Hit calorie goal too early in the day

spraguem89

I'm just getting started - And one thing has come up a couple times for me:

What do you do when you've accidentally hit your calorie goal before the end of the day?

What I mean is this: Say I go out to lunch with a group and am not sure on calorie counts on the menu. I try to eat healthy at lunch, but don't have nutritional information available on the spot. When I get back to the office, I look up calories and enter into MFP and find that I am right at or over my goal for the day, and it's only noon.

Question: Do I skip dinner to make my calorie goal for the day, or is it better to eat a "normal" dinner and consider the larger lunch a lesson learned?

I have been trying to skip dinner to make my calorie goal, but it leaves me feeling grogy during the evenings and I often wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

ldhudsonjr

Log it and move on. I don't think skipping dinner is the way to go for exactly the reason you mentioned, you're going to end up getting hungry which will increase your chances of reaching for something unhealthy. Not sure what your schedule looks like but you might try working out to earn some of your spent calories back. If you're finding that you hit your calorie goal so early in the day, you're definitely eating too many high calorie foods, I'm sure you know that. I would look into some healthy recipes and try to prepare more of your meals yourself so you know exactly whats in them.

tattooedmomma93b

Never skip a meal or starve yourself just because you've hit your calorie count.....if you're going to go over on calories just make sure you make a smart choice for dinner, you'll go over a little but it's a learning experience and it's Not an everyday thing so it's Okay to go over once in a while, but never starve yourself and skip meals just to stay under calories. ...

runningforthetrain

I have had this problem throughout my dieting. You will get better about counting as time goes on. Take it as a learning experience. Try in the future to have half the normal lunch portion. (Take the rest home if possible) I can't sleep when I am hungry and I need to save calories for night time.

LITtlerMeCO

I either work out to get some extra calorie to eat or have a lighter dinner and average the calories over two days to even it out.

__Roxy__

I agree - don't skip out on eating. You could make a lighter choice for dinner, as best you can, and if possible, exercise to earn back some of the calories. As another poster said, you will learn what kind of calories are in what kinds of meals.... eating is restaurants can be pretty tough because mostly everything is highly caloric (even salads can be pretty crazy cals!)

Keep it up, you're doing great so far

4legsRbetterthan2

I would keep going and consider it a lesson learned. I have done this (more than once!)before and the best way to avoid those situations is to pre plan. Try to take a few minutes before you leave to look up the nutrition info and have a plan when you walk in.

Steff46

Definitely pre plan. Find out what restaurants you "might" end up at and keep a list of foods (in your head) that you know you can have and not destroy your daily calorie amount.

Tweakfish

I like to get salads with the dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing slightly before picking up some of the lettuce. This way you use a lot less and can be sure about how many tablespoons of the dressing you've had.

You'll get better! Good luck OP!

smh21183

I love to eat out, so I have this problem, too! I always plan to excercise on the days I go out... pre plan what I am going to eat and don't snack that day. I may still go over my goal, but it's good to forgive and start the next day over right!

Keep up the good work!

evelyneffie

Pack on the breakfast. I do a protein/fiber shake, then about an hour later a cup of blueberries with yogurt or egg. then I'm not that hungry at lunch & more likely to have a salad or plain grilled chicken. Then a 'good' snack in the afternoon. after all that I'm not usually very hungry at dinner. But DO track everything. you might not be doing as bad as you think.

Liftng4Lis

Pre-log your days to avoid this happening in the future. For now, its over-log it and move on.

paradi3s

When I know I'm eating out, I always save my calories (usually 1k just in case). But that's just me.
I always plan out my meals and if ever I do come across a restaurant with family, I just order a salad or get staple food (eg rice and viands I know the calories to). It seems sort of boring, but I like the way it is.

carimiller7391

There is an app, called nutrisource that has a lot of chain rest's in it. It really helps out deciding what to eat out.