How bad would this potentially be...

ohheyy125
ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know its not ideal...but...

I do well during my work week. Once the weekend comes and it's boyfriend time, that's when the eating and snuggling happens and ruins everything.

So here's the deal.. He works until about dinnertime anyways, SO, what if I ate a very small breakfast (100-200 calories) and then saved the rest for dinner time, would that be awful? I'm very capable of doing that, but would it sabotage my weight loss? Even if I stayed within my calorie budget?

I know it's not the best plan, but I've tried cutting portions, I've tried eating lower calorie meals, but the fact is that we love eating yummy, non-low calorie foods (pasta, pizza, chicken parm, buffalo tenders, nachos, blah blah) then snuggling the night away. He usually eats most of the food anyways, but even "small" portions of these foods are high in calories, not to mention eating 2 buffalo tenders or 1 cup of pasta wouldn't satisfy me. We're not overweight (he's actually trying to gain) and it's cold and we just like to lay low and keep warm. The weekends and spending time with him is what keeps me SANE. Anyone else have any other solutions or are in similar situations?
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Replies

  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    I think that it would be better to spread out some small snacks throughout the day so you aren't starving. Eating in the morning and then not eating anything until dinner time would probably make you end up eating more than you intend.
  • deanabailey
    deanabailey Posts: 124 Member
    I think eating fewer small meals would keep your energy level up. What about doing an extra workout to burn off those calories?
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    Check out the boards on intermittent fasting. It's actually quite healthy and you can set your eating window however you like. I personally do alternate day fasting which is a little different but works for me.
  • DKNaylor
    DKNaylor Posts: 6
    Have a normal breakfast and light lunch ten do 60 mins of cardio or training and eat whatever you want ( in moderation ) for dinner.
  • jeanmoreno
    jeanmoreno Posts: 139 Member
    I do fasting 5:2 and I dont think this could be seen as a fast ,2 days a week on 600 cals(i know some of you dont agree but hey ,thats my way!) so I dont think it will be that bad ,just remember to stay hydrated ! :-)
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
    Haha this is exactly how my weekends go too.

    If you aren't "cheating" the rest of the week then just don't worry about it and consider it your cheat day/days. It'll even out.

    If you are really worried about it then I would actually skip breakfast and eat only lunch and dinner rather than eating breakfast and skipping lunch. This would make lunch your "break-fast" and your body won't complain too much about not eating early in the morning.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    no, skipping lunch will not hinder your weight loss unless it means that you overconsume cals at dinner and puts you above maintenance cals for the day.
  • nebulinda
    nebulinda Posts: 120 Member
    That's what I do. I eat enough throughout the day to not be so hungry I'm distracted, and I save most of my calories for dinner. High calorie foods are delicious, so I just rearrange my life to eat them guilt-free.
  • imaginaryplaces
    imaginaryplaces Posts: 123 Member
    SO, what if I ate a very small breakfast (100-200 calories) and then saved the rest for dinner time, would that be awful? I'm very capable of doing that, but would it sabotage my weight loss? Even if I stayed within my calorie budget?

    If you are able to stay within your calorie budget, then no, it will not sabotage your weight loss. The timing of your eating may (or may not) affect your appetite and will power, but has no direct affect on weight loss, as long as you create a calorie deficit. There is no harm in giving it a shot - I would if I were you.
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    Okay yeah, I would rather skip breakfast and eat lunch anyways because I'm barely hungry in the am, I just know breakfast is important, so I could have tea to tell my body I'm awake. I wake up later anyways on those days so noon will be perfect.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Okay yeah, I would rather skip breakfast and eat lunch anyways because I'm barely hungry in the am, I just know breakfast is important, so I could have tea to tell my body I'm awake. I wake up later anyways on those days so noon will be perfect.

    If you aren't hunger in the morning then don't eat. The myth that it speeds up your metabolism has been debunked.
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    Okay yeah, I would rather skip breakfast and eat lunch anyways because I'm barely hungry in the am, I just know breakfast is important, so I could have tea to tell my body I'm awake. I wake up later anyways on those days so noon will be perfect.

    If you aren't hunger in the morning then don't eat. The myth that it speeds up your metabolism has been debunked.

    Oh, glad I got that memo.....thanks! I always figured if I drank a bunch of water or had tea or coffee my body would realize it wasn't sleep time anymore.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    I think you'll be ok if you can fit it in your calories. I would try to sleep in so that there isn't a long wait between breakfast and dinner ;)
  • stbrad6896
    stbrad6896 Posts: 135
    Check out the boards on intermittent fasting. It's actually quite healthy and you can set your eating window however you like. I personally do alternate day fasting which is a little different but works for me.

    I fast every night while i'm sleeping
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Okay yeah, I would rather skip breakfast and eat lunch anyways because I'm barely hungry in the am, I just know breakfast is important, so I could have tea to tell my body I'm awake. I wake up later anyways on those days so noon will be perfect.

    If you aren't hunger in the morning then don't eat. The myth that it speeds up your metabolism has been debunked.

    Oh, glad I got that memo.....thanks! I always figured if I drank a bunch of water or had tea or coffee my body would realize it wasn't sleep time anymore.

    You're awake. Your body is awake. You don't need to "wake up" your metabolism at all.

    If you don't like breakfast, skip it and save up the calories for the evening. I do that when I know I'm going out or going to be eating more than usual in the evening as well. I sometimes do a few snacks during the day to tide me over. As long as you can fit your calorie goals, then you should be just fine.
  • rieann84
    rieann84 Posts: 511 Member
    i struggle with these kind of decisions all the time, as my boyfriend will come home late (11pm-1am) and I will always end up eating something with him because he doesn't like to eat alone, or feels guilty eating when i'm not. i think keeping it low calorie yet nutritious would work for you. try and get as many veggies/fruits in as you can since those yummy foods have almost nothing to offer in the way of health. good luck!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    You might find this site interesting:
    http://www.leangains.com/

    I might give it a go at some point as it means I could kinda pig out as I like to do every day :).
  • StyxxandStones
    StyxxandStones Posts: 120
    When I have a few days with my boyfriend, I ten to burn more calories than I take in. Easily. :wink:
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    When I have a few days with my boyfriend, I ten to burn more calories than I take in. Easily. :wink:

    HAH! That works too! :)
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    When I have a few days with my boyfriend, I ten to burn more calories than I take in. Easily. :wink:

    Ooh La La!
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    You might find this site interesting:
    http://www.leangains.com/

    I might give it a go at some point as it means I could kinda pig out as I like to do every day :).

    I'll check this out later my work computer blocks it. Is this intermittent fasting also?
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    You can fast until dinner time and eat all your calories at once, the time of day you eat will not affect weight loss. Also, a lot of people on MFP are intermittent fasters, which means we eat out food in certain time windows of the day! Whenever I'm visiting family or going to an event where I know a lot of my favourite foods will be present I adjust my "eating window" in to that time.
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,296 Member
    That's how I do it everyday. Have a small, low calorie breakfast AND lunch and you could easily have 600-800 calories for dinner. If not more depending how your calorie intake. Plenty!
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    You can fast until dinner time and eat all your calories at once, the time of day you eat will not affect weight loss. Also, a lot of people on MFP are intermittent fasters, which means we eat out food in certain time windows of the day! Whenever I'm visiting family or going to an event where I know a lot of my favourite foods will be present I adjust my "eating window" in to that time.

    I'm definitely down to try it. I can absolutely not eat all day if I know I'll be eating a delicious AND satisfying dinner later. As long as it didn't disrupt my workweek weight loss I'm open for it.
  • Daizy426
    Daizy426 Posts: 37 Member
    I've sat next to my b/f who was eating a pepperoni pizza while I ate a grilled chicken salad and after the salad, had one bite of the pizza. Somehow I felt pretty good about it. I was full and my brain said it was ALL pizza because that's the last thing I ate, lol. I have also tried to change what he eats. Mr SubsandPizza will now ask for fish and veggies for dinner. SCORE!! If you can come up with alternative snacks for the both of you, you might be farther ahead. Oh, I got one, I love, love, love chinese food but if I grill my own chicken and only dip it in the General Tso sauce I bought I have the best of both worlds. Also, have carrot and celery sticks with a low cal dip handy. Homemade roasted veggies instead of french fries. Oh, and, Ragu Double Cheesy sauce, I use that all the time, 100 cal a 1/4 cup. Dish up a 1/4 cup, it's a lot when you're just dipping. Sorry I rambled on, lol.
  • liltenji
    liltenji Posts: 69 Member
    I usually eat the majority of my calories at the end of the day anyway. mostly to stop me from snacking through bouts of insomnia and i also hate eating as soon as i get up! I think you'll be ok. but if you're hungry then snack on something, no point totally depriving yourself! :)
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    Shouldn't be a problem really, unless you are so starving by the time you get there you gorge. The times of the day eating myths have completely been debunked for adults (kids are a different matter). Offsetting my meal day is actually what helped me lose weight. I even adjusted my diary to be 4 hour blocks instead of "meals". "Breakfast" killed me. I was never hungry then, only ate it because I was supposed to, and my body never felt like it counted.

    Best thing to do is to try it for yourself and see how comfortable and effective it is for you. You may either live it or hate it, but you won't know until you try it.

    Bottom line though, there are no intrinsic universal time lines for when it is appropriate and inappropriate to eat, there is only what is right for you.
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    I'm liking a lot of the replies...I thought for sure I would have been burned at the stake for my post. Definitely need to look more into intermittent fasting.
  • stevewynjones
    stevewynjones Posts: 1,052 Member
    there's a school of thought that says it doesn't mater how many calories you consume as long as you burn them off, and 1 big meal v's 10 small ones makes no difference....

    if anyone reading this disagrees.....bite me...
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    in my own personal experience, eating a bunch of time low calorie meals throughout the day (like 5-10 meal-snacks) is what helps me drop the most weight fast, but I'm willing to try the intermittent fasting thing 2-3 days a week so I can stop stressing so much and be able to enjoy my weekends.. Trial and error!

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