How do YOU handle running out of daily calories?

13

Replies

  • crazyxperson
    crazyxperson Posts: 3
    Walking is a great way to burn some calories, or you could always pick a room or two in your house and clean them: you earn some food that way and get the place looking nicer
  • victorious27
    victorious27 Posts: 250 Member
    Depending on how the rest of my week goes, I'll either pout and exercise it off as soon as I possibly can that day...or I'll just be like, "Well, I deserve a day to go over!"
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    I think your only choices here are either to workout like a mad woman, or go over your calories for the day :( Personally, I'd do a kick butt cardio and burn off enough calories to get in dinner and a snack!
  • jennifermaffei17
    jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
    Dance to some music for 30 minutes, go for a neighborhood walk, or just have this as your day to eat what you want and start anew tomorrow. Not many options if you dont want to exercise.
  • AmyJMadison
    AmyJMadison Posts: 143 Member
    OK then ! You folks rocked these suggestions! Yes, I CAN do some chores or scrub a floor tonght to burn a little extra... and Yes, I CAN have a yummy light dinner with peaches and yogurt and a big lemon water... and Yes, I WILL keep it just every once i a while, and YOU GUYS ARE HYSTERICAL!
  • bookwormwendy
    bookwormwendy Posts: 112 Member
    Learn from it and start new tomorrow. However, I would encourage you to learn to walk if you do nothing else. Not for the calories- for the health benefits.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    Drink plenty of water to help flush, go over my cals however I need to, and get some exercise in.

    Or chalk it up to my cheat day and try to get back on the wagon tomorrow.
  • ShrinkingShona
    ShrinkingShona Posts: 218 Member
    I know you said you hate exercising, but the truth is I exercise. I didn't say I love it, or I like it all the time. I just know that it will make up for any peanut-like mistakes as well as treating other health related issues I have (high blood pressure, stress etc). Then I make sure the next meal is healthy and nutritious to get me back on track asap. Usually I'll have a filling quantity of steamed veggies.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Hello all! My first topic so pardon me if it has been asked 100 times before.
    What do you do when you have a day like I have today, and you run out of calories at lunch? I had a client lunch at a restaurant and though I pre-planned and ordered well, I totally blew it with the peanuts on the table and ate up my calories. It is a bad habit that I control at home by not having the snacks around or at the office by not packing them in my lunch, but I am weak when it is right there on the table. I am NOT an exerciser and really hate when I do try, though I am aware this would earn me a few calories back. So, other than climbing Mount Everest to get your day back in line, what do you do when you run out mid day?
    Thank you!

    If you are "grazing" then it's a sign that you need to carry a portion controlled snack with you at all times. Almonds mixed with grapes at a 1:2 ratio would be perfect for such a situation.
    Also, dehydration feels like hunger; drink more water.

    But to answer your question. As long as you are below your daily requirement calories, you will be fine. And since most of us on this page are at a 1200 calorie diet, it just means you won't lose .3 lbs this week due to your single day binge. Just be more conscious of your hands when you're with clients. Fidget with your hair instead of with food.
  • photorific
    photorific Posts: 577 Member
    I try to minimize the damage... LOADS of low-cal veggies (celery, cucumber, lettuce, green bell peppers) and a can of tuna are great for this... Balsamic (no oil) or ff sour cream mixed with salsa as a dressing. I try to keep it under 250, since that's about the daily deficit I work at (sans exercise), so ultimately - I may not be at a deficit for the day, but I haven't created a surplus either.

    Oh - I've also been known to amortize the overage through the rest of the week... eat 50-100 calories less per day until it's "paid off".
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    You have to eat, you can't starve yourself.. consider it lesson learned and move forward.. Enjoy a healthy dinner tonight.

    ^^This. I couldn't sleep if I was hungry. Just get right back on the wagon and go on. No biggie.
  • mom2handh1975
    mom2handh1975 Posts: 224 Member
    First I freak out a little.:noway: Then I cry a little. :sad: Then I realize, it's not such a big deal after all, eat a smaller dinner, get in a good workout, and move on. :bigsmile:

    Exactly. Keep it in perspective. It's not the end of the world. :happy:
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    Sometimes, I just go over but try to be reasonable. Others, I go over and don't try to be reasonable at all, because one day won't ruin everything. And finally... I tend to go over, then feel guilty and get off my *kitten* and do something to try to get it closer to even.
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
    You can either exercise or just take it as it is, eat a light dinner and start over tomorrow.

    This!
  • abberbabber
    abberbabber Posts: 972 Member
    I try to pay more attention to my weekly deficit. If you can eat a little less over the next few days, it will easily make up for today :)
  • ashleycball
    ashleycball Posts: 23
    I just eat and try to recover the next day. You can't dwell, its a learning tool for the future
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    ...I try to even out the calories with the rest of the week. For example if I ate 300 calories over today, I would eat 100 less for the next 3 days. It happens :)

    ^^This, plus...

    Don't freak out! Remember, it takes 3500 additional calories to make a pound. I seriously doubt you ate that many peanuts! You'll be fine.

    Hey -- and at least it wasn't a box of jelly donuts! ;c)
  • KipDrordy
    KipDrordy Posts: 169 Member
    I know you said you hate exercise, but walking is exercise. Go to the mall or something and walk around for an hour or so. Anything above and beyond an average day is going to help. If you have a dog, a 45 minute walk is done very easily and your pooch will love you for it.
  • subtlewhisper
    subtlewhisper Posts: 31 Member
    I would try to squeeze more exercise in, but if I can't, I try to even out the calories with the rest of the week. For example if I ate 300 calories over today, I would eat 100 less for the next 3 days. It happens :)

    Great Advice! That would work for me. I like the idea of taking ownership of my misstep over a couple of days. It would make me less likely to do it again.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Simple - I go over.

    Also, start exercising. Start last Thursday.
  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
    Depends on if you're over your TDEE or not as you're probably not but for me personally I'd just do better tomorrow and not care.
  • patentpope
    patentpope Posts: 6
    Like some of the others, when I have a high-calorie day (a party, a fancy dinner out, etc.), I have two tactics: (1) I try and work some of it off with exercise; and (2) barring that, I try and just make it a maintenance day in which I keep to my basic caloric intake without my weight loss calories taken off. Often when I've eaten too much I don't feel like exercising, so I take option 2.

    For example, I get 1610 calories a day to lose weight. My maintenance is 2110 a day. If I have a reason to eat more, I feel good if I can keep it to 2110.

    I'll also try and make up for it in the following days. Not in an extreme way. But shaving off 100 or 200 calories a day for a few days can make up for a lot of excess.
  • deepfuture
    deepfuture Posts: 35 Member
    Exercise .. and your good to go , the exercise even suppresses the hunger ..
  • amyhoss
    amyhoss Posts: 414 Member
    Go for a walk
  • d1jackso
    d1jackso Posts: 4
    I put however many calories I am over my goal onto the next day (or spread them out over a few days if necessary). Makes it easier to remember to hit the exercise harder and/or skip the snacks the next day because I'm running a surplus on calories, or a deficit on exercise, which amount to the same thing.
  • Hayleighs_mom
    Hayleighs_mom Posts: 48
    i wouldnt worry. I would just eat a healthy evening and do better tomorrow. :)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    My advice, like many have already said, is to go over one day and make the necessary adjustments (to your planning, to the total calories allowed, etc.) in the future. The important thing is to establish a plan you can stick to consistently for a long period of time, not that you meet an arbitrary plan every single day. (And until you have the appropriate amount of calories dialed in, it is just that: an arbitrary plan (even if it was suggested by MFP).)

    And as to the advice of just exercising more in order to eat, I'm just not a big fan of this. Yes, I know, many people have used this approach and with great success, but it seems like a potentially dangerous path to me. Again, doing it occasionally probably isn't a problem, especially if you feel good about doing it, but I'd be just a little leery, especially of doing it often.
  • bleacheblonde
    bleacheblonde Posts: 333
    It depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes I throw a fit and cry :wink: Usually I just try to be good the rest of the day and fit in a few extra minutes of cardio (or ANY minutes of cardio). And most of all, I try not to beat myself up too much and just start over tomorrow. I wouldn't try to make up for it by subtracting the amount you went over from the next day's calories....that almost never works for me.
  • sassyt1206
    sassyt1206 Posts: 37
    dont eat anyting again until you acutally feel hungry...that way you will know your body needs energy and has used up the extra calories you have eaten..
  • rsellersCST
    rsellersCST Posts: 333 Member
    I don't think I would skip a meal... just because I know myself... if I truly feel like I'm starving later I'll say the heck with it and eat what is in sight :-)

    That said I think you need to REMEMBER this experience and the next time you have an opportunity... either try for a different restaurant, or think about it ahead... take the peanuts OFF the table... or go so far as to explain you are allergic to peanuts... LOL

    There are times though that there are going to be variables... and to be honest, PEANUTS aren't the worst thing that you could have splurged on... protein, requires more digestion etc... not so bad... I could see myself falling into more drinks say than I want if I was at a long get together... I'm not a big drinker at all, but my point being that a situation can influence things.

    Don't beat yourself up too bad... squeeze in a walk or something if you can... eat a reasonable meal... and the last suggestion I have that helps me tremendously... DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HANDS to avoid snacking... do a craft... organize some paperwork, shred old files... polish something... basically my point is... later if you are hungry... if you've eaten reasonably and need to keep from snacking... focus on something else... then take a nice hot shower or bath and sleep it off...

    Tomorrow is a NEW DAY!

    You can do it... stick with it... you will be glad!

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