Is it to ok to eat calories you didn't eat the day before?

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weight3049
weight3049 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a lot of times find myself overeating or under eating my daily calories.

Let's say I eat 1,200 calories (my limit is 1,500 calories) 1 day is it ok to eat an extra 300 calories the next day?

This is a common occurrence for me so I am curious about this.

Replies

  • lorri71
    lorri71 Posts: 95 Member
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    I do that sometimes and have lost 21lbs so I think it works as long as you don't go over most of the time. Good luck!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,995 Member
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    If it suits you, just look at weekly calories rather than daily.

    MFP has a function to do this.

    And then is fine to have some higher, some lower days, as long as the week's total is around the target ..I have always done it that way.
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,106 Member
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    If I have a social occasion coming up I will reduce my intake in the days before so I can have more on the day, it seems to work well. I've seen lots of posts from people who prefer to use a weekly target rather than a daily one.
  • MySlimGoals
    MySlimGoals Posts: 750 Member
    edited October 2019
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    A couple of times I have done this as I have undereaten the day before by a couple of hundred so I go up the next day. I mainly try and keep to my 1200 calorie limit though as that is easiest for me to keep track of. As long as it balances out it shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't save up for more than a week though.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 1,994 Member
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    The first time I will use some banked calories will be on Thanksgiving this year. otherwise, I keep my calories at my calorie deficit each day.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    I don't carry calories over because it would require math skills. 😂

    Many do, with great success. This is not a one size fits all scenario. But if it fits you, then by all means, try it.

    Good luck!
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 980 Member
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    I do this a lot - if I've exercised a lot, I may not actually eat all my allocated calories by the end of the day, but by the end of the week I'm usually on target. I use the app to keep tabs on my weekly average.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
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    I prefer my diet Groundhog Day style: no matter what happens today, tomorrow I start all over as if it's the first day of my diet. When I want a break, I take one and let the extra 1/4 or 1/3 of a pound of fat sit on my stomach or thighs until my ongoing diet train eventually catches up to it down the road. I really don't like the whole "I'm going out on Saturday so I need to make sacrifices for it all week" approach. I figure I'm already eating the right # of daily calories to balance weight loss with satiety, so why put it at risk for a small amount of fat that'll eventually get wiped out by some future dieting day. But that's just my approach and goes to show how different approaches work for different people.
  • koalathebear
    koalathebear Posts: 236 Member
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    I try to start each day like a brand new day. I let myself eat more on weekends/days when I can exercise more. If I've had a day where I've eaten a lot, I tend to try to eat a bit less the next day. I don't see any issue with rolling over calories by a day though :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    That's how I did it (and still do it in maintenance). I ate more some days, less some days, and took maintenance breaks now and then throughout my dieting phase. It was all chill for me and I still managed to lose all the weight I wanted to lose.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Just remember that you are not just managing your weight you are managing your energy. You may need to set limits to how little you eat in a single day to make sure you do not feel tired later that day and into the next. It is possible for me to have days where I don't feel the need to eat at all but then my energy level pays the price.

    I tried forcing myself to a calorie goal for a short time and it was completely unnatural for me. I was eating food I had no interest in eating simply for the sake of hitting a number. To me that is counterproductive. If I was the kind of person, and many people are, that enjoys returning to the kitchen for a few bites of ice cream it would be fine but I am not. I hate trying to figure out what to do with remnant calories. However, I take great delight in accumulating them and spending them on the weekend on bigger treats.

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