Calories

KasimK
KasimK Posts: 14 Member
edited August 2020 in Food and Nutrition
How many calories should i aim to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner? (Diet)

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    You can balance them however you want to fit your calorie goal, lifestyle, and preferences. There is no one right amount for each meal.

    Some people like to skip breakfast, some people like it to be the largest meal of the day.

    Some people like to have one meal a day.

    Some people like a big dinner, some people don't like to eat anything much later in the day.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    Without knowing how many calories you have to play with in the day any answer i could give is meaningless.

    I’m assuming from the word ‘diet’ at the end of your question that you’re here to lose some weight. You need to establish via the MFP goals set-up how many calories you, as an individual, need to eat to run the calorie deficit you need to lose. This is based on your height, current weight, gender, age and daily activity level.

    Beyond that, how you split that calorie total is up to you. Some people find a couple of larger meals work for them, others prefer several smaller meals plus a number of snacks. It’s one of those things that you’ll discover for yourself along the way.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Split them up or don't in a way that works for you. Some folks do three meals a day, some graze all day, some do one meal a day (OMAD). Some intermittent fast-ers eat at only during a set amount of time per day, some intermittent fast-ers eat more on some days and less on others. The only thing that matters for weight loss is that you consider your total calories over the course of a day or week. This determines weight loss.

    People choose different methods to keep themselves in control. I avoid anything sweet or starchy at the end of dinner because it will make me want to snack all evening long. Some folks end their eating day with something sweet and starchy. I prefer a 450+ calorie breakfast. Others go bigger or smaller. Do whatever works for YOU.
  • RockingWithLJ
    RockingWithLJ Posts: 243 Member
    edited August 2020
    I tend to plan out my whole day by logging it first thing in the morning to make sure i dont go over. If i go over my calories after logging what i want to eat and notice i have a higher lunch, ill reduce there.
    I try to aim for 5 meals a day and will do 300-400 calories for each meal
  • deeshiloh
    deeshiloh Posts: 24 Member
    That depends on how many calories you're going for total and when you tend to feel most hungry. If you're brand new to tracking your food and trying to lose weight, it's probably best to just start with tracking how you're already eating and seeing if that gives you any insight into when you tend to eat most and where you could easily make adjustments.

    For fat loss, the time that you eat really doesn't have much of an effect, as long as you're overall in a sustainable calorie deficit.

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