Eating very little in the day to enjoy a nice dinner
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I guess it depends on how you define "very little" (during the day)? If you have 1500 for the day, and plan on eating 700 at dinner, that could leave you with a 400 breakfast and a 400 lunch. That's not "very little" in my book!
I do tend to keep my meals lighter when I know I'm going to have a large dinner (usually on the weekends), but not to the point where I'm hungry.0 -
My breakfast and lunch are pretty light, a snack or two in between, and dinner is usually the biggest meal, but I'm definitely not starving before dinner.0
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You might want to look into intermittent fasting. I follow the 16:8 schedule where I skip breakfast altogether, eat about 500 kcals for lunch, eat dinner, and sometimes a snack. All of my calories are consumed from about noon to 8:00.
It really works for me.0 -
I guess it depends on how you define "very little" (during the day)? If you have 1500 for the day, and plan on eating 700 at dinner, that could leave you with a 400 breakfast and a 400 lunch. That's not "very little" in my book!
I do tend to keep my meals lighter when I know I'm going to have a large dinner (usually on the weekends), but not to the point where I'm hungry.
Hmm, maybe I eat too many snacks? I usually eat my breakfast (egg whites + protein drink) at 10am. At 12pm I'll eat some chicken slices (2oz) with some grapes) and then at 3pm I'll have my snacks which is usually a banana with a 100 cal snack. At night time as a 'desert' I'll eat my granola bar which I REALLY don't want to let go of because it helps me not go crazy if I'm still hungry after dinner. Snacks are what kinda get me through the day though
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I bank calories so I have more flexibility for dinner. It works pretty well most days. I do get pretty hungry and run out of energy in the late afternoon and some days that is definitely uncomfortable. My diary is open. I think this manner of eating is sustainable for me since I pretty much have been maintaining for 8 years. I believe I need a bit more protein0
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No I try to space out calories. Usually I work out at night and don't want to eat all those calories back at 7pm so I eat a larger breakfast to compensate. If I am going out or know I will eat something more calorie dense, I might scale back some earlier meals. If I don't eat a lot of calories throughout the day, I end up binging.0
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I usually have a small cappuccino or iced latte that I make at home for breakfast, then a 300-400 calorie lunch, and a 100-200 calorie snack during the day. Then I use the rest of my calories for dinner and a snack or dessert before bed. This works for me because I'm naturally not very hungry in the morning. However since you ask if it gets easier then I assume you are still feeling hungry during the day? In that case I would add more calories in earlier in the day. Also maybe experiment to see what foods keep you full for longer. I find Greek yogurt as a snack and a having a healthy source of fat with meals keeps hunger away.0
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I try to go easy on calories early in the day to give me more flexibility in the evening. Generally I shoot for 200-300 calories for breakfast, 350-500ish for lunch then save the rest (my daily goal is 1500) for some combination of afternoon snack, dinner and dessert. If I exercise, I get all 3 of those.
Of course that all changes when I know I'm going on a long bike ride. Then I eat more at breakfast and lunch to fuel the exercise, dinner may be bigger too.
You have to find a balance that works for you. If you're feeling hungry, try adding some more proteins or fats to your food. That may help you feel fuller.0 -
If I know I'm having a particularly large dinner, I'll add those calories in first and work my other meals around that.0
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LolaKarwowski wrote: »I guess it depends on how you define "very little" (during the day)? If you have 1500 for the day, and plan on eating 700 at dinner, that could leave you with a 400 breakfast and a 400 lunch. That's not "very little" in my book!
I do tend to keep my meals lighter when I know I'm going to have a large dinner (usually on the weekends), but not to the point where I'm hungry.
Hmm, maybe I eat too many snacks? I usually eat my breakfast (egg whites + protein drink) at 10am. At 12pm I'll eat some chicken slices (2oz) with some grapes) and then at 3pm I'll have my snacks which is usually a banana with a 100 cal snack. At night time as a 'desert' I'll eat my granola bar which I REALLY don't want to let go of because it helps me not go crazy if I'm still hungry after dinner. Snacks are what kinda get me through the day though
Without seeing your diary, I'm not sure how many calories this adds up to, but I'm guessing roughly 200 at 10am, 200 at 12pm, 200 at 3pm, 150-200 for dessert. So that's roughly 800 calories, with 700 left for dinner. I don't see any problem with this UNLESS YOU DO. You asked if it gets easier, so it sounds like this method leaves you hungry throughout the day. It's really up to you.
I didn't seek out the IF method, but it turns out I guess I naturally follow a similar pattern (except I eat in a 9ish hour window rather than 8 hour, and I end my eating earlier in the day).
I eat breakfast around 8am (300 calories). It is well balanced and keeps me full until noon,
Lunch at 12pm (300 calories - again, nutrient-dense and keeps me full)
Snack at 3pm (100-200 calories)
Dinner at 5pm is roughly 300-400 calories. Immediately afterwards I eat dessert--usually a chocolate variety protein bar to get me to protein goal, 190 calories.
Ends up about 1400ish calories over a 9 hour window.
Saturdays are my only sleep in day, so I use that to my advantage and eat breakfast a little later (9/9:30am) but still eat dinner at 5pm.0 -
I eat under half daytime then other half for after work, dinner and grazing
I find it easier to plan whilst I'm at work rather than at home0 -
i do, graze more during the day. and then I can eat more in the evening when I got out with friends. I cannot always move more before or after. so sometimes I make a deficit early in the day so I do not go over in the evening. not often but sometimes.0
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I usually like a light breakfast and lunch so I can pig out at dinner. I typically save about 900 calories so I can eat whatever I want in the evenings. It keeps me from feeling like I'm actually eating at a deficit, and sometimes I'm left with enough room to have dessert.
I did attempt to save even more for dinner last night. My father in law wanted to barbecue for all of us and he likes to add all sorts of delicious but calorie dense stuff to his cooking. I got super hangry and irritable and had to have a snack before dinner. Thankfully I didn't eat as much as I thought I would and was able to stick to my goals anyway0 -
I've done it numerous times.
Meal timing doesn't matter. If it works for you, it works for you.0 -
I use a greater proportion of my calories in the evening, but I also make sure I put in some exercise every day so I can top up with half the calories I earn.0
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The best I can do is have a big lunch late and not eat for the rest of the day.0
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I eat the heaviest meal of the day at noon so that my body has time to burn calories before I go to sleep.
Oh brother. I didn't realize when we sleep, we're actually dead.
OP, try to plan ahead your meals. I want pizza for dinner, so I had a salad for lunch. Whatever works best for you is your best bet.
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I don't eat very little during a day when I'm going out to eat but I will eat less, and exercise more. Also, I plan to take half the entree home.0
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