Skipping Dinner

DivineFidelity · 02-01-2012, 12:09 AM

So....I was wondering....

Is it bad to skip dinner if you really just aren't hungry? I didn't eat all my calories today, but for some reason I'm not hungry. I did eat lunch later then usual, and had a LOT of fiber and protein today....so is it bad if I don't eat? I'm just not hungry.

I feel like I should listen to my body when it tells me I'm not hungry.....but at the same time I had between 1,000 and 1,100 calories today. Do I need to FORCE myself to eat more? I normally eat about 1,800 calories a day....so this is really low for me.

Candeka · 02-01-2012, 12:42 AM

It's fine to be below your calories once in awhile. As long as you don't make a habit of it then you are fine.

duckyyellowfeet · 02-01-2012, 12:43 AM

I say no, its not bad. I will also say that when I'm in this situation, I use it as an excuse to get a small treat in--a glass of wine, 9 Hershey's kisses, etc.

Some days, you're just not hungry

JessLess · 02-01-2012, 03:54 AM

I ate under 1,000 calories for 3 days in a row because I wasn't hungry and I blacked out, so be careful!

Kitcherella · 02-01-2012, 04:03 AM

I initially read Skinny Dipping - no problem with that!

Maybe my brain refuses to even read about skipping dinner!
As the people above said it's not such a big deal unless you overdo it.
Maybe you could just have some fruit or some nuts.

melodymist · 02-01-2012, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Candeka

It's fine to be below your calories once in awhile. As long as you don't make a habit of it then you are fine.

I agree. Sometimes I'm also not hungry so I skip dinner hehe!

Eurus · 02-01-2012, 05:36 AM

Skipping dinner should be fine. But you should eat like a snack or something tho. From what I've heard you should eat something every 3-4 hour.

irishlad · 02-01-2012, 06:03 AM

Yeah "they say" ideally eat something every 3-4 hours as it keeps the metabolism going and its not overloaded at your next meal.

Jelbb · 02-01-2012, 08:11 AM

I agree with the above. Not hungry? Great! That means you won't be tempted for crap food! Instead, use your lack of interest in eating to quickly have the most ridiculously healthy snack you can imagine.

No-sugar added organic applesauce at 60 calories for half a cup.
A couple of strips of turkey bacon for 70 calories.
Half a cup of frozen blueberries and a low-cal no-sugar added yogurt for 100 calories.

I don't think by any means that you should stuff yourself with an entire large meal if you're not hungry... but tummy rumbling off the walls or not, your body needs fuel, and your metabolism needs to keep going. You may not be hungry around dinner time, but by the time you wake up, your body will have been fasting for roughly 12 hours if you don't eat at all.

That's my two cents anyhow.

Last night my tummy started rumbling after I got in bed. I'd used most of my calories, but I got up and ate two spoonfuls of organic applesauce, just to keep my body going until breakfast.

sontaikle · 02-01-2012, 08:29 AM

I think just as once in a while going over your calories is ok, going under is ok too.

Listening to your body is important!

DivineFidelity · 02-01-2012, 08:41 AM

Well i didnt eat anything last night, i woke up and i am STILL not hungry...

I am a little concerned now this might be a side affect of the new medication they switched me to for my adhd/ sleep insomnia. I'm gonna chug a protein shake for breakfast because i cannot imagine eating anything solid.....and i will hopefully be hungry by lunch time.

If it IS a side affect of the medication....is that so bad? I figure if i make sure i eat 1800 caloriea every couple days and have a low day every once in a while, thats okay right? Honestly.....shouldnt having mybappetite supressed HELP me on this journey? Lol

Jelbb · 02-01-2012, 10:41 AM

Hey, having a low calorie day in between 1,800 calorie days is AWESOME! Helll, zig zag back and forth between 1,100 and 1,800 frequently!

However. Do it intelligently. Don't skip meals... just eat lower calorie meals and snacks every 3-4 hours. If your new medication is suppressing appetite, it means your body isn't reminding you of when it needs fuel. Skipping meals frequently could result in-- like someone above said-- you passing out because you aren't aware that you haven't been fueling your system.

1,100 calories is the absolute lowest I would EVER go, and I'd really reccommend zig-zagging between 1,200 and 1,800, but it is your decision of course.

Just... try to make sure you're eating every 4 hours at least, even if you don't feel hungry. You don't have to stuff yourself, but a couple hundred calories every 4 waking hours would roughly result in a day like this:

Breakfast - 250 calories
Snack - 100 calories
Lunch - 350 calories
Dinner - 350 calories
Evening snack - 100 calories

Taa-daa. 1,150 calories, and you ate all day long.

And it's easy to meet those calories with filling lunches and dinners, especially if you incorporate in looooow calorie favourites, like broth soups. (38 calories for a cup of chicken broth soup)

Just... don't skip meals all over the place. If you unknowingly are under-fueling your body, and let it go into "starvation mode," where it doesn't know where it's gonna get it's next hit of energy, it'll hang on to every ounce of food you put into your body and store it as "emergency" fat. The exact OPPOSITE of what you want!

DivineFidelity · 02-01-2012, 11:32 AM

Jelb, I hadn't even thought about it like that before. I've always been taught that meals were large and snacks were tiny/non existent...so it never crossed my mind that a meal under 500 calories would really be a meal. That's how I was raised, and it's definitely contributed to my weight. Growing up a normal meal would be 900 or 1000 calories, on a good day....so 350 calorie lunches and dinners seem so tiny. I know now what my body needs for fuel and what I am used to giving it are two different things....

maybe this side effect of appetite suppression will help me to relearn what portion sizes really should be and how much food I really need....not how much I want. From what I have read online, the appetite suppression in adults doesn't always last, but for now I can use it as a tool to help my weight loss journey.

I had a 180 calorie smoothie earlier.

I have a 500 calorie lunch packed (which I may or may not eat all of), and about 320 calories of snacks packed. I work from 8am to 6pm....so I have a long day and this way I can snack. I packed this much yesterday though and just couldn't make myself eat it....so we will see.

worst case I will start drinking more apple juice. Yeah it's empty calories, but I love it, and so I could at least get my calorie intake higher.

sontaikle · 02-01-2012, 11:38 AM

Oh yeah I had to get out of the mindset too! My breakfasts are ridiculously small, but filling! My lunch is also small...dinner is where I have a "big" meal, but it always varies.

Here's my breakup so far for today:

Breakfast: 150
Snack: 200
Lunch + Snack: 350

Sooo 700 so far and I have about 1100 left to play with. I'll probably have another snack when I get home (around 2:30) and depending on what dinner is I will have another snack after I get back from the gym.

Dinner is always a toss up for me. I still live at home so I eat what my mom makes. Luckily she cooks quite healthy most of the time!

Jelbb · 02-01-2012, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivineFidelity

maybe this side effect of appetite suppression will help me to relearn what portion sizes really should be and how much food I really need....not how much I want.

Yeah, I think this is something that most of us struggle with. I read somewhere that the size of dinner plates has been slowly increasing over the years. In the 1960s, the average dinner plate was 8.5 inches in diameter. NOW, the average dinner plate is 12 inches (a foot!) wide.

Restaurants don't help either, portions are massively skewed... I find myself going to the occasional restaurant that gives proper portion sizes, and when they bring out my meal, I decide, just by LOOKING at it, that I will not be satisfied by this tiny amount of food. By the end of the meal, I am full, but still mentally feeling as though there should be more food left on my plate....

Temporary appetite suppressant sounds like it could definitely be a blessing with regards to retraining yourself to exercise proper portion control!

And it sounds like you're doing well with your breakfast and snacks so far. Try the smaller meals for lunches and dinners a few times, and see how you fare on those days when you're not feeling hungry-- but no skipping!!!!