We are pleased to announce that today, March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Can I make up calories

srandle175
srandle175 Posts: 112
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
If my calories are set are 2000 a day and I eat 1500 on Monday and 1700 on Tuesday can I eat 2800 on Wednesday and be okay. I was wondering because sometimes I go over and sometimes I'm under. They should equal each other out!!!:smile:

Replies

  • richx83
    richx83 Posts: 334 Member
    Ah calorie banking, i do this personally but would like to hear some more official responses too.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    bump
  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
    I like to think it works like that.. lol.
    If i have a bad day, then next day il on purposely eat a lot less.
    And if i dont eat laot one day, the next day il treat myself..

    But thats proberlly not to healthy.
    I dont know if its like a cycle thing, where your body like knows its a new day.
    I think it has something to do with when you sleep it like re-sets.
    Altthough then if your like me, and you eat at like 4am before going to bed at like 7am, then it is sort of hard to choose between logging what u eat while ur awake as a day. Or actually logging to time.
    .. =S
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
    You can do that, I am shockingly bad at the weekend but super good through the week, if you have this app on the iphone it shows you the average over the week and lets you know the average that you are under.

    Hope this helps.

    Good luck, A
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    It's fine to do that, there is an official method to that madness called 'zig-zagging' your calories. Google it and check it out, there are calculators that will create a sample zig zag week for you.

    Helice...there is no magic reset when you sleep. I log from being awake to being asleep as one day. It doesn't matter if you base yours on time though, the important thing is doing it the same way always.
  • srandle175
    srandle175 Posts: 112
    This is all good to know. Now I don't feel so bad when I go over. Because I have plenty of days when I'm under.
  • Blackthorne99
    Blackthorne99 Posts: 250 Member
    Yes - that's why the mobile app tells you your over/under for the week. Some people actually do this on purpose. It's called ZigZagging. What they do is 2 days below 1 above to kind of "shock' the system so you don't go into starvation mode.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    This is all good to know. Now I don't feel so bad when I go over. Because I have plenty of days when I'm under.
    Also remember that if you go over your MFP goal for the day, it's not necessarily to the point where you're in 'gain' territory. For example, if you are set to lose a pound a week, your calorie deficit is 500 per day. MFP has this built into your goal already, so if you go over your goal by say 100, you still were at a 400 calorie deficit and will still most certainly be on the road to loss. Just something to keep in mind :drinker:
  • Jen788134
    Jen788134 Posts: 36 Member
    I do the same.. You have to have some days with a treat! I normally treat myself on the day or day after I've weighed in then I have the rest of the week to even it out.

    Good question! It's good to know a lot of others do the same :)
  • vasare
    vasare Posts: 18
    I do the calorie banking as well. I make sure I get all the calories needed within the week, however, I switch them up on a daily basis. That's the only thing that helps me kick plateaus and I lose weight easier this way... somehow. Im not entirely sure about the science behind it or whether there is any :) but my whole family pretty much eats this way without even thinking about it. Its just a lifestyle.. we have heavier meals one day and then we'd eath light and healthy the other... mostly steamed fish and veggies and greek yogurt on the lighter days and whatever we feel like on the heavier ones. Noone has really got weight problems... except me - I started ignoring the basic principles once I moved away and now stuck with some extra kgs to lose.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories