Effect of not eating enough?

Yes, it evens out over the week. Eating under 1200 calories a day is not good for you, so make sure you get at least that. Less than that will put you in starvation mode (meaning your body thinks you are starving it) and your body will begin storing fat, so you won't lose weight.

I actually gained weight when I wasn't eating enough. The amount of caloric deficit your body can handle depends on your body makeup. If you have a lot to lose and not much muscle mass, a large deficit is ok. However, if you are very active with normal - athletic body fat percentage, failing to eat enough to refuel the body will cause the metabolism to slow.

I do believe it is best to reconcile your calories within 24 hours. If you work out hard on Monday (say burn 1000 calories), but only eat 1600, you've just left your body with only 600 net cals to keep you alive (I need 1700 net!). Your body doesn't know that you might be planning on a big pizza and beer party on Saturday night, it just knows you demanded more than it could deliver on Monday.

The closer you get to goal the more you will need to eat. Keep in mind also that leaving a consistently large deficit will train your metabolism to slow down, make you more tired, and then when you do have a "normal" or big eating day, likely result in a relatively large weight gain. It also may leave you more likely to binge after a while, and give up out of frustration.

Eating all your calories just makes good sense because you can lose that way, stay energetic, keep your metabolism fired up, be less likely to plateau/binge/quit, and when you do have the occasional big eating day, you won't have a big gain.

blessings.

Absolutely. Math is math & the calculations don't change. 3500 calories is equal to one pound. Regardless of when you negate those calories, you still lose the weight if you reduce your calories by that much in a week. What can change the scale numbers are other factors like sodium/water retention, etc. BUT the general equation is the same.

BTW - 3 pounds/week is awesome. Way to go!

*high five*

Jean

This is best applied for people who don't work out, or for small deficits. Math is math as a straight answer doesn't work so well if you place high demands on your body. For example I rode 4 hours today in 99 degree heat, up some very steep hills. I burned about 1500 cals. If I chose to eat only 1200 cals today and make up the rest on Tuesday, I most likely would have bonked and been hospitalized today.

blessings.