HOW a body knows its the next day of new calories eaten

secretgirl4611
secretgirl4611 Posts: 474 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
I am almost lost as how to ask this ? properly but I will try my best to put forth what I need an understanding of:

Ok, for EXAMPLE:
Say I reached a total of 1500 calories by 7pm and decided I am not gonna eat ne more cals until the next day.
So, my ? is when is the next day to the BODY? does it automatically know ok around mid-night or 5am is the so called NEXT DAY?
To then start fresh again on calorie intake?
Or what if I ate 1500 for my day then fell asleep for 4 hours as a nap during mid day or sumthing.
Since the body burns calories when you sleep. Would I once again be under 1500 calories?
BASICALLY WHEN AND HOW LONG DOES THE BODY KNOW WHEN ITS THE NEXT DAY TO START OVER FRESH TO TAKE IN THE NEW CALORIES FOR THE DAY STARTING FROM 1 CALORIE TO WHATEVER THE ENDING CALORIE GOAL IS PER DAY?

DOES NE ONE KNO? :)
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Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    The number of calories set is for 24 hours. Your body doesn't 'reset' when you sleep or anything. It's burning all day and all night.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    I am almost lost as how to ask this ? properly but I will try my best to put forth what I need an understanding of:

    Ok, for EXAMPLE:
    Say I reached a total of 1500 calories by 7pm and decided I am not gonna eat ne more cals until the next day.
    So, my ? is when is the next day to the BODY? does it automatically know ok around mid-night or 5am is the so called NEXT DAY?
    To then start fresh again on calorie intake?
    Or what if I ate 1500 for my day then fell asleep for 4 hours as a nap during mid day or sumthing.
    Since the body burns calories when you sleep. Would I once again be under 1500 calories?
    BASICALLY WHEN AND HOW LONG DOES THE BODY KNOW WHEN ITS THE NEXT DAY TO START OVER FRESH TO TAKE IN THE NEW CALORIES FOR THE DAY STARTING FROM 1 CALORIE TO WHATEVER THE ENDING CALORIE GOAL IS PER DAY?

    DOES NE ONE KNO? :)

    It doesn't. Your body does not look at calories in/out on a daily basis - its a continuous cycle.
    THiS. For some reason people have this idea that metabolism stops when we go to sleep. There's a reason why you weigh less in the morning (if you sleep at night). Metabolism still runs the same whether you sleep or are awake.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • MySweetPotato
    MySweetPotato Posts: 175 Member
    yeah, it doesn't matter. the body isn't trying to lose weight with you, it's just doing it's job and keeping you alive. if today you eat 500 calories and tomorow you get to 2000, your body will ajust to it. there are no "new calories", it's continuous.
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
    Just be consistent. I count my "reset" at midnight, so if I have a late-night craving, it comes out of what I can eat the next day.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I don't think it even matters if you're consistent as long as you track any food eaten on one day or the other. Sometimes my 2am eating (like today) goes on the previous day because I fell asleep without dinner. Sometimes it goes on the next day.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I am almost lost as how to ask this ? properly but I will try my best to put forth what I need an understanding of:

    Ok, for EXAMPLE:
    Say I reached a total of 1500 calories by 7pm and decided I am not gonna eat ne more cals until the next day.
    So, my ? is when is the next day to the BODY? does it automatically know ok around mid-night or 5am is the so called NEXT DAY?
    To then start fresh again on calorie intake?
    Or what if I ate 1500 for my day then fell asleep for 4 hours as a nap during mid day or sumthing.
    Since the body burns calories when you sleep. Would I once again be under 1500 calories?
    BASICALLY WHEN AND HOW LONG DOES THE BODY KNOW WHEN ITS THE NEXT DAY TO START OVER FRESH TO TAKE IN THE NEW CALORIES FOR THE DAY STARTING FROM 1 CALORIE TO WHATEVER THE ENDING CALORIE GOAL IS PER DAY?

    DOES NE ONE KNO? :)

    It doesn't. Your body does not look at calories in/out on a daily basis - its a continuous cycle.
    THiS. For some reason people have this idea that metabolism stops when we go to sleep. There's a reason why you weigh less in the morning (if you sleep at night). Metabolism still runs the same whether you sleep or are awake.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    There goes the theory behind calorie cycling.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    There goes the theory behind calorie cycling.

    How about not confusing the issue. The OP seems confused enough.
  • bigjax1
    bigjax1 Posts: 56 Member
    when I do nights I reset to noon but on days its midnight..... the body doesnt have a clue..its whats eaten over a period of time...thats why one bad day does not blow the diet.....
  • butterflylady86
    butterflylady86 Posts: 369 Member
    I like your answer .
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    Its not that the body knows a 24 hour period, it is actually the opposite. As humans we've pretty much organised our world around the orbit of the sun, i.e. a day in time, that happens to be 24hrs so it makes sense for guidelines on calorie consumption to also be based around a 24 hour period. If our day was actually 36 hours long, then we'd likely still have daily targets but those targets would be higher (assuming in said imaginary world our bodies are even the same).
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    Its not that the body knows a 24 hour period, it is actually the opposite. As humans we've pretty much organised our world around the orbit of the sun, i.e. a day in time, that happens to be 24hrs so it makes sense for guidelines on calorie consumption to also be based around a 24 hour period. If our day was actually 36 hours long, then we'd likely still have daily targets but those targets would be higher (assuming in said imaginary world our bodies are even the same).

    I'm like totally freaking out right now... parallel universe man!! haha
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
    that is why when I count I count by the week... I have this weird algorhithm that I devised that allows me a certain amount through the week... if I have a daily deficit or overage it goes into the weekly pot of what I can eat :)

    I get bored... and use different systems that all basically boil down to calorie restriction...

    the BASIC point is that you consistently reduce your calories... it doesn't matter WHEN you count food... just that you count it... I work overnights... so my "day" by my sleep cycle would be from 0900-0900... but for calorie counting purposes I use a 0000-2359 day... because it is easier to calculate here on mfp...

    the point is consistency
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    Its not that the body knows a 24 hour period, it is actually the opposite. As humans we've pretty much organised our world around the orbit of the sun, i.e. a day in time, that happens to be 24hrs so it makes sense for guidelines on calorie consumption to also be based around a 24 hour period. If our day was actually 36 hours long, then we'd likely still have daily targets but those targets would be higher (assuming in said imaginary world our bodies are even the same).

    I'm like totally freaking out right now... parallel universe man!! haha

    Imagine how many meals you would have to eat in a day in order for your metabolism to keep going?? Tupperware would make a fortune!!
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    that is why when I count I count by the week... I have this weird algorhithm that I devised that allows me a certain amount through the week... if I have a daily deficit or overage it goes into the weekly pot of what I can eat :)

    I get bored... and use different systems that all basically boil down to calorie restriction...

    the BASIC point is that you consistently reduce your calories... it doesn't matter WHEN you count food... just that you count it... I work overnights... so my "day" by my sleep cycle would be from 0900-0900... but for calorie counting purposes I use a 0000-2359 day... because it is easier to calculate here on mfp...

    the point is consistency

    Cool, if you get bored why not try pretending the day is 36 hours long... just for fun ;)
  • groovyfirechick
    groovyfirechick Posts: 188
    I work nights 5 days a week and totally agree with you!
  • TimeWarp9
    TimeWarp9 Posts: 91
    that is why when I count I count by the week... I have this weird algorhithm that I devised that allows me a certain amount through the week... if I have a daily deficit or overage it goes into the weekly pot of what I can eat :)

    I get bored... and use different systems that all basically boil down to calorie restriction...

    the BASIC point is that you consistently reduce your calories... it doesn't matter WHEN you count food... just that you count it... I work overnights... so my "day" by my sleep cycle would be from 0900-0900... but for calorie counting purposes I use a 0000-2359 day... because it is easier to calculate here on mfp...

    the point is consistency

    Cool, if you get bored why not try pretending the day is 36 hours long... just for fun ;)


    Too funny!
  • Dawn3218
    Dawn3218 Posts: 80

    There goes the theory behind calorie cycling.

    Calorie cycling???? Thought I'd heard of everything - but this is a new one for me - please explain?
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member

    There goes the theory behind calorie cycling.

    Calorie cycling???? Thought I'd heard of everything - but this is a new one for me - please explain?
    It's the practice of having higher and lower calorie days. The theory is the high, low, mid days will keep the metabolism "revved" up. Of course it's all bro science. It doesn't matter as long as you keep a weekly deficit.

    I am even starting to think that carb cycling is a bunch of nonsense. When I make cycling I am talking about high, mid, low, high etc. I am starting to think it's much easier just to have set macros for say 6 days and the have one high day. Anyway, I am in another topic now.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I am almost lost as how to ask this ? properly but I will try my best to put forth what I need an understanding of:

    Ok, for EXAMPLE:
    Say I reached a total of 1500 calories by 7pm and decided I am not gonna eat ne more cals until the next day.
    So, my ? is when is the next day to the BODY? does it automatically know ok around mid-night or 5am is the so called NEXT DAY?
    To then start fresh again on calorie intake?
    Or what if I ate 1500 for my day then fell asleep for 4 hours as a nap during mid day or sumthing.
    Since the body burns calories when you sleep. Would I once again be under 1500 calories?
    BASICALLY WHEN AND HOW LONG DOES THE BODY KNOW WHEN ITS THE NEXT DAY TO START OVER FRESH TO TAKE IN THE NEW CALORIES FOR THE DAY STARTING FROM 1 CALORIE TO WHATEVER THE ENDING CALORIE GOAL IS PER DAY?

    DOES NE ONE KNO? :)

    You are taking it all too literally :flowerforyou:

    It does not know, only you know when the next day end, begins. The ONLY guide the body will have is when you go to bed and get continual hours (say seven, eight etc) without consuming any food or drink. This is actually a "fast", hence why breakfast is "breaking the fast" and is deemed quite important.

    YOUR day will end and the next one begin at midnight, your time. With regards to your body though, no it does not know it just continues working regardless but will use that nighttime fast as a general guide.
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
    Its not that the body knows a 24 hour period, it is actually the opposite. As humans we've pretty much organised our world around the orbit of the sun, i.e. a day in time, that happens to be 24hrs so it makes sense for guidelines on calorie consumption to also be based around a 24 hour period. If our day was actually 36 hours long, then we'd likely still have daily targets but those targets would be higher (assuming in said imaginary world our bodies are even the same).

    I'm like totally freaking out right now... parallel universe man!! haha

    LMAO! :laugh:
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member

    There goes the theory behind calorie cycling.

    Calorie cycling???? Thought I'd heard of everything - but this is a new one for me - please explain?
    It's the practice of having higher and lower calorie days. The theory is the high, low, mid days will keep the metabolism "revved" up. Of course it's all bro science. It doesn't matter as long as you keep a weekly deficit.

    I am even starting to think that carb cycling is a bunch of nonsense. When I make cycling I am talking about high, mid, low, high etc. I am starting to think it's much easier just to have set macros for say 6 days and the have one high day. Anyway, I am in another topic now.

    I carb cycle... sort of... I have 4 low carb days then one regular day.... mainly so I can have a built in cheat day... it isn't to trick my body or anything... but just because I can do anything for 4 days... and I am fairly consistently loosing weight... I am finding that "dieting" is more of a mental thing than a physical thing :)
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
    Cool, if you get bored why not try pretending the day is 36 hours long... just for fun ;)

    many of my days actually ARE 36 hours long... like today for example... I woke up at 1500 yesterday... I MIGHT make it to bed by 2100 tonight... maybe... I work 1900-0730... so....

    I work nights...

    plus I am not sure how to convince the computer here at mfp to let me have 36 hour days... without major reprogramming ;)

    although it does seem like an interesting theory
  • LERHarvey
    LERHarvey Posts: 3 Member
    Is this a joke? :/
  • Linbo93
    Linbo93 Posts: 229 Member
    Like everyone before said, your body cannot tell how many you eat between today, tomorrow, etc. Worry about your weekly average. How it breaks down day-to-day is up to you. If there is a deficit, you will lose!
  • cobracars
    cobracars Posts: 949 Member
    You have to keep a calender somewhere you can see it, like on your desk, on the wall, or maybe even on a smartphone.

    When you look at the calender and see that its the next day your body will subconsciously know to reset the calorie meter. Just remember to keep turning the pages at the end of each month.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    you can also look at a weeks worth of calories and not worry about it day to day. that way, if one day is 400 over you can spread the deficit to account for it over the other 6 days of that week
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