To go over or not?
 

Dilemma: I made a not so good choice for lunch today. It's over and done with, I can't change it and I'm back on plan now. But that choice put me almost at my calorie limit for the day. I'm not sure whether I should just go ahead and eat my regular dinner, which is my big (read: most calorie dense) meal of the day. Or whether I should adjust my dinner to be the fewest amount of calories possible while still actually eating something. I refuse to not eat at all, so that's not an option... Just wondering what everyone else would do or what your opinions are on the subject. Thanks!

I would eat dinner so I wasn't hungry, but have some of the less caloric foods on hand. Like maybe a lighter dinner, but I would NOT go hungry or skip it. Good luck!

I would let my hunger be my guide. If I have a large lunch, I'm not usually hungry at dinner so I'll eat lighter. Listening to and responding to your hunger signals is so key. Going over your daily caloric target one day will not undo any of your progress.

I agree that you should let your hunger be the guide (i.e., don't eat your most calorie dense meal "just because" you had it planned out to eat). If you are hungry, eat something good, healthy and nutritious to fill you up. I would, of course, eat something but if you are not very hungry maybe don't eat the most calorie dense meal that you had planned.

I would try to eat less calories for dinner to offset the other meal. Drink lots of water and make sure you have protein to regulate the blood sugar. If you find that you're still hungry, you could always have the rest of the calories that you would normally have at dinner.

If I am not hungry, I stop eating for the day. Sometimes I really am hungry and I need to eat something. First I have to ensure I am really hungry and not just suffering from boredom. If real hunger is the case I usually make a large salad leaving out all the high calorie items such as eggs, cheese and meats. I find that if I stick to the basic lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, celery, green pepper type of salad I can get a lot of food for very few calories. I use low cal salad dressing on my salads. My personal guideline is if the salad dressing has more than 20 calories in 2 table spoons, I won't use it.

Larry,

How many calories do you have left for today ? That should be your guide.

less calories...more bulk!

That's what I AM doing...had great pizza for lunch and plenty of fiber rich fruit, some nuts and yogart!:D

I'd have a little salad, and maybe go to bed a bit earlier (that way you won't have any late night nibbles due to eating such a big lunch)

If I am hungry for dinner, I eat. I generally try to keep it light and lean (a baked pork chop and green beans, for example, is very satisfying and under 300 calories!) but if I try to skip or cut back too far on dinner I set myself up for a binge. So I generally just eat a nice, healthy dinner if I am hungry, or a snack if I am not, and move on :)

that sounds SO yummy right now haha.. under 300 calories?? do you season it with anything?

I know what is for dinner tomorrow night! haha :D

find something lower calorie for dinner.

This day is but a drop in an ocean of water. Forgive yourself and follow your stomach. If you constantly have this problem, it may be time to re-evaluate your eating habits.

Without question you should eat a less calorie dinner. And it may be today's dinner or tomorrow's. It's all about balance. Don't be upset with yourself about having a lunch you enjoy. In fact, allow yourself a splurg at lunch once a week if you want. So long as you adjust your calories for that later. Whether it's later that day, or the entire next few days, it doesn't matter. Balance your calorie intake by the week. That way, you can eat whatever you want knowing that you won't always eat whatever you want.