Banking calories while maintaining
FitBody3
Posts: 36 Member
For those who are successfully maintaining while banking calories during the week for the weekend :
1. How much do you bank from Monday-Thursday/Friday?
2. If you bank for a dinner in a restaurant or take out , how do you calculate the calories ( if not available online)?
1. How much do you bank from Monday-Thursday/Friday?
2. If you bank for a dinner in a restaurant or take out , how do you calculate the calories ( if not available online)?
3
Replies
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My "bank" is the number on the bathroom scale. If my weight decreases by too much then I eat more. If it increases by too much I eat less. Other than that I don't even bother tracking food calories when I am maintaining.8
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TimothyFish wrote: »My "bank" is the number on the bathroom scale. If my weight decreases by too much then I eat more. If it increases by too much I eat less. Other than that I don't even bother tracking food calories when I am maintaining.
Im hoping that I would eventually stop tracking calories as well ! As I am getting quite tired of it.3 -
some people are able to stop completely, others do it on and off, and there is a group that does better with keeping the tracking. You will only know what group do you fall in after you try2
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I haven't logged in going on four years...I don't "bank"calories, I just do the things that lean, healthy, and fit people do most of the time. I'm loser with things on the weekends, and that has never really been an issue so long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing most of the time. If the scale starts to trend up, I just make adjustments and cut back a little...usually beer.
ETA: Another reason I don't bank calories during the week is that many of my training bouts are rather intense...I need that fuel to aid in recovery and to fuel my fitness...banking a bunch of calories would likely be a detriment to my training on some level.2 -
I never bank more than one day before or one day after
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I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!3
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Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesday3 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.4 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesdaycwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.
I'm a daily weigh-er and like to see all the data. I've learned a lot by now with all my past data so I may try doing weigh ins on weds. If i have an over the top splurge weekend I know it usually takes my body 5 days to a week to get back to pre splurge weight. If I had only one night of slightly overeating it usually takes about a day or 2. It's funny because I'm usually scared to see my weight monday mornings, but I'm also scared not to see the damage done! Like I wont be real with myself or something...not sure what I'll end up doing haha.1 -
I am in maintenance and I bank calories - I did it while losing and still do now in maintenance. I don't have cheat days or free for alls, but my life involves usually more indulgent meals on weekends so I just plan for it. I typically bank 100-200 cals each day during the week so I have 500-1000 more calories to use on the weekends.
With regards to restaurant meals, I do the same thing I've always done. Look for a calorie count on the restaurant website, if that's not available, I look in MFP database for that restaurant. If that's not there, I look for a reasonable comparison. If I'm eating at a local Italian restaurant - I look for something from a chain like Carrabas or Olive Garden. If I'm going out for Mexican, I look for something at On The Border or Chevys. Sometimes I look for a recipe from a celebrity chef that sounds similar - like Bobby Flay or Ina Garten or something like that. But mostly, I just don't sweat it that much. I've been using MFP for ~4 years between actively losing and maintaining, eating in restaurants (fast food, fast casual, fine dining - chains and mom & pop restaurants too) and have never had any issue with staying on track using reasonable estimates.5 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesdaycwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.
I'm a daily weigh-er and like to see all the data. I've learned a lot by now with all my past data so I may try doing weigh ins on weds. If i have an over the top splurge weekend I know it usually takes my body 5 days to a week to get back to pre splurge weight. If I had only one night of slightly overeating it usually takes about a day or 2. It's funny because I'm usually scared to see my weight monday mornings, but I'm also scared not to see the damage done! Like I wont be real with myself or something...not sure what I'll end up doing haha.
I used to weigh in daily...did that for a long time...most of my weight loss and for a few years in maintenance and ultimately decided that the data was no longer providing anything particularly relevant for me.
I knew I was going to be a little up early in the week and down later in the week, so the data was no longer telling me anything I didn't already know. I generally weigh in a couple times per week now tops.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesdaycwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.
I'm a daily weigh-er and like to see all the data. I've learned a lot by now with all my past data so I may try doing weigh ins on weds. If i have an over the top splurge weekend I know it usually takes my body 5 days to a week to get back to pre splurge weight. If I had only one night of slightly overeating it usually takes about a day or 2. It's funny because I'm usually scared to see my weight monday mornings, but I'm also scared not to see the damage done! Like I wont be real with myself or something...not sure what I'll end up doing haha.
I used to weigh in daily...did that for a long time...most of my weight loss and for a few years in maintenance and ultimately decided that the data was no longer providing anything particularly relevant for me.
I knew I was going to be a little up early in the week and down later in the week, so the data was no longer telling me anything I didn't already know. I generally weigh in a couple times per week now tops.
Hmmmm I'll think about taking that leap of faith! Thanks for this realization. I mean I really should trust that I know my body by now from experimenting with weigh in datas and food logs....0 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesdaycwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.
I'm a daily weigh-er and like to see all the data. I've learned a lot by now with all my past data so I may try doing weigh ins on weds. If i have an over the top splurge weekend I know it usually takes my body 5 days to a week to get back to pre splurge weight. If I had only one night of slightly overeating it usually takes about a day or 2. It's funny because I'm usually scared to see my weight monday mornings, but I'm also scared not to see the damage done! Like I wont be real with myself or something...not sure what I'll end up doing haha.
I still weigh daily, I have from the beginning of this process, but as @cwolfman13 said, I know the patterns well enough to know that I tend to be about 2 lbs higher on Monday morning than on Friday morning, and that by mid-week any retained water weight will be mostly gone. I don't really anticipate not weighing - but I just use it more to be mindful of the range I fluctuate within. I say that I'm maintaining a weight of 120 lbs, but really, I have a 4 lb range for maintenance. Even with the holidays, I was only ever above the top end of my range a couple of days right after Christmas. It was all back to normal by second week of January.
If I ever end up with several consecutive weeks below my bottom of my maintenance range, I may consider moving the midpoint of my maintenance range down, it would be nice to even say "I maintain at 118" so that the highest point in my range would still only be 120, but I'm happy where I am.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
Weigh on Tuesdaycwolfman13 wrote: »Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm curious about this as well! Only thing I don't like with banking calories to eat more on the weekends are that it affects my monday weigh ins! I know it's just a temporary bump in the scale due to water weight, extra weekend food and it'll be gone in a couple days, but I still don't like seeing the high number on mondays!
I typically weigh in on Wednesday or Thursday...no need to punish myself.
I'm a daily weigh-er and like to see all the data. I've learned a lot by now with all my past data so I may try doing weigh ins on weds. If i have an over the top splurge weekend I know it usually takes my body 5 days to a week to get back to pre splurge weight. If I had only one night of slightly overeating it usually takes about a day or 2. It's funny because I'm usually scared to see my weight monday mornings, but I'm also scared not to see the damage done! Like I wont be real with myself or something...not sure what I'll end up doing haha.
I still weigh daily, I have from the beginning of this process, but as @cwolfman13 said, I know the patterns well enough to know that I tend to be about 2 lbs higher on Monday morning than on Friday morning, and that by mid-week any retained water weight will be mostly gone. I don't really anticipate not weighing - but I just use it more to be mindful of the range I fluctuate within. I say that I'm maintaining a weight of 120 lbs, but really, I have a 4 lb range for maintenance. Even with the holidays, I was only ever above the top end of my range a couple of days right after Christmas. It was all back to normal by second week of January.
If I ever end up with several consecutive weeks below my bottom of my maintenance range, I may consider moving the midpoint of my maintenance range down, it would be nice to even say "I maintain at 118" so that the highest point in my range would still only be 120, but I'm happy where I am.
Agree, I weigh daily as well in order to mindful of the range. I also know the trends. I'm my lowest weight on Sunday. It then creeps up a little each day for the next 3 days or so regardless of what I eat. Then by Thursday it's coming back down until Sunday, on which it's about the same or less than the previous Sunday depending on my hormones.0 -
I typically "bank" about 1200 calories Mon-Thur, and "spend" it Fri/SAT.
As to the restaurant question, "best guess" is my rule of thumb,and I estimate on the high side. And when in doubt, I add 3 tbsp of olive oil to my log-- assuming that if I'm underestimating restaurant food, it's likely fat that I'm missing!3 -
For about four days a week I usually eat 1300 to 1400 hundred calories. The other three days, (generally Friday Saturday and Sunday) I usually eat around 2500. My maintenance calories are approx. 1850.2
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rosebarnalice wrote: »I typically "bank" about 1200 calories Mon-Thur, and "spend" it Fri/SAT.
As to the restaurant question, "best guess" is my rule of thumb,and I estimate on the high side. And when in doubt, I add 3 tbsp of olive oil to my log-- assuming that if I'm underestimating restaurant food, it's likely fat that I'm missing!
I usually do not log restaurant food but this is a pretty good idea ! thanks0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »My "bank" is the number on the bathroom scale. If my weight decreases by too much then I eat more. If it increases by too much I eat less. Other than that I don't even bother tracking food calories when I am maintaining.
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Totals 1,102 58 49 113 1,828 21
Your Daily Goal 2,654 200 104 232 2,300 25
Remaining 1,552 142 55 119 472 4
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Fiber
g
*You've earned 1,354 extra calories from exercise today
Do you think is it too much caloric defict for maintaining weight ?0 -
I don't necessarily bank, but I rarely get to net zero on days that I do cardio training, so I tend to offset that by eating a little more on weight training days (which has less burn than cardio).0
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