Eating very little in the day to enjoy a nice dinner
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If I know I'm having a particularly large dinner, I'll add those calories in first and work my other meals around that.
Yep this.
I do 16:8IF (starting to transition to 19:5IF), and I usually eat two meals a day with one snack. My main meal is at noon and can easily be over 1,000 calories. On days where we have supper plans it's not a big deal to just push my big meal to the evening slot and then eat a lighter meal at noon. Meal/calorie timing is a preference thing and you can move things around to suit your schedule.0 -
Yeah, I do this quite often. Thankfully though, my maintenance calories are still high, so it's a bit easier.
If I were to be on 1500-2000cal/day though, I'd probably break my foods up into really small meals like breakfast would be an egg, and a slice of bread. First break would be a greek yogurt, lunch would be a protein shake, and then second break would be some other snack under 200 calories. You could get away with around 600 calories (probably even less) spaced out, and still feel sated, I'm sure.0 -
OP, that is exactly what I do. Losing weight is much easier for me this way because it's how I've always eaten. I wasn't raised on big breakfasts or lunches. Dinner was always the family meal where we consumed most of our calories. Once I went back to this, it all became easy for me.0
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I eat mostly at work and have a light dinner. If I waited until dinner I would overeat. But if it works for others then go for it.0
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LolaKarwowski wrote: »I'm not sure how many calories would be considered a nice dinner. Maybe 600-700? I only have 1500 cals to eat (to lose .5 lbs a week) and after a small breakfast, small lunch, and my snacks I feel like I'm not left with much left.
600-700 cals doesn't sound particularly excessive.... In fact if I was only left with 600-700 cals at dinner time I would probably be a little twitchy, because I like to leave room for wine and/or dessert. Are you eating back your exercise calories?
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If I'm going out for dinner I will eat light meals in the day so I have the bulk of the days calories leftover for the evening meal. I wouldn't say I eat very little though - I will have something like a bowl of fruit for breakfast and Ryvita cracker breads with ham, dairylea & cucumber for lunch. Still getting plenty to eat in the day but low calorie foods. It's not something I make a habit of though.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
This post makes me think that eating very little throughout the day to have a big dinner might not be for you. If snacks are getting you through the day, then won't you feel overly hungry without them?0 -
I try to eat 400-500 calories around 11am-12pm and the rest between 4pm and 8pm. I don't feel hungry all day and I've saved my calories for the evening, which is when I eat most anyway. I eat about 1500.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »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
This post makes me think that eating very little throughout the day to have a big dinner might not be for you. If snacks are getting you through the day, then won't you feel overly hungry without them?
Possibly. But since I haven't tried it yet I really have no idea. I just know that I have cut out a lot of my favorite foods in order to try to get in as much protein as possible all the while trying not to starve. I can't seem to find the right balance. (Feel full + get all my protein in + be in a calorie deficit)
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i do the opposite, most of my calorie intake is during the day and i'll just have like a protein shake at night0
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LolaKarwowski wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »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
This post makes me think that eating very little throughout the day to have a big dinner might not be for you. If snacks are getting you through the day, then won't you feel overly hungry without them?
Possibly. But since I haven't tried it yet I really have no idea. I just know that I have cut out a lot of my favorite foods in order to try to get in as much protein as possible all the while trying not to starve. I can't seem to find the right balance. (Feel full + get all my protein in + be in a calorie deficit)
You sound like you might benefit from IF like a few other posters have suggested. If you can make it through the adjustment period of eating 3 meals + multiple snacks daily, then you might do well with it. You could do an eating window from lunch through dinner and have a reasonably sized lunch, maybe one snack, then a large dinner. This gives you the freedom to have large dinners without having to feel like you are hungry all day long because you can only eat 100-200 calories at a time throughout the day until dinner.0 -
LolaKarwowski wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »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
This post makes me think that eating very little throughout the day to have a big dinner might not be for you. If snacks are getting you through the day, then won't you feel overly hungry without them?
Possibly. But since I haven't tried it yet I really have no idea. I just know that I have cut out a lot of my favorite foods in order to try to get in as much protein as possible all the while trying not to starve. I can't seem to find the right balance. (Feel full + get all my protein in + be in a calorie deficit)
I wouldn't be able to eat the way I like without the extra exercise calories (I don't eat all of them.)
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I do that all the time. I usually skip breakfast, so I can have a nice lunch and dinner, and I always have room for dessert. If I eat in the morning, I tend to snack too much.0
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I don't know, what you are describing is not at all what I thought this post was going to be about. If you are talking about needing 600-700 cals, out of about 1500 total, then no, I don't think that is extreme at all. I wouldn't even call that intermittent fasting or anything like that, it is approximately 40% of your total calories in one meal. That seems pretty normal to me, I don't think very many people eat 3 identically sized meals every day.
When I first read the title, I thought you were going to say that you eat, I don't know, greater than 80% of your calories in that one meal.
What would your ideal day look like OP? You mentioned cutting out your favorite foods, what were those? What are your stats (height, weight, how much are you trying to lose, how much have you already lost)?
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I am not much of a breakfast eater by nature and I tend to eat the bulk of my calories at night. It works well & allows me to eat with the family with very little planning. And dessert!0
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LolaKarwowski wrote: »I'm not sure how many calories would be considered a nice dinner. Maybe 600-700? I only have 1500 cals to eat (to lose .5 lbs a week) and after a small breakfast, small lunch, and my snacks I feel like I'm not left with much left.
thats an average dinner for me LOL
i go in stages for everything, but generally i skip breakfast and lunch and dinner are up in the air but i eat what i want. if i eat a huge lunch, its usually a smaller dinner, and vice versa.0 -
LolaKarwowski wrote: »Anyone do this?
Does it get easier after a while?
Lots of people do this. For some, it gets easier. For others, it doesn't.
Only way to know is to try.
Good luck! :drinker:0 -
This isn't an everyday occurrence for me, but if I know we are having dinner at a nice restaurant then I am likely to skimp on lunch or skip altogether so I can have a glass of wine with dinner!0
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This isn't an everyday occurrence for me, but if I know we are having dinner at a nice restaurant then I am likely to skimp on lunch or skip altogether so I can have a glass of wine with dinner!0
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When I was eating around 1500-1600, I liked to save at least 600 for my dinner. 700 made me happier.
Now that I have 2000 to eat, I like to have the occasional day when I have a 1000 calorie dinner. Or 1000 for a couple evening snacks (pre dinner snack, post dinner snack...I like snacks) and dinner.
Now that I think about it, I'd say the majority of my calories are eaten after 3pm. I just don't get very hungry in the mornings so 500 calories holds me over easily. I prefer a small lunch at work so I don't feel stuffed.
As long as you aren't depriving yourself it isn't an issue.0
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