What's a good way to split up my calories?

seeeekret

My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week, and according to MFP that means I need to eat 1420 calories per day. So now I just need to figure out how to split up the calories.

(Plan 1)
Breakfast - 200
Snack - 100
Lunch - 300
Snack - 200
Dinner - 400
Snack - 200

OR

(Plan 2)
Breakfast - 300
Snack - 100
Lunch - 400
Snack - 100
Dinner - 400
Snack - 100

OR

(Plan 3)
Breakfast - 200
Snack - 200
Lunch - 250
Snack - 250
Dinner - 250
Snack - 250

I like having my meals planned out like this. So any commentary or input would be greatly appreciated.

And the calories listed are guidelines, so if I were to go over in one of the meals, I could just remove or lower a snack.

So yeah, input please! x

keegannati

You should probably try them all and see which one works the best for you. That's the only way to know if you're eating enough to keep you full until the next meal.

andream1976

Ok, hope this doesn't sound too strange, but go to www.tasteofhome.com and click on the link for "the comfort food diet." They have some really great meal planning ideas and worksheets on there that you can print out. They give you caloric guidelines to follow for each meal and how to portion control those calories. You should check it out. It was very informative for me. I've never really done this before and this was a great way to see the ideas for meals and snacks without following a set recipe. Hope this helps.

Athijade

Eat when you are hungry. If you like a snack at night, then make sure to keep a few calories for it. Unless you LIKE to eat like you listed out, there is no need to. You don't have to stick to a schedule unless you actually enjoy it.

greaseswabber

I agree with Keegan. Pick one and try it for a for days.

I don't make plans as detailed as yours, but after a few days of being hungry after lunch I found that Breakfast + Lunch >= 1000 cal works best. I wouldn't have known without trial and error.

hollyrlambert

I agree with the other posters, you really have to try and see what works for you - but personally I'm on 1400 call a day and although I don't stick to a specific "plan", when I had a look at my diary I saw that really I eat pretty similar to the second plan that you laid out and it never leaves me hungry if that's any help. But like I said that's just for me, just thought I'd share and maybe it'll help you .

Sarauk2sf

It actually does not matter when in the day when you eat them - so pick whatever works best for you.

Pebble321

Yup, try it and see.
I find that I'm better if I eat a larger breakfast and lunch and smaller snacks - lots of tiny meals leaves me hungry most of the time.
But, this might not suit you. Test one out for a few weeks and change if needed, there is no one answer to this.