For those who have "spike" days...

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xraychick82
xraychick82 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
...how many more calories do you eat on those days? I am trying to make Saturdays my spike days.

Replies

  • lialuck13
    lialuck13 Posts: 58
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    I'm supposed to take in about 1,300 calories... I still exercise on spike days but take in more like 1,900. Hasn't hurt me. :) In fact yesterday was my spike day and when I weighed myself today, I had lost two more pounds. Hope this helps.
  • ninyaw
    ninyaw Posts: 13
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    1800-2000 The food I've been craving, but haven't eaten all week. I'm down 23 so far.
  • tmfpartyof4
    tmfpartyof4 Posts: 125 Member
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    i started reading a lot about this on the forums the other day. Some people said they did 300-500 extra calories, and more if they worked out.

    still other said that they said "who cares" and ate whatever they wanted for 1 meal that one day, and others did it for the entire day, taking the entire week's deficite in account.

    I guess I would start with the lower of these amounts, and work up if that doesnt work, as you are just trying to raise the lecithin levels, and jumpstart your body out of starvation mode.
  • woou
    woou Posts: 668 Member
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    i have no idea. i usually do a spike meal instead of a day at family gatherings, holidays or when i go out with friends. otherwise, i do eat what i want in moderation and within my cal limits the rest of the time, so i don't go all out on my spike meals. i'd be full and the cravings aren't as strong.

    if you spike the same day every week, wouldn't your body be programmed to expect it and adjust accordingly?
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
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    I'm still dubious about the whole 'spike day' thing

    Maybe I'm just scared of seeing red figures on my diary
  • RattieLove
    RattieLove Posts: 125
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    I'm still dubious about the whole 'spike day' thing

    Maybe I'm just scared of seeing red figures on my diary

    My solution: Don't count calories on my "spike day" :)
  • icemandb3
    icemandb3 Posts: 1
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    I usually eat 'whatever' for one meal a week. Otherwise, I go nuts and stray off track too much. Works for me, but if you find you are having two or three spike days in a row, then you shouldn't do this.
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
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    My take on spike days:

    I do not program a "regular" spike day, say once a week.

    I do them, but only for special ocassions (thanksgiving, christmas, going out with friends, etc) where I can't avoid eating well above my calories.
    Mind you, I do try to limit somewhat my calorie intake (for example, only a small piece of cake during thanksgiving, instead of sampling every cake out on the table :-)

    Those spike days will inevitably come every so often; I simply log the calories, and go back to my regular calories limit the next days.
  • KarateGoddess
    KarateGoddess Posts: 93 Member
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    On my day off I allow myself to eat at maintenance for my goal weight which is 1760 calories.
  • grendella
    grendella Posts: 158 Member
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    i double my caloric intake on spike day. so around 2900
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
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    Normal day's consumption is between 2200 and 2500. Spike days will hit closer to 3000-3200. Just depends on how hungry I am.
  • brindlechewy
    brindlechewy Posts: 84 Member
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    i double my caloric intake on spike day. so around 2900

    I'd estimate that I do the same. My spike day is usually on a Friday or a Saturday. If you look at my workouts for today, you can definitely tell that I had my spike day yesterday. I felt like I could keep going forever today, which is one of the reasons that I do a spike day every week.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I usually go for around maintenance and do so every 2-3 weeks
  • TheCats_Meow
    TheCats_Meow Posts: 438 Member
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    I've had a "spike day" all freakin' week long! Grr.

    I've got to get it together! :laugh:
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
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    For Spike Days to be most effective, they should create a calorie surplus, even if it's small. Theoretically a 1500 calorie day would do the job if your RMR was such that you burn less than that on a typical non-exercise day...& you don't work out.

    You do want to make sure you don't eat yourself out of any weight loss for the week, which can be done in a single day if your deficts were small through the week & you eat enough on Spike Day.

    To do this with the MFP food/exercise diaries, set your activity level to Active to lose 2 lbs per week & log all your food & intentional exercise through the week. Make sure you have at least a few days where you're under your calorie goal, then add up those calories & go over your calorie goal by the same amount on your Spike Day.

    I'm following the Spike Diet. & I lost a pound a week steadily all through January. If daily scale fluctuations freak you out, only weigh once a week on the morning of your Spike Day before you start eating, because that will be your lowest weight of the week. I typically gain 4.5 lbs after spiking, then lose 5.5 throughout the week.

    It works. Plus it's a way to allow yourself to really enjoy food on one day of the week without feeling guilty about it not being "healthy," & just because we're trying to lose weight we don't have to deprive ourselves of doing that

    P.S. On one of my Spike Days I logged over 7,000 calories. Not even kidding...still lost weight.
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
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    My normal daily calorie intake is around 1600ish (about an 850 daily deficit for me) calories a day with very high protein low fat and low carbs. If I strength train I allow myself an additional 250 to eat if I feel like it. I don't always eat the extra's that I allow.

    My Spike days are just the opposite, I try to replenish my carbohydrate, glycogen, and leptin depletion from the week on Spike days and typically eat 3000-4000 calories on Saturday.

    My typical weeks net a loss of 1.5 to 2.5 Pounds with this plan.
  • xraychick82
    xraychick82 Posts: 10
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    Had a spike meal....over my daily (1200 + 500 for breastfeeding) by an additional 250 calories so far...pretty full.
  • tmfpartyof4
    tmfpartyof4 Posts: 125 Member
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    For Spike Days to be most effective, they should create a calorie surplus, even if it's small. Theoretically a 1500 calorie day would do the job if your RMR was such that you burn less than that on a typical non-exercise day...& you don't work out.

    You do want to make sure you don't eat yourself out of any weight loss for the week, which can be done in a single day if your deficts were small through the week & you eat enough on Spike Day.

    To do this with the MFP food/exercise diaries, set your activity level to Active to lose 2 lbs per week & log all your food & intentional exercise through the week. Make sure you have at least a few days where you're under your calorie goal, then add up those calories & go over your calorie goal by the same amount on your Spike Day.

    I'm following the Spike Diet. & I lost a pound a week steadily all through January. If daily scale fluctuations freak you out, only weigh once a week on the morning of your Spike Day before you start eating, because that will be your lowest weight of the week. I typically gain 4.5 lbs after spiking, then lose 5.5 throughout the week.

    It works. Plus it's a way to allow yourself to really enjoy food on one day of the week without feeling guilty about it not being "healthy," & just because we're trying to lose weight we don't have to deprive ourselves of doing that

    P.S. On one of my Spike Days I logged over 7,000 calories. Not even kidding...still lost weight.

    wow! go you!!!:flowerforyou:
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
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    Ok so my BMR is 1328, my daily goal given by MFP is 1680

    I always keep my calories under my BMR amount

    So on a spike day it would be over my BMR by say, 500 calories?

    Does that make sense?
  • dandelion39
    dandelion39 Posts: 514 Member
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    On my day off I allow myself to eat at maintenance for my goal weight which is 1760 calories.

    How/where do you figure out the maintenance calories for a goal weight? Thanks

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