Does anyone else "save calories" for dinner (or another meal)?

ElJefeChief
ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
I've found out I actually don't really need much to get through the day. Usually a bowl of high-protein cereal with skim milk and berries for breakfast plus black coffee. Then lunch is salad and maybe some cheesesticks. Once my exercise is factored in, I typically have 1500-2000 calories to play with by dinnertime.

A couple days ago I took advantage of this and had KFC for dinner (my absolute favorite). I may actually indulge in one of those calorie-dense "chicken bakes" from Costco tonight, and have calories left over for a snack / dessert later.

It's nice to be able to have the room to indulge. Just takes a little planning ahead.
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Replies

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    I've found out I actually don't really need much to get through the day. Usually a bowl of high-protein cereal with skim milk and berries for breakfast plus black coffee. Then lunch is salad and maybe some cheesesticks. Once my exercise is factored in, I typically have 1500-2000 calories to play with by dinnertime.

    A couple days ago I took advantage of this and had KFC for dinner (my absolute favorite). I may actually indulge in one of those calorie-dense "chicken bakes" from Costco tonight, and have calories left over for a snack / dessert later.

    It's nice to be able to have the room to indulge. Just takes a little planning ahead.

    I do this on both a daily and weekly basis. It was awesome for me when I realized I didn't HAVE to have a big breakfast or eat every few hours. I also try to get my hard-to-hit macros and micros early on so I can indulge a little more at night. Yay calorie counting!!
  • boogiewookie
    boogiewookie Posts: 206 Member
    I do the same thing :-) first, I love dinner and used to have huuuuuge servings so I'm used to dinner being my main meal. also since I eat, put my baby to sleep, and head straight to the weight room I've discovered my workouts are so much more effective if I've recently had some carbs. today I had 1 egg+ 2 whites for breakfast, 1/2 grilled chicken breast and 1/2 cup corn for lunch. so I'm having Tacos for dinner :-) mmmmmm
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    yes
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,351 Member
    I actually just wrote a post about that this morning in this group:http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/107669-calories-in-calories-out
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    For sure. Dinner (or at least late lunch) is typically my largest meal of the day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I wish. I'm typically hungrier in the day, personally.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Yep. Skipping breakfast was the best thing I've done. Actually have a real dinner now.
  • VanillaGorillaUK
    VanillaGorillaUK Posts: 342 Member
    I do this.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Yep, I do the same. I like to have lots to eat at night. Tonight was an excellent example - I wanted some alcohol and pizza, so I saved up.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    I do. I can't work right if I'm too full so I save the most of my calories for dinner.
  • astraldr0p
    astraldr0p Posts: 6 Member
    yep, all the time. I am terrible at seeing what calories would be for dinner so I figure that it would be easier to allocate what I can. I dont eat much for the other meals anyway
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
    I totally do this too! It's kind of a mental thing. If I eat more than 1K calories by the time I get home after work (4pm) I don't have enough calories left for a decent dinner. So if I really cut back on breakfast and lunch and eat 700-900 calories, I know I have enough left for either one good-size dinner or a medium dinner and late night snack.
  • pumpkinpocalypse
    pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
    edited July 2015
    I used to do that, as i loved having huuuge dinners....but eating in such large quantities/so many calories at once made me feel physically sick everytime. So i stopped.
    I'm actually very very hungry all day anyway, so no way i could possibly not have a large breakfast AND lunch as well, otherwise i have no energy at all and blah. Dinner is still my most caloric meal a lot of the time, but just by 100 or 200 calories i guess. I feel a lot better since i started doing it that way, especially since I workout either around noon, or in the late afternoon, i need my load of carbs...But that's just me. I know a lot of people who just *actually* can't feel hungry in the morning or during the day, that's yay for them i guess! :')
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,698 Member
    In a way, I guess.

    I eat up to a certain number of calories by about 5 pm, which usually works out to less than half, sometimes as low as 1/3. And then the rest are for dinner and evening snacks. :)
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    Yep, I save calories every day, especially if I want my snacks. So I usually skip breakfast--(and yes I know I am not supposed to do that)--but I am never hungry in the morning, and I am not going to force myself to eat. I'll get hungry around 11 a.m.--and then it's lunch to me. Then I love my snacks at night, which is a little ice cream, some fruit and a low fat yogurt. It worked for me, I am at goal weight now.
  • scastor27
    scastor27 Posts: 204 Member
    Yep! I like to have more room in the evening. It's when I'm the hungriest and like someone else said I can't work right either when I'm too full at work. I usually have a decent breakfast and then some light snacks through out the day to hold me over.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    I hoard calories for after dinner dessert and snacks every day. Id rather have a small dinner and a big (still healthy-ish macro friendly dessert than have extra meats or potatoes with dinner. Sweet>savoury for me
  • joolieb1
    joolieb1 Posts: 140 Member
    I prefer a small breakfast and then I plan what I want for dinner including meat, potato and vegetables plus pudding. I then enter my cups of tea for the day (I use half sugar), then see what's left and plan lunch - could just b fruit if I have a high calorie dinner planned - or a salad! Don't eat snacks as I feel full most of the time!'
  • Katzedernacht
    Katzedernacht Posts: 266 Member
    I try to hit half my intake by half day :P well by lunch you could say,but I try to make one bigger food,the next smaller,so the dinner can be really light and i can sleep sound
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    annette_15 wrote: »
    I hoard calories for after dinner dessert and snacks every day. Id rather have a small dinner and a big (still healthy-ish macro friendly dessert than have extra meats or potatoes with dinner. Sweet>savoury for me

    Yeah I hear you there. Last night I had 200 extra calories and had to think if I wanted a 4th taco or some ice cream. Ice cream won. Then I was hungry one hour later.

    So much harder for me to fit in sweets now that I'm closer to my goal. It sucks.

    But yeah, I'm like @Katzedernacht I typically hit half my calories by lunch time, usually more. It's a miracle when I have more than 500 calories left for dinner. Really wish I was the 'not hungry during the day' type.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    Never. I get too hungry. I eat almost the same amount of calories for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks (when all my daily snacks are combined), spread pretty evenly throughout the day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    Every day. I don't eat breakfast, and my lunches aren't more than 600 calories. The rest of the day with dinner and snacks are opened up to another 1800-2000 calories depending on my workout that day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    Yup. This is a common practice for me. Like you, I don't need a lot to get me through the day, especially when I am really busy at work. I also really enjoy a bigger dinner in the evening, so "saving" my calories for dinner works for me. It also allows me to splurge once in a while on something that is much more calorie-dense than usual (i.e. pizza, burger and fries, etc.).
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
    Always! Never breakfast, rarely lunch, always a feast in the evening! :)
  • Um12tlwr
    Um12tlwr Posts: 12 Member
    Yes me too. I've found that I don't get as hungry in the mornings, but am very hungry and tempted to snack in the evening if I don't have a big dinner. Good planning!
  • gaborszollosy
    gaborszollosy Posts: 70 Member
    All the time. Dinners always were the hardest to resist meals of my day.
  • willboywonder
    willboywonder Posts: 137 Member
    Yes, I sure do. If I know I have a big dinner tonight at home or going out to a restaurant with bad options, I'll have very light meals during the day, mostly fruit and salad, saving up my calories.
  • acoustophoresis
    acoustophoresis Posts: 49 Member
    This is how I do the weekend without swan diving out a window on Monday morning.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Yes, absolutely.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    "Me too," he chimed in.
This discussion has been closed.