"Banking" exercise calories

I'd love to know the answer to this since I had a massive debate with my mum about it the other day! She wanted to know if you can working out an extra bit on the friday to allow yourself the option of over indulging on the weekend. For example - Burning 500 calories at the gym on friday night so that she could have a mega big lunch on saturday. I was certain it doesnt work like this and your much more likely to be successful burning off the calories you've already consumed (i.e over indulging on the friday and then hitting the gym on saturday to work it off)

I guess this would be similiar to having a spike day or zig zagging your calories over the week...in theory i reckon it would be fine if you stayed within your weekly targets but wondering if this might cause a slight 'lag' on a weekly weigh in? if that makes sense ie if your weigh in day was hypothetically speaking the day after your dinner party your results for the week might not show immediately but maybe a few days later on the scales even though you've 'balanced out' over the week?

Not sure, thouse are just my thoughts

Personally, I use banked calories as a pre-load for when I have a long or hard exercise session.

For example, I've been a bit under all week. Today is a rest day, and as it's a Friday I'll also be having some nice food and a drink which will take me over, probably by the amount I've "banked" through the week if not more. BUT tomorrow I'll be running for over an hour so I'll be using that as stored fuel, as it were.

I guess this would be similiar to having a spike day or zig zagging your calories over the week...in theory i reckon it would be fine if you stayed within your weekly targets but wondering if this might cause a slight 'lag' on a weekly weigh in? if that makes sense ie if your weigh in day was hypothetically speaking the day after your dinner party your results for the week might not show immediately but maybe a few days later on the scales even though you've 'balanced out' over the week?

Not sure, thouse are just my thoughts

I stuck to daily totals to start with but now I'm maintaining I experiment more and it seems fine to zig zag all over the place so long as the average works out close to what I should be eating

Banking calories is a bag of nonsense IMO. The odd treat as you diet is fine. Using exercise to counter act this is crazy - 600 calories supposedly burnt doing cardio isn't the same as 600 calories ingested. Just diet normally without using weight watchers style faddy diets which don't teach how to adjust your diet and thus lifestyle and simply allow one cheat meal a week of whatever you want.

First of all everybody is different.... which is why every question on MFP solicits 101 different answers :laugh:

Secondly, I'm not a nutritional expert, a bro-scientist or a diet guru... I'm just a bloke who's lost almost 50lbs over the past 5-6 months.

I don't think you can bank exercise calories, but you can certainly use them as a buffer zone. My net intake varies every day. I use by baseline and keep to it with 200kc most days, but I certainly don't panic or fret if I eat light one day or go wild the next. That's life and if we're going to get the hang of this lifestyle change and manage it, we also have to be ready to handle the curve-balls life throws at you! :smokin:

Sure I know I do more exercise at the weekends (because I have the luxury of time) and I also know that as sure as eggs are eggs (yokes and all :laugh: ) I'll be in the pub come 2.30 enjoying a few strong Suffolk cyders.

It's mostly a game of balance... I'd say it's possibly better to payback the odd excess with extra exercise, rather than working your butt off two to three days in advance, but ultimately, it's all swings and roundabouts in this weightloss game :bigsmile:

meh.. you go over your cals for the day, you go over for the day.... make a note of it and move on.

if you've been logging.. and starting over each day, then banking wouldnt make sense.

They say the deficit for the week is what matter

I find it so amusing how many different ways people will try to find to eat more. Isn't that what got us all here in the first place?

Everyone is different play with your food and diet and adjust as you go if you find it works for you stick with it. If not adjust it. I know on the days I have HIT I am starving and can’t get enough to eat so those extra calories burn come in handy. I rarely go over but there are times that I do. Just play with your food and adjust as you go.
I know I have to keep adjusting what I do every time I lose or gain weight. Good Luck

I used to go to Weight Watchers and they actually had this type of thing as part of their plan. You had a certain number of calories that were kind of a "bonus" and you could decide if you wanted to spread them over the week and use them each day, or save them for one day. Even though we use a daily system, a lot of people do a weekly count, so they know that as long as they stay within their weekly allowance, they will still lose.

I try to stick to a daily total, but only cos I'm no good at sums! Before I came here I used a paid-for site, which allowed you to spread your cals over the week. I think this a great way of working it - apart from anything else, if you binge one day, rather than putting it behind you and starting the next day with a clean slate, you have time to work it off.

I personally look at my week, rather than a particular day. I may eat 2500 calories on a night out with the girls, but only have a net of 1100 three other days that week. That seems to be working for me, but everyone is going to be different and your body might not repond well to this....only way to know is to try it!