I have 540 calories left at 7 PM and I know I’ll be staying up late, what should I eat?

I don’t want to waste the calories on something that won’t fill me up and then end up hungry again later. I’m trying to keep it high-protein and filling so I stay on track, thinking something like eggs, chicken, yogurt, or a solid sandwich. I just want something that’ll actually hold me over for the rest of the night without messing up my progress.

Accepted answers

AnnPT77

What exactly is filling is pretty individual: For some people it's protein, others find it's fats, some need high volume foods (like big heaps of veggies), for some it's specific foods (some common ones are baked/boiled potatoes, oatmeal - but those aren't universal). Most people find things like meat, fish, veggies, fruits, whole grain and dairy more filling than refined highly processed food products (but that's not universal either).

I'm not sure what you mean by "messing up your progress". As long as you stay within your calorie goal, the body weight results will be about the same, regardless of food choices. If you get overall good nutrition on average, the occasional treat food within calorie goal won't mess up your progress. (Yes, most treats aren't very filling; but they can be part of an overall way of eating that IS filling.)

Maybe this isn't on point, but you might find charts like the one below helpful.

If you want to fill out particular macros, you might find charts like the one below helpful. They're in lots of places on the web. I got this one from https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workingagainstgravity.com%2Farticles%2F17-macro-tracking-tips a while back , but I know nothing about that site in general and am not recommending anything else on it as reliable info (though it may be!). I'm just using it for an example of a common type of chart that might help you think of options.

Anxiety is optional here, and experimentation is your friend. Try some combination of foods that sounds like it might fit your needs. Did that go well? What can you learn from that about yourself and your appetite? If it worked, repeat the pattern. If it didn't work, try a different pattern next time. You'll figure it out. If some experiments don't work out, that's fine as long as you learn from them and adjust your plan. Failed experiments along the way aren't a personal failure, they're part of a success process as long as that learning happens.

Best wishes!

All comments

AnnPT77

Maybe this isn't on point, but you might find charts like the one below helpful.

Best wishes!

yassinhaytham2709

Thanks for the help!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

It happens to me all the time, particularly on days where I do a 500kcal workout, that I have extra calories after dinner (counting plan + exercise calories), at least according to Garmin and MFP. I can say that I won't lose weight if I eat all of the exercise calories. So, I will typically have something tasty around 100-200kcals, dark chocolate and nuts, usually.

I don't think that Garmin is wrong about how many calories I burn doing the workouts, I think that, at my age (65y), my body is really good at going into a "low burn" mode. I'll be sitting quite still at my desk, my hands will be cold, and I'll feel a bit sleepy. It can happen 30 minutes after walking in from the car, for example. It's just really hard to keep my metabolism up. It helps to use the standing feature of my sit/stand desk.

tomcustombuilder

If you arent hungry then bank the calories so you have some cushion if another day you go a bit over. You want to look at weekly calories.

Add 7 days of calories and divide by 7. That is your daily average and the number you want to look at.