Will a couple of days over maintenance end up being a big deal?

Addictead · May 2019

Sorry if this sounds stupid but I'm new to maintaining. When I'd have a few off days when I was eating 1200-1500 I wouldn't worry since I was in a deficit before/after and I thought it would all balance out. My maintenance is 1600-1750 or so and I've hit 2300 yesterday and just over 2000 today due to not really tracking/planning(Impulse chocolate cake!). Should I eat a hundred or two less for awhile to in essence "make up" for it or just carry on because my weekly average is just a hair above maintenance now(1867)?

jan110144 · May 2019

Not unless those couple of days turn into many more.

One caution I have found is to avoid reducing caories on subsequent days too much. I found myself cutting too much on the days after, which then set up a situation where I let myself become overly hungry and then overrate again. Your plan of reducing by 100-200 for a bit is what I do now and that is working well.

AnnPT77 · May 2019

Carry on, but don't make it a habit.

Presumably you've established a maintenance weight range (i.e., not a single number). If you creep up then over the upper limit and stay there more than a day or two, start eating a little less until you're down a bit in the range.

You can manage by weekly total, too, if you like. If you're only averaging 67 daily calories over for the week, I wouldn't sweat it. I can't recommend shooting for some precision make-up balancing thing based on calorie counts: The whole process really isn't quite that precise anyway.

dogWalkerTX · May 2019

Free advice is worth every cent!

But, in my opinion you should not "make it up". You should accept that you deviated from your plan and you should get back on track. A very useful diet book I read puts it this way, if you "make it up" you are I'm essence opening a line of credit and this makes it easier for you to go off track in the future.

What do you think? What did you decide to do?

Edit: my mistake. You're not losing. You're in maintenance. I think the same idea applies though.

staticsplit · May 2019

Nah. Your appetite will probably end up evening it out anyway. If you only ate 700 over maintenance in total it ain't a big deal. I regularly go over one day a week just because life and my weight still stays pretty steady.

RovP6 · May 2019

Yes, as others have said, don't sweat it and get back on track. We all fall off every once in a while and there's no need to over-compensate when you do by cutting back the next day. Just get back to the plan. Weekly totals are a useful way of longer term balance, but if you find yourself hungry or craving then have a look at other factors that might be putting your metabolism under stress. Lack of sleep and other lifestyle stresses will affect your metabolism.

Addictead · May 2019

staticsplit wrote: »

Nah. Your appetite will probably end up evening it out anyway. If you only ate 700 over maintenance in total it ain't a big deal. I regularly go over one day a week just because life and my weight still stays pretty steady.

Looking back over my week I realized a few days I ate a few hundred under because I was feeling a little sick and didn't have a appetite for awhile and I think my body was in fact evening out that deficit by being a little hungrier the last few days now that I think about it.

Thanks everyone for the reassurance though

garystrickland357 · May 2019

Do you remember when you first learned how to drive? You made over-corrections to the steering and swerved all over the road? Then after a while you learned to make small adjustments and can drive straight without too much thought? Weight maintenance is similar. I find that even on days I eat more it's not much more - and then there are a few days I eat a bit under my maintenance goal. I make small corrections and keep my weight inside my self imposed weight boundaries.

Avoid a binge and restrict cycle - just make small adjustments. Don't fret over a couple of high calorie days. Just get back on track and watch your weight trends.

nxd10 · May 2019

Go by the week, not by the day. But be really really careful about those weeks. They add up. Also, remember to EXERCISE. Even a little makes a big difference and it is really critical for maintaining.

Will a couple of days over maintenance end up being a big deal?

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