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When does the calories in and calories start and end ?

webbiepost
Posts: 1 Member
I always hear about calories in and calories out . But when does the 1200 calories a day officially start and end ? Is it from the time you wake up to when you sleep ? Or is it a 24 hour period ?
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Since your body can't tell time, it's when you say so5
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Your calorie target on MFP is for a 24-hour period. Basically, you can't eat all those calories at 8AM (or whenever) and have a new set to eat again at 11AM (or whenever). When that 24-hour period begins and ends is up to you. People who work nights probably start theirs in the evening and end sometime the next morning; others who do intermittent fasting might start at 1PM and end at 9PM; still others start in the morning when they wake up and end at bedtime.
You could also look at weekly or monthly calorie targets if you wanted to -- some people do that so they can balance days of heavier eating with days of lighter intake. The point is to generate a deficit over time, because your body gains or loses weight over time, rather than in any single day.0 -
I start by waking up and go from there0
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People in the past who did not tell time ( nor have Internet logging apps
) managed to have a healthy weight - obviously their calorie Intake over time matched their calorie output.
Logging and calorie counting are tools, means to an end - as long as you create a calorie deficit, however you count or record it, it will work.0 -
Given that I don't take ambien any more so am not up making myself scrambled eggs while asleep, I just start tracking when I wake up and close the diary before I go to sleep.2
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webbiepost wrote: »I always hear about calories in and calories out . But when does the 1200 calories a day officially start and end ? Is it from the time you wake up to when you sleep ? Or is it a 24 hour period ?
24/7
Physics doesn't stop when you sleep.
That said, I track from when I wake up in the morning.1 -
I stay within my calories whenever I'm awake, regardless of how late I stay up or early I rise. At the end of the week, I'm either under, over or flat. My body doesn't care when I got those calories.0
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I average my calories on a weekly basis. Gives me more wiggle room for the weekends that I happen to go out with friends. Your body doesn't watch the clock.0
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i have a 12-hour eating window and fast for another 12 hours to equal 24 hours.
6 am-6 pm (sometimes i'll finish at 10 pm)
i've tried weekly calories but it's too much of a stretch for me.0 -
For the purposes of MFP tracking, each day starts at midnight and ends the following midnight.0
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Just to blow your mind more: I have 10,500 calories a week. When and how I eat them during that week completely depends, day to day.1
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These responses have been interesting. I think they show the best method is the one that works with your habits and lifestyle. I use a 24-hour period from 6 PM, when I eat dinner, to 6 PM the next day. Dinner is my largest meal of the day so starting then helps me plan better.0
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