Saving my calories for the evening

alicejones77

Hi all!
So I'm trying to do the 1,200 calorie restriction and I'm ok throughout the day without any problems. Then the night comes and I am starving, ready to break my diet. So, I've decided to have around 200 calories for both breakfast and lunch (accounting to around 400 calories). I also try to go to the gym every day. Then that leaves me with plenty of calories for dinner. I'm not saying I'll have them all but a bigger meal to keep me full is what I usually have. I'm a big savoury fan so this works well for me (love cheese and carbs), but I don't go overboard as I am aware what is fatty etc.
The question is will I still loose weight with this method?

Alice x

JaydedMiss

i dont eat at all until 12-4pm most days because i prefer to eat larger quantities of snacks at night. Its fine many many many of us do it

quiksylver296

Yep. I eat more calories than you, but the majority of them are dinner and dessert. It's working for me.

middlehaitch

Meal timing is up to the individual, so eating most of your calories in the evening is fine.
Do remember to eat back your exercise calories. MFP expects you to.

Because exercise calorie burn is individual start by eating back 75% and adjust up or down after 4-6 weeks so you are losing at close to your weekly goal.

If you are still hungry review your deficit- it may be too aggressive and you may need to adjust it.

As far as fats are concerned- they are good for you and eating fats does not make you fat or hinder your weight loss.

Cheers, h.

MelanieCN77

I have more calories than you but my day is about the same. I'd say 70% of my cals are saved for after my evening workout for dinner, drinks and snacks.

sammyliftsandeats

As long as you're accurately counting your calories and eating at a deficit, you will lose weight.

When you eat your calories does not matter for weight loss. Some people eat all their calories in one meal. It's perfectly fine.

I, too, like to eat more at dinner so I usually eat lighter breakfasts and lunch so I can have more food at dinner. I find lower calorie, more satiating foods to help stretch my calories earlier in the day.

kgirlhart

Yes. I usually eat half my calories for breakfast and lunch and the other half plus any exercise calories for dinner and a snack after. I did this when I was at a deficit and I still do it now at maintenance. I prefer to have my biggest meal in the evening most days.

Psychgrrl

OP, to be honest, this does not sound like a safe or sustainable plan. It's sounds like you weight loss goal (and 1200 calorie limit is too aggressive for you. While you can tweak what you're eating to include more protein, healthy fats and fiber, it's likely you're under eating. It sounds like you're shorting your calories during the day due to evening hunger. You're going to work all day and then work out on 400 calories?

If you're going tot he gym every day, you should be eating at least some of those exercise calories back.

What are your current stats and goals? (Height, current weight, goal weight, weight-loss goal per week.) How are you managing your intake and calorie burn? Are you eye-balling portions, usung a food scale (most accurate method is a food scale for ALL solids including pre-packaged foods and measuring cups for liquids)? Do you wear a fitness tracker and is it synced, or are you using a website or machines to determine calorie burns?

More info will help us help you!

Rogstar

Meal timing will not matter. You can have it all in one meal, or spread out into 6-8 mini meals. It may take some time to figure out what you need when you need it, but it's only the number of calories that you consume that matters for weight loss.

I personally find that I work best with a protein bar around 10AM (~200 cals) and a light lunch around 1PM with fruit and tuna or a small salad with turkey (~300 cals). I only drink coffee/tea with sweetener or water with or without Crystal Light. So this leaves me 800-1000cals for a commuting home snack around 6PM (if I need it) and a nice large dinner (and possibly dessert!) at around 8-9PM after exercising and/or taking the dog for a walk.

There are some days that I switch it up...no bar in the AM, and maybe a group of us will go out to eat for lunch. Those days I eat much more at lunch (over 800 cals) and see where I am in the evening. I find on those days that I want to snack at night, so I usually don't have a full meal, just 3-4 snacks of ~200 cals each.

It took a while (read: years!) to figure out what I needed. That means I don't always eat at the same time as the family, but we're lax about that, especially since I come home around 2 hours after the husband and the kids. Everyone is old enough to get their own dinners, and I usually have a lot of food prepped so all they need to do is microwave it I have my own meal timing preference, and everyone else in the house has their own preferences too!

fretsnsoccer

So here's my question. What do you do at the gym specifically. That plays a huge part more than what most people realize in terms of hunger in the evening.

SuzySunshine99

That's exactly how I lost the weight and now how I maintain. I have a small breakfast and lunch, no snacks, and save all my calories for a nice dinner, including wine and dessert. It works for me, but everyone is different. The best plan for you is the one you can sustain for the rest of your life.

descene

I eat most of my calories in the evening and it honestly works wonders for me. I heard all that talk about not eating after 7pm or whatever from an early age and I always suspected it was baloney, but seems to be more widely accepted now that the only real necessity for weight loss is a calorie deficit of some sort. Some people might find it helpful to limit nighttime consumption, but just as many people might find it more helpful to do the opposite as humans are very complex. One size does not fit all!

Afura

As long as you're at a deficit you will lose weight. I eat the bulk of my calories for dinner/dessert, as I like both cheese and chocolate. Your body really doesn't care about what time of day you eat calories, just that you are eating enough of them/not too many of them. There was a study that said people who ate at night gained weight, so that headline goes round. If you read the article it was saying that people indulged in a lot of calories at night, hence going over calorie deficient/maintenance and gaining wait. Those darn clickbait titles.

If you've used either the MFP/NEAT calculator and TDEE and they say to do 1200, go for it. If they suggest higher, bump up your calories to that or closer to that so you won't be so hungry.

DietPrada

I eat 1460 cals a day. I usually make sure I have around 1000 left when I get home from work. So I coffee for breakfast, have a salad or crack slaw or similar for lunch (no more than 300 cals) and the rest in the evening. Usually 500 for dinner and the rest is coffee and a snack. It makes no difference when you eat your calories and many people struggle particularly in the evening and have no issue during the day. So planning and allowing for it is a great tactic.

heiliskrimsli

I pretty much eat exactly like you do, and I run five afternoons and one morning a week.

Weight loss has been a steady progression with slight bumps up in water weight the day after I do a race. The water weight comes right back out within two days.