Meal portion break down useful or waste of time?!

BobVaj

Starting last week, I decided to portion all my four meals close to the same calorie count in terms of reaching 40grams of protein; I know it could be tedious, but with my fitnesspal, it's a great way to start. My question is, do y'all find it beneficial to break down your meal size into equal portions when it comes to reaching your body goal?
For example, my meal in the past would look something like 700 calories in the morning, 800 calories at lunch, 300 for snacks, and 600 dinners with protein ranging from 30-70grams.

MaltedTea

There's conversations out in the world as to how many grams of protein one's body can process efficiently within a few hours. Pretty sure this is on SuppVersity for example but, lo, I'm too lazy to check right now 🤷🏿‍♀️

If it's important for you to experiment with for gains or whatever other reason then ,YES, the ability to track in this way can be super helpful!

How are you feeling since you've done so?

4Phoenix

Best to do what will keep you on track....I IF for the autophagy and fewer insulin hits, it works for me. Each of us is different, stayed focused on what you find works for you. Best wishes for success!

kshama2001

I'm not terribly hungry until dinner so my breakfast and lunches are around 300 calories, and I'm fine with that, but my appetite wants a bigger dinner and evening snacks, so that's what I do.

BobVaj

MaltedTea wrote: »

There are conversations out in the world as to how many grams of protein one's body can process efficiently within a few hours. Pretty sure this is on SuppVersity for example but, lo, I'm too lazy to check right now 🤷🏿‍♀️

If it's important for you to experiment with for gains or whatever other reason then ,YES, the ability to track in this way can be super helpful!

How are you feeling since you've done so?

It's not bad, but I don't think I can stick with it since individual meals require more calories due to my gym schedule, which is random throughout each day. I’ll probably start by keeping track of my protein intake instead; fewer headaches lol.

whoami67

I'm hungriest earlier in the day so I eat the bulk of my calories early, usually. I'll happily skip dinner. I think the meal portion breakdown is useless for me. It may be useful for you. I don't know.

AnnPT77

BobVaj wrote: »

Starting last week, I decided to portion all my four meals close to the same calorie count in terms of reaching 40grams of protein; I know it could be tedious, but with my fitnesspal, it's a great way to start. My question is, do y'all find it beneficial to break down your meal size into equal portions when it comes to reaching your body goal?
For example, my meal in the past would look something like 700 calories in the morning, 800 calories at lunch, 300 for snacks, and 600 dinners with protein ranging from 30-70grams.

Personally, I prefer the fewest rules and restrictions that let me accomplish health, energy, and fitness goals. (Exactly what that is would differ by person, of course.)

For me, it's sufficient to hit nutritional minimums on a day to day basis, without fretting much over what's in which meal, though I do know that I need a solid breakfast with a good jolt of protein, and I need to get some decent protein in each meal/snack or I won't hit my target by end of day. Sometimes I eat 2 meals, sometimes 3, occasionally 4. Sometimes I have snacks, sometimes I don't. The meal sizes (in calorie terms) vary. For me, doesn't matter, as long as I average out OK on calories, and get decent daily nutrition.

I'm old (65) and I've read some research that suggests that as we age, spreading protein through the day is beneficial, because we absorb it less well. Frankly, I'd have trouble hitting my goal (100g, in maintenance) if I did anything other than spread it through the day, particularly since I'm vegetarian.

I try to get about 0.8g protein minimum per pound of goal body weight (roughly equivalent to 1g per pound of lean body mass), 0.35-0.45g fats minimum (men might get by with a little less), and at least 5+ 80g servings of varied, colorful veggies and fruits, ideally 10+. But that's just me. 🤷‍♀️

I can't really see setting a meal/calorie/nutrient subdivision abstractly (such as the "evenly" thing you're describing). I'd be biased toward experimenting, figuring out as individual what breakdowns help you stay energetic, hit nutrition targets, are practical with your life schedule, and help you comfortably stay within a calorie goal. I think most of that stuff is very individual and idiosyncratic.

callsitlikeiseeit

everybody does what works best for them. your body doesn't care. if yo uare in a deficit, you lose weight. eat once a day, eat every hour. calories are king.

i don't typically eat breakfast (I'm not a breakfast person). I typically have a light lunch. normal sized dinner. and oreos or some kind of treat every night.

lose weight consistently.