How do you spread out your calories?

stevepax

I mean, how much do you eat for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks?

I see so many people who put together a decent, healthy lunch for 350 calories or so. But I'm noticing that if I eat a 300 calorie breakfast, a 300 calorie lunch, and a 500 calorie dinner, that leaves me a whole ton of other calories I need to eat in order to keep from starving to death, or from passing out at the gym from not eating enough.

So lately, I'm trying to do about this:

300 Breakfast
500 lunch
500 dinner
500 snacks (usually 2 or 3 throughout the day)

How do you spread your calories to make sure you aren't left with a ton at the end of the day you can't eat?

AJ_G

I do:

0 calorie breakfast
1000 calorie lunch
1000 calorie dinner
0 calorie snacks

I'm never hungry until around 11 or 12 so I never eat breakfast. I don't find the need to snack because my lunch and dinner is so big.

leebesstoad

Until this week, when I've gone to a rather radical cyclical ketogenic diet, I had tried to spread my calories out fairly evenly throughout the day in 5-6 mini-meals. Somewhere between 250-400 calories at a time. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, but my body got used to being fed very regularly and my metabolism really did speed up. I was never hungry (not that I am now but this is not the norm).

michellechawner

I'm changing mine up at the moment because of doctor recommendation... i'm doing about

300 cal breakfast
200 cal snack
300-400 cal lunch
200-300 cal snack
400 cal dinner

the lunch and snack gives me 200 leeway for night snack.

I need to eat smaller meals because of digestive tract issues, so I'm trying to break it down throughout the day more evenly.

I used to do:
200 cal breakfast
600 cal lunch
200 cal snack
400 cal dinner

jojeh2011

mine is something like:
200 calorie breakfast - 9am
500 calorie lunch - 12pm
200 calorie snack - 2pm
200 calorie snack - 5pm
400 calorie dinner - 7pm
200 calorie snack - 9pm

AJ_G

Until this week, when I've gone to a rather radical cyclical ketogenic diet, I had tried to spread my calories out fairly evenly throughout the day in 5-6 mini-meals. Somewhere between 250-400 calories at a time. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, but my body got used to being fed very regularly and my metabolism really did speed up. I was never hungry (not that I am now but this is not the norm).

Your metabolism did not speed up...

KimJohnsonsmile

I don't plan my meals around the calorie count, but I've been faithfully logging for about a year and a half and I'd say that I pretty consistently do 350/breakfast, 400/lunch, 400-500/dinner, and then a couple low-cal snacks throughout the day. It's worked well for me so far.

khannickwechanged

I am currently eating 1200/day and trying to work up to my TDEE of 1900. Currently, I aim to follow this:

6 am Breakfast: 200
12 pm Lunch: 300
6 pm Dinner: 500
9 am and 3 pm Snacks: 100 each

I'll probably add a little to everything except dinner as I bump up my intake. And I never end up eating EXACTLY that number of calories, just a rough guide to keep things in check.

shaleyn

Couple hundred for breakfast, anywhere from 300-500 for lunch, then about a thousand for dinner and beyond, depending on what my all-knowing fitbit says when I sync it after getting home from work.

seniorbug2003

I am aiming for 2000 a day.
I know my breakfast is 250-300 depending on what I choice (I have 3 go to breakfasts)
Then try to stay under 600 for lunch.
I know my dinner is going to be large my husband is a great cook so I budget if for 1000 each day.
Anything I have left I put in some to snacks.

pbsilva1968

I divide my calories by 4 and stick close to that. 1/4th for each meal, then another 1/4th to use for snacks.

pippywillow

I don't think too much about how I divide my calories, and there's probably a better way.
Usually it ends up being:
100-200 breakfast
100 snack
300-400 lunch
100 snack
400 supper
100-300 dessert
I like ice cream :laugh:

stealthq

Usually:

300-400 Cal breakfast
300-400 Cal lunch
300-400 Cal dinner
300-400 Cal dessert *yeah, that's right, I have my cake and eat it too *

Lately, because I have three fine dining special occasions coming up in the next two weeks (one is tonight) and I'm saving Cals so I can enjoy without feeling guilty or having to compensate after the fact:

100-200 Cal breakfast
400 Cal lunch
400 Cal dinner
100-200 Cal dessert

seltzermint555

Generally speaking, I have:

300-400 cal breakfast
400-500 cal lunch
400-500 cal dinner
100-200 cal snack (in just one snack, sometimes in the evening if I am under on calories by quite a bit but sometimes it's "dessert" eaten directly after lunch)

kjoy_

I'm on 1200 because I'm short but usually

Bfast: 200
Lunch: 300
Dinner: 500
Snacks: 200

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MelsAuntie

My only criteria for that is convenience and what I'm in the mood for at the moment. Sometimes the main meal is in the middle of the day, sometimes at night, anywhere between 2 and 9 p.m. Sometimes the main cal intake is at breakfast. The only thing I pay any attention to is total calories at the end of the day. I'm set at 1700 but always eat less than that, sometimes a little less, sometimes a lot, depending mostly (again) on what is convenient.

Nefetete

I eat anywhere between 1700 to 1900 a day and here is how most of my days look like.

0 Breakfast ( ok 10 cals for coffee x 2 haha)
300 -500 2pm lunch
100 - Snack
800 - 7pm dinner
500 - Evening snacks (usually after dinner)

I am never hungry in the mornings and its always go go. However I spend time w family in the evenings and its usually lots of food. So customized my calories to fit my lifestyle even if that means eating at midnight )

PippiNe

I am eating 1200 - 1350 calories a day:

Breakfast: 325
Lunch: 425
Supper: 450-550
Pre or Post workout snack: 100 (usually a yogurt or cheese stick)

Tony_Brewski

I mean, how much do you eat for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks?

I see so many people who put together a decent, healthy lunch for 350 calories or so. But I'm noticing that if I eat a 300 calorie breakfast, a 300 calorie lunch, and a 500 calorie dinner, that leaves me a whole ton of other calories I need to eat in order to keep from starving to death, or from passing out at the gym from not eating enough.

So lately, I'm trying to do about this:

300 Breakfast
500 lunch
500 dinner
500 snacks (usually 2 or 3 throughout the day)

How do you spread your calories to make sure you aren't left with a ton at the end of the day you can't eat?

Yes please do what everyone else does because that is exactly what will work for you. Find what fits your style and go with it. Some people need bigger breakfasts and smaller lunches or visa versa. Find what fits you.

Ajjf

Yes please do what everyone else does because that is exactly what will work for you.... Find what fits you.

Totally. My spread usually varies depending on the structure of my day. After breakfast all bets are off. and if I find myself at a deficit at the end of the day and I'm not hungry? To heck with it. I'm not going to eat just for the sake of it if my body doesn't need it.

LoosingMyLast15

mine varies but here's the range

breakfast: 300-350
snack: 200
lunch: 350-450
snack (not always): but 100-150
dinner: 400-500

GormanGhaste

typical day:
500 breakfast
700 lunch
900 dinner

PriceK01

I never really dibbied it up that way, I just eat. Some days I have to go lighter at dinner, or cram in some extra food before bed, so maybe I should?

TribeHokie

I'm at 1200 right now, eating back exercise calories if I'm hungry for them.

I roughly follow this:

Breakfast: 200
Lunch: 300
Afternoon snack: 100
Dinner: 400-500
Post dinner snack: fill in to eat up to daily goal

I know there are a million "why you should/shouldn't have a 1200 calorie goal" threads, but seeing everyone's responses to this one really shows me that a lot of people here target over 1200. I'm definitely paranoid about upping my cals but my mindset has slowly been coming around to accepting that I don't have to lose 10 lbs a month to be a success. But that's for another discussion...

tmpecus78

2:00pm (20%)

4:00pm (20%)

8:00-10:00pm (60%)

Wabbit05

200-300 breakfast
200 snack
300-400 lunch
200 snack
400 dinner
0-200 snack

meadow_sage

I try to eat 5-6 times per day. With breakfast, lunch and dinner being heavier. Snacks about 200.

arl1286

When I'm with my parents it's a little different because they do more for dinner than I do, but when I'm on my own (which is most of the time), I aim for something roughly this:

1500 total
breakfast: 400
lunch: 500
dinner: 300
snacks: 300 (usually one between lunch and dinner and one after dinner)

KenosFeoh

As little as possible in the morning so that I have calories available after 2:00 PM when my appetite kicks in. Then I want to eat anything and everything.