Going over the calorie goal

ennailllieno1
ennailllieno1 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello.
If I go over my calorie goal by like 650, as I did today, should I try to eat less tomorrow or throughout the week to balance it out?
Thanks!

Replies

  • ennailllieno1
    ennailllieno1 Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks. Yeah I would say it happens to me about 3 days a month. It's also tough for me to gauge calorie burn from exercise when I rock climb... it's not an endurance or cardio sport but it definitely burns calories so it's tough to know how much to replace.
    Today was a fairly sedentary day though so... no excuses there! Lol
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,710 Member
    I never try to catch up, every day is a new day.
    However, when I know I risk going over my calorie goal (family dinner,...), and I won't have time to exercice, I do sometimes restrict myself beforehand by eating less calories in the first part of the day.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Its probably easier if you look at a weekly average of calories - i tend to eat less during the week, then more at the weekend (with a couple of drinks, maybe cake).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,748 Member
    While losing weight, I found I could successfully bank calories in advance for a special over-goal eating day, but that it was usually a big mistake to try to make up for it by subtracting calories afterward (it tended to increase appetite/cravings and set me up for an undesired additional over-goal day).

    Personally, I was better off banking calories beforehand, eating a little lighter at other meals on the special day, maybe getting some mild (non-exhausting) exercise that day - at most.

    I got best overall progress by just getting back on my healthy routine the day after, even if the over-goal day was unanticipated.

    During maintenance is a little different matter. Like you, I do like to indulge sometimes, so I still calorie bank most days to accommodate that preference. Averaging by the week works, but I mostly don't bother. I bank, eat over maintenance some days, and keep an eye on my long-term scale-weight trend, and make minor long-term adjustments as needed (usually starting with reducing frequency or magnitude of the indulge-y days).

    Different things work for different people, though.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    I never try to make up calories or shift them between days. I've been surprised that so many here do that & that I'm actually in the minority. I find it helpful to get a fresh start every single day - every day is the First Day of my diet, regardless of whatever took place in the past. This really takes the pressure off me to comply on any given day - if I go over 600 cals, well, that's just the way it is, and tomorrow I will start over. I just find that more conducive to longer-term overall compliance than punishing myself by deducting calories from the next day. Maybe I've lost 4 or 5 less pounds than I could have by not trying to balance out off days, but in the end, so what? However, it appears most here do do some sort of intra-week calorie balancing so I guess that works for most people. I just really don't like having to "store up" calories or trying to compensate for something I see as a legitimate part of my diet - the occasional fat-gaining meal or day.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,759 Member
    edited February 2020
    I tend to eat lighter during the week (especially the 3 days I work 9am to 9:30pm) and a little heavier on the weekend.

    For example if my calorie goal is 1500, then 1500 x 7 is 10,500 for the week, so it may look like this:

    Sunday: 1772
    Monday: 1308 (work day)
    Tuesday: 1240 (work day)
    Wednesday: 1360
    Thursday : 1325 (work day)
    Friday: 1440
    Saturday: 2035

    I total 10,480 for the week (these are all example numbers) and overall comply with my "goal"

    I do try not to punish myself if I have a way over day. As others have said, in the long run, it's just one day. I figure if I am adhering to my overall plan 90-95% of the time, that's still better than not having a plan at all. If I plow 3000 calories into margaritas, chips and queso and some steak tacos, that's okay as long as it is not everyday, or even every week.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,104 Member
    edited February 2020
    lgfrie wrote: »
    I never try to make up calories or shift them between days. I've been surprised that so many here do that & that I'm actually in the minority. I find it helpful to get a fresh start every single day - every day is the First Day of my diet, regardless of whatever took place in the past. This really takes the pressure off me to comply on any given day - if I go over 600 cals, well, that's just the way it is, and tomorrow I will start over. I just find that more conducive to longer-term overall compliance than punishing myself by deducting calories from the next day. Maybe I've lost 4 or 5 less pounds than I could have by not trying to balance out off days, but in the end, so what? However, it appears most here do do some sort of intra-week calorie balancing so I guess that works for most people. I just really don't like having to "store up" calories or trying to compensate for something I see as a legitimate part of my diet - the occasional fat-gaining meal or day.

    As one of those that has up/down days, I tend to find that when I do a lot of cardio (particularly rowing/hiking) I am not that hungry the day that I do the activity, but I am ravenous the next day, so I might not even eat up to my normal calorie goal on the day of the activity, but eat more the following day, I don't see this as a case of punishing/storing up to compensate, more as a case of meeting a weekly calorie goal than a daily calorie goal and ensuring I'm still fueling my activity.

    MFP allows you to look over the weekly average, so there's no more balancing than required by daily calorie counting.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    I’m another who usually knows when those overages are likely to occur because they may be planned social outings or special events. I bank calories leading up to those but just as normal practice I usually eat a little under goal during the week and then higher on the weekend looking at my overall calories for the week.

    I know mathematically it’s the same but mentally I don’t like the idea of eating less after I went over, especially if it was unplanned, as it seems more punitive than productive.

    Also depending what you have your goal set at, (as far as rate of loss and ensuing deficit) that 600 calories that you went over likely won’t have a noticeable effect on your overall deficit. If you’re set to lose 1 lb/week you have a 3500 cal deficit built into the week so being over 600 on one day, or even a few days a month, really won’t impact your rate of loss significantly.

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