I've done something like that before. I'd allow myself 1200 calories or so per day, but if I burned more or ate less I'd "bank" them and eat extra on a Saturday. (Just tallied it up on a sticky note on my desk.) It seems like it should work, but I have a hunch it played a part in my stalled weight loss. (Maybe there were other factors? It's hard to say with plateaus and weight loss!) I should also note, though, that I didn't have much success on WW doing points and banking them for one big splurge day. I think it was just too many calories for me in the end.
Lately, I've started doing lowish carb but still counting calories, and I find it's REALLY easy to eat 1200 calories when I'm only eating 30-70 carbs/day. So I shoot for that and don't eat my exercise calories back unless I'm hungry or just want to eat a little snack at night.
I still have one splurgey meal a week--a few slices of pizza and a cupcake maybe--but I just fit it into my daily calories for the day. If I eat low carb the rest of the day, it's easy to do.
I'm finally consistently losing weight after about four or five months of slow, stalled weight loss, so I like this plan. People may say it's not enough calories, or you HAVE to eat your exercise calories back or whatever, but honestly, this stuff is so complex and individual. Things that worked for me two years ago don't now, and might not tomorrow! But for now, keeping carbs low and shooting for about 1200 calories a day is what's working for me.
Last edited by angelarm; 07-23-2013 at 11:33 AM.
|