transfer calories to next day

If I eat at night and go over my cal goal, do you think I could technically count those calories for the next day?? This isn't a typical thing but sometimes I'm starving at night and am already over 1200!

Replies

  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    I don't think our bodies can be fooled that way. Sorry...
  • morethanthis0
    morethanthis0 Posts: 260 Member
    I'd say count it for the same day. Because if you count it for the next day you will not be able to eat much the next day and will probably end up being hungry again the next night and over eat again...and it could become a vicious cycle. Count it for today. Start new tomorrow
  • pds06
    pds06 Posts: 299 Member
    I hear of people doing a weekly count instead of daily. Whatever works so you don't give up.
    Drink lots of water and watch the rest of the week :wink:
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Just count it for today. At 1200 a day, you can honestly afford to be over once in awhile. Or even often. :smile:
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Your body knows no midnight, energy needs continue. Sure 2 days can balance out.

    However you do it, be consistent though, or are you thinking you are hungry on 1200 today, so ate 400 more, but tomorrow you'll be fine really eating just 800?

    Just to confirm, 1200 is the lowest recommended for safety of getting all your nutrients in for a sedentary woman with a lot to lose.

    You sedentary and not exercising, and you have a lot to lose?

    Perhaps you aren't using MFP correctly as designed, and creating too big of a deficit for your level of activity - hence being hungry.
    If used correctly as designed, you'd get to eat more, to benefit your body.

    Be scared when you stop being hungry actually undereating, if that is what is happening.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    You could eat less the calories the next day or depending how disciplined you are over a few days.

    Ive done that when having drinks.

    All works out in my weekly total, as I usually have excess calories.

    Deficit of 3500 calories to lose a 1lb a week. Look at it that way.


    Edit. Good point about 1200 calories. I'm at a larger calorie intake than you so if I was at 1200 I wouldn't do what I recommended.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    it's not like your body resets at midnight like the diaries, so calorie deficits will work on the average.

    just log what you do for the day and restart tomorrow.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Doesn't matter, if you log it as today or tomorrow...it all adds up the same way if you average the 2 days...so...yes, but...then you have fewer than 1200 for the next day...which isn't enough...which will lead to going over again...you see the cycle. Having said that...you can probably eat over 1200 a day and still lose weight, and may want to consider that if 1200 often leaves you hungry.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I don't think our bodies can be fooled that way. Sorry...

    You give your body too much credit.
  • patrickfish7
    patrickfish7 Posts: 190 Member
    Exercise more then next day, giving that room to move calories-wise...
  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
    my rule is
    once my day ends (gone to bed) its a new day for calories.
    its midnight and Im still up? cals remains for the day

    i work nights...talk about time change 2x/week

    try pushing your last meal around 8-9pm.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Count it today, and make it up during the week if you wish. A deficit is a deficit, but having accurate data will help you in the long run to track your intake. For example, you may find out over time that your appetite ebbs and flows with TOM or some other factor... This can help you plan ahead for "honey badger" days.
  • hbfirstlady
    hbfirstlady Posts: 11 Member
    I talked to my nutritionist. I told her I was starving on 1200 calories a day. I'm very active. I workout six days a week. She told me to up my calorie intake to somewhere between 1500 and 1600 calories. It worked. I was no longer starving and the pounds came off.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
    I charge it to the next day sometimes, but not often. I was eating at 1420 calories that MFP recommended for me and was still in the red because I would be eating over my calories, up to as much as 1700 calories total for the day. I upped my calories to 1650 and now I don't eat over that much, nor am I hungry but I also agreed to lose weight at a much slower rate now that I got the majority of pounds off my frame. So, I would suggest that you increase your calories, so that you are not eating at night, nor are you hungry. If you space your meals out evenly as far as when you eat them, you wont be wanting to eat at night because after you have had your last meal, you will be full and satisfied.
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    Weekly totals don't work for me, especially since you have to consider "what day starts my week"? I have had success balancing out cals over 2 consecutive days, rarely 3, but never beyond that. I did a LOT of experimentation with that this summer, but YMMV.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
    I talked to my nutritionist. I told her I was starving on 1200 calories a day. I'm very active. I workout six days a week. She told me to up my calorie intake to somewhere between 1500 and 1600 calories. It worked. I was no longer starving and the pounds came off.


    I agree to this. I have had a few friends that were eating under 1200 and leaving a sizeable deficit and not losing weight and complaining about being hungry. Once, I recommended that since they were vigorously working out, that they should increase their calories and leave a decent but not sizeable deficit, they started losing weight too. So far, on my journey of weight loss, I have never hit a plateau and I can honestly say that I am never hungry now. It also helps that I eat my meals within 3 hours of each other. I usually do 3 meals and sometimes one snack, if my calories will allow it, depending on what the snack is. It doesn't matter when I eat my breakfast because I have been known to eat it, as early as 8:30 am and as late as 2:00 pm, but as long as I follow up my lunch or snack within 3 hours of breakfast and then in the next 3 hours from that, follow up with another meal, I am fine and by my last meal, no later than 8pm, I am usually pretty full and not desiring another bite of anything.
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
    I would say log it as today and not short change yourself for tomorrow. If it's not too consistent it shouldn't be a problem. That said, eating late at night is never a good idea in terms of getting descent sleep. So, you might want to start tracking when you get the late night hungries and log what you did/consumed that day. See if you can spot a trigger.
  • This is my logic:
    If by "going over" you're going to be disheartened and down on yourself, then log it for the next day and eat less - that way you'll still feel accomplished, and motivated.
    If by eating less the next day you're going to be soo hungry that you start binge eating, then don't do it that way, just cut your losses and move on waking up in the morning determined to start fresh.
    It's what ever works for you - whatever helps keep you on track :smile:
  • Jericha1992
    Jericha1992 Posts: 80 Member
    Sure, you can. Just be sure you're ok with eating less tomorrow.

    It's fine to average things out over the course of a week.

    My personal favorite is to work out harder than usual one day a week, and then log that exercise on previous days when I had gone over. This way, my weekly deficit averages out, and I don't have any of those ugly red numbers in my diary.

    As long as it's healthy, do whatever motivates you.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    I would say log it as today and not short change yourself for tomorrow. If it's not too consistent it shouldn't be a problem. That said, eating late at night is never a good idea in terms of getting descent sleep. So, you might want to start tracking when you get the late night hungries and log what you did/consumed that day. See if you can spot a trigger.
    Unless you find that for you, personally, eating disturbs your sleep...there's nothing wrong with eating late at night. Some people find that it's hard to fall asleep, some people have strange dreams, but lots of people eat late at night without a problem, and it makes no difference in terms of weight loss. In fact, I know several people who save some of the days calories for the nighttime, because we like eating at night.
  • watto1980
    watto1980 Posts: 155 Member
    Yeah log it for the next day, it won't make any difference. The main thing is you are logging it.

    I have gotten up during the night and had a glass of milk and logged it for breakfast the following morning.
  • littlelexical
    littlelexical Posts: 146 Member
    if i have over eaten (substantially) i will devide the excess calories by 6 & add that smaller amount to the next 6 days as a 'quick calories' - this way, over the week my calories are the deficit i want - but, i dont have to make up the blow out in one day - so it is more manageable & i am less likely to feel hungry the next day & "blow out" again.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I have an idea up your calorie limit that way you get more then 1200 a day.

    With 12 lbs to lose at your age...you can get away with more then 1200 a day.
  • .
  • @ Kwantlen2051 I don't think our bodies can be fooled that way. Sorry...


    actually the only reason i would think this is because our bodies actually probably don't know the difference!! example if i have 200 cals at 2 am, and someone else gets up for work at 4 am and has 200 cals id think thatd be equal!
  • This is my logic:
    If by "going over" you're going to be disheartened and down on yourself, then log it for the next day and eat less - that way you'll still feel accomplished, and motivated.
    If by eating less the next day you're going to be soo hungry that you start binge eating, then don't do it that way, just cut your losses and move on waking up in the morning determined to start fresh.
    It's what ever works for you - whatever helps keep you on track :smile:

    @WitchMaevyn that's more the problem! i'd rather try to stick to 1200 in a (relatively close to) 24 hour period. some days i either sleep in or just don't have time to eat enough so the cals i carried over and logged for that day aren't a big deal.

    Thank you everyone for your input! New to the posting thing and am overwhelmed with the advice :)
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    NO!
  • mssag
    mssag Posts: 23 Member
    it's not like your body resets at midnight like the diaries, so calorie deficits will work on the average.

    just log what you do for the day and restart tomorrow.


    Exactly.
    In fact, I'm looking more at my 7 day rolling average rather than each day. I think it's more realistic and sustainable in the long run anyway (i.e., some days I'll have fewer calories, some days I'll have more, but it averages out in the short term to where I need to be).