So, I've heard this idea before, and I think I'll try it: tracking calories from dinner one night until dinner the following night. So, the start of the "day's" tracking would be dinner time rather than breakfast.
The advantages are that dinner seems to be the least predictable meal for me and the biggest meal for me. It's easier to control calories for breakfast and lunch.
I really like this idea. Dinner is the most unpredictable meal for me also. I don't really have a problem with breakfast or lunch. I think I'm gonna try this and see how it works.
That would be fabulous for me b/c I tend to eat the most at night, but during the day it's no big deal if I don't eat much. So if I go overboard at night I can just compensate by eating a lot less the next morning/afternoon. Hmmm. I'm thinking 6pm-6pm.
It sounds too easy though... like there's got to be a catch! Am I missing something?
Actually, I originally heard about this idea years ago on a WW thread but never tried it. Then, I was on another forum the other day, and a guy mentioned that this is how he tracks.
RJ 1980, I thought to myself, "It actually sounds too 'easy' to be true!" I'm going to give it go. I actually sort of started today. This has been sort of a crazy eating out weekend for me (I'm away as well). But Saturday night, I ate out and would have done okay if I hadn't hit the bread basket one too many times (I would ask the waiter to keep that away from the table, but I couldn't deprive everyone else). Anyway, today, I actually just wasn't hungry until late morning, when I had 1/2 a whole wheat bagel with a thick slice of roasted turkey (from Whole Foods) and a slice of American cheese. Then, I was so occupied the rest of the day that I didn't eat anything else until dinner---but my dinner was at an Italian restaurant, so the bread basket was an issue again. So, all I have to do is eat lightly for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, and I'm so full as I type this that I'll bet I won't even be hungry for more than fruit for my breakfast.
I'll check in this week to let everyone know how this goes (and maybe you guys could check in as well!)
I have just started tracking this way. You're so right, dinner is the highest point meal, and usually not as easily planned for than breakfast and lunch,
so when I track my dinner first it gives me a great framework for how to play out my breakfast and lunch.
That's a great idea. I read awhile ago someone actually ate their meals backwards. Dinner in the am, breakfast at night. I actually tried it for a week. It was unusual but I did pretty well on it :-).
Okay, I thought it was time for an update: I've been trying this and I just cannot seem to make it work. I don't even know why I can't make it work either. I've been thinking about it, and maybe it's just the "looseness" of it all---like is the snack I eat prior to dinner part of my "dinner" or my lunch? Also, I already had a strategy in place for dealing with unexpected dinners (e.g., the nights my husband says, "Let's go out to eat tonight" and I don't want to be the party pooper); I usually cut back the next day. That's been working well.
Maybe I'm just so used to the "breakfast-lunch-dinner" paradigm that I'm finding it awkward to switch, but in any case, I'm going to stick with the standard way of counting for now. I may try counting starting with dinner if my current method stops working.
I used to work swing shifts, and it wasn't an easy swing (the schedule was so unpredictable there were 5 different shifts, and it wasn't unusual to work 4 different shifts in a two week period - I swear the assistant director who made up the work schedules was a sadist.) It would get so confusing that I used a midnight-to-midnight account, so that it would be consistent.
I've also used the dinner as a starting point, but at the time I was eating dinner at a very consistent time.
I think how you count doesn't matter nearly as much as that you do, and that your method is relatively consistent. When I don't lose, it's never been because of my counting method, it's been because I didn't follow my plan.
This is a great idea! I've been ditching out on going out for dinner with practically everyone because I was afraid of the huge amount of calories after having a day that was spread out evenly.
Just remember that breakfast and lunch are more important meals for your energy levels and that you should at least have 400 calories for each of those meals for your metabolism
Does anyone track starting with dinner?
