What do you do with lots of leftover cals at end of day?

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BlueLikeJazz
BlueLikeJazz Posts: 219 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Since cutting out meat, eggs and most dairy from my diet, I find that once or twice a week I end up being quite a bit below my recommended intake of 1300 cals a day. For instance, today I had lots of curried lentil soup, spaghetti squash, and an heirloom tomato for lunch and dinner and felt satisfied throughout the day. Well 9 PM rolls around and I'm a bit hungry, and after eating more spaghetti squash I still had almost 650 calories remaining. I still wanted to eat something semi-healthy but a little more calorie-dense so I had some pasta with diced tomatoes and a bit of dark chocolate to finish off my calories for the day and I am just stuffed. I wish I would have just skipped it and been under for the day but I see so often on here how that's a big no-no.

So what do you do when you have lots of calories leftover at the end of the day? Do you err on the side of only eating when you're hungry even if that means being below that 1200-calorie mark? Or what do you eat to use up those calories in a healthy way?

I realize that prevention is probably best in this situation but I try to eat intuitively now (a.k.a. only eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm just satisfied) and that sometimes means I don't hit the magic minimum number and it also occasionally means I'm over by a few hundred.

Replies

  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
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    I agree. When making healthy food choices, it is difficult to eat all of the recommended calories, especially after exercise is figured in. A nutritionist told me that I should not force myself to eat to get in calories if I am not hungry. But if I am more than 200 from the minimum calories and my protein is full already, I eat Edy's frozen fruit bars. They are 80 calories. My big problem is protein, so I am always looking for good calorie no protein things.
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
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    that's a good question. I was wondering the same thing. I usually don't have that problem but at the end of the night when I sit down and punch in my exercise for the day I usually end up be low my level...unless I'm hungry I don't eat though.
  • diet45
    diet45 Posts: 392 Member
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    What about raw almonds or avocados? They are high in calories and very good for you. I don't eat after dinner, so I eat more higher calories snacks during the day.
  • Will_Lift_4_Shoes
    Will_Lift_4_Shoes Posts: 238 Member
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    it is important to get in a minimum of calories a day or your body will go into starvation mode and store everything. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are are full is great. It is so hard to listen to our bodies since we have spent plenty of time not listening and it has gotten us to where we are--overweight. if you find you are always too low maybe you could try rewarding yourself. Is there a specific reason you cut out all you did? That is a big lifestyle change. Maybe try a new recipe for a vinegrette or a dip you can have with pita chips. That might help you reach the calorie limit without adding extra food. i like to add things like avocado to my sandwiches instead of mayo. I get the creamy buttery fatty-ness without the calorie punch and the oils in avocados are healthy oils compared to mayo. good luck!!
  • jlvand
    jlvand Posts: 11
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    I celebrate!! My doctor told me that it is absolutely not necessary to eat the extra calories that you burn to just stick to the 1200 or whatever your daily is. She said that if I go over every once in awhile that is fine because the exercise calories are keeping me in line, but I would gain weight like crazy if I ate that much food! Do not decide to binge on unhealthy stuff just because you have calories left over! I know that was a bad habit I needed to get rid of!
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    My biggest problem is getting in protein too... I am always looking for high protein, low carb, low fat snacks! :)


    I don't worry too much unless I am under 1200. I do try to get above that.

    Some higher calorie things I love: bananas and peanut butter, olive oil (drizzle on raw veggies or saute veggies in), avocado (I could eat this all day!), nuts (especially almonds). Most of those are higher in fat too... but at least it is good fat.

    Beans/legumes/starches are also good higher-calorie foods.
  • caldwellchris
    caldwellchris Posts: 17
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    My favorite foods at the end of the day are:

    1) Planter's Black Label - Santa Fe Cashews & Almonds

    2) Peanut butter on a spoon

    3) Cottage cheese

    All of these foods are calorie dense, nutrient rich, and keep me from snacking in the middle of the night! :wink:
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Raw almonds and hummus (I use as a dip for carrots and zucchini). I know so many people say you have to eat all your exercise calories - but I can't either. And you know what - I am not gonna worry about it. This is a new way of life for me and I am eating plenty - usually 1200-1500 calories a day. I am not starving and I am eating good, real food. Do what feels right for you - what you can live with forever! All the best.
  • katielouhoo
    katielouhoo Posts: 676 Member
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    i find at the end of the day calcium is something i tend to be lower in often. so, i'll add a yogurt (cottage cheese is good too) but not very helpful if you've cut out all dairy.

    nuts are great proteins and fats. have you ever tried vita-muffins? the vita-muffin tops are delicious 100 calories, & loaded with fiber. i like to have them as a snack (the chocolate ones are like having a bit of cake). since they are enriched with vitamins & extra fiber, i do not think of them as junk (like just having chocolate for the sake of adding calories).

    i am often 100 to 200 calories away after dinner. i try to make good choices for my evening snacks. fruit, peanut butter, humus & vegies and sometimes a treat- like a vitamuffin or 100 calorie treats.

    i wouldn't stress over being a bit under. not something to do daily, but you don't want to eat more than you feel you need. the idea is to learn to be satisfied with less.
  • BlueLikeJazz
    BlueLikeJazz Posts: 219 Member
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    Lots of great ideas here! I tend to avoid nuts or any oils/fats because in my old diet that would have put me over my limit. But now that I'm eating mostly veggies, I probably could afford some walnuts and oil & vinegar dressing on my salad now and then, or a bit of nut butter, or hummus with my veggies instead of salsa.

    It was also good to hear that some of you have gotten advice from your doc or nutritionist not to eat when you're not hungry simply to meet the minimum calories every day. We all have days when our appetite is a bit lower and days when it's a bit higher. I usually eat a little more on weekends because I'm eating away from home and have less healthy options or can't control exactly what's in what I'm eating, so it probably all balances out in the end.
    Is there a specific reason you cut out all you did? That is a big lifestyle change.

    I cut out animal products for ethical reasons and I'm just eating mostly veggies by default at this point because it's Farmers' Market season so I have so much produce on hand all the time.
  • veganon50
    veganon50 Posts: 46
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    Hi I know what you mean - most days if I go for a long walk, there is no way I could eat all the calories I am supposed to - but instead of looking at it on a day to day basis, over the week I tend to see that as money in the bank for the days when I don't take much exercise and I am just over my calorie limit - like you said - at weekends etc! I view this as a long-term sustainable way of life, and so I try not to get too caught up in my daily calorie allowance.
    But you are right, as a fellow vegan we do need to add healthy oils (in moderation) to our diet, in the form of nuts, seeds, avocado, and salad dressings and the changes you are considering e.g. nut butters or humus seem to be perfect - and don't forget to throw in some beans for protein! :smile:
    Susan
  • DancingYogini
    DancingYogini Posts: 377
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    I have the same problem. I tend to go over my carbs with fruit, nuts, avocados, brown rice...but under on my calories. I was under by about 680 calories last night. Even though I try not to eat past 7:00, I ended up eating a big old baby spinach and cherry tomato salad with a Tbs of olive oil and balsamic vinegar....yummy :smile: and that got me out of "starvation mode", but still left way more than my exercise calories...I am not stressing it too much. I did my elliptical machine yesterday, and burned a lot. Usually I don't burn that much with exercise. I also try not to get caught up too much on the numbers, though I do like to hit at least 1200, even though I am given 1380!
  • leix
    leix Posts: 176
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    my left over calories don't get ate, i won't eat after7pm.
    im usually under 1200 alot lately im eating loads protein little carbs & im pretty full.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    it is important to get in a minimum of calories a day or your body will go into starvation mode and store everything. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are are full is great. It is so hard to listen to our bodies since we have spent plenty of time not listening and it has gotten us to where we are--overweight. if you find you are always too low maybe you could try rewarding yourself. Is there a specific reason you cut out all you did? That is a big lifestyle change. Maybe try a new recipe for a vinegrette or a dip you can have with pita chips. That might help you reach the calorie limit without adding extra food. i like to add things like avocado to my sandwiches instead of mayo. I get the creamy buttery fatty-ness without the calorie punch and the oils in avocados are healthy oils compared to mayo. good luck!!

    No, your body will not go into starvation mode if you don't eat a certain amount of calories.............Starvation mode in the sense that it is used is a MYTH.

    A person's best bet is to listen to their bodies...........If you are eating nutritonally dense foods such as good quality proteins, fresh veggies, fresh fruits, raw nuts and getting adequate fats in the body - it is more about the TYPE of calories and foods we are giving our bodies than the quanitites.

    I suggest reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Dr Gary Taubes. It is a real eye-opener.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    Since cutting out meat, eggs and most dairy from my diet, I find that once or twice a week I end up being quite a bit below my recommended intake of 1300 cals a day. For instance, today I had lots of curried lentil soup, spaghetti squash, and an heirloom tomato for lunch and dinner and felt satisfied throughout the day. Well 9 PM rolls around and I'm a bit hungry, and after eating more spaghetti squash I still had almost 650 calories remaining. I still wanted to eat something semi-healthy but a little more calorie-dense so I had some pasta with diced tomatoes and a bit of dark chocolate to finish off my calories for the day and I am just stuffed. I wish I would have just skipped it and been under for the day but I see so often on here how that's a big no-no.

    So what do you do when you have lots of calories leftover at the end of the day? Do you err on the side of only eating when you're hungry even if that means being below that 1200-calorie mark? Or what do you eat to use up those calories in a healthy way?

    I realize that prevention is probably best in this situation but I try to eat intuitively now (a.k.a. only eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm just satisfied) and that sometimes means I don't hit the magic minimum number and it also occasionally means I'm over by a few hundred.

    What do I do with lots of leftover cals at the end of day? I don't eat them, it's as simple as that.

    If there are any left and I have eaten my three meals, they get left. I refuse to forcefeed myself and eating crap food was what got me into this state in the first place.
  • str8sweetie77
    str8sweetie77 Posts: 3
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    i can never eat all of the calories that i am supposed to but one big thing that helps is whey protien... you make a protien shake and if you add 2 scoops it's like 230 calories and 52 grams of protien!:happy:
  • junebug523
    junebug523 Posts: 196
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    I have found that if I want to keep my calories balanced throughout the day, I MUST plan most of them in advance. Each night, I plan out my exercise, and most of my breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the very least. Sometimes things change a little bit, but I'm usually right around where I want to be at the end of the day. I have a bad habit of end up way under or way over if I don't plan ahead.
  • khursh8
    khursh8 Posts: 15 Member
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    I don't really trust my ability, or the site's ability, to count calories and exercise perfectly. I probably underestimate portions and overestimate calorie burns. If I have a extra calories at the end of the day, I usually just leave it in the hopes that that'll balance out any mistakes I've made in calculations.
  • Julien1
    Julien1 Posts: 11
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    Hi there:),

    On most occasions, you should try to eat close to the number of calories you require every day. It is also important to keep in mind that your stomach is most strong in digesting food until around 2PM.

    You're better to try and eat the larger meal in the morning as breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I Would also follow lunch as being a larger meal and making supper the smaller meal.

    Say at the end of the day you've got 300 calories left that you haven't consumed and maybe 20g of fat. That is no big deal. In fact, it's totally fine. You don't need to worry about consuming that extra amount of calories and fat at the end of the day. You shouldn't be eating after 7PM unless it's a small amount of fruits or you're eating vegetables.

    Unless you're seriously lacking calories, you shouldn't be overly concerned about the intake:).

    Have a great day,

    Julien1.
  • sherrie8929
    sherrie8929 Posts: 38 Member
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    Ice cream is always the answer. LOL I love Skinny Cow cups because they're a perfect little serving and if I have enough calories leftover at the end of the day, I will eat one of those and feel so incredibly satisfied!

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