How many calories do you use each "meal"

MelodieRSA
MelodieRSA Posts: 25
in Food and Nutrition
I am on 1200 a day and seem to find by the evening I am running out of calories. How do you divide up your calories for the day?
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Replies

  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
    I usually eat about 700 for lunch, around 1000 for dinner, and another 1000 before bed.
  • KristysLosing
    KristysLosing Posts: 683
    Depends. I'm on 1 lb/week, so I have 1900 cals. But every day is different. If you do 3 meals and a snack, that's 300 cals for each. And you can exercise to earn back some cals to make up for over-doing it or needing a little more to eat.
  • itsmyvwbeetle
    itsmyvwbeetle Posts: 272 Member
    How do you like to eat? 3 meals and 2 snacks? 3 meals? I am on 1400 calories and I do 3, 400 calories meals and 2, 100 calorie snacks, at least thats my ideal. In reality, I do a 250 breakfast, 350 lunch, 600 calorie dinner and 200 snack.
  • butterflymarks
    butterflymarks Posts: 97 Member
    You could join one of those "1200 calorie a day" groups and stalk people's diaries
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    when i ate 1200 cals a day i would have 200-300 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, 400 cal dinner and snack with leftover cals.
  • Car0lynnM
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
    If you can get by on 2 or 3 ~200 calorie small meals during the day, it leaves more calories in the evening. Log everything in the morning, or the night before and plan ahead. Eat healthy foods that pack a good nutritional punch. Add lots of veggies for volume. 1200 is difficult but doable for a short period of time. Plan on upping the calorie amount when you get closer to your goal.
  • katiefridley
    katiefridley Posts: 151 Member
    Well, I am at 1700, so I typically use 300-500 at each meal and then snacks... Maybe 1200 is to low for you if you don't feel you can eat the kind of meals you want on it. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and if you are forced to give up the things you love, this isn't going to work. Technically, if you ate super "clean", 1200 may work for you, but if you still want to eat the way you enjoy, just in moderation, 1200 may be too low.
  • aimiee88
    aimiee88 Posts: 47 Member
    Hey
    Im on 1200 which MFP put me on, this tends to be a normal spilt for me:

    200-300 breakfast
    300-400 Lunch
    500 Tea
    Depending on what it is i eat when, i can have a snack, but i didnt tend to eat snacks before so its easy for me to go without.

    Today my Diary is:

    Breakfast:
    Bran Flakes and Milk 165
    coffee 25

    Lunch (my naughtly lunch, tehe)
    Cheese Thin biscuits and laughing cow light triangles 355

    Tea:
    Chilli and Rice 413

    Snack (left over Halloween sweets)
    Mini Fudge bar 75

    Total 1033

    Some left over for a snack later if i want one!!

    =)
  • dacra
    dacra Posts: 18 Member
    I'm on 1600 calories/day...I try to have 350 cals for breakfast, 600 cals for lunch, 150 for a snack, and 500 cals for dinner. I know that's not your 1200 calories/day, but I hope this helps a little if you convert it! Basically, I try to eat the most right around noon until 3pm because my body has a longer period to burn them off before I go to bed.
  • wanda9501
    wanda9501 Posts: 114
    I too am on 1200! At first , I was doing 300 each meal and 150 for two snacks, but it just wasn't working. Now I have 200 for breakfast, 200-300 for lunch and the rest for dinner and snacks. I am a nibbler and only do it after I get home from work and like to have calories to play with. Since I started doing this, I don't go over and I don't feel deprived!

    Hope you find what works for you and good luck on your journey!!!
  • cbrrabbit25
    cbrrabbit25 Posts: 384 Member
    i was recommended to eat 1200 but am eating around 1700-1800 now while still losing weight. When i ate at 1200 i was always hungry, so now i try to eat 6 meals a day at 400, 150, 400, 150, 400, 150 calories.
  • sapphireswi
    sapphireswi Posts: 583 Member
    250-350 - 5 meals . . . and I'm always full . .I dont shy away from carbohydrates . . I mix up carbs and vegetales and proteins so the meals are more filling . . .the snacks I try and keep them lighter like dry fruits, nuts, fruits, juice and milk products(cheese, yogurt)
    Sometimes I slip up and go over my limit then I work out to make up for it!
    Hope it helps :flowerforyou: total 1200-1300
  • virgdugas
    virgdugas Posts: 11 Member
    I'm on 1300 calories per day, and I try to keep as much as possible for my dinner, the biggest meal (I know I should not but...).
    I usualy do 200 breakfast, 200 snaks, 400 lunch and remaining for dinner (around 500). My lunch is usually lef over from previous dinner, so I try to have smaller portions for lunch.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Breakfast : 250 cal
    Lunch : 350 cal
    Diner : Everything else (1500)
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    How do you like to eat? 3 meals and 2 snacks? 3 meals? I am on 1400 calories and I do 3, 400 calories meals and 2, 100 calorie snacks, at least thats my ideal. In reality, I do a 250 breakfast, 350 lunch, 600 calorie dinner and 200 snack.

    This is pretty much me too. I work out right when I get home from work and then like to relax and have a good hearty (but healthy) dinner with lots of protein. I never have the need to snack after dinner, but sometimes I like something sweet, like a Skinny Cow ice cream bar (100 cals).

    Feel free to look at my diary for ideas.
  • MelodieRSA
    MelodieRSA Posts: 25
    Good idea :-)
  • eve7166
    eve7166 Posts: 218 Member
    When I eat 1200 (I try to stay at 1200 the days I dont excersize) I eat 100-150 breakfast (im not a big breakfast eater.. -this will be a serving a cereal, oatmeal, fruit, or yogart (please note its one one of them not all).

    Lunch - A salad stay about 400-500 calories

    Dinner -400-500 calores = chicken/meat (weighed out) and some veggies (its best to log if you can before and you know excatly how much you can eat.

    Snack- usually have about 100-200 calories left over so you can have = fruit, low fat pudding (love jello dark chocolate), cheese stick, or 100 calorie popcorn (or really anything with the right calories there is tons of options)
  • lallaloolly
    lallaloolly Posts: 228 Member
    i don't know how people only eat 1200 without adding exercise calories to their daily intake. i know a lot of people say it works for them, but on days i don't exercise at all, i don't feel like its enough food.

    so i net 1200 per day, but i also eat about 650 exercise calories a day (5 days per week), and with chores, housework, etc. even more on the weekends, so even though i net 1200, on average i get to eat 1850.

    300 -400 for breakfast
    400 for lunch
    600-700 for dinner
    400 snacks
  • MelodieRSA
    MelodieRSA Posts: 25
    Thanks all! I am only 5"2 so I think 1200 is right for me. Still in my first week on MFP (I am a WW dropout) so if needed I will adjust up.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I usually eat about 700 for lunch, around 1000 for dinner, and another 1000 before bed.

    Dude, you are going to get FAT if you keep binge eating like this at each meal. I divide my calories up into 100 cal portions, and eat one of them per hour. It gets a little tough around 3am, but I do what I gotta do to lose the weight.
  • MelisMusing
    MelisMusing Posts: 421 Member
    My target is 1650 but I usually stay within 1400-and 1650 per day.

    Per meal...it kind of varies. I tend to keep my mini-meals at 200ish, with lots of protein. Dinner is often a lot higher.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    I usually eat about 700 for lunch, around 1000 for dinner, and another 1000 before bed.

    Dude, you are going to get FAT if you keep binge eating like this at each meal. I divide my calories up into 100 cal portions, and eat one of them per hour. It gets a little tough around 3am, but I do what I gotta do to lose the weight.

    Make sure you don't hit snooze when the eating alarm goes off. That 9 minutes could shut down your whole metabolism and you could mortally die.
  • MelisMusing
    MelisMusing Posts: 421 Member
    Thanks all! I am only 5"2 so I think 1200 is right for me. Still in my first week on MFP (I am a WW dropout) so if needed I will adjust up.

    I'm just barely 5'3 but I won't go below 1400. I tried 1200 and I wasn't losing. Once I upped it, I started showing consistent losses. Don't be afraid to re-evaluate and reset.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    You can check my diary. I shoot for 1300 calories.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I usually eat about 700 for lunch, around 1000 for dinner, and another 1000 before bed.

    Dude, you are going to get FAT if you keep binge eating like this at each meal. I divide my calories up into 100 cal portions, and eat one of them per hour. It gets a little tough around 3am, but I do what I gotta do to lose the weight.

    Make sure you don't hit snooze when the eating alarm goes off. That 9 minutes could shut down your whole metabolism and you could mortally die.

    This one time, when Daylight Savings Time hit, my alarm skipped an hour and I went into keto
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    It varies, but generally:

    breakfast: 103
    morning snack: 0-70
    lunch: 250 - 450
    afternoon snack: 200 - 350
    dinner: 800 - 1200
    dessert: 0-200

    This usually is about 1300-1700 net
  • darisey
    darisey Posts: 228 Member
    I am on 1,250 calories per day.

    I usually have three 350 calorie meals and two 100 calorie snacks,
    or I will do 450 calorie breakfast, 350 calorie lunch, 450 calorie dinner. Sometimes I divide the calories of each meal up differently depending on how I feel. I usually preplan my breakfast, lunch and snack and then reassess my needs before dinner. I always enter my foods in mfp before eating them because I can always adjust them before I eat them. If I eat them before entering them, I can't take them out.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    I usually eat about 700 for lunch, around 1000 for dinner, and another 1000 before bed.

    Dude, you are going to get FAT if you keep binge eating like this at each meal. I divide my calories up into 100 cal portions, and eat one of them per hour. It gets a little tough around 3am, but I do what I gotta do to lose the weight.

    Make sure you don't hit snooze when the eating alarm goes off. That 9 minutes could shut down your whole metabolism and you could mortally die.

    This one time, when Daylight Savings Time hit, my alarm skipped an hour and I went into keto

    You're lucky to be alive.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    400-500 for breakfast
    300-500 for lunch
    400-500 for dinner
    500-700 for snacks throughout the day
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    I try to stay around 1200 on days I don't work out, and 1350-1500 on days that I do. Here's an average day for me:

    Breakfast: 250-400
    Morning snack: 100
    Lunch: 200-400
    Afternoon snack or dessert: 100-200
    Dinner: 200-400

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