Good Days Versus Chicken Wing Train Wrecks

First post to the boards – curious about the math and the science on this:

If I go say 6 days with a good calorie intake and exercise… you know, baked chicken, veggies, fish, lots of water and minimal snacking… all the things that mostly bore me to eat and do, but I’m green versus the calories daily goal by say 1,300 calories for 6 days…yay me.

BUT then on Friday I have a Buffalo Wild Wings Train Wreck: 8 wings, slathered in ranch dressing, a couple of deep fried cheese-sticks, gourmet cheeseburger and 4 beers – gets me to Negative 1,700 calories and RED for just one day.

Does that one train wreck ruin the entire prior 6 days?

If it is all about calorie intake and calorie deficits, how could it not?
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Replies

  • barfooditis. That made me laugh. I’ve been there so many times. I agree with trying to choose just one item of food. My sister says ‘when the drink is in, the wit is out’

    For me I actually had to give up the whole Friday night every week drinking a load and then eating lots of fried food. I just do it once every couple of months now. Because I only had a small amount to lose it was wiping out my deficit. I don’t miss it all that much. I do something else on a Friday now that isn’t food and drink related.
  • CardinalComb
    CardinalComb Posts: 66 Member
    If you switch to a keto diet chicken wings becomes health food, as long as they aren't breaded, which if they are real buffalo style wings they shouldn't be.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    you might wnat to consider - are your current calorie goals too low (your user name seems to indicate male and 1300cal is below what a male should eat minimum a day); so my assumption is that you probably have set an agressive diet goal - which means no, one day of binging won't hurt you, but it you do it all the time it may.

    Why not when you go out on friday night - pick 1 thing you really want and limit the alcohol - ie if you had only had 2 beers and maybe the wings - but not the cheese sticks and cheeseburger you would have been fine
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    It’s my impression that the OP was saying that he’s “in the green” by 1300 calories over 6 days. Ie, under his calorie goal by a little more than 200 per day. In effect, “banking” 1300 calories that he can eat later and still be at goal. Then the chicken wing extravaganza put him in the red by 1700 calories in one day. So if that’s the case, then OP, yes you’ve wiped out the 1300 you were under over the course of 6 days, but are you already eating at a deficit if you break even each day? If so, then you still have that going for you (minus the extra 400 cal overage from chicken wings).
  • BradOWGolf
    BradOWGolf Posts: 13 Member
    It’s my impression that the OP was saying that he’s “in the green” by 1300 calories over 6 days. Ie, under his calorie goal by a little more than 200 per day. In effect, “banking” 1300 calories that he can eat later and still be at goal. Then the chicken wing extravaganza put him in the red by 1700 calories in one day. So if that’s the case, then OP, yes you’ve wiped out the 1300 you were under over the course of 6 days, but are you already eating at a deficit if you break even each day? If so, then you still have that going for you (minus the extra 400 cal overage from chicken wings).

    Thank you all for the responses -- indeed I was focused on something like this: 1400 per day goal, go under by an average of 200 per day for 6 days due to a combination of exercise and diet. So, over 6 days I'm net 1,200 to the good. But on one day, I go 1,600 net to the bad -- i.e. 1400 calories easily surpassed by the Chicken Wing Extravaganza for a total of 3,000 net on one Chicken Wing Day.

    I am pretty sure the collective responses indicate that the math says this one binge day of Chicken Wings 1,600 over my 1,400 goals wipes out the rest of that hard work that got me to an average of 200 for 6 days / 1,200 total. I didn't think it could be any other way, but a guy can dream.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    It does sound as if your calorie goal is on the aggressive side and I agree with what AnnPT77 has to say.

    On the subject of having a blowout, though, my personal experience tells me that if I do it on one single day I am punished much less harshly than if I were to overeat the same amount of calories, but fewer each day over a period of several days. For me the bank account analogy does not work out quite the same as if calories were cold, hard cash.

    A crazy excess on one binge day appears to provide more calories than my body knows what to do with and it seems not to hang onto them all. I have also discovered, however, that this approach DOES NOT work if it is done regularly, such as 6 days of deficit and one day of massive surplus, rinse, repeat. I allow myself maybe two crazy binge days a year (say Christmas and birthday) and that is it. Even then I try to be mindful of when I am full, and my eating capacity these days is far less than it once was, so a crazy binge these days would be more like 3,500 calories max, whereas it used to be 4,500 easily once you factor in a few cocktails as well as the food. Ugh. I don't even like thinking about it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    BradOWGolf wrote: »
    Man, am I stupid. I just re-read all the posts and looked at some other calorie counters. All along I thought the MFP calorie goal needed to be beaten daily to achieve the weight loss I entered for my goal. Come to find out, the calorie goal is what you need to achieve the weight loss goal. Thus, 1,500 MFP per day includes losing weight. If I beat it by 300 per day, I am potentially at risk of my body slowing down metabolism and reaching what some describe as 'starvation mode' -- this could be why my rate of weight loss has slowed. I feel dumb.

    There are very good reasons not to consistently undershoot your calorie goal and create a larger-than-intended deficit, but "starvation mode" isn't one of them -- it's not a real thing.

    There are multiple reasons why your rate of loss may have slowed down.

    But either way, don't feel dumb! None of us were born understanding everything about energy use and weight management -- we all learned along the way, just as you're doing.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    BradOWGolf wrote: »
    Man, am I stupid. I just re-read all the posts and looked at some other calorie counters. All along I thought the MFP calorie goal needed to be beaten daily to achieve the weight loss I entered for my goal. Come to find out, the calorie goal is what you need to achieve the weight loss goal. Thus, 1,500 MFP per day includes losing weight. If I beat it by 300 per day, I am potentially at risk of my body slowing down metabolism and reaching what some describe as 'starvation mode' -- this could be why my rate of weight loss has slowed. I feel dumb.

    Not stupid :smile: There are lots of different websites with lots of different formulas, and many newbies misunderstand how MFP works!

    This thread is always a great place to start learning:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    edited February 2020
    BradOWGolf wrote: »
    Does that one train wreck ruin the entire prior 6 days?

    The "banking calories" crowd will say it doesn't matter but I don't share that point of view.

    You won't turn into a fat mess if you have a binge day every wk or so, but I believe that "consistency matters" and that it is better to try to stay at or below your cal target EVERYDAY than to binge excessively, even if you "make up" the difference by under eating the rest of the week.

    That said, what ultimately matters for wt loss or maintenance, is eating at or below your cal goal (assuming that the goal will actually achieve your goal).

    In other words, it is all about CI<CO, regardless of the time frame that is used to measure it.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    BradOWGolf wrote: »
    Does that one train wreck ruin the entire prior 6 days?

    The "banking calories" crowd will say it doesn't matter but I don't share that point of view.

    You won't turn into a fat mess if you have a binge day every wk or so, but I believe that "consistency matters" and that it is better to try to stay at or below your cal target EVERYDAY than to binge excessively, even if you "make up" the difference by under eating the rest of the week.

    In contrast, a proper refeed day can have many benefits. Adherence, hormonal as well as to boost workout performance. Obviously if someone goes off track and they can't get back on track that might not be the best method for that person since sticking to calorie goal over time is most important.