Do you ever carry over calories to the next day?

whitehaze
whitehaze Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
I'm wondering if anyone ever carries calories over to the next day? I know it's not ideal but here is my dilemma. I'm big into cycling and ride several days after work. Last night I got back home around 8pm. After showering and fixing me something to eat it was 9:30pm. After eating and adding my exercise calories I still had 944 calories left. I burned 946 calories on my ride so basically I didn't eat any of those calories back. I will not be riding today so should I eat part of those calories back or just go with my daily amount? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    You're going to get answers all over the board on this. Some science based, and some with old wives tales. You'll just have to figure out what works for you.

    But here is what I do when I have a large burn in the evening, or a large deficient on a certain day. I give those calories a 12 hour shelf life. In other words, if the next morning breakfast isn't cutting it, I go ahead and "borrow" some of those calories for a larger snack or larger lunch. However, once lunch is over I try and stay within that days goal.
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
    I have an excel spreadsheet and I do 5:2, I make sure I am around 1500-1700 calories ON AVERAGE a week.

    Sometimes I have been way over, sometimes I have been way under for the week but I also average everything for a month and that always works out as being about 1600.

    It means I can have days like today (went to legoland, ate loads of pizza etc) and days like tomorrow where I will fast.

    It works much better for me this way, it means I can still enjoy life without having to compromise on my quest to get a better body.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Sure. And likewise, if I go over on a day, I will cut back the next day or two. It's all about the weekly average.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    Yup, I'm in the same boat. There are evenings where I'll put in a big ride and not get home until nearly 10PM. I'll often log calories early in the next day against the previous day's deficit. If I don't do something like that I'll be tired and wobbly for at day or two.
  • AusteenaHayes
    AusteenaHayes Posts: 91
    I can understand where you're coming from with this dude. Like I run in the morning 6 times a week for an hour or more along with different other exercises. So altogether I burn about 1700 or more calories a day. Some day I do eat a little more than what I burn but never over my limit. And on typical days I manage to stay a little under the amount I burn.

    But just to point out, that is something that works for me. It may not work for the next person, or the next.
  • cdealtry
    cdealtry Posts: 18 Member
    If I go over one day I go under the next, all about weekly average and for me it works.

    Not sure about this cycling thing though, how do you sit on the saddle for so long!

    There hasn't been a saddle made that I can relate to since the old chopper bikes back in the 70's... Remember those anyone?
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    I know that I'm going to be hated for saying this. But if you are so heavily into exercise, shouldn't you be caring more about your strength (protein) rather than your weight. Health is more important than weight...
    Just a thought.:wink:
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    if you feel comfortable when you go to bed, eat comfortably when you wake up and aren't losing weight too fast for your health and goals, you don't actually have to eat back those calories. my husband goes under most days he rides his bike by easily 800 or 900 calories, he doesn't eat to make up the previous day's calories, and he's strong, fit and healthy.
  • whitehaze
    whitehaze Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for all the replies...Much appreciated! This give me a better idea of what to do in the future.
  • whitehaze
    whitehaze Posts: 13 Member
    I know that I'm going to be hated for saying this. But if you are so heavily into exercise, shouldn't you be caring more about your strength (protein) rather than your weight. Health is more important than weight...
    Just a thought.:wink:

    I can understand where you're coming from and agree. When I started cycling 3 years ago I weighed 222 lbs. I got down to 190 lbs over the next 2 years without even paying attention to what I was eating. But over the past year I haven't lost any weight and would like to get down to around 175. So I've started to pay closer attention to my diet and calories I'm taking in. I've just started racing and the extra weight is hard to carry up some of the hills...:smile:
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    I average weekly as well, I don't "carry over" so much as I look at the week as a whole. It allows me to achieve balance that I cannot achieve on a daily basis. I like the app's version of reports because it actually has a weekly average bar in addition to the daily calorie net
  • yassy124
    yassy124 Posts: 27 Member
    You should definitely carry over those calories and eat them today. I've read that what matters is the weekly average calorie intake, so what you do every day doesn't really matter as long as it averages out to the amount you should be eating over a week. Sometimes, if I go over my calorie intake one day, I burn those extra calories with exercise the next day and it works out fine!
  • whitehaze
    whitehaze Posts: 13 Member
    If I go over one day I go under the next, all about weekly average and for me it works.

    Not sure about this cycling thing though, how do you sit on the saddle for so long!

    There hasn't been a saddle made that I can relate to since the old chopper bikes back in the 70's... Remember those anyone?

    Sorry, I missed this one. Believe it or not you get used to the saddle. The saddle on my bike has very little padding and I prefer it that way. The more padded saddles really start to hurt after and hour and there are times I'm on the bike for 5 hours.

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