving I eat something... but most of the time I just let them die.

    Poor babies. Just being left to die :sad:

    I dont know why but i have this dirty imagine in my head now.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I have a little over 2000 calories left over for today. Most of those are exercise calories. If I'm starving I eat something... but most of the time I just let them die.

    Poor babies. Just being left to die :sad:

    I dont know why but i have this dirty imagine in my head now.

    Interesting...maybe give your therapist a call tomorrow? :wink:
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 500 Member
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    I have a little over 2000 calories left over for today. Most of those are exercise calories. If I'm starving I eat something... but most of the time I just let them die.

    Poor babies. Just being left to die :sad:

    I dont know why but i have this dirty imagine in my head now.

    Interesting...maybe give your therapist a call tomorrow? :wink:

    Are you a therapist?:tongue:
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I have a little over 2000 calories left over for today. Most of those are exercise calories. If I'm starving I eat something... but most of the time I just let them die.

    Poor babies. Just being left to die :sad:

    I dont know why but i have this dirty imagine in my head now.

    Interesting...maybe give your therapist a call tomorrow? :wink:

    Are you a therapist?:tongue:

    LOL. Define "therapist."
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    I find myself with an annoying 100 excess calories at the end of the day sometimes. I never know what to close the gap with! If it's more than 100 I just eat whatever I'm craving.
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
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    I haven't decided yet...
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    almonds, pecans, or unsalted peanuts. Sometimes yogurt.
  • aweigh2go
    aweigh2go Posts: 164 Member
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    I'm a bit confused... If your goal is 2,800-2,900 calories per day, your macros should reflect that amount of calories.

    I worked through the math earlier. The link you provided doesn't give a calorie or gram range for carbs, leaving it as "fill in the remaining calories..."

    It's the "remaining calories we're talking about here.

    I see where you are coming from now!!!

    Here is how the link applies to me:

    My goal is 2,500 calories on training days. Assuming I hit my protein goal (180g), fat goal (80g) and calories from fruits and vegetables (about 255 calories), I should be at 1,695 calories. Like you, I now have 805 calories "left over". On training days, I include 2 poptarts post-training (400 calories), maybe some brown rice with dinner (250 calories) and maybe even an ice cream sandwich after dinner (150 calories).

    Hope that cleared it up!
  • cbc937
    cbc937 Posts: 15
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    Means youre not dieting right. You should never have "excess" calories..... All macro's or numbers that are apparently "excess" from working out, means you need to replenish them as if you didnt hit them to begin with, with the % of P/F/C spent on exercise.......

    definitely should not be daily and if its weekly thats how you lose weight, why would you put them back on??? If you're still losing weight its either

    1) your bodyfat is extremely high to begin with
    2) your losing muscle with X amount of calories missing
    3) its water weight


    Cheating is one thing, but missing calories means a poor diet and not understanding of macro's.
  • cbc937
    cbc937 Posts: 15
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    I'm a bit confused... If your goal is 2,800-2,900 calories per day, your macros should reflect that amount of calories.

    I worked through the math earlier. The link you provided doesn't give a calorie or gram range for carbs, leaving it as "fill in the remaining calories..."

    It's the "remaining calories we're talking about here.

    The math makes sense on how you came up with the 2,150. The way I read this is that your goal is 2,800 and you are looking at what should make up the other 650 calories once you meet the macro levels (or 2,150 calories). Where did the macros from 2,150 come from and if your goal is 2,800. But my question to you is, "If your goal is 2,800, why do your macros come up to only 2,150?"

    I am not looking to be difficult, I am merely looking to understand.


    You're not being difficult. You are correct and they are wrong.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    It's easy to have excess calories when your protein and fat goals are determined by body mass and you eat back exercise calories.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    But my question to you is, "If your goal is 2,800, why do your macros come up to only 2,150?"

    Calorie goals and macro goals are set using two different methods. Calorie target is set by TDEE, which in my case is driven up by lots of exercise. Protein and Fat requirements are driven by body mass, and don't know from exercise burn. If I wasn't working this hard, the two methods would more or less converge, and this wouldn't be an issue because my TDEE would be much lower.

    If I didn't have a reasonable amount of fat left to lose, this would also not be an issue, as everything I burn would need to be replenished. But, for now, I still do have excess fat stores, so there is flexibility there.
  • cbc937
    cbc937 Posts: 15
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    It's easy to have excess calories when your protein and fat goals are determined by body mass and you eat back exercise calories.

    I dont quite understand this comment. Im assuming you get protein and fat goals from just your weight. Then you workout and lose -400, so you eat an extra 400 you have "excess" calories? that doesn't make sense you should still be hitting X amount of calories daily, thats what they are there for...... Otherwise at the end of the day you did NOT hit your daily numbers.

    And, by your statement you would hit your protein #'s and Fat goal #'s, but still have say X amount of calories to eat, so you eat something, ok.... Now that puts you over Fat, Carbs or Protein since those goals were reached. Means your diet is / Macros are broke. Something is not right
  • cbc937
    cbc937 Posts: 15
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    But my question to you is, "If your goal is 2,800, why do your macros come up to only 2,150?"

    Calorie goals and macro goals are set using two different methods. Calorie target is set by TDEE, which in my case is driven up by lots of exercise. Protein and Fat requirements are driven by body mass, and don't know from exercise burn. If I wasn't working this hard, the two methods would more or less converge, and this wouldn't be an issue because my TDEE would be much lower.

    If I didn't have a reasonable amount of fat left to lose, this would also not be an issue, as everything I burn would need to be replenished. But, for now, I still do have excess fat stores, so there is flexibility there.

    You have reasonable amount of fat left to lose ( like I stated above in # 1 ) because your diet is broken....
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I dont quite understand this comment. Im assuming you get protein and fat goals from just your weight. Then you workout and lose -400, so you eat an extra 400 you have "excess" calories? that doesn't make sense you should still be hitting X amount of calories daily, thats what they are there for...... Otherwise at the end of the day you did NOT hit your daily numbers.

    I think maybe my use of the word "excess" is being taken too literally here. Over the long run, those "excess" calories need to be consumed. They are "excess" in the sense that, since the macro targets have been met, there is much more flexibility in what can be consumed.

    As far as protein and (to an extent) fat macros go, I treat them as minimums, not a number to "hit". As long as the overall calorie goal is met, and I'm not starving myself of carbs, I'm perfectly comfortable going over protein and (to an extent) fat.
  • justmary4cm
    justmary4cm Posts: 29
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    I had this dilemma last night and I wasn't hungry after I ate my dinner (550 calories) and I still had over 1000 calories left since I had really done a lot of extra exercise. I just left it in my "account" so to speak and thought about how great it would feel on the scale this morning. Guess what? UP A FREAKIN' POUND THIS MORNING! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You just never know.
  • cbc937
    cbc937 Posts: 15
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    I dont quite understand this comment. Im assuming you get protein and fat goals from just your weight. Then you workout and lose -400, so you eat an extra 400 you have "excess" calories? that doesn't make sense you should still be hitting X amount of calories daily, thats what they are there for...... Otherwise at the end of the day you did NOT hit your daily numbers.

    I think maybe my use of the word "excess" is being taken too literally here. Over the long run, those "excess" calories need to be consumed. They are "excess" in the sense that, since the macro targets have been met, there is much more flexibility in what can be consumed.

    As far as protein and (to an extent) fat macros go, I treat them as minimums, not a number to "hit". As long as the overall calorie goal is met, and I'm not starving myself of carbs, I'm perfectly comfortable going over protein and (to an extent) fat.

    Thats because your diet is not right with your daily macro's. IE - What JustMary4CM just posted
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 500 Member
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    Are you a therapist?:tongue:
    LOL. Define "therapist."

    Massage?

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