Help please....Saving calories for weekend??

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greer08
greer08 Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was wondering if anyone could help me? I am quite new and just getting my head around calories and how the body works I need to know if I have to eat the calories I burn off by means of excercise during the week on the days I actually burn them or can I save them for Pizza or the at the weekend?? At the moment I excercise 4-5 times a week and eat a healthy diet but sometimes I stuggle to eat all the calories I burn during exercise.

I guess what I need to know is can I look at things on a weekly basis or do I need to stick to a daily basis thing where if I don't eat all my calories that day then they are lost???

Sorry if this confusing. But I guess that is what I am confused! :frown:

Replies

  • Spayrroe
    Spayrroe Posts: 210 Member
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    I used to kind of do weight watchers, but i didn't actually join. I remember that with WW, you got an extra like 30 points a week as 'oops' margin. Like, I could stay under my points total all week, and then come Saturday which is usually the night we go out for dinner, have something not so great and blow through my dinner points plus put a healthy dent in those 30 extra points.

    I'm pretty sure there is some mechanism in dieting for having a binge day without too big a problem. I would try to keep it to only one day a week, and try to keep within 1000 cals of your allowance for the day.

    I hope I was helpful, and please bear in mind that this is only my opinion. I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, trainer, or even an actual Weight Watchers participant.

    Good luck!!
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    I guess if you are under by 200 calories a day on average, then come the weekend you have a good 1000-1400 cals to play with?
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
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    That's a really good question?

    I can only speak from my personal experience that I don't really want to under eat each day and then pig out on the weekend because for me it doesn't result in steady wieght loss - which is what I'm after. But that's just me!

    I also don't want to give my body the message it's okay to "starve" all week. I want to feel satisfied each day :smile:

    That said~~ it does happen that I look at my week on Saturday or so and think - hey I underate on a few of those days or exercised alot, so I won't feel bad about eating.......a fun treat, whatever that may be.

    Just my thoughts, though, see what works for you!

    :flowerforyou:
  • timpatrick
    timpatrick Posts: 11 Member
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    My job should put me in the 'lightly active' category for calories that I burn daily, but I set it as sedentary. For me, that means I bank 170 calories a day. I use those calories for any splurging a day or so a week. So it is kinda like how weight watchers allows you to 'carry over' points to another day. Try that.
  • miss_mahoney
    miss_mahoney Posts: 3
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    I did do weight watchers and did a lot of reading around caloreis and how they body works. WW and many diets and dietricians advise that you can save your calories and through the week but must be then spent in the week / weekend, and never to fall below a healthy daily calorie recommendation in order to save calories.

    At WW I used to save just a small amount of calories each day and then spend them on alcohol and post clubbing burgers and chips and still see the calories drop off!! So enjoy yourself and eat your pizza! xx
  • perrytyra
    perrytyra Posts: 357 Member
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    I am not a pro. But if it were me, I would try to even every day out, instead of eating a lot of calories on just one day. We do deserve treats, so this is what I do. On that day I want pizza or cake, or whatever, I would be very careful at breakfast and lunch, so I could eat a bit more calories at dinner.

    If you only have 1200 cal a day( I have 1470 before exercise because I chose 1 pound a week) maybe have a 200 cal breakfast, 300 cal lunch couple of 100 cal snacks, and you have 500 for dinner. Exercise that day to give you more calories. Cut the snacks out all together if you need more. Some people have to have those little snacks through the day, so do what works for you.
    I knew I had a bday party to go to yesterday. I didn't have time to exercise. I was very careful, and saved 800 calories for the party.
  • JillyCornwall
    JillyCornwall Posts: 376 Member
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    The simple answer is yes of course you can, however make sure you do 'use' the calories you've saved or you are depriving your body of the calories it needs.
  • perrytyra
    perrytyra Posts: 357 Member
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    At WW I used to save just a small amount of calories each day and then spend them on alcohol and post clubbing burgers and chips and still see the calories drop off!! So enjoy yourself and eat your pizza! xx

    I love this idea! I don't go out to drink often, but I always think about all those calories in the drinks, and I end up drinking water, while my husband drinks beer. Now he can drink pop(skinny boy who doesn't gain weight) and I can have a girly drink!
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367
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    Think of it as a bucket of water that you want to keep at a certain level. Eating puts water in and exercise takes water out. If you exercise before you eat, the water level drops and then rises. If you eat before you exercise, the water level rises and then drops. Either way, you wind up at the level you want (assuming you don't put in more than you take out).

    Accounting for the "water level" daily works well for humans because we live on a 24 hour cycle. But it works for longer cycles as well such as weekly.
  • kikisf
    kikisf Posts: 58 Member
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    You can't really "save" calorie quite like that. As soon as we finish eating, our bodies burns as much as it needs at the moment and the rest gets stored. If you don't eat enough calories your body immediately makes a "withdrawal" from its bank (fat or glycogen in your muscles).

    Many nutritionists say that you should control your calories per meal spaced out every 3-5 hours in order to lose weight or just keep your body machine humming along at a even pace.

    That being said, from your profile photo it doesn't look like eating Pizza or some other cheat food once a week is going to kill you as long as you don't eat too much in one sitting and get right back on your healthy habit routine the next meal.

    I haven't read or tried the 80/20 diet but it might fit your personality.
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367
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    If we can't burn what we store - how do we ever lose weight?
  • greer08
    greer08 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you everyone! So I guess if I can have a treat at weekends and not ruin all my hard work during the week! The reason I joined myfitness pal was so I would be aware of how much I am eating and exercising! I just noticed they dont tell you what calories you still have to "spend" as such!

    I hit a plateau a couple of weeks back but believe it or not I think I was not actually eating enough! I was sticking to eating 1200 calories a day and burning up to 450-500 in the day in the gym or pool. I actually think I may have gone into starvation mode as my weight was just not budging even though I was working hard and sticking to healthy eating. Then I joined mfp to keep track of things properly. Hence I am now struggling to eat all the extra calories everyday! Sure that will pick up soon enough!
  • JTThomas
    JTThomas Posts: 69 Member
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    If you're having trouble eating all your calories each day try adding some healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts to your meals. This will up your calories and still help you stay healthy.
  • kikisf
    kikisf Posts: 58 Member
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    If we can't burn what we store - how do we ever lose weight?

    Sad but true. One of the things I always have a problem with on diets is burning stored fat is not as clean of a fuel, as is burning what you eat. It is hard to explain but I can really tell the difference especially when active. It is so more pleasant for me to maintain rather than lose.
  • greer08
    greer08 Posts: 15 Member
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    If you're having trouble eating all your calories each day try adding some healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts to your meals. This will up your calories and still help you stay healthy.

    I will definatley give this a go! Thanks!

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