Eat Dinner or Not?

HDsandy
HDsandy Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I went off the rails. I got stressed at work and ate a ton of crap, just like normal....this is something I am working on. I decided to go ahead and logged my calories anyway and I am already 844 calories over my daily goal. :(

Should I skip eating for the rest of the day (it is 2:30 p.m. here), or just eat a low calorie dinner, say 300 calories or less?

Replies

  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
    Never skip because you over ate, but never force yourself to eat more if you are full.
    My suggestion is if you get hungry later on eat just fruits and veggies.
    Drink lots of water.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    If you're hungry for dinner eat a reasonalble dinner. There is always tomorrow.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    Eat something if you are hungry. Don't if you are not. If you are hungry stick to something filling but low calories like vegetables. My go to I've been today but am still hungry tends to be cauliflower.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    My advice is to eat a low calorie healthy dinner. Always jump right back on track when you fall off. If you have time, exercise today and tomorrow..it will negate the extra calories you ate. Look at it as a calorie bank. If you need a loan..work out!
  • sarahmonsta
    sarahmonsta Posts: 185 Member
    If you're hungry when dinner rolls around I would say eat it. Sometimes things happen where we go off the rails, but personally I figure when that happens it is better to get myself back on my routine then to just not eat if that makes sense. Plus ONE day isn't going to destroy you. =]
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    This requires an extremely complicated decision tree. Study this carefully. You may have to read it more than once

    If you are hungry later, then eat dinner.
    Else, if you are not hungry later, then skip dinner.

    Plan better tomorrow, regardless of whether you eat dinner or not.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    Eat, so your body doesn't freak out and say "OMG YOU DIDNT EAT DINNER" and make you snack even more!
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
    Agree with most. I'd plan a small, reasonable dinner. Heavy on veggies perhaps... but not skip, especially if you are hungry, as it could set you up for failure tomorrow.
  • ajswriter
    ajswriter Posts: 117 Member
    Yeah, don't skip. Maybe just add an extra walk in tonight!
  • amberlykay1014
    amberlykay1014 Posts: 608 Member
    It's really not that bad, as long as you don't make a habit of it. Is MFP set up so you're eating around 20% under your TDEE? You've probably only gone over your TDEE by a few hundred calories.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    I'm a huge fan of skipping breakfast, myself. I still eat the same calories, just in a smaller time period. Some people need to eat throughout the day, and some people can feel fuller longer on meals.

    If you go overboard, and don't feel hungry afterwards, don't eat. You have to ask yourself whether you are actually hungry though. Usually, if I overeat, I'm only munchy later on for a meal.. and not decidedly hungry. Listen to your body...

    This is the biggest problem with high calorie junk food, you can't eat enough of it to feel full, and if you DO feel full on junk food you've probably hit 2500 calories for your meal, or worse. You can hardly ever overeat on vegetables or meat... I mean it's very hard to eat that MUCH good food. 1600 calories is the cost of a McDonalds Angus Bacon Cheeseburger and fries... 1600 calories is also the cost of TEN 4oz chicken breasts PLUS 5 cups of steamed broccoli.
  • HDsandy
    HDsandy Posts: 5
    Thanks for the responses everyone. One thing positive about this, is that I truly see that I need to plan better and bring food to work because I am in the habit of letting my emotions dictate what I eat (and that is a large part of why I need to lose 60 pounds).
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Not a big deal, most normal weight people have days each week, I am sure, where they unknowingly eat more calories, but they also have other days where they eat less, so it balances out. Much better to view things this way than to remain too rigid in daily goals. As long as it balances out over the week, you will be fine.

    If hungry, eat dinner, have a big bowl of soup, or some lean meat/fish and vegetables, and just eat slightly less over the next few days or get more activity in.
  • mrsgoodwine
    mrsgoodwine Posts: 468 Member
    I concur with others. Eat something healthy tonight otherwise you might be in for a vicious cycle...
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Agree..eat a light, healthy meal and start fresh in the morning.

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