Looking at net cals over the week rather than per day.

imtriagain
imtriagain Posts: 104 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Hopefully I am able to explain myself here. Each day I aim for the amount of cals that MFP advises. I do generally eat back some exercise cals but not strictly on the same day. (eg one one day I might only eat my calories but only a tiny amount of exercise calories but later in the week, say the weekend, I find I like to use those surplus calories for some bigger meals - eg eating out or some wine on the weekend).

To date I've been looking at my total net calories for the week and monitoring it that way. If I go into deficit for the week I've eaten too much, if I keep close to zero I'm about spot on, if I have a surplus i tend to lose a bit more. if I look like I'm going to go into deficit I'll up exercise or reduce cals a bit. I try to plan out my weeks eating so that I can be prepared for any dinners out and choose food accordingly (eg do I have extra cals for dessert?)

Whilst I don't go overboard I do find it easier to know that I've got something in reserve for the weekend or any other times like if there's a birthday cake coming up for work. I know it's probably not technically ideal but it seems to work for me. Anyone else do something similar?
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Replies

  • cbroadberry
    cbroadberry Posts: 130 Member
    I always look at my net weekly cals aswell as daily. I find that I am not hungry on exercise days, but do eat more the day after. So the weekly reveiw keeps me within my weekly goal without me having to work anything out. I am the same as you in that I keep some calories back if i know i am going out at the weekend for a meal or drinks.
  • AEB_WV
    AEB_WV Posts: 323 Member
    I think Weight Watchers does or used to. You could eat your exercise calories spread across one week. But only that week I think. I think it is fine.
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    That's how losing weight works. If you have a little bit less the first day, you can have a little bit more the other day. Your body will not break down fat and make new fat every 24h, it's a slower process that goes over several days. So your explanation is only logic :-) And with losing weight I mean fat, not water. You can gain 5lbs in a day by just eating lots of salt. That's why 1 weigh-in per month says more than twice a day.
  • Alphawolf02
    Alphawolf02 Posts: 94
    I use the daily calories to make sure I don't over-snack. Other than that, I use my weekly net calories as a guide. There are some days that I go over because I am hungry all day, and others that I barely break 1000 because I am just not hungry. But, by the end of the week, every thing has equaled itself out. I think that if I paid too much attention to daily only, I would go crazy every time I ate something that wasn't "good" for me.
  • froggzy1015
    froggzy1015 Posts: 178 Member
    I have a few "pals" doing this and they seem to be losing and doing great with it! Me on the other hand had already hit maintenance by the time my pals starting trying the weekly thing out and I no longer log my food. Wish I would have known when I started! Keep up the great work!
  • aqua_zumba_fan
    aqua_zumba_fan Posts: 383 Member
    Yep I always do this too :) Works a lot better for me. Less restrictive but still means I lose weight.
  • mickyjd
    mickyjd Posts: 97
    Since losing most of the weight that I wanted to lose, I find myself exercising more.

    Previously I didn't eat back any of these calories whereas now I eat back almost all of them and I'm still losing the weight just at a slower rate. What I am finding is that I have much more energy for exercise and find myself getting fitter and fitter every week.

    I have my wife's birthday coming up at the end of the month, so I'll keep the exercises going that week but not eat as much daily so that I can have a 'big blow out' when her birthday arrives.

    I don't ever let myself go hungry - that would be a pointless diet for me as it would be totally unsustainable over a long term. So looking at net calories weekly is a pretty good way to go if it works for you.

    Anyway, I hope I haven't ventured too far off topic :)
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
    This depends on your metabolism and how efficient it is. Some people (like you, apparently) can go by weekly calories. Others need to be careful about what they eat in a single day. Then there are people with very inefficient metabolisms (like me) who have to be careful to eat six times a day and have to pay attention to what we eat at each sitting, not just per day or per week. Everyone's body is different, so it's not going to work for everyone. But if the weekly thing works for you, go for it.
  • Shelbert79
    Shelbert79 Posts: 510 Member
    I haven't done that....yet but I may try that out. Maybe then I won't feel so bad about my one cheat day a week.
  • Greg127
    Greg127 Posts: 100 Member
    You're right on the money. Keeping track of what you eat and what you expend is the winning formula. Day to day, week to week I have found at the end of the month I'm still down some weight. Eat as clean as possible, stay away from processed, packaged foods and you'll lose it and keep it off. Good Luck :happy:
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
    ^^ Good advice Greg!
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
    This is exactly what I do, as I have lots of fun at the weekend so I have to be very good through the week - 43 pounds down so it obviously works!

    Good luck!
  • nicolasara
    nicolasara Posts: 25
    so let me get this right...is everyone saying that for example if i went over by 200 calories on monday but under by 200 calories on thursday it would equal itself out by the end of the week???
    If so that sounds pretty cool.....does it really work like that?
    I thought you had to go day by day so if you were over on monday, it was pretty bad and if you were under on thursday, tough you lost those.
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
    I very much go on a weekly caloire deficit cycle and find ease of mind doing it this way. I like to eat more after certain workouts, so some days i eat at a surplus, other days i eat in a huge deficit, but at the end of the week im always aiming for my 3500cal deficit.
  • Ambrogio1
    Ambrogio1 Posts: 518 Member
    Alot of ppl in my network will eat at a daily deficit for 6 days and then spike on a sunday. Spikes metoblism and helps to stimulate loss. For me, I jus love eating 3000-4000 calories in a day.

    All about weekly totals
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I look at cals, fat, carbs, protein and exercise by the week as well. Not for the same reasons as you, but I do think having a slightly wider perspective can be very helpful.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    I just recently started tracking my weekly calories instead of looking at day to day. It puts my mind at ease. If I have a high calorie day, I can see that I can still be on track for the week.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I just recently started tracking my weekly calories instead of looking at day to day. It puts my mind at ease. If I have a high calorie day, I can see that I can still be on track for the week.
    Exactly. This is much the same reason I do it.
  • lilyvale68
    lilyvale68 Posts: 96 Member
    I've actually been playing with the thought that a varying amount of calories over several days that averaged the same amount may keep the metabolism from adjusting and slowing down. For example, say a baseline daily calorie amount of 1500 was established. Over a six day period, one might eat randomly (not in this order) 1200 for two days, 1500 for two days, and 1800 for two days. The average over that time frame would still be 1500 but the body wouldn't get the chance to adjust to that.

    Anyway, it sounds like varying amounts are working well for folks that are looking at calories over a week's time instead of calories over a day's time. That's really good to know.
  • adriana_hackney
    adriana_hackney Posts: 232 Member
    How do you look at your weekly calories??
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    I do this, much or less, but not necessarily over a week's time. It's just something I keep in the back of my head, and it's nice to see trending on MFP graphs.

    If you undereat one day, you're just banking those for the next time you go over. I don't see why you should have to crush yourself to meet 0 cals left at the end of each day. One bad day of over eating or one day of epic exercising and under eating is not going to destroy your progress. Many many days of this might, but just as one awesome ab workout will not give you a 6-pack the next day, eating a huge plate of pasta one night is not going to make you fat the next morning either. (This is of course, physically speaking - the psychological toll of doing such is a different story.)
  • SarahSwimmer
    SarahSwimmer Posts: 125 Member
    Yup. I keep a running total (either "POSITIVE" or "NEGATIVE") in the notes section of the daily tracker. I like it. I think its a holdover habit of being an ex-Weight Watcher and having "activity points" rolling over day to day. It helps me feel like I'm not punishing myself the day after I work out because I'm hungrier but can't eat those exercise calories back. :tongue:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    How do you look at your weekly calories??

    I keep a spreadsheet (anyone who's interested can download it here: http://harvey.binghamton.edu/~jtaylor/misc/WeeklyCalReport.xlsx). Fill in your TDEE then your daily intakes and it will calculate the rest.
  • linzirussell
    linzirussell Posts: 116 Member
    i always go by weekly totals:) as long as theres at least a 3500 weekly deficiet im happy! lol im doing the spike diet so one day a week ill eat like 3000-4000 cals and the rest of the week ill stay low calorie (1200ish). this fits in with my lifestyle and ive lost over 100 pounds doing it lol x
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
    I do this, much or less, but not necessarily over a week's time. It's just something I keep in the back of my head, and it's nice to see trending on MFP graphs.

    If you undereat one day, you're just banking those for the next time you go over. I don't see why you should have to crush yourself to meet 0 cals left at the end of each day. One bad day of over eating or one day of epic exercising and under eating is not going to destroy your progress. Many many days of this might, but just as one awesome ab workout will not give you a 6-pack the next day, eating a huge plate of pasta one night is not going to make you fat the next morning either. (This is of course, physically speaking - the psychological toll of doing such is a different story.)

    Exactly, i like to bank calories for events i want to eat at, such as birthdays. So if i know a b-day is approaching ill probably increase my daily deficit on the days leading up to it.
  • marielouisehilton
    marielouisehilton Posts: 42
    Maybe we should ask MFP to have this as a report you can run - I find the current reports not very informative, but maybe I am not using them correctly?! :smile:
  • serenetranquility
    serenetranquility Posts: 125 Member
    Okay, so I just used the calculator you provided (thanks!) but now I am even more confused. I am for 1620 a day plus at least part if not all of my exercise calories so I aim total for about 1840 each day. When I just plugged my numbers in to the calculator with my TDEE it says my daily average is 1546, my weekly need is 17101 my weekly intake was 10825 and my weekly deficit was 6276.

    Should I be eating more?

    Also, how can I save this calculator to use every week?
  • uLinx
    uLinx Posts: 148
    It sure does make sense and if it's working for you, then you have found your formula for success! Congrats! :drinker:
  • serenetranquility
    serenetranquility Posts: 125 Member
    i
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Okay, so I just used the calculator you provided (thanks!) but now I am even more confused. I am for 1620 a day plus at least part if not all of my exercise calories so I aim total for about 1840 each day. When I just plugged my numbers in to the calculator with my TDEE it says my daily average is 1546, my weekly need is 17101 my weekly intake was 10825 and my weekly deficit was 6276.

    Should I be eating more?

    Also, how can I save this calculator to use every week?

    Is that directed at me?

    Assuming it is, I'm not sure I'm following you. You entered your TDEE into the TDEE box, right? That calculates your weekly maintenance need. Your weekly intake is a sum of your daily intake. Enter your exercise cals, your TOTAL cals (not net cals, it calculates that for you), your fat, carbs and protein each day. It does the rest.

    Note: IT DOES NOT calculate a target deficit. You have to do that yourself. The spreadsheet is simply a progress report - it doesn't know what your goal is.

    To use it every week, download it to your computer, open it, then just copy/paste the whole thing for subsequent weeks.
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