Dinner Calories (Save Them?)

puddles76
puddles76 Posts: 36 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am really new here and this is the first time I have tried focusing on calorie intake. It's going well but I'm just wondering if people have experiance in maybe saving a few extra calories for dinner on days they may know their eating out.

Today I am left with about 865 calories for dinner out of 1900 for the day which should give me a decent meal. But how about those Friday nights that I know I'm going to have a slice of pizza and a cocktail. Could I maybe eat 700 or 800 during the day and save the rest for dinner or would I just be hindering my progress? Any opionion or experiance would be greatly appreciated.

I guess it would go in reverse too because I love a big breakfast on occasion. Could I do that and eat light the rest of the day?

Replies

  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    That's what I do!!!
  • francescorkill
    francescorkill Posts: 36
    I actually end up with most of my calories for the end of the day. I am on a 1200 calorie budget daily so it is a little different. It looks like you have eaten about half your calories for the day so you are good. I average about 250-300 for breakfast, 250-300 for lunch and the rest for dinner with extra. That is without working out. Even when I work out and earn extra calories I will never go over 1300 calories consumed. It doesn't hurt to save up. My mom does it and I have done it a few times. :)
  • Aimee_PD
    Aimee_PD Posts: 177 Member
    thats what i do most days anyhow!
    i try to stay within 1300-1450 cals and i probably eat about 600 during the day and leave the rest for dinner and snacks..budgeting (or should i say cooking) lightly isnt easy for dinner since my husband is picky and i refuse to cook separate meals just so i can eat healthy! i do the best i can to stay "tight" with my calories during the day so i can enjoy dinner without worry. same goes for a night at a restaurant...i make sure to work out as well to help with that deficit i need!
    btw, dont know if this is how i should be doing it, but atleast im staying in my calories!
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    what I usually do is if I know I am eating out that day, I eat a very good breakfast and lunch, get in a great workout and burn maybe 800 calories and then I usually have enough left to eat what I want that one night (like tonight - had subway for lunch and banana for breakfast and now I am going out to supper with husband and as long as i choose wisely, I can eat pretty much anything because I burned 700 calories at the gym).....this works for me instead of going over on a day because then I don't feel guilty :)
  • jamaka1
    jamaka1 Posts: 412 Member
    i think if ur going to a party or special occasion i see no prob, while as u mention some days bkfst will be huge. I think its really important 2 stay within ur allowed calories, not when u consume it. However, if ur having a large meal then retire 2 bed that might be something u want 2 reconsider. good luck; its trial & error, and what works for you i think
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,338 Member
    Definitely use exercise and other meals to adjust to special meals and still stay under.
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I've been doing that and it's been fine. I'm still losing!
  • andreahanlon
    andreahanlon Posts: 263 Member
    I think it depends on the person. I eat 1500 calories a day and usually eat 1000 of them before dinner. I would probably be prone to binging if I didn't eat much during the day.

    I read something recently though on this site which warns against eating too much in one sitting:

    "Because the body doesn't store food in a pre-digested state, if you eat more carbs and fat then you need immediately, the body will save them for later in human fat cells (adipose tissue). This is important to realize because even if you eat the correct number of calories in a 24 hour period, if you eat in large quantities infrequently (more then you can burn during the digestion process), your body will still store the extra as fat and eliminate some of the nutrients."

    So basically, your body can only digest so much in one sitting. This paragraph is part of an article found in the Message Boards in the "General Diet and Weight Loss Help" section . The article is titled "Newbies Please READ me," and this particular information is in the last of the four hyperlinks.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    That's exactly what you can do! I had posted on my first day that I have a hard time with the weekends, because I go out more or I drink more, and people were saying to save extra calories throughout the week (perhapps 100 per day) and then go easy on the days I'm going out. If you weigh yourself every day you might see a change, but for weekly weigh-ins you should be good. It's nice to know that I can go out to dinner and drinks with my friends and not blow the whole week!
  • hungreeteacher17
    hungreeteacher17 Posts: 135 Member
    I do this all the time. I try to eat healthy low cal breakfast, lunch & snacks on days I am going out. It is important not to skip meals on these days or you will end up really overeating at the restaurant. Good luck!
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    That's the way I've done it. I've been at this for about a year and I reached my goal of losing over 40 lbs and keeping it off. I have two very active boys who need mega calories to grow/maintain, and I vowed at the beginning that this had to work with my family's life as well as mine. I believe it's the only way I'll be able to keep it off.
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