Eating under calorie limit to save for one weekly big meal

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algrif37
algrif37 Posts: 107 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone “bank” calories during the week to save for one night out a week? I know weight watchers used to have a flexible points system like that but I was wondering if anyone did this that wasn’t on weight watchers? I would like to go under my calorie limit during the week just to say for one night out with my husband at a nice restaurant and not have to worry about the calories there. Has anyone done this with any success?
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  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,021 Member
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    I do if I know I have a social event coming up. If its unplanned, then I'll make up for it over the next few days.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Yes.
  • ejg1010
    ejg1010 Posts: 48 Member
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    Absolutely!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Yepp.. I do it every week. I eat a bit less during the week to save for the weekend. I don't overdo it and wipe out my deficit for the week. Works really well for me.

    However for some people over restriction during the week can lead to going crazy on the weekend, like a tiger out of it's cage. So this may not work for you if you tend to do that.
  • saragd012
    saragd012 Posts: 693 Member
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    Yes, I tend to save Monday through Friday so I can be more flexible over the weekend. My struggle with that sometimes though is some weekend we don't really do much, so I'm not using up the bank and end up under-eating that week. Those weekends seem to balance out though with the occasional "I have a million calories and will eat/drink everything" weekends though so it still works for me (in maintenance). :D

    I'd just play with it for a while, see what works for you. As PP mentioned, different people will react in different ways. Some people don't do restriction well, and some people are easily triggered to a binge, cycling through the week probably isn't best for those people.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    I always bank and I have done so since the beginning. I personally prefer to cash in my extra calories on one meal or one meal and a snack that usually happens on Sunday. I think if I tried to eat more over the course of both days it might make Monday harder for me. I also like having a bank of calories for the occasional unplanned overage that might happen during the week like being invited out to eat with short notice.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Yepp.. I do it every week. I eat a bit less during the week to save for the weekend. I don't overdo it and wipe out my deficit for the week. Works really well for me.

    However for some people over restriction during the week can lead to going crazy on the weekend, like a tiger out of it's cage. So this may not work for you if you tend to do that.

    Right, it wouldn't work for me, but for all of you for whom it does work, go for it!
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
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    I almost always bank my exercise calories because I find it difficult to eat them on those days.
  • algrif37
    algrif37 Posts: 107 Member
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    How far under calories do you go? Or rather how many calories do you save per day for a nice meal out on Saturday? Or just for an unplanned meal?
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    algrif37 wrote: »
    How far under calories do you go? Or rather how many calories do you save per day for a nice meal out on Saturday? Or just for an unplanned meal?

    It really depends on your calorie intake, your deficit and how much you want. "Unplanned meal" can really go in any direction, some people still track on those days they just eat more.

    If for example I am on 1800 cals, I can eat 300 less per day to save an extra 1500 cals for the weekend. You can bank less or more again depending on your intake.
  • algrif37
    algrif37 Posts: 107 Member
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    Thank you!
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    Yep.
  • imip007
    imip007 Posts: 6 Member
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    Weekdays keep way in deficit and by weekends im needing the refeed but not over indulge on dirty cals too much either but if that does happen sometimes id go do extra HIT session on next morning.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    algrif37 wrote: »
    How far under calories do you go? Or rather how many calories do you save per day for a nice meal out on Saturday? Or just for an unplanned meal?

    A nice meal can mean different things to different people. You should do the math and figure out how many calories you need for what it means to you. If it is 2000 calories and you normally eat 600 for dinner you need 1400. If it becomes a hardship to bank that many calories you may have to compromise and eat a little less if this is a regular thing.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited August 2018
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    I don't bank calories for the weekend, but I've found that I like to have dessert at dinner or a snack in the evening. So I've replaced lunch with a couple of healthy snacks during the day - this works well for me. I'd rather be short on calories at the end of the day and fit in another snack then, than feeling hungry during the day. If I cut down my daily calories five or six days a week, I'd be thinking too much about the weekend and feeling deprived during the day. I've become convinced that if I'm feeling overly hungry, find myself thinking about food or resenting being on a "diet", I'm doing it wrong. I don't think there's one approach that will work for everyone.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Many people here do this. I would just caution against banking too many calories per day--not because you won't lose weight, but because you might be miserable. Even if your weekly calorie goal winds up being on target, if you "save" several hundred calories each day throughout the week, then you might not feel well. If I start saving very many calories on Monday, then by the end of the week I feel terrible and I'm also ravenous. So if I'm going to bank calories, I usually only do it for one or two days in advance.
  • Stellamom2018
    Stellamom2018 Posts: 120 Member
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    I am a chronic binge in recovery, so I am unable to do this. If I "save up" my calories it turns into a free for all. And if I go over for the day then my brain is like "your already over, so adding this 900 calorie trip to dairy queen isnt that bad" and I can eat away weeks worth of progress. If it works for you, more power to you!
  • mrslynda
    mrslynda Posts: 50 Member
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    I do not quite make my calorie target on an average day. I often end up a couple of hundred short, and on Fridays when I get home from work (I work nights) I tend to be exhausted and have a bigger sleep than other days. My daily intake is between 2500 and 3000 calories, and on Fridays I usually sleep rather than eat. So I am 1200 or so under that day. It works out good, as I am not so active on Saturday. Saturday's I eat what takes my fancy, and just chill with the kids, or work out if I feel like it. I still log everything as accurately as possible (sometimes my husband cooks) but I ignore the red numbers.

    I agree that if I felt like I was restricting on a daily bases, or on a steep cut, it might not work. As it is , it feels natural for me, except I am making sure I eat on Saturday's , and making proper meals, rather than only eating Doritos......

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