Can you carry over calories?

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joowelz
joowelz Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I read here that you can carry over calories, so for example, if overeat today by 250 calories, you can spread them out across the remainder of your week so that you remain on target. Does this really work?

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  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    yes
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    Calorie shifting - or zig-zagging your calories. Yep, it works. I eat less during the week so I can eat at maintenance during the weekend.

    This. I also eat a little less calories during the week so I can have epic weekends :)
  • ActionAnnieJXN
    ActionAnnieJXN Posts: 116 Member
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    Yes, it does work for me. I have bouts of insomnia in which I am either unable to go to sleep or I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and lie awake until maybe 6:00 am. I am inevitably very hungry during these incidents, since I eat 1200-1300 calories a day. I used to try to tough it out and lie there in agony, but that didn't help the insomnia at all, so my doctor recommended that I get up and eat a light snack and read a bit in my recliner, then go back to bed. Works like a charm! I simply apply those calories to the next day and it has not impaired my ability to reduce my weight as far as I can tell.

    I have also used this same principle if i eat a little over at dinner or maybe had a slice of cake on a special occasion, etc. It works well for me and makes my program a livable one. I'm down 107 so far and have done this the whole way down the scale. Also, I do increase my exercise to compensate some as well, but I never "eat back" more than half of the calorie burns stated on MFP. Actually, I only eat back about a third, and that's only on the rareish occasion that I go over the 1300 cut off.
  • fitdaisygrrl
    fitdaisygrrl Posts: 139 Member
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    I needed to read this today! Was just about to ask the same question. I had two days where I was below my net calories and yesterday totally went over, while thinking "hey, as long as I don't go over by what I was under this week so far, then I should still be good."
  • PrincessMel72
    PrincessMel72 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Yep. I usually eat a bit less throughout the week so I can eat more on weekends, as that's when we typically go out and such.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    joowelz wrote: »
    I read here that you can carry over calories, so for example, if overeat today by 250 calories, you can spread them out across the remainder of your week so that you remain on target. Does this really work?

    Of course, energy balance happens on a continuum...
  • kayeroze
    kayeroze Posts: 146 Member
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    By Thursday or Friday, I typically look at my net calories for the week and see if I can have a slightly high cal weekend (which I normally do). Definintely makes me less obsessive and gives a nice perspective of whether I need to eat more or not, or if I'm right on target.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
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    Sure does. Banking calories means that I've got more wiggle room on the weekends with no guilt.
  • KM0692
    KM0692 Posts: 178 Member
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    Yes, I do this. There's something about knowing you have a few hundred extra calories the next day to eat (even if you have no plans to use them). It's psychological - at least for me. :)

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