'Saving' calories?

sapphirelazuli
sapphirelazuli Posts: 95
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I used to go to a weight loss class. We were on 1,200 calories a day, but if we were planning on drinking alcohol or going out for a meal, we were encouraged to 'save' calories for the weekend.

Is there any truth in this helping? Or will starvation mode kick in quickish?

Replies

  • FerryfieldLad
    FerryfieldLad Posts: 185 Member
    I'm interested to know about this too!
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    Well, it really only works that way if you save them for the same day. Your body doesn't save them for a rainy day, it uses what it needs. If you save for the weekend and then don't eat enough during the week and go overboard on the weekend, you'll end up in a cycle you don't want to be in. A good rule of thumb is just to make really great choices all week, work hard at the gym, and if you do let loose over the weekend just be sure to try to work some of it off over the weekend too. Walk the mall for a few hours, take a bike ride, that sort of thing. You have to be able to fit going a little crazy into your lifestyle, or else you'll never keep it up! Good luck!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I don't know how this is possible. Our bodies reset during the night. But I have also heard that you can zig zag your calories to keep your metabolism from getting used to the same calories every day. I'm curious on this one too.

    I just realized you're from Scotland! My mom was born in Glasgow!
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
    It takes a while (usually about 2 weeks) for your metabolism to react to a lowered or drastically changed intake. It's the WEEKLY deficit that really determines weight loss, so if you go lower for a couple days leading up to a higher intake day, it should have no negative effect on your metabolism at all.

    Now, if you eat 500 calories a day for a week to get ready for a massive binge, then your asking for trouble, but you probably have much larger problems then your metabolic rate!
  • yellowfairy
    yellowfairy Posts: 207 Member
    I did that when I was in Weight Watchers. You just "netted" out at the end of the week-I did lose 20 pounds on the WW plan, so I think that it worked. I guess as long as it wasn't an "all the time" sort of thing.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
    I don't know how this is possible. Our bodies reset during the night. But I have also heard that you can zig zag your calories to keep your metabolism from getting used to the same calories every day. I'm curious on this one too.

    Your metabolism doesn't "reset" at night. It's reacting constantly to changes in intake and your body's needs, but takes a longer period to change in a notable way.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Starvation mode isn't something that happens overnight, but honestly, I don't think it quite works the "saving calories" way - just on a mental level. Think about it, you work all week to be able to go out- even if you've saved 700 or 1500 calories, chances are you are going to go over anyway. Now your body, used to 1000 calories is suddenly innundated as much as 2500 or 3000 calories of over processed, junky food- if nothing else you are setting your self up for some seriously bloaty days in addition to having felt lighter all week, you will likely see a pretty annoying gain or maintain for the week.

    If anything I would only try to "save" calories if you are at 1300 cals or higher- but overall I think a much smarter solution is to keep to your regular calorie goal, and mentally plan for your going out ahead of time and keep it in moderation- make your big cardio day that morning, keep to conservative breakfast and lunch and just plan ahead a little- it's pretty easy to figure out cals in drinks or approximate food you could eat and would be filling.

    Mathmatically it works, but overall I just don't see how it will make you happy.
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    I don't know how this is possible. Our bodies reset during the night. But I have also heard that you can zig zag your calories to keep your metabolism from getting used to the same calories every day. I'm curious on this one too.

    Your metabolism doesn't "reset" at night. It's reacting constantly to changes in intake and your body's needs, but takes a longer period to change in a notable way.

    Agreed! Bodies do not reset. We are not clocks. It is an ongoing metabolic process. I save calories all the time and am a firm believer in the zig zag method. It has worked wonders for me, although I know everyone's bodies are different...
  • Tuckersn
    Tuckersn Posts: 149
    This (1 day of minimal eating messes with your overall metabolism, in a negative way) is a big misunderstanding in the weight loss community. Thanks for speaking truth into it . . .
  • missxena
    missxena Posts: 70
    hi, i used to do ww and i used to save points for a day off on weekend to go out for meal and drinks i lost 4st in 7months , i think if your sensible about it you can do , i saved calories last week for weekend and on monday lost 4lb, so i will continue to save my calories to treat my self once a week ,
  • sapphirelazuli
    sapphirelazuli Posts: 95
    It's not something I'm doing at the moment, I was just curious if there was any truth in it :)

    And yeah, I live about 30 minutes from Glasgow :D
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I don't know how this is possible. Our bodies reset during the night. But I have also heard that you can zig zag your calories to keep your metabolism from getting used to the same calories every day. I'm curious on this one too.

    Your metabolism doesn't "reset" at night. It's reacting constantly to changes in intake and your body's needs, but takes a longer period to change in a notable way.

    Agreed! Bodies do not reset. We are not clocks. It is an ongoing metabolic process. I save calories all the time and am a firm believer in the zig zag method. It has worked wonders for me, although I know everyone's bodies are different...

    Maybe I used the wrong word here but I have never been good with words. I know our metabolism doesn't reset itself and I know our bodies aren't clocks.

    I call the time I spend sleeping resetting my body for the next day. And we do have an internal 24 hour clock called the Circadian Rhythm.

    I have read that whatever calories you don't use for that day you lose (hence the word reset). You don't get to eat them later that week AND I have read that zig zagging is good, too. I just don't see how saving 500 calories on Monday means you can eat 500 extra on Saturday. One bad day won't hurt as long as it's not done every day.
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    I have read that whatever calories you don't use for that day you lose (hence the word reset). You don't get to eat them later that week AND I have read that zig zagging is good, too. But one bad evening won't hurt as long as you don't do it every day.

    I like zig zagging. With this method you have to save calories AND eat extra certain days. That is how it works. If your goal is 1700 then one day eat 1700, then 1200, then 2000, etc. The actual number takes tweaking to find what works best for you. It keeps your metabolism guessing. As long as you have a 3500 cal deficit in a week you will lose one pound. Simple math. But like I said, it does not work for everyone. I LOVE it though because on days I'm not super hungry I eat below goal and days I am way way hungry I can eat over goal and know it will not effect me negatively. :happy:
  • cbevan
    cbevan Posts: 31 Member
    Maybe I used the wrong word here but I have never been good with words. I know our metabolism doesn't reset itself and I know our bodies aren't clocks.

    I call the time I spend sleeping resetting my body for the next day. And we do have an internal 24 hour clock called the Circadian Rhythm.

    I have read that whatever calories you don't use for that day you lose (hence the word reset). You don't get to eat them later that week AND I have read that zig zagging is good, too. But one bad evening won't hurt as long as you don't do it every day.

    If we have to achieve a 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1lb, then this deficit must necessarily be able to be accumulated over time, since no person burns 3500 calories per day.

    To lose 1lb a week, you need to create average 500 calorie deficit per day by eating fewer calories than your body burns.

    If you have a 750 calorie deficit one day, and only a 250 calorie deficit the second day, the average still works out to 500 per day, so to some degree, you can "bank" calories for later in the week.

    For eample, if you consume calories with a 600 calorie deficit Mon - Fri, then you would be able to increase your calorie intake on Saturday and Sunday (to a deficit of only 250) and still come out with the same 3500 calorie deficit for the week.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I keep a running record of my deficit. If I'm going for the 1 pound a week loss, then I need that deficit to add up to 3500 at the end of the week. My body doesn't know when a week is up however, so I use Monday through Sunday as my range. Obviously, if I go over too far, it could be difficult to make that up by not eating or eating very little on another day. But say I have a 600 calorie a day deficit for three days in a row, I could, if I wanted to, eat a little something extra.
  • katherines2230
    katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
    I did soMething like this on WW but dunno if it applies here? You could always sneak some extra activity in for the day to account for the extra calories you are wanting to eat!
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Your body isn't on a 24-hour clock when it comes to your metabolism or when it comes to calories but the concept of 'saving calories' is silly. If you know you're going to overeat on Friday then it won't hurt you to eat a little bit less on Thursday but calories aren't like your vacation days -- you can't just accrue them. :laugh:
    If we have to achieve a 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1lb, then this deficit must necessarily be able to be accumulated over time, since no person burns 3500 calories per day.

    Not exactly. It's not like your body waits until you have a 3,500 calorie deficit before shedding a pound. It's a constant process. If you have a 500 calorie deficit for a day, then you are losing 1/7th of a pound (in simplistic terms). Calorie deficits and surpluses generally average out over a few days (taking note also that it takes 10-20 hours to fully digest.)
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I have read that whatever calories you don't use for that day you lose (hence the word reset). You don't get to eat them later that week AND I have read that zig zagging is good, too. But one bad evening won't hurt as long as you don't do it every day.

    I like zig zagging. With this method you have to save calories AND eat extra certain days. That is how it works. If your goal is 1700 then one day eat 1700, then 1200, then 2000, etc. The actual number takes tweaking to find what works best for you. It keeps your metabolism guessing. As long as you have a 3500 cal deficit in a week you will lose one pound. Simple math. But like I said, it does not work for everyone. I LOVE it though because on days I'm not super hungry I eat below goal and days I am way way hungry I can eat over goal and know it will not effect me negatively. :happy:

    I guess this wouldn't work as well for me since MFP has my goal set at 1200. But in a way I still do kind of zig zag. Some days I'll end up under 1200 but mostly due to exercise. Other days I do go over. I guess in a way you are saving your calories for later in the week.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    From a biological standpoint you have to factor in a couple of things. First there is something called circadian rhythms, this basically is the scientifically proven fact that our bodies do, in fact, work on a 24 hour clock (it's the reason for jet lag by the way), so yes, the body does, in effect, "reset" at night. Sort of. Not completely, but calorie burn goes way down during our sleep cycle, and the body essentially does an 8 hour (or however long you sleep) fast.

    Second is how long it takes for our body to notice the reduction in calories, while our body will technically "notice" the moment there is nothing in the stomach left to digest (or intestines for that matter) it doesn't really start to kick in the starvation hormones until glycogen levels are depleted and there's no more carbohydrates coming into the body to produce more. Once this happens (it takes anywhere from 40 to 72 hours) our body will send out hormones telling it to start conserving energy and slowing down metabolic function to match the available calories (from stored fat, food eaten, and muscle cannibalism).

    those two things said, it's a slippery slope to "bank" calories (as WW calls it) or save calories up for a "binge" day. That says nothing for the idea that alcohol is REALLY bad for losing fat if you consume relatively large quantities. It basically halts all other energy burn and uses the alcohol exclusively until it's out of the body. Alcohol also irritates the stomach lining, reducing nutrient absorption. Lastly it reduces inhibitions, making you less resistant to those bad foods that often accompany alcohol. All this and I haven't even touched on what alcohol does to your liver and brain (it's bad long term, really bad).

    Anyway, now you know why it's not really a great way to do things on a regular basis. Once in a great while, cutting out 3 or 400 calories a day or so before so you can have that extra 2 or 3 drinks is fine, but not to often.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    From a biological standpoint you have to factor in a couple of things. First there is something called circadian rhythms, this basically is the scientifically proven fact that our bodies do, in fact, work on a 24 hour clock (it's the reason for jet lag by the way), so yes, the body does, in effect, "reset" at night. Sort of. Not completely, but calorie burn goes way down during our sleep cycle, and the body essentially does an 8 hour (or however long you sleep) fast.

    Thank you. This is what was in my head from something I was reading last night regarding melatonin and melatonin levels. A doctor put me on melatonin but didn't explain anything about it to me. I learned that parts of our body and some organs shut down at night. That is why the word reset was stuck in my head.

    So that's why I have no interest in drinking.
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