Almost Over Alloted Calories

AprilSchulte10
AprilSchulte10 Posts: 95 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So what is suggested if you are almost over your calories for the day and its not even dinner time yet?

Do you skip dinner?

Do you just chalk it up to a bad day and try again tomorrow??

Just Wondering.. Thanks

Replies

  • laura666666
    laura666666 Posts: 22 Member
    I think of it as a total for the week. So if i go over by say 500 due to a meal out with friends or something, then I'll eat 100 cals under for 5 days which really isn't so bad. Seems to work for me and I dont feel like I'm missing out!! I definitely wouldn't skip, you'll wake up starving and eat too much in the morning if anything like me.
  • ShaunaMcMac
    ShaunaMcMac Posts: 160 Member
    You can chalk it up to a bad day, but in the past I've gone for a run or a walk to "make room". Doesn't give you a lot of room, but it mitigates the damage.
  • ShaunaMcMac
    ShaunaMcMac Posts: 160 Member
    I think of it as a total for the week. So if i go over by say 500 due to a meal out with friends or something, then I'll eat 100 cals under for 5 days which really isn't so bad. Seems to work for me and I dont feel like I'm missing out!! I definitely wouldn't skip, you'll wake up starving and eat too much in the morning if anything like me.

    I defiantly agree to not skipping. I've tried this strategy before and I end up binging on fatty or sugary foods.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I try to have a sensible dinner, do a little extra exercise, and promise to do better tomorrow. Overall a "bad" day here and there won't do much damage as long as you have more good days than bad.

    But I think a lot of it depends on your mindset and relationship with food. I have a tendency to binge if I've given up on the day, so I have to find ways to forgive and forget so I don't do more damage to my goals.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    If not hungry, don't eat.
    If hungry, eat a sensible meal and put in another half hour on the elliptical.
    That's what works for me.
  • Born_2_Lose
    Born_2_Lose Posts: 59 Member
    You can chalk it up to a bad day, but in the past I've gone for a run or a walk to "make room". Doesn't give you a lot of room, but it mitigates the damage.

    This is true......I do some type of physical activity that would allow me to have more calories.
  • moliva4
    moliva4 Posts: 29
    It's been said already - but if I'm eating more one day... Or craving something that's bad (and of course eat said thing) I work out a little harder that day to account for it.
  • camberwellbeauty
    camberwellbeauty Posts: 50 Member
    You can always cut down a little every day to compensate, or just do some exercise to work it off....make some vegetable soup and have a large bowl before your lunch and dinner...x
  • adwilliams03
    adwilliams03 Posts: 147 Member
    Definitely don't skip! Your blood sugar will crash and you will crave every carb in sight. :/ Just eat something healthy, and don't worry too much about one day.
  • RobP1192
    RobP1192 Posts: 310 Member
    Yeah i go over my "supposed calorie limit" frequently. Not saying everyone can just disregard their calorie intake, but if it's just one day in a week, i wouldn't stress it. Especially if your dinner is going to be something fairly healthy and homecooked.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    Well, over the week if you've eaten all of your allotted calories, so whats another 300-500 gonna do.....not much...instead of a 3500 cal/week deficit you have a 3000 cal/wk deficit (assuming a 1lb/wk loss) not really as bad as people make it out to be. So instead of 1 lb (approx) its more like .86 lb loss. Although the body doesn't see it this way as linear...its really not as bad as folks make it out to be....If you hungry...eat and enjoy
  • Mrskatie
    Mrskatie Posts: 27 Member
    I agree with the others, Don't skip! Letting yourself get too hungry is setting yourself up for a binge.

    Try to have a very light, but filling dinner, go for a walk (or other activity) to make room.

    I like to use MFP to help plan. For example, this morning I was craving a caramel macchiato. If I continued eating my normal meals it would put me way over the calorie budget, so I used the calorie counter to figure out what will still fit within my goal. Turns out that today lunch will be lettuce wraps, and dinner will be a cucumber, tomato, cottage cheese and avocado salad.
    Remember to allow yourself at least one meal per week where you don't count. Having this treat meal will help keep you motivated and give you something to look forward to.
  • bnorris2013
    bnorris2013 Posts: 256 Member
    So what is suggested if you are almost over your calories for the day and its not even dinner time yet?

    Do you skip dinner?

    Do you just chalk it up to a bad day and try again tomorrow??

    Just Wondering.. Thanks

    I hope on my elliptical and earn some calories to cover me for dinner - If you don't have elliptical walk around the block - Look up youtube videos of zumba or 30 day shred and do a session - Anything to get yourself moving to earn enough calories for dinner.
  • kstahlke
    kstahlke Posts: 11 Member
    Have a veggie stuffed omelet (lots of nutritious food for very little calories) after a nice long walk and large glass of water.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    The real number that matters is the weekly total.

    Just eat normally for dinner and cut 50 or 100 calories off a couple days if you need to.
  • luckyjuls
    luckyjuls Posts: 505 Member
    I would have a big salad filled with yummy things (chicken, avocado, peppers, a few nuts) and then do some physical activity.
  • RunningMom42
    RunningMom42 Posts: 121 Member
    I go for a run.
    I also try to use MFP to plan and I pre-log my day whenever possible to give myself a better idea of where my day is headed. I like to do my research before I go out to dinner especially and pre-log so I'm not as tempted to make poor choices. That being said, I give myself at least one "free" meal a week that is a splurge.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Any chance you've been under a couple of days this week (can't see your diary)? Or could you try to burn some extra calories today? Or could you try to be under a little the next couple of days to balance it out?

    Eventhough our food diaries run on a 24 hour clock, our bodies don't. It's not necessary to eat exactly the same number of calories every day - as long as your average for the week works out to the proper deficit, that's what really matters. One bad day shouldn't ruin it!

    Do try to eat sensibly tonight. Pick something light but satiating like some grilled chicken with a big salad or steamed veggies. As others have mentioned, skipping just sets you up for a binge either tonight or tomorrow as you will definitely be hungry.
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    Go workout. Even if you're 1000 over, you can still burn 1000 calories today. It all depends how much you want to do it.
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I wouldn't skip dinner unless you are truly not hungry. I would write it up as a day over and try better the next day. I would also try to go for a walk or play Xbox Kinect to try to burn some more of the calories off so I can at least say I tried.
  • donafil
    donafil Posts: 4
    I do either one of the these three depending on how I've been doing calorie-wise:
    1) increase exercise to make "room" for the calories
    or
    2) if that's the only meal in a while where I've gone over, I just enjoy it and go back to my normal eating afterwards
    3) eat a huge salad with little dressing (few calories lots of nutrition) to fill me up at supper time.If you make a green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers and maybe a few nuts or sprouts on top, very little calorie wise but you will feel good....

    Definitely don't skip a meal - that's the worst thing to do - I end up eating salty fatty foods if I skip and get hungry.
  • rahlpn
    rahlpn Posts: 551 Member
    I'd have a light dinner (salad with chicken breast or eggs on toast for example) and go for a run beforehand.
  • kduc22
    kduc22 Posts: 1
    If you'd like to have more calories during the day maybe try eating different types of food that offer less calories but keep you full longer like beans (pinto, black), lean meat (chicken, grass-fed beef, egg whites) and green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, etc). Probably not as delicious as most standard breakfast and lunch items but it will keep you full longer and its pretty healthy. For example here are two my typical breakfasts' and lunches:

    Breakfast - 2 cups spinach (boiled)= 83 cal, 3 egg whites + 1 whole egg= 135 cal, 1/2 cup blk beans = 110 calories, grand total 328 calories.

    Lunch - Homemade teriyaki marinated chicken breast (sauteed), 7 oz= 263 cal, spinach =83 cal, 1/2 cup black beans =110 cal, grand total 456 calories.

    So there you see is an easy way to stay full for little calories then eat what you want for other meals. You can just take one meal a day like this or all 3-4 like I do haha. Whatever works best for you. Hope this helps!
  • marcsmommajen
    marcsmommajen Posts: 1
    I know everyone keeps saying salads are a good way to go. They're right... but sometimes you can overdo salads. At least I can. So in that instance I have a bowl of broth-based soup. Currently I have a sweet potato & Kale soup in my fridge that will be dinner tonight. Chicken noodle, minestrone, and vegetable are all good choices.
  • calculustiger
    calculustiger Posts: 39
    I break out some low-calorie options, such as vegetable egg-white omelets or seasoned chicken with vegetables, when this happens.
  • AprilSchulte10
    AprilSchulte10 Posts: 95 Member
    Thanks Everyone. I know one person said they usually give up on the day and thats what I did. we were so busy last night we just grabbed a pizza and i ate that for dinner.. Soo Today is a new day! Started breakfast off good so we will see how the rest of the day goes.

    I really appreciate all the feedback! :)

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