The six day calorie deficit aka banking calories
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NovusDies
Posts: 8,940 Member
Lately I have found myself explaining this more and more irl. I thought it might be worth a thread for anyone interested.
First some things to make perfectly clear:
1) I am not recommending this to anyone. It is a good system for me and it is a good system with or without some variations for some other people.
2) It makes no difference in weight loss. I have done this for over a year and I lose my weight as expected.
3) The benefits are only mental and perhaps educational for anyone who doesn't know it already. As explained the mental benefits will not be a benefit to everyone.
4) Don't you dare call the seventh day a "cheat" day.
The idea is super simple. You lose all the weight you intend to lose in 6 days instead of 7 days and you eat your maintenance calories on the 7th day. To do this you bank the extra calories by eating slightly less for the 6 days.
For each half pound you are trying to lose each week you subtract about 42 calories from your daily calorie goal.
So:
.5lb = 42
1lb = 83
1.5lb = 125
2lb = 167
On the 7th day for each half pound you are trying to lose each week you add 250 calories to that day's calorie goal.
So:
.5lb = 250
1lb = 500
1.5lb = 750
2lb = 1000
I do this because I don't benefit as much from small daily treats as much as having a bigger treat or set of treats 1 day a week. For me that day is Sunday. Since I always have something to look forward to it helps grease the wheels some days (mentally).
For anyone who doesn't know it this will help you understand the difference between your deficit and your maintenance calories as well as managing by weekly calorie goals instead of daily goals. It might also help some people get past the fear of eating above the line.
I will sometimes see a slight bump in the scale on Monday but for me it is almost always gone by Thurs and it is, again, nothing to fear. I have been doing this for over a year and lost a large amount of weight.
This is not the only way to bank calories or spend them. Some people want to bank just enough for bank night or bank a little more so they have extra on Saturday and Sunday. This is my system and feel free to steal it if you think it will help you.
First some things to make perfectly clear:
1) I am not recommending this to anyone. It is a good system for me and it is a good system with or without some variations for some other people.
2) It makes no difference in weight loss. I have done this for over a year and I lose my weight as expected.
3) The benefits are only mental and perhaps educational for anyone who doesn't know it already. As explained the mental benefits will not be a benefit to everyone.
4) Don't you dare call the seventh day a "cheat" day.
The idea is super simple. You lose all the weight you intend to lose in 6 days instead of 7 days and you eat your maintenance calories on the 7th day. To do this you bank the extra calories by eating slightly less for the 6 days.
For each half pound you are trying to lose each week you subtract about 42 calories from your daily calorie goal.
So:
.5lb = 42
1lb = 83
1.5lb = 125
2lb = 167
On the 7th day for each half pound you are trying to lose each week you add 250 calories to that day's calorie goal.
So:
.5lb = 250
1lb = 500
1.5lb = 750
2lb = 1000
I do this because I don't benefit as much from small daily treats as much as having a bigger treat or set of treats 1 day a week. For me that day is Sunday. Since I always have something to look forward to it helps grease the wheels some days (mentally).
For anyone who doesn't know it this will help you understand the difference between your deficit and your maintenance calories as well as managing by weekly calorie goals instead of daily goals. It might also help some people get past the fear of eating above the line.
I will sometimes see a slight bump in the scale on Monday but for me it is almost always gone by Thurs and it is, again, nothing to fear. I have been doing this for over a year and lost a large amount of weight.
This is not the only way to bank calories or spend them. Some people want to bank just enough for bank night or bank a little more so they have extra on Saturday and Sunday. This is my system and feel free to steal it if you think it will help you.
48
Replies
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Sounds like fun.2
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That's a pretty good analysis. You wouldn't think 40 or 80 per day would matter much, but it does!5
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I basically do the same thing, but with less math 😂
I eat under goal when I'm at home alone and save those extra calories for social meals once or twice a week.7 -
Its helpful to a lot of people to work on weekly averages as it takes the pressure off a little at times when they have a meal out or social gathering.
The same is useful for weight due to how much weight can fluctuate from one day to the next3 -
Calorie banking/weekly calorie goals were a game-changer for me. I still do it now that I'm more or less in maintenance (mentally, at least, since I'm a lapsed calorie-counter and food-weigher )4
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Old school Weight Watchers allowed for banking "points". I get it.0
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Yes I'm still at a deficit where I can do this so I try to be a bit under everyday (60-100 cals) so on Saturdays I can have a bigger treat meal. I also only have 2 meals rather than 3 on the Saturdays as I get more enjoyment/feelings of satiety from bigger meals rather than a bunch of smaller ones. I wish I could do this during the week but I am always too hungry for breakfast, I think it's habit more than anything but I do walk for an hour on the treadmill every morning and I need fuel for this.
Once I'm close to my goal weight I might not be able to do this though as I am short and my daily burn will probably be much lower and it'll be much harder to have a bigger deficit.3 -
working to my weekly goal has been the best ting i've done to help with consistent weight loss.3
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OP, good post.
I think a version of this or weekly tracking could also be helpful for the all or nothing crowd. That extra slice of pizza, doughnut, cupcake, or whatever high calorie thing doesn't look quite as devastating next to a weekly calorie goal as it does your daily goal. This may be helpful for the all or nothing people to not give up as easily. I struggle with the all or nothing attitude sometimes myself.8 -
On the flip side of this, I used to "borrow" calories when I lost my weight. I did not know when treats such as dinner outings would happen as they tended to pop up randomly throughout the week. For me, instead of agonizing over the menu wondering what was going to fit into my day, I would just pick what I wanted. Bonus points if I had time to peruse the menu online ahead of time. I knew it would throw me over for the day. So I would just subtract around 50 calories per day from the days following the event. It would be just something simple like using less dressing/condiments/creamers/oils etc. So it wasn't anything I would miss or feel deprived of. I just made sure my weekly total was under maintenance calories. This system worked really well for me. When I knew of an event coming up, then I would be able to prepare and "bank" in the days ahead of the food event.14
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Sunshine_And_Sand wrote: »OP, good post.
I think a version of this or weekly tracking could also be helpful for the all or nothing crowd. That extra slice of pizza, doughnut, cupcake, or whatever high calorie thing doesn't look quite as devastating next to a weekly calorie goal as it does your daily goal. This may be helpful for the all or nothing people to not give up as easily. I struggle with the all or nothing attitude sometimes myself.
I always fell victim to the all or nothing mindset before starting this weight loss effort and using this plan of mine. I always failed too.
I notice that when I do my 6 day routine that after I eat maintenance I am more ready to face the next week of weight loss. When life has gotten in the way and I am forced out of my routine I am a little disgruntled and the following week is a little harder. Not a dramatic difference but a noticeable one.
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i like this topic. i'm a calorie banker. with cinco de mayo and the kentucky derby this weekend, i'm banking f-loads for this weekend.6
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All roads lead to Rome. Seems simpler to me to go take a walk and earn the calories of your treat but that takes getting off your butt and moving. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Again, all roads lead to Rome.19
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pierinifitness wrote: »All roads lead to Rome. Seems simpler to me to go take a walk and earn the calories of your treat but that takes getting off your butt and moving. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Again, all roads lead to Rome.
I fail to see how you bragging about how simple earning extra calories is for you is on topic in this thread.17 -
@NovusDies I think your banking formula could be useful for a whole lot of people especially those that are still going out with friends, date and work colleagues. When you look at it the way you have it allows a lot of freedom for weekends. Some people that are really busy and already active just don't have the time to squeeze in more exercise and/or a walk. Also it could be a tool for those that are just not physically able. I also see it being beneficial in maintenance...keep a small deficit during the week to offset any weekend overage...at least enough for a bloody mary!7
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@NovusDies I think your banking formula could be useful for a whole lot of people especially those that are still going out with friends, date and work colleagues. When you look at it the way you have it allows a lot of freedom for weekends. Some people that are really busy and already active just don't have the time to squeeze in more exercise and/or a walk. Also it could be a tool for those that are just not physically able. I also see it being beneficial in maintenance...keep a small deficit during the week to offset any weekend overage...at least enough for a bloody mary!
I can't know for sure obviously but I do suspect I will be doing this even in maintenance because it fits my personality and it is line with my natural eating habits. I care about what I eat more on the weekend than I do during the week.3 -
pierinifitness wrote: »All roads lead to Rome. Seems simpler to me to go take a walk and earn the calories of your treat but that takes getting off your butt and moving. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Again, all roads lead to Rome.
Not everyone has that luxury. Some have injuries that need rest😔
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Agree @MrsDan1667, hence my “all roads lead to Rome.” And, I acknowledge my post may have been offensive or hurtful to some who are disabled and this I regret.
But, most people are not disabled and my suggestion was really consistent with the OP’s math drill using an activity-based version of the eating less version.
I’d rather take a 5 minute walk than scrimp on eating 2 less stalks of celery and 4 less baby carrots embodied in OP’s math riddle example.
Everyone is different and the way we skin the fat cat will also be different.13 -
pierinifitness wrote: »All roads lead to Rome. Seems simpler to me to go take a walk and earn the calories of your treat but that takes getting off your butt and moving. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Again, all roads lead to Rome.
I’m a calorie banker. I’m also a daily exerciser. I also try to ensure a little extra activity on days when I know there will be indulgences.
The calorie banking is usually to the tune of 100-200 cals/day during the week so I have an extra 500-1000 cals for weekends. That would be quite a bit more walking, to get me to Rome, in your example, if I didn’t have the buffer banked from saving calories earlier in the week.
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pierinifitness wrote: »All roads lead to Rome. Seems simpler to me to go take a walk and earn the calories of your treat but that takes getting off your butt and moving. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Again, all roads lead to Rome.
A lot of people are already exercising to maximize their deficit or intake of calories. It's not always feasible to then exercise even more.
The point being made is that a 3500 calorie deficit results in a pound of weight lost and that this remains true whether it's accomplished by having a 500 calorie deficit over 7 days or a 583 calorie deficit over the course of 6 days with no deficit on the 7th.
People ask all the time "I ate too much tonight. Can I deduct the calories from tomorrow?" and the answer is Yes.9
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