Eating very little in the day to enjoy a nice dinner

LolaKarwowski

Anyone do this?
Does it get easier after a while?

SezxyStef

no...I eat my normal meals and still get a nice dinner.

HOw many calories is in this nice dinner that you have to "save" a days worth to eat it?

andympanda

I have tried, I just get grumpy if i go too long without eating enough. I have been at this for just over 17 months. But everyone is different. what i can advise is keep busy so you don't do mindless eating, or do some extra exercise to give your self some extra calories to eat, or you can go to a weekly calorie count.

janejellyroll

I prefer to eat most of my calories in the evening, so I naturally eat a lighter breakfast and lunch. But if you're having to eat very little in order to have a "nice" dinner, your calorie goals may be set too low. You should be able to have decent meals without starving yourself for most of the day. You're asking if it gets easier -- that's a sign that you may be cutting too much from the rest of your day.

andympanda

or try some low calorie snacks.

Francl27

You have to do what works for you. That would never work for me, but it works for some people.

LolaKarwowski

I'm not sure how many calories would be considered a nice dinner. Maybe 600-700? I only have 1500 cals to eat (to lose .5 lbs a week) and after a small breakfast, small lunch, and my snacks I feel like I'm not left with much left.

strong_curves

What's your calorie goal for the day?

shamcd

I do. I've always eaten the majority of my calories in the evening, so I structure my caloric intake around it now. I'll eat somewhere around 300-500 calories throughout my day, and another 1,000-ish at dinner and thereafter. I've always eaten like this to one degree or another, so it's not personally difficult for me, but I have noticed that if I do not eat some protein during the daytime, I'm quite a bit hungrier earlier on.

arachnofobia7

tried one meal a day thing for some time but not sustainable in a long term however....
http://hubbyshome.com/486/how-to-lose-weight-fast-eating-one-meal-a-day/
or
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29801583

Liftng4Lis

SezxyStef wrote: »

no...I eat my normal meals and still get a nice dinner.

HOw many calories is in this nice dinner that you have to "save" a days worth to eat it?

+1

seabee78

I do this if I know I am going to eat out later that night. But I wouldn't say I "eat very little" but rather I eat sensibly. Even when I do go out after having saved the room, I don't go crazy on the calories.

Yes, after a while I don't even notice. I think you'll find that if you eat healthy foods often, you can actually eat more than you can of junk/bad foods and still be satisfied.

discretekim

Seriously this is the kind of thing I did when I had an eating disorder. I would only drink during the day then eat one meal at night which would get progressively smaller and smaller.

jnv7594

shamcd wrote: »

I do. I've always eaten the majority of my calories in the evening, so I structure my caloric intake around it now. I'll eat somewhere around 300-500 calories throughout my day, and another 1,000-ish at dinner and thereafter. I've always eaten like this to one degree or another, so it's not personally difficult for me, but I have noticed that if I do not eat some protein during the daytime, I'm quite a bit hungrier earlier on.

^^^This is me. I've always eaten this way though even before I lost weight, so I know it's sustainable for me. I usually eat 600 to 800 during the day so I have 1000 to 1200 for the evening. That's normal for me as I've eaten that way for years...well, in terms of time of day, not calories, lol. Do what feels right for you. There is no one way of eating that's right or wrong as long as you stay within your calories.

YalithKBK

I do this right now. I eat a breakfast and lunch that are 250-400 calories each, leaving me with ~900 calories for dinner when I get home. This works for me because I am very busy at work during the day, so I don't actually have time to eat a big meal or even think about eating (sometimes I skip lunch all together).

I used to eat three evenly sized meals but I found that once I get home and relaxed, I wanted to eat more. I handle this by just saving my calories for the end of the day. Again this works as I am very busy at work anyway.

So yes, I do this, but do what works for you. Don't force yourself into a calories deficit/ weird schedule if you don't like it.

aleikita

I eat the heaviest meal of the day at noon so that my body has time to burn calories before I go to sleep.

LolaKarwowski

discretekim wrote: »

Seriously this is the kind of thing I did when I had an eating disorder. I would only drink during the day then eat one meal at night which would get progressively smaller and smaller.

Oh no, I would never take it to that extreme. I just wanted some input before I tried it. I really love my meat which I eat at dinner time. Because I'm lifting, I'd like to eat more of it. I don't count the calories I'm burning while lifting and I really don't care for cardio but if it give me some more wiggle room for my dinner cals then I'll do it.

punkuate

I do IF and only eat after 4pm. It works for me and I'm a lot less hungry than I used to be when I tried to eat small amounts throughout the day. Takes a bit of getting used to but suits my lifestyle.

carduccic

I do this, I usually eat 5-600 calories during the first part of the day, and have 700-900 calories for dinner, maybe have a small dessert. I would rather eat one bigger meal at night than have 2-3 smaller, more equal meals throughout the day. But really, whatever is sustainable and works for you.

Gska17

On days when I'm going out to a non-chain restaurant I restrict pretty heavily.

LifeInTheBikeLane

I eat less calories during the day when I'm not sure what I will be preparing for dinner. I eat most of my calories after work so it's easier for me.

jaga13

I guess it depends on how you define "very little" (during the day)? If you have 1500 for the day, and plan on eating 700 at dinner, that could leave you with a 400 breakfast and a 400 lunch. That's not "very little" in my book!

I do tend to keep my meals lighter when I know I'm going to have a large dinner (usually on the weekends), but not to the point where I'm hungry.

shrinkingletters

My breakfast and lunch are pretty light, a snack or two in between, and dinner is usually the biggest meal, but I'm definitely not starving before dinner.

strong_curves

aleikita wrote: »

I eat the heaviest meal of the day at noon so that my body has time to burn calories before I go to sleep.

You know that's a myth right?

ibamosaserreinas

You might want to look into intermittent fasting. I follow the 16:8 schedule where I skip breakfast altogether, eat about 500 kcals for lunch, eat dinner, and sometimes a snack. All of my calories are consumed from about noon to 8:00.

It really works for me.

LolaKarwowski

jaga13 wrote: »

I guess it depends on how you define "very little" (during the day)? If you have 1500 for the day, and plan on eating 700 at dinner, that could leave you with a 400 breakfast and a 400 lunch. That's not "very little" in my book!

I do tend to keep my meals lighter when I know I'm going to have a large dinner (usually on the weekends), but not to the point where I'm hungry.

Hmm, maybe I eat too many snacks? I usually eat my breakfast (egg whites + protein drink) at 10am. At 12pm I'll eat some chicken slices (2oz) with some grapes) and then at 3pm I'll have my snacks which is usually a banana with a 100 cal snack. At night time as a 'desert' I'll eat my granola bar which I REALLY don't want to let go of because it helps me not go crazy if I'm still hungry after dinner. Snacks are what kinda get me through the day though

snowflakesav

I bank calories so I have more flexibility for dinner. It works pretty well most days. I do get pretty hungry and run out of energy in the late afternoon and some days that is definitely uncomfortable. My diary is open. I think this manner of eating is sustainable for me since I pretty much have been maintaining for 8 years. I believe I need a bit more protein

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rbiss

No I try to space out calories. Usually I work out at night and don't want to eat all those calories back at 7pm so I eat a larger breakfast to compensate. If I am going out or know I will eat something more calorie dense, I might scale back some earlier meals. If I don't eat a lot of calories throughout the day, I end up binging.

anglyn1

I usually have a small cappuccino or iced latte that I make at home for breakfast, then a 300-400 calorie lunch, and a 100-200 calorie snack during the day. Then I use the rest of my calories for dinner and a snack or dessert before bed. This works for me because I'm naturally not very hungry in the morning. However since you ask if it gets easier then I assume you are still feeling hungry during the day? In that case I would add more calories in earlier in the day. Also maybe experiment to see what foods keep you full for longer. I find Greek yogurt as a snack and a having a healthy source of fat with meals keeps hunger away.

kristydi

I try to go easy on calories early in the day to give me more flexibility in the evening. Generally I shoot for 200-300 calories for breakfast, 350-500ish for lunch then save the rest (my daily goal is 1500) for some combination of afternoon snack, dinner and dessert. If I exercise, I get all 3 of those.

Of course that all changes when I know I'm going on a long bike ride. Then I eat more at breakfast and lunch to fuel the exercise, dinner may be bigger too.

You have to find a balance that works for you. If you're feeling hungry, try adding some more proteins or fats to your food. That may help you feel fuller.