Calories per meal

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foraubs
foraubs Posts: 263 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya guys,
I've been using MFP and really focusing on my intake/output since February now, and I've got a question that may seem silly to some of the veterans ...

Does it 'matter' how many calories you have per meal?
I mean, let's say your goal is 1500cal/day, and your breakfast is 200, and lunch is 300, but dinner is more than double the two combined ... is there a formula, per se, or is it just overall input vs overall output?

To me, it seems counter-intuitive to eat two small meals and one large meal .. in my head it would seem that all meals should be about equal?

Am I making sense? Is the question I'm asking getting across?

If anyone can make me out, I thank you ahead of time for your input!

Replies

  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    Meal frequency or size does not matter. Further reading:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency
  • foraubs
    foraubs Posts: 263 Member
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    Thank you SO much for that!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    The abs will never steer you wrong!
  • NCVF
    NCVF Posts: 83 Member
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    You should definitely have balance. There are other factors to consider. What time are you eating dinner? What did you eat for lunch? What will you be eating for dinner? If it's something really heavy, you're better off eating it for breakfast and/or lunch, so you will naturally burn the calories during the day. Also, try not to eat too late. If you're eating a balanced diet, you shouldn't have to worry so much about your dinner. :)
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,525 Member
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    I lost 40 lbs eating a small breakfast and lunch, a small snack, and a moderate sized dinner. I wanted to be able to eat what my family ate at dinner, and not have to fix a special meal for myself, so I "saved up" my calories most days.

    Here was my calorie distribution: under 200 cals for breakfast, 250-300 cals for lunch, under 100 cals for snack, 600-800 cals for dinner (depending on if I had exercised. my net goal was 1290 cals at first, and ended up at 1200 near the end of my loss.)

    Works for me, and continues to work to maintain, with a few calories added here and there!
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    From what I gather, so long as you stick to your daily calorie target, it matters not how many meals you consume them in. Quite a few on here are saying that they eat 2 or 3 meals a day, that certainly wouldn't work for me so I have to make my meals smaller 200-300 caories only which means I never go more than a couple of hours without eating - it's the middle of the night here and I'm eating now!

    It does restrict what I can eat, so wouldn't work for most, but I can't do it any other way.

    I've heard many say that you should stop eating at a certain time too, but I'm yet to find any evidence to sopport this
  • kparks2
    kparks2 Posts: 121 Member
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    It depends on you. For me I have to have a big dinner and a I have a snack before bed so I feel full. I am ok with a small breakfast and lunch but I need to feel satisfied before bedtime. But I try not to have carbs or a lot of carbs for dinner since the metabolism is slower so I do more protein. Gotta do what works for you and helps you lose :)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Nope, doesn't matter.
    The most important thing is to find a routine that suits your body and your lifestyle, and a way of eating that enables you to eat the right amount (not too much, not too little).
    I've discovered that I do best with a reasonably substantial breakfast, if I don't have much brekky I seem to be hungry all day, even if I eat more later. And a good sized afternoon snack works well for me too.
    Try a few different strategies and when you find something that makes you feel good - that's right for you :smile:
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    It makes no difference what so ever. Meal frequency and timing have no impact on weight loss. How big your meals are and when you eat is all about personal choice.
  • kayla1025
    kayla1025 Posts: 104 Member
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    I try to do 5 300calorie meals a day to equal 1500cals. Although some are a little above or below.
    But I agree its all just personal preference to how often you like to eat.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    Nope, doesn't matter.
    The most important thing is to find a routine that suits your body and your lifestyle, and a way of eating that enables you to eat the right amount (not too much, not too little).
    I've discovered that I do best with a reasonably substantial breakfast, if I don't have much brekky I seem to be hungry all day, even if I eat more later. And a good sized afternoon snack works well for me too.
    Try a few different strategies and when you find something that makes you feel good - that's right for you :smile:

    And I'm the complete opposite. I eat less then 200 calories for breakfast most of the time and less then 500 for lunch all so I can save up to have what ever I feel like for dinner. This is completely personal preference and will not make a difference in your weight loss speed at all.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    You should definitely have balance. There are other factors to consider. What time are you eating dinner? What did you eat for lunch? What will you be eating for dinner? If it's something really heavy, you're better off eating it for breakfast and/or lunch, so you will naturally burn the calories during the day. Also, try not to eat too late. If you're eating a balanced diet, you shouldn't have to worry so much about your dinner. :)

    Nope. It doesn't matter what time you eat. Your metabolism doesn't slow down while you sleep. You still burn calories.
  • foraubs
    foraubs Posts: 263 Member
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    Thanks for weighing in, everyone!

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