What would YOU do? 🧐

If I tried to skip dinner, it would bite me in the butt the next day because I'd be ravenous. I'd eat my normal dinner and just move on.

I think the most-right approach will be individual and situational. Your suggestion sounds reasonable.

With weight management goals, having and meeting eating goals is very important . . . but stress, anxiety, or obsession over them can be counterproductive, perhaps psychologically risky.

One isolated day is a drop in the ocean. What matters is the typical day, and the average over many days.

IMO, intentional, unpleasant "make up for it afterwards" strategies aren't helpful. For me, they can backfire.

If I know I have an over-goal possibility coming up - a special event or restaurant meal - I might bank a few calories in the days beforehand (eat a little under calorie goal) so I can indulge at the event but average out where I want to be, and/or eat lighter earlier in the day of the event.

In an unplanned scenario like you describe, I'd log it, then eat a lighter dinner if not hungry, or a typical meal if hungry; then resume normal routine the next day.

Have dinner, unless I'm full from what I've already eaten. Accept that my deficit for the week will be smaller (unlikely I would eat enough in one day -- 3500 calories over maintenance -- to completely erase my planned deficit).

My personal approach is also along the lines of "move on". I might eat a smaller dinner, or plant-based like others have proposed. Oftentimes, I'll find an excuse to go for a walk. A good, hour-long walk can make room for a few extra calories (200-300, depending on speed and exertion) in your daily budget. Plus, you get all the health benefits of an hour-long walk!

Eat dinner, log it. ONE day of going over your calorie goal isn't going to stall your weight loss --- your goal is already set to a deficit, so even going over it might not be over your TDEE anyway.

Also --- Not eating the rest of the day, or eating less the rest of the week, or exercising more --- are all ways that feel like 'punishment' for eating too much to me and that's not an association with food or activity that I want to engage in.

I plan my entire food intake and calorie count for the day, the day prior, and switch out calories if I deviate from the original food. I try to eat more filler foods later on (cabbage leaf, carrot, cucumber) if my calories get out of balance early in the day, but I do try to stick to the calorie limits. I've missed lunch so I could enjoy cake at a morning gathering, and count the cake as my lunch, and then shift the rest of my calories throughout the day. It's a lot of work, but losing weight takes work. I also try to factor in calories not eaten the day before if I'm overly hungry. I don't think I'd ever try to deny myself my allocated calories the next day unless I simply wasn't hungry due to overeating the day before. But it happens - that I eat way less the next day because I'm full from a heavy meal the day before. To be hungry the next day and deny myself my base calories would be defeatist for me. I'm in agreement with the others, that you simply move on. Tomorrow's a new day.

some people overthink way too much for trivial things

Reviewing your food diary is also healthy, to see where you could tweak things. I had 25g of butter with my spinach the other day, so I posted about it on the boards, and people recommended cooking it in some water and adding 5g of butter instead. Very helpful!

I would probably exercise more. That way I would feel more accomplished in my day having exercised more and was within my calorie goal because I exercised more. Haha