Radical Advice
So, how did skipping dinner (because I ate six cookies in the afternoon) work out for me?
Well, I hate to be the one to contradict virtually all of the “established” advice, but skipping that meal turned out to be a great move.
Why? Well, first of all, those six cookies, at about 60 or 70 calories apiece, cumulatively equalled the same calories I would have had in dinner, more or less. So by skipping dinner, I didn’t consume any extra calories overall. This meant that I could go to sleep knowing that I hadn’t blown it entirely, that I would likely not gain weight as a result of my impulsive mini-binge.
Second, after eating six cookies in one sitting (okay, separated by maybe three or four minutes between helpings), I felt truly full and bloated. To force myself to eat something after that, even if it were a healthy dinner, would have been counter-productive. And it would have contradicted my first rule, to not eat unless I am truly hungry. (Hey! Wait! In fact–except for the quantity–I could stretch it and say that eating those cookies did, indeed, comply with that first rule! Oh, all right. . . that’s just deluding myself). So by skipping dinner, I was teaching my body to STOP EATING once I’d had enough.
Third, the bonus in all this was that I woke feeling okay–not bloated, full, etc.–and wasn’t even hungry for a few hours after waking. I went about my business in the morning and had regular energy, for which I was thankful.
So, would I advocate skipping a meal if you’ve overindulged? Well, yes and no. It did seem to work for me personally, but of course I can’t advise anyone else to do the same. I can, however, suggest that I will follow this very advice only if I’ve been eating properly the rest of the day, or week, or month. . . in other words, I wouldn’t go around eating cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then skip the next breakfast, lunch or dinner (which would also consist of cookies, or chocolate, or whatever) to compensate.
