Banked calories? Is it legit?

that's how you do it. You try not to go too low though when you're banking calories you wanna make sure you keep your protein up and you're good fats. It's usually through carbohydrates that you lower the calories because remember, it's your weekly calorie numbers that matter.

but the reverse is going way over and planning to make it up in coming days. Trust me that does. not. happen.

Instead, shrug it off and go back to trying to make your daily goal.

Banking is fine. It's the average calories over time that matter, as long as the time over which you average is reasonably short.

I've used calorie banking as my basic routine in 9+ years of maintaining a healthy weight since losing from class 1 obese to a healthy weight. Most days, I eat around 100 or so calories under my true estimated maintenance calories, then spend those hundreds of banked calories to have an indulgence now and then. My weight has stayed in the healthy range, and I've stayed in the same jeans size the whole time.

Why do I say "as long as the time over which you average is reasonably short"? Well, I was overweight to obese for around 30 years, lost weight for just under a year, and have maintained for that 9+ years. Averaged over the 40 years I've been eating maintenance calories the whole time, sort of. 😆 🤣

More minor variations in calorie intake averaged over a week or so, no big deal. Body weight hovers around the same level as if I ate the exact same number of calories every single day, possibly ignoring a little water retention and digestive tract contents weirdness after a higher-intake meal or day. Body fat doesn't change much. It's fine.

ETA: Why would using banked calories be a "cheat day"? Nothing is being cheated. Bodies don't reset at midnight, even though MFP does. Eat more some days, eat less other days - average around goal, no cheat involved. Besides, believing in cheat days is like believing in Santa Claus as an adult: Who or what is being cheated? It's just food, not some kind of melodrama about good and evil.

Sure, your body doesn't care about 24h days when it comes to food. One thing to keep in mind: if you eat substantially more on one day then you'll have more food waste in your intestines. You might also hold more onto water for a bit longer. No problem: it's not bodyfat but normal fluctuations. Just saying this so you don't get discouraged if you see a surprise uptick on the scale. Every day to day fluctuation is normal, and after a cheat day it might be bigger than normal.

What you weigh right now is the result of your body banking and withdrawing calories over a lifetime. Nothing magical about a day, or even a week, except how it lines up with your expectations and goals.

I agree that weekly average is the key. Just remember if you have a splurge, you weight will likely show a little spike for a day or two while the food is "processed". This is just temporary.