Hi everyone! I'm new here and looking forward to getting to know everyone better. I've lost almost 50lbs with exercise and just watching what I eat. But the last 10 lbs will not budge!

I've always kept a food log but never counted calories and it worked for the first 40lbs. I realize now that I need to really watch and count every calorie that's going in my mouth. So...here's my question:

If I didn't use up all my calories from yesterday can I carry them over into today?

Thanks in advance for any help....!

That is up to you. I go with a weekly average of calories. You should try to stagger your calories so your body doesn't get used to things. For example, I want to average 1600 calories so maybe today I'll eat 1400, tomorrow 1600 and then on Friday 1800...that way I've averaged 1600 and my body doesn't get used to the same calorie count. Try to never get below 1200 because that won't be healthy...you can't not eat today and then have 3200 calories tomorrow but do vary it between days, just not so drastically.
Good luck and congrats on your success so far!
Amber

That kind of math would boogle my poor little brain!
Just pick a range and try to stay within it, averaged over time. Like Amber said


Oh and as for the last few pounds??? Check out the Ladies Who Lift.

bella, if I don't use up all my calories, I always carry them over if I need them. This makes my eating plan more liveable and allows for occasional treats - in other words it allows me to eat the way "normal" people eat, and I never feel deprived.

I bank my calories for 7 days (one week) only. If I don't eat them up within the week, oh well, they're gone! This really works for me.

Thanks so much for your quick responses!!

Amber - I try to vary my calories from day to day but will definitely be more mindful of it now.

Susan - I know what you mean...I track my calories in an excel spreadsheet. If I didn't, I wouldn't have the foggiest idea! LOL! Since I got serious about watching the exact calories (about 2 weeks ago) I've gotten pretty good at keeping track (meanwhile I just downloaded a free trial of software that would do it all for me....we'll see if I like it enough to pay $29.95...)...anyway, I'm getting off topic LOL!

Joycelyn - I like your idea of banking for 7 days only. Is it a rotating 7 days or is it a set time frame like Monday to Sunday (or something like that?).

Again, thanks so much for the quick replies!!

I allow myself to bank too, but I just keep it within the "weigh-in" week which for me runs Sunday to Saturday. I guess I should say that sometimes I "reverse bank" because the day I'm most likely to eat over is Sunday and then I make up the diff through the week. I don't like to eat extra calories on Saturday (before my weigh-in day) UNLESS I'm having extra because I exercised hard that day (like....went for a hike).

I've become a big fan of Fitday. Free, and I love tracking my calories both from work and home. Also, it lets me run reports that will show my average calories in the last week, 2 weeks, and month. I aim for around 1200 (1200-1300 to be exact). If I've gone under one day, it's usually because I was over the day before. I pay more attention to how I eat after a big day than how I eat after a low day. I'd rather take advantage of low days than purposefully eat those calories. Just me though, hope it helps, and check out Fitday too! It's not as *exact* as reading labels, calculating, and tabulating yourself, but very easy and convenient and a little less "guestimating" on days you've gone off plan

I started out with FitDay.com, but now use FitDay PC. For the .com registered users it is only $19.95 and worth every penny. I have been using it for a year.

Hiya! I'm new and was reading some threads to try and get aquainted with the site and saw that you have the paid version of Fitday and love it. May I ask what the differences are between the web version and yours? I thought about buying it as well, but wanted to know what all was included for that. Which features are different that you like about it and which do you use most often?? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
April-Dawn

How do I love FitDay PC? Let me count the ways:

1. I can use it offline and when traveling
2. It has about 20 different reports for monitoring your diet & exercise
3. My customizable and favorites are handier
4. Everything can be graphed to see trends
5. Your view is customizable so that you track what YOU want to track

It is worth every penny. Be sure, however, that you buy it when signed in to your FitDay.com account. It is $19.95 that way, otherwise you pay $29.99 for it!