We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

If I eat food at 12 am does that count as another days calories?

elizabethdzenitis
elizabethdzenitis Posts: 63 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Like say someone wants to eat a Lean Cuisine delicious pizza at 12 am do those calories count as today’s food?

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,770 Member
    Wherever it fits. If I'm already at goal or over the day before, I put it on the day after because then I will factor it into that day's calories. If it fits the day before, fantastic because I get my full allocation of calories when I get up again.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Personal choice. I log wake to sleep - even if sleep comes after midnight.
  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
    Weight loss generally happens over the course of a week. It's better to think of your calories as an ongoing weekly total and the day goal is just a way to make tracking easier.
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    I would log it on whichever of the days it fits my calories, I would even split it between the 2 days if thats what worked
  • MissyCHF
    MissyCHF Posts: 337 Member
    Well, it's got to be one or the other, your choice. :)
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    edited November 2017
    I think it depends on how you structure your food diary. Mine basically goes 6-10, 10-2, 2-6, 6-10. I don't eat anything after 10 PM, period, no exception. I suppose a rare exception might occur one of these days where I'm out for the evening. Then I would log it whereever it best fit. If the previous day's calories were done, I'd start on the new day.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    The daily format makes you feel like you have to eat N calories everyday when it is fine to borrow between days logging N - 200 today and N + 200 tomorrow. Looking at the logs independently it looks like you failed on both days but it was fine.
  • MNLannon
    MNLannon Posts: 28 Member
    It's up to you. I work overnights, so I log all my meals under the date I wake up and go to work - even though my lunch is normally eaten at around 3am the following day.
  • emmylootwo
    emmylootwo Posts: 172 Member
    It doesn't matter. I personally just count my day as starting when I wake up and ending when I go to bed. Sometimes I'm up from 2pm to 7am, other times I'm up from 8am to 10pm. Whatever. Body doesn't know a difference.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Do you have calories left? Log them as today. Your body can't tell you "oh, this is another day".
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Doesn't matter. Just do it consistently the same way each time.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories