Eating over half my calories for supper

0AmyMarie0
0AmyMarie0 Posts: 315
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
I need to plan out my meals better so I *know* what I'm having for supper. Lately, I save over half my calories for the day just for supper, because I don't know what meal I'll have in the evening and I don't want to go over. I know that isn't healthy so I need to plan a menu for the week. Any good ideas?

Also, what kind of alcoholic beverages can you enjoy? I like to have a drink now and then in the evening, but the stuff I usually drink is so high in calories!
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Replies

  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    There's nothing unhealthy about eating half your calories for dinner
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.
  • 0AmyMarie0
    0AmyMarie0 Posts: 315
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    There is no metabolic benefit to meal timing. Many people, including myself, skip breakfast altogether and still lose weight just fine.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    I ate all my calories yesterday in one big, protracted meal except for some pre-work protein.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    Sometimes I eat all my calories for supper, and I haven't died yet. I think its ok.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    This.

    My dinner is around 900 cals, bedtime snack is 300, every day, without fail

    Leaving me about 5-600 to eat during the day. As has been said, meal timing is irrelevant.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    I plan my entire week when I go to the grocery store every Saturday. I pre log my meals daily so I know many calories I have for each meal. I do tend to eat a minimum of 500+ for dinner because that works for me.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I prefer a big meal at night. It doesn't seem to be doing me any harm.

    Re alcohol, spirits are better than wine, wine is better than beer.

    Vodka, whisky, nice and low in calories. If you like a neat single malt, that's probably your best bet. Vodka with a low cal mixer (diet bitter lemon, slimline tonic) or a juice (tomato juice is low cal and bloody marys are *good*).
  • 967_1111
    967_1111 Posts: 221 Member
    I save 1/2 my calories for the hours between 5:30pm and 7:30pm, every day. Dinner, post dinner snack. Lost 30 pounds last summer and maintaining just fine now.

    This works for me, so if 1/2 for dinner works for you, awesome!
  • happyhiram
    happyhiram Posts: 89
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    Your metabolism doesn't slow down at night. As a matter of fact your body can't tell the difference between 2 am and 2 pm.
  • mamitosami
    mamitosami Posts: 531 Member
    I eat 1000 calories a day in 'snacks'! Everyone's different... My snacks are healthy though (generally!). I like to graze... eggs, almonds, pb and banana on pita bread, fruit, veggies... you get it... So my meals have to be relatively small--a piece of meat and vegetables!
  • Apazman
    Apazman Posts: 494 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    There is no metabolic benefit to meal timing. Many people, including myself, skip breakfast altogether and still lose weight just fine.

    I typically only eat 1 meal per day ... and it works fine for me.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    I do the exact same thing and have been worried too! I just hate wating to many calories early in the day because then I freak out and worry I will go over, and I am always hungry at night no matter what I eat during the day so I mind as well save the calories for when Im hungry! But it seems to working for lots of us so dont change whats works I guess!
  • cressievargo
    cressievargo Posts: 392 Member
    If it works for you, go with it.
    Me, I have to do the bigger breakfast or I get thrown off all day....and honestly, I have more TIME to eat in the morning. Hubby is home, one kid at school. Dinner time w/ hubby at work & 3 kids is kind of hectic.
  • moniqueb39
    moniqueb39 Posts: 30 Member
    I need to plan out my meals better so I *know* what I'm having for supper. Lately, I save over half my calories for the day just for supper, because I don't know what meal I'll have in the evening and I don't want to go over. I know that isn't healthy so I need to plan a menu for the week. Any good ideas?

    Also, what kind of alcoholic beverages can you enjoy? I like to have a drink now and then in the evening, but the stuff I usually drink is so high in calories!

    I have found good recipies on Cooking Light.com and Martha Stewart.com ( light and healthy section). Also I like to have a drink now and then too so I stick to red wine. its good for your heart and doesn't leave me wanting more. I keep my intake to one or two glasses.
  • Silverstar46
    Silverstar46 Posts: 187 Member
    I try to leave myself between 800-1000 for dinner/snack. I think most of us do it. I don't know about you, but my worst moments are AT night, so the more calories I have during that time available to me, the better off I will be of keeping my weightloss goals.

    Do what works for you. Screw the so-called experts who are usually peddling some gimmick or trick!
  • christinajohnson
    christinajohnson Posts: 102 Member
    My biggest problem is actually breakfast. I'm actually afraid of being hungry over the course of the day, so I eat way too much to start with and depend on my exercise too much to burn calories. I think that this is not something I will be able to maintain and need a healthier plan for the day. Smaller meals throughout.
  • Gabriall
    Gabriall Posts: 101 Member
    my brother and I have put a lot of thought into alcoholic drinks... and have finally come to the conclusion that southern comfort with diet coke is one of the lowest options at 55calories a drink (confirmed by soco themselves... yanno after we worked out the difference between american fl oz and english fl oz)... red wine/rose also low.. and carling, despite being barely passable are the only alcohol company (that I know of) that actually print the calorific value of their drinks on the can which is awsome of them!

    I think you need to balance total volume of the drink (aka how long you are going to be drinking it for) with the calories... Soco and diet coke while not my faverate is my usual go to drink for ease.

    then again, i usually get all the way through working all of this out and then settle on my usual... diet coke.
  • MsBaby117
    MsBaby117 Posts: 201 Member
    Have you tried the "Skinny Girl" drinks...They are pretty good and very low in calories...

    http://www.skinnygirlcocktails.com/skinnygirl-products :drinker:
  • spskinny
    spskinny Posts: 96 Member
    Glad I'm not alone. I leave 700-1000 for dinner and evening. That is when I am hungry, and most likely to go off program so, I adjust for that. I always eat breakfast and lunch but I keep them small and low in cals.
  • Fubar_Bill
    Fubar_Bill Posts: 120 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    Your metabolism doesn't slow down at night. As a matter of fact your body can't tell the difference between 2 am and 2 pm.

    I don't know about your body, but my body is asleep at 2am and doesn't use anywhere near the calories as it does when I am up and working at 2pm.

    Metabolism vs consciousness?
  • Gabriall
    Gabriall Posts: 101 Member
    My biggest problem is actually breakfast. I'm actually afraid of being hungry over the course of the day, so I eat way too much to start with and depend on my exercise too much to burn calories. I think that this is not something I will be able to maintain and need a healthier plan for the day. Smaller meals throughout.

    I completely agree, and have tried a number of different things to address this and finally I have settled on porrage, it is a slow release which is good, I usually work out right after that and then have lunch afterwards and it sets me up for the day.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I plan out my meals for the week. Each day I input my meals so I know how much I can have for snacks. I make sure the snacks are healthy. I also like to allow my self a small treat so I dont feel so deprived.
    I like vodka with diet cranberry juice with a splash of lime.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    Yes dear, you're misinformed. I eat half my daily calories after 6 pm most of the time. I've tried spacing them out evenly throughout the day in either 6 small meals or 3 big ones & I ended up eating at times I wasn't hungry then starving at bedtime. No way am I going to bed hungry, then waking up RAVENOUS. Why put yourself through that misery? I've found eating more later in the evening is quite natural for me & I am still able to meet my calorie targets.

    And if you want to drink alcohol, fit it into your calorie target. Or don't...I have a spike day every weekend & sometimes I drink heavily on that day. Assuming you behave yourself the rest of the time, it won't hurt your weight loss.
  • onedayillbamilf
    onedayillbamilf Posts: 662 Member
    I have no good ideas. I love to eat most of my calories at dinner. I don't have time to make a yummy breakfast in the mornings and I don't like lunchy foods, so....

    But thanks for asking.
  • kfox15
    kfox15 Posts: 97 Member
    At first I tried to really balance my cals over the entire day but I found that I was really hungry at dinner but I can go with a lighter lunch. Dinner is the only meal I eat at home during the week so I really like to slow down and cook and enjoy it. What I've been doing is pre-planning and packing my breakfast, lunch, and am and pm snacks so I know exactly how much I have left for dinner. I like to save 600-700 calories but that doesn't always happen. If I am in for a particularly rich dinner, I'll break one snack into two (2 300 into 2 150) and then tack on the extra at dinner.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    I get panicky if I don't have at least 1000 calories available for supper + evening snack.

    Haha It's not only me then!! Good!

    I thought your morning-mid day meals were supposed to be the largest, and the smallest meal should be your evening meal because your metabolism slows overnight. Is that incorrect?

    Your metabolism doesn't slow down at night. As a matter of fact your body can't tell the difference between 2 am and 2 pm.

    I don't know about your body, but my body is asleep at 2am and doesn't use anywhere near the calories as it does when I am up and working at 2pm.

    Metabolism vs consciousness?

    That is activity calories. Metabolism calories are your BMR which makes up about 75-80% of the calories you burn in a day. That doesn't stop at night.
  • mskari77
    mskari77 Posts: 142
    My calories tend to be spread out fairly evenly throughout the whole day, about 300-400 calories a meal, 5-6 meals.
    For drinks, we usually drink vodka and OJ, or vodka and cranberry...or when we splurge we drink 2 year scotch, Dewar's 12 year is one of our favorites.
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    I too save most of my calories for supper and snack! Makes me much happier. Usually under 300 cal for breakfast and around 300 for lunch.
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