When to eat? Help on eating, please!!

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lacrimosia
lacrimosia Posts: 39
in Food and Nutrition
I just joined and myfitnesspal recommended that i eat 1650 kcal per day to lose weight. So Im okay with that, but I am very
scared because I dont want to go over that amount. I often get hungry and dont feel full sometimes. What kind of snack foods
that are low calorie can I eat so that I have enough kcal left for dinner? When is the best time to eat too? thanks!
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Replies

  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 750 Member
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    I just joined and myfitnesspal recommended that i eat 1650 kcal per day to lose weight. So Im okay with that, but I am very
    scared because I dont want to go over that amount. I often get hungry and dont feel full sometimes. What kind of snack foods
    that are low calorie can I eat so that I have enough kcal left for dinner? When is the best time to eat too? thanks!

    I recommend eating 5-6 small meals a day (SMALL MEALS) or every 2-3hrs a day. there is no good or bad time to eat. If you workout make sure you eat your burned calories but in a healthy way. Good Luck
  • TanyaCurtis
    TanyaCurtis Posts: 630
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    Agree with above poster! And eat healthy foods, no junk no processed. U'll do great then and will get that "full" signal (: lots of water too!!
  • melindacronin
    melindacronin Posts: 7
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    Make sure you get lean protein, which is filling, and so you aren't tired, and yes, eat every 2 hours so you don't get hungry. If you don't get hungry, its easier to control what you eat.
  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
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    I usually have Cliff Bars on hand to help fulfill my hunger. Also, popcorn, fruit, pudding, and jello are great snacks. I usually eat at 7:00, 10:00, 12:15, 2:30, 6:00, and 8:00.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
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    What kind of snack foods
    that are low calorie can I eat so that I have enough kcal left for dinner? When is the best time to eat too?

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1j0hvaV95KPdtllgOIbFv-1wQZyiyeaWeNw-SJeMlqvnjQ1PR

    As long as you are within your calorie goals and macros

    You can eat one meal or 100 itty bitty meals...
  • faefaith
    faefaith Posts: 433 Member
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    I love to munch on strawberries or cherries when I need a snack. I also like to bring a bunch of fresh veggies (snow peas, baby bell peppers, broccoli and such) and dip 'em in some hummus. Protein also holds you over for a while. Boiled egss with your favorite seasoning is yummy and so is a serving or 2 of really good cheese. Good luck!
    Also! Do a bit of research on lines to get more ideas! Here's one link:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/71055-top-10-snacks-lose-weight/
  • mrsjennifermaffei
    mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
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    Breakfast between 8-9am.
    Lunch is between 12-1pm.
    Snack is between 3-4pm.
    Dinner is between 5:30-7pm
    Snack is between 8-10pm.

    Keep meals on average about 400 calories, snacks 200 calories.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    I recommend eating 5-6 small meals a day (SMALL MEALS) or every 2-3hrs a day. there is no good or bad time to eat. If you workout make sure you eat your burned calories but in a healthy way. Good Luck

    Agree with this...
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    The change I made that has given me the biggest success is planning my meals ahead of time. I'll plan the day out the night before. That way I can tweak what I'll be eating to make sure I stick to my goals while still having enough calories for dinner.

    Remember that if you log your exercise, MFP will make an adjustment and you can eat those calories back, so you don't have to always stay at 1650 depending on that. And if you have a bad day and go over, brush it off and move on. Tomorrow is always a fresh start.

    Good luck!
  • faefaith
    faefaith Posts: 433 Member
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    Also make sure you are getting enough water. Sometimes when you are thirsty, your body can interpret that as hunger.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Fresh fruits and vegetables are great for snacks. Combine them with some protein (apple/celery and peanut butter, carrots and a cheese stick, etc.) and they'll help keep you full.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Eat whatever schedule will work for you longer term Whether you eat 6 times a day, 3 times a day, or once a day, it's the overall calories in vs calories out that matters. Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Low cal healthy snacks are fruit, veggie sticks, popcorn, low sodium V8, cottage cheese, lowfat yogurt w/o sugar, cheese sticks/cubes, a cup of soy or almond milk or a handful of almonds or other nuts. Most of these are in the 70 - 150 calorie range.
  • KrystieNye
    KrystieNye Posts: 123 Member
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    I agree with everyone else...try to eat frequent, small meals. If you need some ideas, it's always great to look in a friend's diary, and see how they do it. You'll get the hang of it soon, and figure out what works for you. :)
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    Completely up to you how many meals you eat throughout the day. When I first started, I would eat 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks. Now that I've gotten a handle on my eating, sometimes I will only eat the 3 big meals or sometimes I will only eat 2 big meals. I only do that if I know we are going to go out for dinner or be at an event where I may need the extra calories.

    For low cal snacks, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, beef jerky, string cheese, etc.
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
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    Many people when they think they need a snack really need some water. So I too would suggest mini meals that you pre plan and that before you eat you drink 8 oz of water and wait a couple of minutes....People say they do not have the time to pre plan but honestly having a plan as to what you will do if you are hungry makes you more successful. Also I have found when I have an idea as to what to eat I don't taste everything to see what would hit the spot. I go to my plan and stick with it.
  • BandedTriaRN
    BandedTriaRN Posts: 303
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    weight watchers has this smoked mozzarella string cheese and one stick is 50 calories. I eat it with a couple decreased salt pickles or olives (they make some 70% less salt). I have to be particularly careful of salt or it will make my weight go up from a pound to 3 in one day!

    Also, I love oikos greek yogurt. I take fresh (natural raised)berries and put about 1 cup and some splenda or whatever sweetener you use) and cook them in the microwave till they are cooked down a bit and warm and mushy. I take about 2-3 tablespoons and put it in the oikos plain (5.3oz individual serving which has 80 calories) and make my own fruit on the bottom yogurt and it is a lot better than the stuff you buy pre-made (imo). I also eat the berries plain like this or just raw.

    I also will take a ripe banana and wrap it tightly in saran wrap and freeze it for a day or so. Then pull it out and drizzle a tiny bit of sugar free chocolate syrup over it and eat it. SO yummy! I can't do this very often tho because I am diabetic and bananas have a lot of natural sugars in them (carbs), but I really love them!

    I'm a big lower carb fruit eater. I really love them and they keep my blood sugar steady.

    Good luck in your journey to get in better shape!
  • MsMargie1116
    MsMargie1116 Posts: 323 Member
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    Eat whatever schedule will work for you longer term Whether you eat 6 times a day, 3 times a day, or once a day, it's the overall calories in vs calories out that matters. Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Well, you need to eat more than once a day. More like every 2-3 hours seems to have been very effective for me!!! Meal timing is very relevant.

    I don't like using the term "starvation mode" since IMO, it gets overused, and very few of us really know what starvation mode is... but our bodies are more willing to let loose of the weight when it knows it's going get more nutrients. I'm just saying!!! :-)
  • lacrimosia
    lacrimosia Posts: 39
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    I usually have Cliff Bars on hand to help fulfill my hunger. Also, popcorn, fruit, pudding, and jello are great snacks. I usually eat at 7:00, 10:00, 12:15, 2:30, 6:00, and 8:00.

    Yeah, this is a challenge for me. Im so use to eating only 3 meals. I will have to get use to eating 5-6 small meals a day. thanks!
  • lacrimosia
    lacrimosia Posts: 39
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    Thanks everyone for the tips!! I will try it out.
  • RealHealthQuest
    RealHealthQuest Posts: 42 Member
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    I try to eat natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible as I try to lose weight and find a healthy balance. I am blogging about it at www.realfoodquest.com so you can literally see what I am eating and how much it is. Unprocessed foods are really voluminous and not as calorically dense (for the most part) so you can eat a helluva lot of food and not eat that many calories.

    For me, the key has been to eat protein + carb, fat +carb, or protein + fat + carb. If I do this type of combo such as fruit and greek yogurt, apple and cheese, tofu with veggies and rice, etc... I say full for hours and only the clock tells me it is time for the next meal or snack. Hope that helps!

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