Does anyone else "save calories" for dinner (or another meal)?

ElJefeChief

I've found out I actually don't really need much to get through the day. Usually a bowl of high-protein cereal with skim milk and berries for breakfast plus black coffee. Then lunch is salad and maybe some cheesesticks. Once my exercise is factored in, I typically have 1500-2000 calories to play with by dinnertime.

A couple days ago I took advantage of this and had KFC for dinner (my absolute favorite). I may actually indulge in one of those calorie-dense "chicken bakes" from Costco tonight, and have calories left over for a snack / dessert later.

It's nice to be able to have the room to indulge. Just takes a little planning ahead.

slaite1

DrEnalg wrote: »

I've found out I actually don't really need much to get through the day. Usually a bowl of high-protein cereal with skim milk and berries for breakfast plus black coffee. Then lunch is salad and maybe some cheesesticks. Once my exercise is factored in, I typically have 1500-2000 calories to play with by dinnertime.

A couple days ago I took advantage of this and had KFC for dinner (my absolute favorite). I may actually indulge in one of those calorie-dense "chicken bakes" from Costco tonight, and have calories left over for a snack / dessert later.

It's nice to be able to have the room to indulge. Just takes a little planning ahead.

I do this on both a daily and weekly basis. It was awesome for me when I realized I didn't HAVE to have a big breakfast or eat every few hours. I also try to get my hard-to-hit macros and micros early on so I can indulge a little more at night. Yay calorie counting!!

boogiewookie

I do the same thing :-) first, I love dinner and used to have huuuuuge servings so I'm used to dinner being my main meal. also since I eat, put my baby to sleep, and head straight to the weight room I've discovered my workouts are so much more effective if I've recently had some carbs. today I had 1 egg+ 2 whites for breakfast, 1/2 grilled chicken breast and 1/2 cup corn for lunch. so I'm having Tacos for dinner :-) mmmmmm

DeterminedFee201426

yes

Alatariel75

I actually just wrote a post about that this morning in this group:http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/107669-calories-in-calories-out

Mr_Knight

For sure. Dinner (or at least late lunch) is typically my largest meal of the day.

Francl27

I wish. I'm typically hungrier in the day, personally.

970Mikaela1

Yep. Skipping breakfast was the best thing I've done. Actually have a real dinner now.

VanillaGorillaUK

I do this.

Pearsquared

Yep, I do the same. I like to have lots to eat at night. Tonight was an excellent example - I wanted some alcohol and pizza, so I saved up.

strong_curves

I do. I can't work right if I'm too full so I save the most of my calories for dinner.

astraldr0p

yep, all the time. I am terrible at seeing what calories would be for dinner so I figure that it would be easier to allocate what I can. I dont eat much for the other meals anyway

happysquidmuffin

I totally do this too! It's kind of a mental thing. If I eat more than 1K calories by the time I get home after work (4pm) I don't have enough calories left for a decent dinner. So if I really cut back on breakfast and lunch and eat 700-900 calories, I know I have enough left for either one good-size dinner or a medium dinner and late night snack.

pumpkinpocalypse

I used to do that, as i loved having huuuge dinners....but eating in such large quantities/so many calories at once made me feel physically sick everytime. So i stopped.
I'm actually very very hungry all day anyway, so no way i could possibly not have a large breakfast AND lunch as well, otherwise i have no energy at all and blah. Dinner is still my most caloric meal a lot of the time, but just by 100 or 200 calories i guess. I feel a lot better since i started doing it that way, especially since I workout either around noon, or in the late afternoon, i need my load of carbs...But that's just me. I know a lot of people who just *actually* can't feel hungry in the morning or during the day, that's yay for them i guess! :')

Machka9

In a way, I guess.

I eat up to a certain number of calories by about 5 pm, which usually works out to less than half, sometimes as low as 1/3. And then the rest are for dinner and evening snacks.

hearthwood

Yep, I save calories every day, especially if I want my snacks. So I usually skip breakfast--(and yes I know I am not supposed to do that)--but I am never hungry in the morning, and I am not going to force myself to eat. I'll get hungry around 11 a.m.--and then it's lunch to me. Then I love my snacks at night, which is a little ice cream, some fruit and a low fat yogurt. It worked for me, I am at goal weight now.

scastor27

Yep! I like to have more room in the evening. It's when I'm the hungriest and like someone else said I can't work right either when I'm too full at work. I usually have a decent breakfast and then some light snacks through out the day to hold me over.

annette_15

I hoard calories for after dinner dessert and snacks every day. Id rather have a small dinner and a big (still healthy-ish macro friendly dessert than have extra meats or potatoes with dinner. Sweet>savoury for me

joolieb1

I prefer a small breakfast and then I plan what I want for dinner including meat, potato and vegetables plus pudding. I then enter my cups of tea for the day (I use half sugar), then see what's left and plan lunch - could just b fruit if I have a high calorie dinner planned - or a salad! Don't eat snacks as I feel full most of the time!'

Katzedernacht

I try to hit half my intake by half day :P well by lunch you could say,but I try to make one bigger food,the next smaller,so the dinner can be really light and i can sleep sound

Francl27

annette_15 wrote: »

I hoard calories for after dinner dessert and snacks every day. Id rather have a small dinner and a big (still healthy-ish macro friendly dessert than have extra meats or potatoes with dinner. Sweet>savoury for me

Yeah I hear you there. Last night I had 200 extra calories and had to think if I wanted a 4th taco or some ice cream. Ice cream won. Then I was hungry one hour later.

So much harder for me to fit in sweets now that I'm closer to my goal. It sucks.

But yeah, I'm like @Katzedernacht I typically hit half my calories by lunch time, usually more. It's a miracle when I have more than 500 calories left for dinner. Really wish I was the 'not hungry during the day' type.

whmscll

Never. I get too hungry. I eat almost the same amount of calories for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks (when all my daily snacks are combined), spread pretty evenly throughout the day.

ninerbuff

Every day. I don't eat breakfast, and my lunches aren't more than 600 calories. The rest of the day with dinner and snacks are opened up to another 1800-2000 calories depending on my workout that day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NikiChicken

Yup. This is a common practice for me. Like you, I don't need a lot to get me through the day, especially when I am really busy at work. I also really enjoy a bigger dinner in the evening, so "saving" my calories for dinner works for me. It also allows me to splurge once in a while on something that is much more calorie-dense than usual (i.e. pizza, burger and fries, etc.).

4theking

Always! Never breakfast, rarely lunch, always a feast in the evening!

Um12tlwr

Yes me too. I've found that I don't get as hungry in the mornings, but am very hungry and tempted to snack in the evening if I don't have a big dinner. Good planning!

gaborszollosy

All the time. Dinners always were the hardest to resist meals of my day.

willboywonder

Yes, I sure do. If I know I have a big dinner tonight at home or going out to a restaurant with bad options, I'll have very light meals during the day, mostly fruit and salad, saving up my calories.

acoustophoresis

This is how I do the weekend without swan diving out a window on Monday morning.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Yes, absolutely.

Jruzer

"Me too," he chimed in.