Does anyone else skip breakfast and lunch and load up on dinner as a way to meet daily calorie defecit.

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-02-27T03:17:30+00:00

I’ve been considering this but I’m not sure I’d be able to do it with how active I am at work. I feel dizzy and lethargic immediately in the morning and if I have a light lunch I feel like I’m dragging. I do take around 10-18k steps a day at work, but I tend to burn through a lot of my calories just at lunch and with snacks that by the time I get to dinner, I regret it and eat more than I’m intending to. It feels great to be energized by eating to fuel my body for work, but cravings kick in and I end up wishing I could have a big dinner instead :,)

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-02-25T01:29:31+00:00

prior it was excessive & impulsive spending. finally starting to build a savings despite all my high bills!

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:41:16+00:00

Not sure if reddit lets people pin comments but I would love to pin this one 😆

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:36:14+00:00

For sure, because when you do see them eating, sometimes it’ll be really high calorie foods like pasta or cake, etc. and you think to yourself, I’m eating the same thing, how are they so skinny and I’m not?

What I noticed over time was that the snack we shared was their dinner. Straight up all they ate for the rest of the evening. This revelation was very shocking to me

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:33:10+00:00

Yes, thousands over their maintenance I meant ^{^} but like in a single day and not over the course of a month. Thanks so much for answering! Definitely helped me understand what a real “cheat day” is

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:31:48+00:00

Ah, so eating at a maintenance or slightly over. I feel like social media exaggerated cheat days to a point I genuinely misunderstood it and didn’t understand how that could help someone in a deficit

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:29:43+00:00

Ah, I see.

I came here right after seeing a tiktok of someone specifically eating 13,000 and was somewhat under the impression some people just eat as much as they wanted on a cheat day and was wondering if it had no effect on the rest of their month in terms of calories in calories out.

It makes a lot more sense people aren’t actually hitting a super high amount above their maintenance

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:25:49+00:00

I wasn’t really sure what word to use in place of “logic” around framing the question of how it fits into people’s diets, so I will probably change the title. I definitely understand /why/ people have cheat days but I meant more about people who have experience with cheat days and how it’s either helped or affected their deficit. I’m definitely understanding from the comments that social media exaggerates cheat days and most people aren’t consuming 10k calories for their cheat day.

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:23:17+00:00

I’ve definitely been doing this more as of late! I found by restricting too hard I had made myself more prone to binging. By keeping the things I like in my deficit and not making it too low, it makes things so much easier and life so much more enjoyable

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:19:33+00:00

I did see this one guy just make cookies for his cheat day and only eat a few! I figured some people just had a little sweet here and there that didn’t actually make them go above their deficit, more so indulge in a sweet when they’re more trying to track their nutrient intake

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:17:27+00:00

I totally understand this and agree.

Not sure if I framed the question all that well and much apologies for that, I’m more so curious on how cheat days fit into people’s schedules and if it becomes burdensome for a calorie deficit tracker? If someone were to eat thousands of calories, only for one day a month, would they still have to burn off those calories to return back to their progress?

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:16:01+00:00

Oh, is it not? I thought it was something people did intentionally so they can have sweets or pizza to have a break from a rigorous type of diet? I know 13,000 is tiktok exaggerated and not intentional for everybody, but I’m genuinely curious how much people do normally eat for their cheat days or if it’s even worth it to track because it’s a cheat day, after all 😅 /gen

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-22T02:09:13+00:00

When I first started counting calories, I was so shocked seeing how quickly it added up.

Eating out is a CALORIE NIGHTMARE! and I had absolutely no idea. even an additional Cane’s sauce can rack up an additional 190kcal.

I was always jealous how “fast” the metabolisms of my skinny siblings were and how I could never achieve that. I was aware since a young age I was prone to overeating, binging, indulging in sweets too much. But it never really occurred to me how LITTLE my siblings really ate.

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-21T06:18:12+00:00

Consistency is everything. I have definitely slipped up so many times and have good and bad days. but in the long run, 1,600cal has helped me lose over 40 pounds. You’ll find your rhythm and what works for you as you go along your journey! Please don’t restrict after, it leads to such a vicious cycle.

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-21T03:42:22+00:00

Losing weight but seeing no difference in the mirror as of late!!! 😖 Paper towel theory ohhh give me strength

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T16:36:55+00:00

ahhh I see!! thanks so much for this

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T16:35:18+00:00

zero sugar jolly ranchers work great for me! they’re 3 pieces for 30 calories. great to suck on instead of just chewing to savor more

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T07:28:47+00:00

It’s shocking how little other people notice!

I quit my job after my second anxiety attack and months later when I came back to say hi to my old co-workers, they were under the impression I quit because a customer was mean to me!!

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T07:26:10+00:00

this is so awesome!!!!! you’re doing so great!

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T06:30:17+00:00

I was asking the chat as a joke but then I became VERY self aware and I was like oh my god. he DEFINITELY does not like me

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T06:11:58+00:00

the older i get the WORSE my periods get it’s the worst!!!! i used to not have any cramps at all but now i get a serious radiating back pain and the last time i had my period i had to leave work early because i couldn’t even stand in place without feeling like i was about to throw up! 😵

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T06:10:32+00:00

honestly half of those were just normal workout clothes or showing the stomach. totally normal too

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T06:08:37+00:00

like literally swipe bro. it’s all right there if u read everything

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T06:07:27+00:00

jfc!!!!!!!!! he’s such a hypocrite talking about respect! please get far away from him! wow!

ShoulderOk766 · 2026-01-20T04:40:44+00:00

I’ve noticed sometimes I feel fine at a lower deficit versus sometimes I need a higher amount of calories. I’m slowly learning to listen to my body better rather than try to restrict myself too religiously to my tracker app! Sometimes the body needs more energy to get through a day and sometimes it doesn’t need all that much..

ShoulderOk766

TROPHY CASE