Using saved calories?

Plan on what "Gourmet", fatty foods, and wine you're going to partake in. Figure out the calories (as close as possible) and burn that amount with exercise. If you do this before you indulge, it makes the feast a lot more enjoyable!

When I was on weight watchers, we were given saved "extra calories" to use sometime in the week. I'm wondering if that works here? For example, I'm really good the week before, and the first part of this week. But the second part, I spend with friends, and when you're not at home making and weighing your own food, there's only so much you can do. Besides, I do believe in enjoying myself when I'm out with friends. And my friends and I have a bond through Gourmet foods: looking for the best wines, the freshest foods, experimenting with different kinds of cuisines. No garbage, nothing artificial for us. Put it this way. We almost never go to a restaurant (always at one of our homes) because we find the restaurants in our area as not quite up to snuff. This is something that I am not willing to give up: enjoying life with shared experiences with good friends and good food. But I was just wondering if I can compensate (or how much I can compensate) for these moments? I want to enjoy every second of time with my friends, I want to enjoy without any reserve the foods that we each create with love in friendship. And I don't want my worry about calories to put a crinkle in these moments.

So of course, moderation is a given. But I'm curious at what others think about using calories from other days (within a week on either end of the foodie day). Do you think it puts a kink in the metabolism? What do you think?

By the way, last night at dinner, I had for the first time in a very long time, fresh baked French baguette with real butter... mmmmmmmmmm. That was so good. I'd forgotten how good artisanal bread with real butter is.

Everything in moderation. The last thing you need is to deprive yourself of something you love (e.g. meals with friends), but you don't want to go overboard either. Unless you go super overboard--like eating a 3000 calorie meal on those days, you should be fine.

In terms of trying to "bank" calories, I think the real answer lies in your personal MFP goals. I have a lot of weight to lose so I'm on 1200 cals per day, not including exercise. I typically work out for between 45mins-2hrs everyday so I end up with 400-1000 exercise calories. I sometimes eat all of them, sometimes eat some of them, and sometimes eat none of them. I focus more on how my tummy feels than the calories. Given the drastic calorie deficit, if I cut out even 100 calories each day during the week to make up for a special meal on the weekend I could easily end up putting my body into starvation mode. However, if someone had say a 1800 calorie allowance not including exercise, they would probably be fine doing 100 cals less each day.

So.......I cut out restaurants all together when I began this MFP journey. I hadn't eaten anything I hadn't prepared for 2 months when out of the blue I had 3 special events involving food in a 1&1/2 week period. I was a little worried, but decided to say hell with it. I made the best food choices I could and didn't alter my regular food at all. Needless to say I was shocked to find that it didn't affect my overall weight loss AT ALL. As a matter of fact, for the 2 weeks prior to this, I had lost 1.5lbs and 1 lb respectively (my goal is 2lbs per week), and the 2 week of these events I lost 2lbs each week. Everyone's body is different, so this might not be the case for everyone, but I definitely am no longer fearful that 1 special dinner is going to set me back now.

Just my 2 cents..Hope you find it helpful : )

This is exactly my beef with WW: you don't really learn enough about nutrition, like how they figure out the "points". From my experience, and what I've learned since, I would say they take your calories for the whole week, so if you're on 1,200 a day that's 8,400 per week, but your regular "points" are a bit short each day so you can spread the rest out through the week any way you like. It's not really "extra". Of course on a day when you don't eat any "flex points" that would leave you below 1,200 cals for that day. No wonder they tell you to eat the points! The other weird thing they do, you actually save up your exercise points and only start eating them after you've used up the flex points. It should be the other way round!

I suppose if you save some of your exercise-earned calories each day you should be able to spend them on the weekend, at least that's what WW seems to be doing, and they seem very similar to MFP.

I'm also trying to find that balance between enjoying what I eat, eating correctly to lose weight and exercising the right amount to increase my body strength. Actually, it's about creating a realistic lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise habits while also enjoying life, family, friends & food!

Maybe it's a mixed blessing that my bf, friends and I have no funds for going out. So I'm better able to focus on weight loss right now. Then the focus will be maintaining during more social times later.

ARTISAN FRENCH BREAD WITH REAL BUTTER!!!!!!! :noway: :noway:
Whoa Nelly! Haven't had that in a mighty long time! YUMMM! :sad:

So...... how to juggle all that and not go into starvation mode? Or gain weight? Or yo-yo up & down?

I agree that going with how your body & tummy feel should play into the mix, perhaps even more so than being super-anal about tracking all the numbers? As long as you stay on course with your weight loss program, I don't think it should be a problem.

My unprofessional opinion would be to go light during the week (but not into starvation mode) and go a little heavier on the weekends (but not into overload).

It's all about finding perfect balance Grasshopper! :bigsmile:
Sounds like your friends are also concerned about good health?
Those special times are way too precious to miss! ENJOY - IN Joy!
If you can eat one slice, and not whole loaf, I say GO Girl! :drinker:

Barb was REALLY feelin it..........double post:laugh:

I love all the comments and advice, and think that they are all on track! Personally, I just wouldn't worry about it, as long as you choose well and keep moderate. Make sure to log in what you've consumed. If it's an occasional thing, even once a week, then it's freedom that will help you to keep a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life! Many "plans" such as Body 4 Life, and others, advise one to have a "free-for-all" day, once a week. This is more mental than anything, because once one gets used to eating well, typically, better choices are made on the free days!

So have fun, keep moderate, and enjoy your freedom on your journey to fitness and health... for life!

:flowerforyou:

Susie