Calorie Break Down by meal for weight loss???

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BLawyered
BLawyered Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, to help me stay on track and lose the most amount of weight possible, I've broken my diary into these sections:
Early morning
Mid morning
Afternoon
Late afternoon
Evening
Before bed

I would like to make my calorie goal 1200. I'd like to have my "before bed" goal at 100 so that i can have a drink or snack in the late evening. How should I break down the other 1100 calories over the 5 other sections? What division of calories is best for weight loss? Thank you!
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    It's personal preference
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Division of calories doesn't matter for weight loss. Split them however you like.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited April 2017
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    1 meal of 1200 calories is same for weight loss as 12 meals of 100. you do you boo. Whatever you are happiest doing is whats right to do.

    All my meals are 200-400 roughly i eat 4-6 times a day mainly the 250 cal range + 1 400 for dinner
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    In whatever way best fits your lifestyle and satiety. Meal timing may have some relevance for very specific fitness goals, but is irrelevant for weight loss.

    I personally ate a really light breakfast and lunch when losing weight, skipped the snacks, and ate most of my calories after 7 PM. It worked well for me because it fit my preferences. Other people don't eat at all for a big portion of the day, others have multiple meals like in your plan.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    However you prefer. Makes absolutely no difference. Some people like a lot of little snacks, some people (like me) prefer to have one or 2 larger meals.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Early morning 200
    Mid morning 150
    Afternoon 300
    Late afternoon 150
    Evening 300
    Before bed 100

    You do not really need to eat them at a certain time, but this is kind of how I break it down. But I eat breakfast, lunch dinner, morning snack and afternoon snack.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    However you like...I typically have a pretty small breakfast...larger lunch...a couple snacks in the afternoon and dinner is typically my largest meal
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 185 Member
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    I have my diary set up for roughly the same time frames and it is open if you want to check. but for me I tend to eat the bulk of my meals before 1pm and don't usually snack in the afternoon
  • BLawyered
    BLawyered Posts: 32 Member
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    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing? I mean it's undeniable that some people can eat as many calories as they want and stay stick thin because they have a crazy awesome metabolism. How does that factor in? And the thing about not eating a lot too late at night before bed?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    BLawyered wrote: »
    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing? I mean it's undeniable that some people can eat as many calories as they want and stay stick thin because they have a crazy awesome metabolism. How does that factor in? And the thing about not eating a lot too late at night before bed?

    Those are myths.

    The person with the "crazy awesome metabolism" is staying within the calories they need to maintain their weight -- they may be moving more or not eat as much as they seem to (my husband will demolish a huge dish of ice cream, but then not eat again for 15 hours or so). We don't need to eat constantly to keep our metabolism running -- it's running all the time. And you can eat before bed if you like -- the only reason to avoid it is if it gives you heartburn.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited April 2017
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    BLawyered wrote: »
    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing? I mean it's undeniable that some people can eat as many calories as they want and stay stick thin because they have a crazy awesome metabolism. How does that factor in? And the thing about not eating a lot too late at night before bed?

    Some people do have better metabolisms but sadly that's rare and it's genetics. You won't find out if you lose more or less than average unless you try to lose weight at a normal level of calories and for some reason it won't work or you're losing way more than you should etc. I think it can be a little better to eat smaller meals more frequently but in the long term it won't make much difference if any. You can eat before bed too. No biggie. The only issue is if you weigh in the morning obviously you'll weigh a tiny bit more since you ate right before bed but you'll still lose the same amount long term. Regular exercise will boost your metabolic rate so you burn more even at rest.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    BLawyered wrote: »
    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing? I mean it's undeniable that some people can eat as many calories as they want and stay stick thin because they have a crazy awesome metabolism. How does that factor in? And the thing about not eating a lot too late at night before bed?

    Mythology...I don't graze all day and I eat dinner at around 8:30 most nights. If you need 3,000 calories to maintain weight then you need 3,000 calories to maintain weight...I would need to eat around 2,500 calories to lose about 1 Lb per week...when I take those calories in is largely irrelevant.
  • sarasmile0710
    sarasmile0710 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm not a nutritionist or anything but personally I have noticed a difference when I spread my meals out rather than when I was eating just 3 regular sized meals a day but that's just me. There's articles out there to support anything if you look hard enough but here's some tips from WebMD and one of them is to budget your day for some snacking in between meals but honestly talking to a doctor the next time you go would probably be the best thing to get a better answer!

    "Eating more often can help you lose weight. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at mealtime."

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    BLawyered wrote: »
    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing? I mean it's undeniable that some people can eat as many calories as they want and stay stick thin because they have a crazy awesome metabolism. How does that factor in? And the thing about not eating a lot too late at night before bed?

    I wish I could change my metabolism with meal timing. Everyone would have a great metabolism if it were that simple. Myth.

    Losing weight at a moderate pace (strength training, adequate protein) and retaining a larger % of lean muscle mass will help, but it will only take you so far.

    Most people I know that seem to be able to eat what they want are very active.
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
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    funkyfunk25 wrote: »
    I'm not a nutritionist or anything but personally I have noticed a difference when I spread my meals out rather than when I was eating just 3 regular sized meals a day but that's just me. There's articles out there to support anything if you look hard enough but here's some tips from WebMD and one of them is to budget your day for some snacking in between meals but honestly talking to a doctor the next time you go would probably be the best thing to get a better answer!

    "Eating more often can help you lose weight. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at mealtime."

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism

    The bolded part is the only operable part when it comes to weight loss. It's because they're eating less due to being less hungry at meals, and that results in a deficit.

    The rest of that, about the metabolism? It's snake oil. Spurious. Not genuine. Fake as a three dollar bill.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    BLawyered wrote: »
    But what about the whole "graze all day" aka several small meals leading to a better metabolism thing?
    Eating healthy snacks might help keep blood sugar stable, which could make it easier to eat less overall. If it helps with your energy level, it might also help you be more active through the day. Eating unhealthy snacks wouldn't help though.

  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    edited April 2017
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    "Hey that light snack was almost fun. I'm not full. I'll sit here and think about the next meal I get in two hours".

    I'm not sure this is a good thing.
    The strategy of snacking, if that's what you do, should be to fill up temporarily. If you're still hungry, the snack probably wasn't enough. Of course, it depends what you're snacking on. It's hard to fill up on something calorie-dense like crackers and cheese, and still have calories left for meals. But if you're eating vegetables or a light soup, it may be a lot easier. Training yourself to enjoy snacking on different foods is helpful here.

    ETA I realize you were posting about 6 meals. Just adding this because planned regular snacking is halfway between "3 meals only" and multiple meal grazing.

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