how do you balancing your calories w/ meals

EJsMummy26

Do you balance your calories for each meal? Or do you eat more in the morning that later in the day?

Just curious!!

What works for you? and Why?

EJsMummy26

bump!!!

melsinct

I am a big dinner kind of girl, so that is generally where most of my calories are spent. However, if dinner is on the lighter side (<500 calories), I boost my snacking during the day (Greek yogurt and almonds are staples of mine). Feel free to check out my diary if you want, it is public.

mamagooskie

I eat an average breakfast (200) then most of my calories are lunch and snacks (600) with a moderate dinner (400) and always save a bit for an evening snack (200)

If I have any extra from working out I throw em in where I need em if I feel I want them.

Stephanie8242

I try to eat more for breakfast and eat lighter for lunch, dinner and snacks. I have always heard to eat more earlier so you have more time to burn it throughout the day because after dinner you are typically not as active (I know I'm not:))

CheleLynn44

Because I grocery shop once a week and try very hard to plan out my dinners, I usually will enter in my dinners and plan my breakfast and lunch around dinner calories wise and sodium wise. That way I try to keep my day balanced and know I can still get in a few snacks! :happy:

BrendaLee

I need the majority of my calories at night -- from dinner onward.

neversettle

Breakfast - 300
Lunch - 300 - 400
Dinner - 500 - 600
Snack - 100

I have lower calorie meals throughout the day because I work a desk job - higher cal dinner because I hit the gym in the evenings after dinner.

MalibuBeth

i like to eat most of my calories during breakfast and lunch and snacks, and whatever is left i use for dinner. i have really long days, and sometimes don't get to dinner till 10:30pm.

TonyL68

I enter everything I know I want to eat in the morning: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then I enter in snacks as I eat them. If it looks like I'm getting close to going too far over my budget to earn back with the exercise I have planned, I scale something back.

I think my diary is open if you want to have a look at a complete day. I also posted a blog outlining my exercise plan.

I'm no expert, but my first week has been good.

lilcupcake213

I'm on 1210 Cal a day. I try to eat around 200 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, and 400-500 for dinner..& depending on what i eat, sometimes i eat an evening snack for around 110 or under. everyday is different depending on what i feel like eating that day..sometimes its harder than others to stay on track but eventually you get the hang of it...i plan my lunch and dinner out for 2 weeks in advance and it helps me stick with my plan. alot of people say youre supposed to eat your largest meal in the morning but i just dont like to eat breakfast so i'm the opposite. you have to find out what works for you

mixedfeelings

At the moment;

Breakfast - 100-250 (if up in time)
Lunch - 150-400
Tea - 400-700
Snacks and Drinks 50-300 (higher if I'm not up in time for breakfast)

I'm trying to stick to around 1200 calories a day.

Another factor is I'm not in work at the moment so I tend to work out in the afternoon. I find that if I have a larger breakfast I tend to eat more throughout the day rather than the opposite.

RyLaneB

I tend to have a small breakfast and a small to medium lunch, and save the majority of my calories for dinner. My husband does the same thing, although he normally has fruit or a small snack between meals, but he has a higher calorie goal then I do. This is really just what works for our life, dinner tends to be when we are all together, hanging out with friends and family, and/or eating out. If I do not save the majority of my calories for evening, I found I either went over my goal or felt deprived...which causes me to be less successful in the long run.

jadedone

No matter how it works out I almost always have 40-50% of my calories left over after lunch.

Usually it works out to something like:
200-400 calories at breakfast
(maybe a snack between)
400-500 for lunch
(very likely a snack between)
500 for dinner
dessert or something after dinner, I might be starving and after dinner goes crazy.

I used to think I could eat 700 calorie dinners. After a few weeks, 500-550 is the limit for a meal, but I might get hungry an hour later.

I am aiming for 1400-1500 with no exercise and 1700-1850 on exercise days.

You can read my diary, it is public.

kylesmommy89

I'm usually pretty busy during the day between school and taking care of my son so most of the time I just grab something light and easy for breakfast and lunch. When my husband gets home I like to have a decent sized sit down meal with him and even a couple of drinks. I tend to save my calories for the evenings because that's my chill time. It gives me something to look forward to every day and makes me feel normal lol. Sometimes I feel like I'm diet/healthy Erika during the day and I can let loose and be my old self at night.

marquesajen

My calorie intake (sans exercise calories) is 1500, so I actually end up eating 500 at each meal, not by design, it just happens that way. If I know I am going to exercise then I try to eat a bigger lunch or slightly larger dinner. I'm not awake enough in the morning to eat more than 500 really.

crysmcd1

i have a really crazy schedule. i work 3pm until 1230am, so all my meals are off scaled to a degree. i usually dont start eating in the morning until around 10am or so... and my last "snack" is around 2am when i get home from work. i generally log that for the next day under "breakfast." i try not to eat right before bed, but sometimes it happens. i do stay away from sodium right before bed, otherwise if its a weigh in day the scale can jump quite a bit.

kaylammurphy

I try (note: *try*) to follow the rule of thumb that I am royalty:
I eat like a king at breakfast, a queen at lunch and a princess at dinner time. Of course it doesn't always work out, but I use that to better understand what I am eating and when.

Vonnie2006

I think I read somewhere that you are supposed to eat for what you are about to do and not for what you've already done. Meaning Breakfast should be our biggest meal and then scale down from there. Do I do that...nope. Hmmm maybe I should. *off to reconsider.