Struggling with the calories division

valentinairenedilauro
valentinairenedilauro Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everybody. I'm Irene from Italy , I started tracking my diet 2 months ago. Im still in that phase in which I have to gradually reduce my calories and eating more balanced. I changed the layout and now I have 5 meals but Im struggling to understand how to divide it . I did like that:
- breakfast 500 calories
- Morning snack 150
- Lunch 400
- Morning snack 150
- Dinner 300
Do you have any suggestions?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    However you like. 1 meal or 17, it doesn't matter as long as you hit your calories over the week.

    I personally have:

    350 breakfast
    400 lunch
    150-200 snack
    100 pre workout snack
    500-800 dinner
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited June 2018
    Here is how my calories usually fall right now (this varies and changes from time to time)

    Breakfast: 400 calories
    Lunch: 700 calories
    Dinner: 400 calories
    Snacks: whatever I earn through exercise whenever I want it anywhere from 1 to 4 snacks
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    Breakfast: 250-300
    Lunch: 300-400
    Dinner: 600-900
    Snack (if I'm hungry): 100

    But the numbers change massively depending on what else I eat. And even if I eat at the top of my range for every meal, I'm still under maintenance.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited June 2018
    I eat no breakfast and 80 percent of my calories each day at lunch. The rest are divided between a light dinner and my calorie bank. I typically only snack once a week on the weekend and it is almost always popcorn ~350 calories.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    mine is set up as
    Afternoon Snack
    Dinner
    Snack

    I for me it was important not to set a calorie amount for any of them. It caused me to eat more to eat that amount of calories even if I wasn't hungry. Or the flip side eat less even though I was starving if I didn't have the calories for it.

    Some days my afternoon snack is 1400 calories by itself if I'm really hungry. And some times it's only 300.

    But think about your preferences and habits. For me I tend to save more calories for later in the day because I like to have the ability to have social outings with my friends and not worry about if I have enough left and I'm meh about breakfast and not normally hungry until lunch time.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited June 2018
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    My suggestion would be to think about your preferences and habits. Do you like a bigger breakfast? What are your favorite dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Do you really like snacking or are you doing this because you were told you needed to?

    As long as you're within your calories, how you divide your meals is up to you. Some people eat many meals a day, others eat one meal a day. Some people's meals are about the same calories every day, other people don't have meal limits and just adapt their meal calories to what they feel like eating.

    The easier you make it for yourself the better. You can divide meals any way you want, but you don't need to stick to your meal allowances all the time. If you feel like having a larger lunch one day, it's okay to have a smaller breakfast. Be flexible and don't over-complicate the process.

    Agreed. All of this.

    Also, how you divide up your day/calories doesn't have to be the same day in and day out.
  • valentinairenedilauro
    valentinairenedilauro Posts: 8 Member
    thank you everybody!!!! The point is that I love snacking and I would stack all the day if I can, like just a little 10 times but it is not possible hahah. Anyway the main point is that I have this phobia of lack of energy throughout the day, like I'm afraid of have not enough energy during the work out or when I study. I beleive it is instintive . Do someone have the same problem?
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited June 2018
    It's mental, not physical. Do you really think your body needs a constant supply of energy for studying? Additionally, when you're not eating, where is the energy coming from? You likely have plenty of energy available from your last meal, whenever that was.

    Bigger picture...
    Have a handful of skittles or something before your workout if you want, nothing wrong with that. But there's a difference between fueling your body and making up excuses to eat. Do one, not the other.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    valentinairenedilauro wrote: »
    thank you everybody!!!! The point is that I love snacking and I would stack all the day if I can, like just a little 10 times but it is not possible hahah. Anyway the main point is that I have this phobia of lack of energy throughout the day, like I'm afraid of have not enough energy during the work out or when I study. I beleive it is instintive . Do someone have the same problem?

    After I was pregnant, then breastfeeding for 16 months, I still continued to have a snack on hand at all times. Like I needed the energy through out the day. I wouldn't even leave the house in the morning without a bowl of cereal. It took me a couple years of experimenting with it to figure out a better way to handle my intake. Now I will work out before work and don't even eat anything till 9 or 10 am (usually a banana and yogurt), have a modest lunch with no snack till dinner then have a fairly big dinner, which suits my lifestyle (my husband is an amazing cook).

    So, my suggestion is, try out different things because you won't know how your body reacts until you do and you may be missing out on something that really suits you better.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    This is such a personal preference. I typically only eat twice per day and divide my calories evenly by meal, with maybe a bit more for dinner. On days that I eat breakfast, I log it, and then divide however many calories I have left for my next two meals. I rarely snack, but when I do, I'm eating back any exercise calories that I may have earned.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    If I make deficit at all it is usually 200-300cals:

    Breakfast - 300
    Lunch ~ 300
    Dinner ~ 700, 250 of which dessert
    Before bed ~ 200

    If I decide to maintain on a day or do more exercise I eat the extra 200 or so calories at lunch and mostly dinner.

    I never feel like snacking (maybe a I've trained myself out of it). I only get hungry for these 4 meals.

    I've been doing this for 2.5 years but half the time I eat at or above maintanance. I've lost 30lbs and I'm at the lower half of the healthy BMI.

    As for the lack of energy - yes I do have those fears. For me it is mainly because due to health issues (I have POTS) I exhaust very easilly during exercise and then can't study due to complete brain fog for a couple of days.
    I've also always been afraid that if I make a big deficit on a regular basis (like 400-500cals every day for a week or more) I'll feel very tired and unwell and won't be able to study (I study theoretical physics at a graduate level by the way so I really need a very clear head and lots of energy). So I guess I have the fears you're talking about.
  • BlessedMom70
    BlessedMom70 Posts: 124 Member
    My calorie breakdown is generally:

    Breakfast: 300
    Lunch: 450
    Afternoon snack: 200
    Dinner: 500
    Dessert/snack: 200
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    I find myself far hungrier at night than during the day so...

    Weekdays
    Breakfast: 350-500
    Lunch: 0 (don't eat lunch)
    Afternoon Snack:200-250
    Dinner: 1000 - 1500
    Late Night Snack / Dessert: 0 - 300 (if I feel like it and then whatever's left in calorie goal)

    Weekends
    Breakfast: 0 - 500
    Lunch - 0 - 800
    Dinner - 1000 - 1800
    Late Night Snack / Dessert 0 - 500 (again if I feel like it and then whatever's left in calorie goal)

    On average I net an approx 7000 calorie deficit (+/- 1000) per week.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I divided my calories based on how I naturally ate and what suited my lifestyle. I eat about every 3-5 hours because that is when I get hungry. It is easier for me to have more calories for lunch and dinner which may be shared meals or include events. I tend to be hungrier later in the day.

    Breakfast 100-300 calories
    Lunch 300-500 calories
    Dinner 500-600 calories
    Snacks 100-300 calories

    For weight loss just stick to your calorie goal. How you split up your calories is preference and you can experiment to find what suits you best.

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