Lasting the day...

melg51
melg51 Posts: 37 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

I am currently on 1300 calories, for the next few weeks I'm not doing all that much exercise whilst I finish my degree.

Today, I was invited out for dinner. So all day I saved myself so I would have around 600 calories for the day.. But by 4.30 I was feeling so ill because of lack of food - i obviously ate something then. But was just wondering if anyone had any tips for lasting the day if they know they have an event in the evening?

Thanks

Replies

  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    coffee is low in calories and can be an appetite suppressant. i also find that carbs, early in the morning, can help me stay satiated throughout the day. oatmeal, mixed with some peanut butter and a banana can be a great filling breakfast. then just graze throughout the day.

    you don't want to leave too many calories for dinner, because then you might get hungry and over eat. also, if you have a drink or two (three) you'll be having the first one or two before the food comes and you digest properly, so you can get sick.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    Protein! A cheese stick, hard boiled egg, yogurt. All relatively low cal and good amount of protein.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    You can't starve yourself all day, you're headed for a crash or a binge. Just eat a bit light and try to balance out your calories through the week. Your body doesn't run on a 24 hour clock that re starts at midnight
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    If I am able to have a really good breakfast I can make it to dinner with a few snacks like yogurt or a hard boiled egg. I have also been known to eat an entire bag of microwave steamer veggies =)
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    Josalinn wrote: »
    If I am able to have a really good breakfast I can make it to dinner with a few snacks like yogurt or a hard boiled egg. I have also been known to eat an entire bag of microwave steamer veggies =)

    What would you call a "really good breakfast?" :)
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
    I love fiber bars. I keep a box of the 90-cal ones in my desk all the time. They're sweet and surprisingly filling, and for 90 calories they're a much better option than anything in the office vending machines.
  • orlandodenise
    orlandodenise Posts: 54 Member
    A really filling lunch I eat is a v small egg ( whole ) 55 cal plus two egg whites from medium 20 plus little bit of dry fried onions and mushrooms and some wilted spinach and in an omelette . Also Doritos hot salsa as dressing ( only need little bit) adds up to around 110 cals and makes me feel full.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    Keep in mind that your target gives you a deficit. What's your maintenance, do you know? (You can use a calorie calculator from the web, or temporarily set MFP goal to maintenance to see.)

    It would be tough to save many calories on a 1300 cal diet, but if you know your maintenance number, you can plan to eat to maintenance for the day, or to have a smaller deficit than usual.

    It becomes too easy to see anything over your target as "failure" when it is not. You can make an informed choice to have no progress for the day (but not to go backwards either) or a smaller amount of progress. This is a pretty reasonable solution sometimes and better than making yourself sick.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    I just eat at my maintenance or a little over if there is an event. It's not going to kill all your progress, and it's a nice break from the restricted calories. Check out my diary, I did it last night with sushi.
  • sdado1013
    sdado1013 Posts: 209 Member
    my afternoon snack is greek yogurt, it helps tide me over
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    My maintenance according to mfp is 1800, which seems quite high!
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
    Well, there are two parts to this equation. Instead of thinking of "saving calories", perhaps reframe it into "how much exercise do I need to do?".

    I just has this last night. Dinner at friends with lots of wine, etc. I kindly asked the host beforehand what was on the menu, so I made sure to get a 2-hour bike ride in before, and a 40 min ride after. Took care of most of the calories, albeit not all! So I put them on the log for today and did another long ride.
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    db34fit69 wrote: »
    Well, there are two parts to this equation. Instead of thinking of "saving calories", perhaps reframe it into "how much exercise do I need to do?".

    I just has this last night. Dinner at friends with lots of wine, etc. I kindly asked the host beforehand what was on the menu, so I made sure to get a 2-hour bike ride in before, and a 40 min ride after. Took care of most of the calories, albeit not all! So I put them on the log for today and did another long ride.

    Yes, I would usually just exercise but for the next few weeks the gym is taking a back seat as I'm writing my dissertation - so I'm quite sedentary! Which is probably not helping with wanting to eat out of boredom etc!

    Thanks for the advice though!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Usually on a day like that, I would just go over, enjoy the meal, aim to hit around maintenance cals and call it a day. One day over won't undo any progress, and if you come in around maintenance, you won't gain (although you may show a temporary gain on the scale the next day due to high sodium typical of restaurant foods & water retention).

    At least one day a week I tend to be over my cal goal (which is 2000), and I've still managed to reach goal weight and keep it off. :smile:
  • Virgiree21
    Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
    What works for me is going light for breakfast ( whey protein and a beagle or cheese stick) then eat a nice portion for lunch and snack BEFORE I get hungry a little bit before dinner time. I usually snack on two things. Sun chips, a cheese stick or string cheese, almonds, pear, grapes, ect.
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
    Do you like Sauerkraut? You can eat an entire 500g/1 lb package for 100 calories! I guarantee that if you eat 500g of sauerkraut you will NOT be hungry! I have done this, it tastes great.

  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    I'm going to look Sauerkraut up! I haven't heard of it!
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
    So I see you're doing your dissertation. Great! If exercise isn't a priority for you right now, you can also try standing when doing your work or reading. I bet you have a laptop, they are easy to put on top of a shelf or whatever you have at uni or home. You can burn up to 50 calories an hour just by standing. This is great! Just imagine, after standing two hours you have burned off the entire package of Sauerkraut! You could easily stand for four hours a day (you should switch between standing and sitting) and then you've earned yourself either 2 bananas, 70 grams baguette, a large belgian beer, 3 medium apples, etc. Good luck!

    http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24532996

  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    db34fit69 wrote: »
    So I see you're doing your dissertation. Great! If exercise isn't a priority for you right now, you can also try standing when doing your work or reading. I bet you have a laptop, they are easy to put on top of a shelf or whatever you have at uni or home. You can burn up to 50 calories an hour just by standing. This is great! Just imagine, after standing two hours you have burned off the entire package of Sauerkraut! You could easily stand for four hours a day (you should switch between standing and sitting) and then you've earned yourself either 2 bananas, 70 grams baguette, a large belgian beer, 3 medium apples, etc. Good luck!

    http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24532996

    Thank you!!
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    plan these events in advance, by "reducing your calorie intake for 3-4 days in advance of the "BIG" meal... YOU can help yourself by adding more protein to your diet leading up to that meal as well avoid "quick burning carbs" like bread and pasta... stick to leafy greens, and "colourful" veggies like peppers, carrots, tomatoes, squashes of all manner... get your protein from, eggs, nuts, milk etc. I was having a problem sticking to my meagre Breakfast (2 pieces of dry whole grain toast and a tomato until I added 10 almonds.. NOW I have to remind myself to have my mid morning snack some days because the 10 almonds make that big a difference.

    Best of Luck :)
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Many people have said this or similar, but you have two options here:

    1) Aim for your maintenance calories instead of your deficit goal
    2) "Bank" calories so you've got some wiggle room.

    I usually go for the second option - I'll work out a little longer, eat a little less back, and try to have a few extra calories left over so I can stay in a deficit.

    But even if you eat higher than maintenance just one day...so what?

    If you have a 500 cal/day deficit right now (1lb/week), that's 3500 calories you COULD eat without gaining anything back.

    So on a day when you KNOW you're going to be going out and most likely going over your calories, remember that you've got 3000ish that are already "banked" for you. I would definitely say eat lighter (go for high protein, low cal food if possible) but make sure you're taking care of yourself!

    You'd only have issues if you think to yourself "oh, I can eat an extra 3000 calories every day and be fine." For a special occasion...enjoy yourself, and maybe try to have some leftovers to take home :)

    ~Lyssa
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    Many people have said this or similar, but you have two options here:

    1) Aim for your maintenance calories instead of your deficit goal
    2) "Bank" calories so you've got some wiggle room.

    I usually go for the second option - I'll work out a little longer, eat a little less back, and try to have a few extra calories left over so I can stay in a deficit.

    But even if you eat higher than maintenance just one day...so what?

    If you have a 500 cal/day deficit right now (1lb/week), that's 3500 calories you COULD eat without gaining anything back.

    So on a day when you KNOW you're going to be going out and most likely going over your calories, remember that you've got 3000ish that are already "banked" for you. I would definitely say eat lighter (go for high protein, low cal food if possible) but make sure you're taking care of yourself!

    You'd only have issues if you think to yourself "oh, I can eat an extra 3000 calories every day and be fine." For a special occasion...enjoy yourself, and maybe try to have some leftovers to take home :)

    ~Lyssa

    Thanks for your help. So if my maintenance is 1800, as long as I don't go over that on my "bad days" (once or twice a week) then I shouldn't be putting on any weight? I just won't be losing it either?
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
    While you're checking out sauerkraut, look into kimchi. It's a bit of an acquired taste but it's also low calorie and has lots of antioxidants. I spent 4 months in Korea and it was a substantial part of my diet (2-3 times a day) and it made my skin sooo nice.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Average by the week. Most days stay under your goal so that once or twice you can go over. It's all about CICO, and burning calories is the CO part. As long as you are doing that, you should be fine.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    You have 8 pounds to lose. Since you said your current maintenance is 1800, I guess you entered 1 lb/wk as your goal? It really should be .5 lb/wk. That will up your calorie goal and hopefully make it easier for you. Just make sure you are accurate with your logging.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    edited March 2015
    melg51 wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    Many people have said this or similar, but you have two options here:

    1) Aim for your maintenance calories instead of your deficit goal
    2) "Bank" calories so you've got some wiggle room.

    I usually go for the second option - I'll work out a little longer, eat a little less back, and try to have a few extra calories left over so I can stay in a deficit.

    But even if you eat higher than maintenance just one day...so what?

    If you have a 500 cal/day deficit right now (1lb/week), that's 3500 calories you COULD eat without gaining anything back.

    So on a day when you KNOW you're going to be going out and most likely going over your calories, remember that you've got 3000ish that are already "banked" for you. I would definitely say eat lighter (go for high protein, low cal food if possible) but make sure you're taking care of yourself!

    You'd only have issues if you think to yourself "oh, I can eat an extra 3000 calories every day and be fine." For a special occasion...enjoy yourself, and maybe try to have some leftovers to take home :)

    ~Lyssa

    Thanks for your help. So if my maintenance is 1800, as long as I don't go over that on my "bad days" (once or twice a week) then I shouldn't be putting on any weight? I just won't be losing it either?

    Right now you have a 500 cal deficit a day, for 3500/wk. If you eat at 1800 twice a week, you now have a 2500 cal deficit. So that's still a deficit and you should still lose. Eating to maintenance twice a week will not mean you maintain. Unless you are wildly inaccurate with logging.
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member

    Right now you have a 500 cal deficit a day, for 3500/wk. If you eat at 1800 twice a week, you now have a 2500 cal deficit. So that's still a deficit and you should still lose. Eating to maintenance twice a week will not mean you maintain. Unless you are wildly inaccurate with logging.[/quote]

    Thanks so much for doing all the maths for me!! I'm currently set to lose .5 kgs a week
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    For me, lots of protein and fats earlier, keep me sated longer.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    edited March 2015
    melg51 wrote: »
    Right now you have a 500 cal deficit a day, for 3500/wk. If you eat at 1800 twice a week, you now have a 2500 cal deficit. So that's still a deficit and you should still lose. Eating to maintenance twice a week will not mean you maintain. Unless you are wildly inaccurate with logging.

    Thanks so much for doing all the maths for me!! I'm currently set to lose .5 kgs a week
    [/quote]

    If my kg to lb conversion is right, I think that's too aggressive for your 8 pound goal. That's about 1lb/wk, right? You really should try .5lb/wk. It can be slow going, but with 8 pounds to lose, that's just how it's gonna be. Of course, if you are eating to maintenance once or twice a week, you're getting closer to that .5lb/wk, anyway. But, just something to keep in mind.
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
    veganbaum wrote: »
    melg51 wrote: »
    Right now you have a 500 cal deficit a day, for 3500/wk. If you eat at 1800 twice a week, you now have a 2500 cal deficit. So that's still a deficit and you should still lose. Eating to maintenance twice a week will not mean you maintain. Unless you are wildly inaccurate with logging.

    Thanks so much for doing all the maths for me!! I'm currently set to lose .5 kgs a week

    If my kg to lb conversion is right, I think that's too aggressive for your 8 pound goal. That's about 1lb/wk, right? You really should try .5lb/wk. It can be slow going, but with 8 pounds to lose, that's just how it's gonna be. Of course, if you are eating to maintenance once or twice a week, you're getting closer to that .5lb/wk, anyway. But, just something to keep in mind.[/quote]

    Can you tell I'm awful at math? Yes, 0.5 kg is a pound so thanks for the advice, I will definitely keep it in mind!
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