If I go over on monday, I should be under on tuesday?

Options
gostumpy
gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just a topic for discussion...

I am in the group that looks at my caloric intake on more than just a daily scale... weekly calories count too! If I go over on monday by 300 calories, and then tuesday I am under by 100, then wednesday I am over by 50, thursday under by 100... I'm still over my caloric goal for the week.

I think this may be one of the biggest things preventing some of us from having results... Personally I am having very little success because I am constantly either at my limit, or over by a few hundred...

I exercise the next day, and the rule is to eat those calories as well.. but in reality I am just exercising my overage from the previous day.

Feel free to disagree, but I thought I'd put this out there :) My two cents!

Replies

  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Options
    Your body doesn't know when it's midnight, and doesn't reset calories like this site does..

    As long as you eat at a deficit over time, then you'll be ok. There's nothing radical about that.
  • TheFangsKittie
    TheFangsKittie Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    A deficit is a deficit. At the end of the week if you are under, you should lose. I do.
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    But who counts their calories throughout the week? I know I don't... at least not yet. So if I go over on monday by 300 calories, and am right at my recommended for the next 2 days, I don't think to try and have a 300 deficit... at least not until I thought of it right now :)

    I can't be the only one that hasn't thought about this...
  • TheFangsKittie
    TheFangsKittie Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    But who counts their calories throughout the week? I know I don't... at least not yet. So if I go over on monday by 300 calories, and am right at my recommended for the next 2 days, I don't think to try and have a 300 deficit... at least not until I thought of it right now :)

    I can't be the only one that hasn't thought about this...

    MFP has a tool on the app that shows you your weekly cals, so quite easy to track if you fancy it. If what you're doing is working for you I wouldn't worry about it though, as you get closer to goal you may notice your losses slow down though if you are over a few times a week.
  • LR182
    LR182 Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    how i see it is if your over one day try to be less too make up for that amount, cause as already mentioned they never reset amount so even if you count weekly its the same thing throughout months, so if you feel like over eating one day eat less the next day and continue the lower cals, just my thoughts.
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
    Options
    But who counts their calories throughout the week? I know I don't... at least not yet. So if I go over on monday by 300 calories, and am right at my recommended for the next 2 days, I don't think to try and have a 300 deficit... at least not until I thought of it right now :)

    I can't be the only one that hasn't thought about this...

    I do. But I do it in reverse. I save up all week to enjoy extra calories on Sunday!!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Options
    But who counts their calories throughout the week? I know I don't... at least not yet. So if I go over on monday by 300 calories, and am right at my recommended for the next 2 days, I don't think to try and have a 300 deficit... at least not until I thought of it right now :)

    I can't be the only one that hasn't thought about this...

    The iPad app for MFP makes it easy to see your weekly calories and daily average. I often wind up over or under my goal on a daily basis.
  • tottie06
    tottie06 Posts: 259 Member
    Options
    I exercise the next day, and the rule is to eat those calories as well.

    Not everyone here eats back exercise calories. I was doing that in the beginning, but now only do it if I feel the need. Before MFP, I was eating/drinking 700-1000 over daily what I should have been. I am doing my best to stay under now, but don't fret it it's over a little....I am still eating at a deficit compared to before ...and am exercising regularly now.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Options
    Your body doesn't know when it's midnight...

    It sure does. Your body has all sorts of autonomic internal diurnal cycles and knows when it's "sleepy time".

    What I'm hearing from the OP is that they are over-eating, even when looked at on weekly timescales. That would certainly be a problem for weight loss.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    Your body doesn't tally up your deficit at midnight is probably the better way of putting it. It runs on averages, so I tend to as well. Fitbit's charts help with that.

    I wonder if the OP is saying he misses his daily goals because he feels like he can make them up later in the week, and then doesn't?

    I probably am one to do more of the 'hoarding for later' type thing.
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    I actually didn't think of the reports function on MFP... So I actually didn't think to check my weekly totals.

    I know I'm cheating some days, I'll finish my log, then go have a beer or two, etc... not logging is bad for my progress :(

    I do think that because I know I was over by ~200 calories yesterday from those unlogged beers, that I am trying to have a 200 calorie deficit today. Healthiest way for that I suppose is to get 200+ calories worth of exercise!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,119 Member
    Options
    1. It is exceedingly difficult to establish your actual TDEE without months of accurate logging of all food and energy expenditure and/or a Bod Pod type evaluation or a BodyFit/all day electronic-wearable type device. It's still a matter of data collection and study.

    2. Even with a digital food scale, you (and I) are going to make lots of calorie calculation errors in a week. So, be kind to you, keep doing the best you can, and persevere.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Options
    Uh-huh. If someone has a big binge and wants to do extremes to make it up, that is unhealthy, imho. But if you always chock up overages to the philosophy of 'just move on' you may not be doing what you could to stay on track. Maybe it's not too hard to save a few calories later and exercise a little longer. I think that's a great idea.

    As a matter of fact, I will eat more on days I'm particularly hungry and then expect I'll probably not be so hungry the next day. I count all of this and keep a running average of my weekly calories. Usually, for me, I'm not as hungry the next day. I think I naturally eat higher and lower in mini zigzags throughout a week.

    Now, could I eat a candy bar if I still had the calories the next day? Oh, easily! It would sound yummy, hungry or not! So it's good to think of the ongoing average and not just day by day, imho.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    A weekly deficit works too.

    One of the easiest ways to hit that weekly deficit is to hit your daily targets.

    Personally, I think looking at it on a weekly basis is an advanced concept, but if you can make it work for you, why not.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    I know I'm cheating some days, I'll finish my log, then go have a beer or two, etc... not logging is bad for my progress :(

    I don't hit that 'finished logging' button or whatever it is but I imagine in any case you can log the beers the next morning and it's as good as having logged them 'on time'. You want to log them so you have a more accurate picture for later looking at your logged deficits vs. your losses. Overages are better from a data perspective than 'fake' target-hitting days. Try to picture yourself in a lab coat, objectively recording data about a test subject and you have no interest in how 'well' or not he is doing. Just log the facts and leave judgment out. You can beat yourself up about it later, or not. A day of eating at maintenance means I've chosen to procrastinate meeting my weight goal by one day is all. Own it and keep yourself empowered.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
    Options
    I actually didn't think of the reports function on MFP... So I actually didn't think to check my weekly totals.

    I know I'm cheating some days, I'll finish my log, then go have a beer or two, etc... not logging is bad for my progress :(

    I do think that because I know I was over by ~200 calories yesterday from those unlogged beers, that I am trying to have a 200 calorie deficit today. Healthiest way for that I suppose is to get 200+ calories worth of exercise!

    Not logging sounds like a bigger reason for not seeing results than going over by a bit one day and not quite making up for it on other days, so that maybe you end the week with a deficit 100 or 200 calories less than you were shooting for. Remember, MFP has set your daily goal at a deficit already, so going over your weekly goal slightly only means you'll lose slightly less weight than you were aiming for, not that you won't lose any or will gain.

    Also you may be underestimating calorie intake, if your 200 calories for two beers is an example of your estimates (unless it was two 12-ounce light beers, which would be in the ballpark of 200 calories).

    I go by a weekly deficit, as on many days my net goal is more than I want, but every week or so I'll either be really hungry or be in situations where the only food on offer is calorie-dense, or I just want to have some nachos and a real beer or a non-diet soda, or a milk shake, or whatever :drinker:
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    I entered all the stuff that I conveniently 'forgot', and realize that yes, over the course of the week I am definitely over my calorie goals.

    Time to buckle down and stop pretending that the bowl of ice-cream doesn't count :p
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    Well since I was over by ~900 cals yesterday, I just went to the Gym for the second time today, so counting a 500 cal defecit in food plus gained 400cals from exercise, I count these two days as a wash :)

    I think this Gym membership is going to do a lot of good!!!
  • drshona
    drshona Posts: 52 Member
    Options
    I exercise the next day, and the rule is to eat those calories as well.. but in reality I am just exercising my overage from the previous day.

    The way I would see that is that I've already eaten the calories back. I just happened to eat them back before I 'earned' them.

    I definitely look at it over the course of the week, although I tend to be pretty good Monday- Thursday so am under on those days and then over or even on the weekend.

Categories