When You're Out of Calories and it's only 5pm...

I find it much easier to pre-plan all my foods and to already have them logged. That way I know that my calorie and macro goals are going to be met provided I don't binge on something else. This allows me to spread out my meals however I see fit.

I do this too! Sometimes it changes as the day goes on, but I do my best to stick to it. I also allow myself a maintainence day once a week (Saturday), that I eat an extra couple of hundred calories. It helps me during the week to stick to it, knowing that I have Saturday to look forward to a little treat. Saturday is also a pretty heavy work-out day so that helps too.

Good Luck to you!

Yup, it is 5:30 and I have 251 calories left. I am however going to the gym tonight so I should be able to eat a lttle more than 250.

Pre-logging is never my style. I can't live my life to an organised schedule! That's too restricting, and not a lifestyle I could keep. If I hit 5pm and have no calories left, I do SOMETHING/ANYTHING to give me a little more wiggle room! If that means I quick walk, or a few jumping jacks when I'm too lazy to leave the house, or even doing 100 squats. I only just got a heart monitor, so I never knew how many calories I was actually burning, but if I do SOMETHING and then eat a light dinner, such as a salad or a slice of wholegrain toast with a teaspoon of peanut butter, then at least I'll feel better about it! It's about adapting, and not sticking to harsh rules that are too hard to follow forever. That way if you mess up, you can adjust, not put yourself down.

NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST. It leads to irritability, and low blood sugar. Maybe consider slightly raising your calories, so that your weight loss will be slower but easier on your schedule? Or try and get your exercise out of the way in the morning, so that you won't be starving AND out of calories at the same time, therefore too tired to exercise. Pre-logging your exercise is also, I find, a good incentive to get it done. If I log in half an hour walk before I do it, and see that it means an extra 100 calories to treat myself with, I'm much more likely to get up and do it.
That being said, if you pre-log it and dont do it... you BETTER delete that pre-log. No point fooling yourself. Sigh. It never works. What's that saying? "It doesn't matter if you keep an accurate food log? Your body will show that for you."
It is definitely more eloquent though... sorry!

I plan my day out the night before. So I go through the whole day knowing exactly what I'm going to eat.

But, if there is something I want, then I have to barter with what's in my log and switch out things for something else.

Log it, eat a healthy dinner if your hungry, and call it a day.

Try to plan your meals out in advance, include the treats so you don't feel deprived. If you really find snacking to be an issue, spend some time focusing on why your making the food choices you are. I highly suggest writing down when you eat, and how you feel each time you eat. At the end you can look over your day, and see where you could have made better choices, and if your choices were worthwhile.

For example, if I just junk out on chips, candy, and bagels. I will think of better alternatives, because while they fill whatever urge at the time they are not satisfying and I need to learn how to replace them.

However, if I have some ice cream (always worth it), or I have a fun girls night where we snack, and drink wine. I'm going to feel okay about those choices and not sweat the overages, and just make sure they are not an everyday occurrence.

Pre-plan, if not then have the willpower and discipline to suffer.

Yes. Of course, if more of us had that will power and discipline more people would look like you. :flowerforyou:

On the RARE day that I don't pre-plan, I divide my calories up. No more than 300 for breakfast, 500 for lunch, and the rest for dinner and late night snacking.

....and I say no to crap food unless I'm absolutely sure it won't short me on calories for the rest of the day.

the worst thing you can do is to eat high-glycemic carbs - dooom. What you want to do is to eat low-glycemic index carbs so they release slowly and don't result in the devastating blood-sugar crash.

search on YouTube for 'Quinoa Breakfast Recipe' by Heather Nauta.

This is a good example. You can eat 500 calories of breakfast cereal (hi gi) or eat 500 calories of this recipe. The difference is obviously not the amount of calories.

You eat the cereal and it will race into your bloodstream, start turning to fat and then soon you'll be hungry as your blood sugar crashes. Part of these calories have already gone to fat stores and your body doesn't want to cash it in!

Eat the low-gi porridge and your blood sugar will rise slowly. Lets say it's getting on lunchtime and you're starting to feel hungry but for some reason you can't stop to eat - you'll find that your blood sugar doesn't crash, it just keeps letting down slowly.

Do you want to have a miserable diet experience? Go ahead and eat 500 calories of bread for breakfast.

To sum up using an example - instead of rice, lentils will keep you going much longer. You just have to be patient after eating as your blood sugar levels rise more slowly than you're used to.

Hope this helps - works for me!

If you aren't going to finish that bread.....can I have it?

Even though I just recently joined, I've already lost 40 pounds alone by eating more frequent meals and snacks. Try apples. I was an apple freak. Crunchy food that are good and filing for you. Instead of a cupcake or what not try carrying things like carrots and health bars around.

Happens. As long as it doesn't happen every day (or every other day) I don't see it as a problem. Try and stay close to maintenance (find out what yours is by a TDEE calculator) today and the week will work itself out.