1PM and you only have 300 calories left for the day. How would you spend them?

Your food log settings are not so much rules as they are guidelines.

Apple?

I would exercise and then have Cod for supper it is very high in protein and low in calories. I would have a vegetable side dish and a 1/2 cup of potatoes. You can fill up on that meal for under 300 calories

My "I don't have many calories left but want a filling dinner" go-to:

Season and grill up (on grill or in a skillet) a chicken breast (120 calories for a 4oz serving), bell peppers (30 calories for a whole red bell pepper) and onions (20-25 calories for half an onion).

You can use the extra 125-130 calories either on an extra serving of chicken breast, a few small Reeses cups for dessert (3 miniatures is 132 calories), or a cup of 2% milk with or after dinner (124 calories).

Two recipes come to mind for me...both from skinnytaste.com. My go to would be her baked eggplant sticks...it's like eggplant parm but in the form of dunkers. It's actually a side dish, but when I want to keep my cals low or just want to pig out without feeling guilty about it I eat 1/2 an eggplant for dinner this way. Under 200 calories I believe. They are lightly breaded, then baked and you dunk in marinara to eat. Then I'd still have room for a snack!

The second recipe of hers I like that is light and fills me is her stuffed pepper soup. It's a little more in calories but right around what you have left for the day.

Also, as others have mentioned, try to squeeze a little activity in for a few more calories.

I would exercise more so that I could eat more. That seems to be the secret. If I don't get in enough exercise, I struggle to make it below my daily calorie limit. So you get to eat more, and you are speeding up your metabolism, burning calories, etc.

mitch16 wrote: »

Go work out and earn some extra wiggle room.

+75 minutes of heavy cardio and eat pizza

I think I'd be over for the day and exercise to minimize the impact. Then, tomorrow you can always be under by a bit to make up for it.

I'd most likely do my go to and pack in some protein like some egg beaters and then something else small to go next to it. I run into this every once in a while as a result of the candy bowl that sits in my office at work.

I usually have my diary all filled out for the whole day in advance. If something changed, I would eat less the rest of the day or just exercise more. It isn't that hard to burn 100 calories.
If I was going over by 50 calories I would not think about it and just move on but going over by 500 calories would be too much. It wouldn't ruin everything but would tell me I needed to plan better and react differently in future.
healthyeater.com/what_do_300_calorie_meals_look_like

First I'd tell myself firmly not to fall into the "f***-it-this-day-is-lost-anyway" trap.
Nothing is lost.

Second, I'd try to make healthiest-possible choices. So, nutrient rich, low fat, low sugar (for me anyway) with probably some lean proteins as that's what makes me feel full.

Next, I'd try to fit in a work-out, even if it's a brisk walk to the store to buy some chicken breasts or whatever.

Finally, give myself some credit for doing what I could to salvage the day and make the best of the situation
Tomorrow's another day!

Huge salad w/2 hardboiled eggs + 120 cal worth of dressing, or bump up to 3 eggs and just use good vinegar.

That was me at noon. I went for a two hour bike ride and now that's not me anymore.

I'm with the ones who would go and workout or if not possible then id just go over. Hunger isnt in my plan. I'd look at why it happened and then readjust calories.