Skipping Meals to Stay Within Calorie Goal

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Eat, log it and move on. Additionally, try pre-logging your day so you avoid situations like this.
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
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    You're consistently under your calorie limit....I'm confused
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    As people have already said stop going consistently 1000 calories under.

    As far as your question goes, I would prefer plan better next time, not having that happen again. As far as today would go, I would eat something. You said "go significantly over" why does it have to be significantly? It's pretty obvious from your post and previous thread that's it's all or nothing with you. You need to address your mental approach towards this whole game. You might be able to adjust to the physical constraints of it but in the long run (I'd even say short run with you) you will find it almost impossible to overcome the psychological aspects of it all.

    So again, I would eat something but it doesn't have to be a large amount of calories.

    Yeah, I'm missing the day he supposedly hit his calorie goal...looking at the diary, I don't see it...
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Wow, eat something! You have plenty of room for a nice 600-700 calorie dinner and still be under your goal. Otherwise you'll probably burn out soon.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I have some mfp friends who skip dinner. I don't know how they do it. If I was ever in that situation, which I wouldn't be, I would either eat dinner and not worry about it, or if I was trying to lose weight, I'd take a walk or a class and then have dinner.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
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    bokaba wrote: »
    What should you do if you've already reached your daily calorie intake by the afternoon? Is it advisable to go significantly over your goal or to skip eating dinner even if you are hungry? If I were already hungry by around 6pm, I would find it hard to go 16 or more hours without eating until breakfast the next day, but I suppose I could tough it out if I had to.
    For years I force fed myself breakfast, because after all...it's "the most important meal of the day" - right?
    Well, maybe...or maybe not...
    Today, I just skip it. The egg-heads even have a cool term for this called "Intermittent Fasting". Whatever.
    Skipping that meal helps me keep my daily calories in check, and the egg-heads even debate some other benefits of intermittent fasting. In fact I have made progress in other areas just as some have claimed. Who knows?
    I fast 16 hours every other day, then eat well in that 8 hour window.
    Good Luck!
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    First off, we aren't seeing the whole picture. The 1,000 calorie deficit is based on adding a boatload of exercise calories. My first question is how are you getting 600-800 calorie workouts? Secondly, once you've determined that you've got the right number of exercise calories, then yes, you might want to eat a light dinner if you're still hungry.

    Although you might not be at a true 1000 calorie deficit for the day, it appears that you still are in some sort of deficit. If you're too hungry at night, you might want to try and see if you also need water.

    Bottom line, drink a couple of glasses of water and eat a light dinner if you are hungry.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    Eat. I know plenty of people fast and it's ok and works for them but that is their intended weight loss program, not a fail-safe "crap, I just need to skip tonight and wait for food tomorrow." I think there's a difference between waking up and saying "I really want to have a hearty meal for lunch so I'll skip breakfast today" and "I'm so hungry but I don't have enough calories for dinner so I'll wait until tomorrow to eat."The latter could lead to binge behavior. If your body is truly hungry, you should just eat, especially when it isn't going to put you over maintenance.
  • lmr0528
    lmr0528 Posts: 427 Member
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    If you're hungry, then eat! Simple as that. Try and go heavier on the vegetables with your dinner though, that will help you to not go over your calories as much. Never deprive yourself if you're body is hungry.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    No, I would make a dinner of large quantities of vegetables. Have like a baked sweet potato (no butter!) and a big pile of green beans, steamed, with a little salt.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    terar21 wrote: »
    Eat. I know plenty of people fast and it's ok and works for them but that is their intended weight loss program, not a fail-safe "crap, I just need to skip tonight and wait for food tomorrow." I think there's a difference between waking up and saying "I really want to have a hearty meal for lunch so I'll skip breakfast today" and "I'm so hungry but I don't have enough calories for dinner so I'll wait until tomorrow to eat."The latter could lead to binge behavior. If your body is truly hungry, you should just eat, especially when it isn't going to put you over maintenance.

    The problem with that logic is that it's based on "listen to your body" BS. If you've eaten your calorie target for the day, your body is not "truly hungry." Your body has plenty of nutrients to carry you into the next day and it also has fat stores it can tap into as needed - it could go for days without food if it had to. In short, the notion that "your body is truly hungry" is just bull and an excuse to eat over your target.

    Now if you're miserable, of course you can exceed your calorie target for the day and the sky will not come crashing down. But let's not BS about it and make it out like your body is starving. The body is fine and the person in question just wants to eat more than their target allows on that given day.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    maidentl wrote: »
    Skip dinner. What's the incentive for planning better tomorrow if you're going to give yourself a pass when you hit your TDEE min-afternoon? Unless you're skipping every meal skipping meals isn't going to kill you.

    This is just silly. We don't need to be punished for screwing up. And he didn't say he hit his TDEE, he said he hit his calorie goal.

    Sorry, not TDEE then... calorie goal. You think skipping meals is punishment? How bout dieting in general? Is that punishment? You need to think about caloric restriction a little more objectively. No one is being punished - reducing caloric intake is a thing you do when you want to lose weight.

    The way I personally am dieting is not punishment, no. I am not constantly hungry and/or miserable. I understand that you must reduce calories to lose weight but I further understand that going over on one day doesn't destroy everything.
  • fluffyasacat
    fluffyasacat Posts: 242 Member
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    I have some mfp friends who skip dinner. I don't know how they do it. If I was ever in that situation, which I wouldn't be, I would either eat dinner and not worry about it, or if I was trying to lose weight, I'd take a walk or a class and then have dinner.

    When people say "I would never be able to do the diet you're doing", I always reply "Yes, I don't think you could".