"saving up" calories

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yoplait311
yoplait311 Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious... if I have a string of several days where I'm well under my calorie goal, is it "OK" to eat over for one day?

For example, for the past 6 days, I have been way under my calorie goal (like 300-500 under each day).
Last night, I had a work event and just enjoyed myself and the food available. I know I ate over my calories for yesterday - but I did have close to 1500 "saved" from the prior days.

Did I just screw myself, or is this actually OK (not that I plan on doing this regularly)?
I feel guilty for overeating, even though I was not eating as much as I should have in the days leading up to the event.

Thoughts?
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Replies

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Yes, many people do this regularly. Some just use a weekly calorie goal. It won't hinder progress if your logging is accurate.

    ETA: If you do end up having a bigger meal than normal, you will probably see a jump in weight on the scale due to water retention. So don't worry if that happens. It should abate over a few days.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    I do it every week! My weekends are more calorie heavy than my weekdays, so I adjust accordingly. It has worked out so well for me. I am a big believer in the "weekly" calories, instead of daily.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    No big deal. It won't hurt in the long run. I do "save up" calories leading up to my weigh-in day and eat slightly over my allowance the day after. It's worked so far.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    Emily3907 wrote: »
    I do it every week! My weekends are more calorie heavy than my weekdays, so I adjust accordingly. It has worked out so well for me. I am a big believer in the "weekly" calories, instead of daily.

    It's also easier this way, right? I don't need to obsess over every single day as long as I know that I'm on track for the week.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    krithsai wrote: »
    Emily3907 wrote: »
    I do it every week! My weekends are more calorie heavy than my weekdays, so I adjust accordingly. It has worked out so well for me. I am a big believer in the "weekly" calories, instead of daily.

    It's also easier this way, right? I don't need to obsess over every single day as long as I know that I'm on track for the week.

    I agree. When I started doing it, I felt a little bit of freedom. Like there was less restriction on my days and I was in control.
  • yoplait311
    yoplait311 Posts: 56 Member
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    Emily3907 wrote: »
    krithsai wrote: »
    Emily3907 wrote: »
    I do it every week! My weekends are more calorie heavy than my weekdays, so I adjust accordingly. It has worked out so well for me. I am a big believer in the "weekly" calories, instead of daily.

    It's also easier this way, right? I don't need to obsess over every single day as long as I know that I'm on track for the week.

    I agree. When I started doing it, I felt a little bit of freedom. Like there was less restriction on my days and I was in control.

    Great!
    Since I usually look at daily calories, is there one way you like to look at weekly calories? Does the app have that ability?
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Yes it's fine.

    It seems pretty impossible and artificial to try to stick to an exact number of calories per day. Appetites change, you might be more active one day, and one day there might be free doughnuts.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Yes, you can look at your weekly calories on the app. It is under Nutrition and you can select week view or daily view. You can also look at net calories and total calories.

    I actually took it a step further and upgraded to MFP premium in order to be able to set daily goals so that my daily log wasn't funky.
  • kailyw05
    kailyw05 Posts: 80 Member
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    I do this regularly. Do not feel guilty, feel excited that you can still eat what I want at parties and events! Yes, the app has an awesome bar graph that shows your net calories for the whole week and how much you're under. I like going into a weekend knowing I have 1500 - 2000 "saved up" for a splurge!
  • yoplait311
    yoplait311 Posts: 56 Member
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    I found the bar graph! I calculated that I had about 2000 calories "saved" up from the prior 6 days. Phew!
    I still feel a twinge of guilt from excess food/drink but I'm glad that I didn't throw myself too far off the course. I run a lot, and acquire so many extra exercise calories that I don't always eat back.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    I do this every week! It is not bad to go by the weekly calories.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    This is 100% okay! I'd probably go crazy if I couldn't 'bank' some calories for my indulgent weekends! :)
    Keep up the good work.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    edited October 2015
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    You might even find that you aren't as hungry on days after you go over your calorie limit. I went over by a few hundred on Wednesday and then on Thursday--surprise, surprise--I wasn't hungry for the first half of the day. I ended up under by a few hundred in addition to logging a 250 calories in exercise. It was a wash between the two days.
  • yoplait311
    yoplait311 Posts: 56 Member
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    ModernRock wrote: »
    You might even find that you aren't as hungry on days after you go over your calorie limit. I went over by a few hundred on Wednesday and then on Thursday--surprise, surprise--I wasn't hungry for the first half of the day. I ended up under by a few hundred in addition to logging a 250 calories in exercise. It was a wash between the two days.

    I noticed this yesterday...last night I was under by 400 calories. I didn't feel that much hunger either - and I had a great 6 mile run too.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Of course it's okay. This is all just math and science. You need to be in a deficit for the week. If you eat under a few days and eat those calories back on another, you're still in a deficit (assuming you are tracking your intake and exercise properly). I bank calories not only in a deficit but maintenance as well, and I plan on doing it in a bulk too (cuz I'm short and want 2500-3000 calories on Saturday).
  • hartmamp
    hartmamp Posts: 80 Member
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    yoplait311 wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    You might even find that you aren't as hungry on days after you go over your calorie limit. I went over by a few hundred on Wednesday and then on Thursday--surprise, surprise--I wasn't hungry for the first half of the day. I ended up under by a few hundred in addition to logging a 250 calories in exercise. It was a wash between the two days.

    I noticed this yesterday...last night I was under by 400 calories. I didn't feel that much hunger either - and I had a great 6 mile run too.

    The BEST workouts come after those heavier days.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I've lost 65 pounds since April by doing exactly this and it makes life so much easier. I eat 1200-1300 Sun-Mon-Tue-Wed-Thur and 2000 Friday and Saturday. That is roughly 10,000 calories per week. As long as I burn 17,000 calories per week I will lose 2 pounds per week. I have been using this weekly goal as my strategy since the beginning. It allows me to have pizza or a burger when I feel like it. It gives you a couple of days of normal per week.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I'll join the bandwagon: no problem at all. In the long run, you're more likely to succeed if you save up calories first and then eat them; some people go over and promise themselves that they'll make it up later, but that promise is too often broken!

    I lost over 65 pounds in two years (most of it the first year) by aiming to meet my weekly total. Some days I was over maintenance, but I averaged a 450-calorie daily deficit the first year. There was even one day when my net calories were about -1000! I ate about 3000 calories that day, but I estimated that I burned about 4000 in a day-long bike ride, and there's a limit to how much you can eat on the bike. But I had prepared by eating more in the few days leading up to the event, and I made up the rest in the following days.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    bwogilvie wrote: »
    I'll join the bandwagon: no problem at all. In the long run, you're more likely to succeed if you save up calories first and then eat them; some people go over and promise themselves that they'll make it up later, but that promise is too often broken!

    I could not agree more with this statement!

  • UncaToddly
    UncaToddly Posts: 146 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Emily3907 wrote: »
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    I'll join the bandwagon: no problem at all. In the long run, you're more likely to succeed if you save up calories first and then eat them; some people go over and promise themselves that they'll make it up later, but that promise is too often broken!

    I could not agree more with this statement!

    I have a hard time with believing in this concept. I mean, if you are on 1200 calories, I can't believe it is truly healthy to eat, say, 500 per day Mon-Sat just so that you can go crazy and do 5400 on Sunday and it all comes out to a wash when you even it out. It isn't like when you go to bed on Sunday night that your body says, "Wow, I took in a lot of fuel today but since I didn't get much during the week it is OK."

    For me, it is a matter of perspective. People aren't going to be perfect all the time. Some days you will be right at goal but for most people you are gonna have days when you were a little under, maybe a lot under and other days you are going to go the opposite way.

    On the days you are under goal, pat yourself on the back. On the days you go over, don't beat yourself up with the same hand you patted with simply because it is over instead of under. Just accept that we don't have to be perfect all of the time. If you are set at 1800 and most of the week are in the 1500-1800 range.... GREAT. If you have an event (or things like the upcoming holidays that are so food based) and eat 3600... deal with it as one day and move on and get back on track.

    Just my opinion.

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