Daily cal counting vs. Weekly ??

Shortie0987
Shortie0987 Posts: 17 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I always struggle with counting calories on a daily basis. I like to try new foods and feel like I have some freedom to make choices.

I have seen some stuff online about weekly counting instead of daily. This would give me more freedom to plan for outings or social gatherings.

I think I would like to try this approach instead but don't want to hinder weight loss.
Anyone on here trying this approach or have advice??

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    There's no midnight reset button. If you're in a weekly deficit of 3,500 calories for example, you'd lost about 1 Lb per week...it doesn't really matter how you come to that deficit whether it's eating lighter one day or maintenance another day, etc...it's all about where you are calorie wise over time.
  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 597 Member
    edited March 2018
    When I was losing my daily calorie budget was 1720, but I didn't eat that every day. Sunday-Thursday I ate 1600 calories. That allowed me to eat more on Friday and Saturday. As long as I came in under 12040 calories for the week, I lost weight steadily.

    I still eat this way in maintenance, but now my weekly calorie allowance is much higher.
  • Shortie0987
    Shortie0987 Posts: 17 Member
    Thanks guys!! I'm excited to try this
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
    It's definitely possible - I've lost close to 50 pounds since January 2017 averaging by week and month. Depending on how much variance you have from day-to-day you might see a little more scale fluctuation than you would with a consistent daily goal, but I find the additional flexibility more than worth it. I've found it also works nicely with managing exercise calories - I don't feel obligated to eat more on days that I work out unless I want to, although I do try to keep to a minimum 1200 net daily. This is my last week, for example (the first number is gross calories, the second is net, and the third is my weigh-in the following AM):

    3/22: 1940/1614 kcal - 160.20 lbs
    3/23: 1990/1847 kcal - 160.80 lbs (went out for Vietnamese - yum!)
    3/24: 1694/1426 kcal - 159.50 lbs
    3/25: 1970/1935 kcal - 160.00 lbs (1k calorie brunch, and I wasn't even drinking)
    3/26: 1857/1678 kcal - 159.30 lbs
    3/27: 1790/1637 kcal - 159.00 lbs
    3/28: 1607/1451 kcal - 158.90 lbs

    Most weeks those higher-than-usual days would be closer to maintenance (currently around 2300-2600 gross), but I've had a couple of higher-than-planned months so I'm sticking to a lower target this week. Definitely doable. Good luck!
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