Is it possible to save up calories for a cheat day?

ramandagetsfit
ramandagetsfit Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been quite a but under my calorie goal for the last few days. Giving quite a large deficient for the week. We are celebrating Independence Day this weekend and I know there will be lots of high calorie food and treats this weekend. IE: burgers, hot dogs, chips, s'mores, funnel cake ect. Any way if I have a couple high calorie days would it just neutralize with my low cal days? Like if I looked at total calories for the week?

Sorry if this seems like a stupid question. I am just not sure how to figure out how many extra calories to have on a cheat day and still loose weight.

Replies

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Yes, and it's not a cheat day, you just adjusted for it in your weekly calorie intake. A cheat day makes it sound like there's something wrong with it...
  • Flyer69
    Flyer69 Posts: 100 Member
    I do that all the time.
    In my eyes not a problem, obviously it depends on how much you are over as on those type of days weighing food and marking everything down often goes out the window.
    I learned how my body worked my weighing myself when i was naked 3 times a day.
    First thing in the morning
    After gym
    Just before bed
    Only then did I truly understand how it worked and what influence a cheat day had.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Yes that's fine.

    Some would call it zig zagging cals or cal cycling.

    I do it every week based off hunger levels daily and my weekly target.
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    Don't think of them as cheat days. I typically call them "Planned Breaks" ... if I know I'm going to be at an event where, even if I try to log everything, lots of it is going to be estimations since I didn't make the stuff myself, I use the rest of the week to plan for it.

    That means I'll shave off a few calories here or there, any time I can, to give myself a greater deficit for the week prior to the event.

    So, if I know I'll have about 1,000 extra calories on Day 7, I'll try to average out an extra 1,000 calorie deficit through the previous 6 days.

    Or, and this is a totally viable option to:

    Don't worry about it at all. Even if you eat your daily calorie max the rest of the week, and then go a little crazy during the day of the event, it's literally impossible to gain an outstanding amount of weight for going over your max on 1 day. The most weight you'll gain is likely water weight and as long as you go back to tracking the following day, and staying in your normal range, it'll be off again in just a few days.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 171 Member
    You can spread your calories over a week and save some for a treat day. As long as you don't go over your week's total you'll be OK. Even if you slip a little, it takes 3500 calories over your daily nutritional needs to gain 1lb.
    The only thing is, if you eat food that's more fatty, salty, or sugary than usual you may retain a bit of fluid for a day or so, so it's not a good idea to weigh in the day after!
  • LosingItInDenver
    LosingItInDenver Posts: 45
    There are lots of people who prefer to look at their total weekly calories, rather than a day-by-day approach, and they have plenty of success with that. I think you will be OK. If you're still concerned, maybe try to balance it a little bit with some added exercise - swimming is a great independence day activity and burns tons of calories!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    I like to track my calories weekly starting Monday. That allows me to see what I have left over for the weekend!

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