how many calories should you be eating for breakfast?

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Replies

  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
    I try to keep it at 200-400 cals for breakfast. I have been eating every 2-3 hours, and find that works best for my metabolism.

    breakfast this week is 1/2 cup rolled oats with a mashed banana and 1/2 cup blueberries. delicious and filling
  • BetterCrazyThanLazy
    BetterCrazyThanLazy Posts: 336
    I am trying to stay at around 1,500 calories so I split my breakfast/lunch/dinner at around 300-400 calories each and then have 2-3 snacks of around 150-200 calories each. Lunch usually ends up to be the biggest meal of the day.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I usually take in 2-300 at breakfast, except on the weekends, when I sometimes go up to 600.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    for breakfast, "the most important meal of the day" should you be eating healthy but with a significant amount of calories to start up your metabolism, or keep it still healthy obviously, but a smaller amount of calories? to throw a number out, under 300 calories, or over? just curious



    Your metabolism isn't started by breakfast or any other foods for that matter. That's basically a myth. You do burn calories processing food, and people mistakenly took that to mean that the more often you eat, the more calories you burn (also false).

    Generally speaking, all you need to concern yourself with as far as meal sizes and timing:

    1) Hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day*
    2) Eat with a timing/frequency/meal size according to personal preference and gym performance.


    * and some people will have an easier time doing this using a specific timing or size. Ex: I skip breakfast because it makes it much easier for me to stay within my goals by doing so.

    ^^ What he said! I wonder why I even bother reading the boards you are on.... you always say what I was gonna say anyway! :)
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I think you just need something, anything, to kickstart your metabolism. Today my breakfast was over 400 calories, yesterday it was under 100. I believe it all evens out in the end, however, I guess it is true that the more calories you eat in the morning, the more time during the day you have to burn them off, so probably more calories in the morning is better than more calories in the evening. I'd like to keep dinners light, but haven't been able to train my husband/cook on that yet. =>

    The above is actually somewhat of a giant fitness myth that wasn't actually ever true.

    Not telling you this to pick on you, but you should probably see this, and specifically note the sites I've linked to in the below. The part about diet induced thermogenesis:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529025-a-compilation-on-meal-frequency
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    I aim for about 300 (including my tea which has 20 cals of creamer and 30 cals of sugar). I also have some OJ first thing before I work out and then a post-workout drink that is usually 170-200. I have breakfast later when I get to work, then snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner...I pretty much eat all day but rarely go over my calorie goal
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    I think you just need something, anything, to kickstart your metabolism. Today my breakfast was over 400 calories, yesterday it was under 100. I believe it all evens out in the end, however, I guess it is true that the more calories you eat in the morning, the more time during the day you have to burn them off, so probably more calories in the morning is better than more calories in the evening. I'd like to keep dinners light, but haven't been able to train my husband/cook on that yet. =>

    false we are not a car and it takes 60 hours before your metabolism slows from not eating. I don't eat breakfast. It doesn't work for me.
  • lifeissweet89
    lifeissweet89 Posts: 47
    I try not to count the calories too much in the morning. I just try to make sure they aren't EMPTY calories and make sure I'm getting the right nutrition to start my day. Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.

    Fuel yourself according to what you have planned for the day. Try to get an idea of what you will have for lunch or dinner to work out your calorie intake in the morning if you'd like.

    Usually I will just eat some oatmeal and a piece of fruit. Keeps me full and very nutritious! ^_^
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    So breakfast is the most important meal of the day huh. I havn't ate breakfast in years. That must be what is keeping me from getting ripped....

    HAH! I have a granola bar (90 caloires) usually around 9am. That is about it till lunch!
  • gsodano23
    gsodano23 Posts: 10
    thats so odd, for those of you that are saying breakfast dosnt mean anything. i never used to eat breakfast because 1. eating that early in the day (for me, it was around 7am) would make me terribly sick, everytime i tried it, & 2. i was never hungry in the morning anyway. i was like that my whole life up until maybe a year or 2 years ago & now i atleast eat something small.

    & now that i think about it, i dont think much has changed about my body from not eating breakfast to eating breakfast besides the fact that i generally eat less throughout the day.

    so maybe it dosnt matter, & but my post was just about the caloric intake, not if breakfast is important or not... but i did say "the most important meal of the day" somewhat sarcastically
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    thats so odd, for those of you that are saying breakfast dosnt mean anything. i never used to eat breakfast because 1. eating that early in the day (for me, it was around 7am) would make me terribly sick, everytime i tried it, & 2. i was never hungry in the morning anyway. i was like that my whole life up until maybe a year or 2 years ago & now i atleast eat something small.

    & now that i think about it, i dont think much has changed about my body from not eating breakfast to eating breakfast besides the fact that i generally eat less throughout the day.

    so maybe it dosnt matter, & but my post was just about the caloric intake, not if breakfast is important or not... but i did say "the most important meal of the day" somewhat sarcastically

    The take-away is that you should leave this entirely up to personal preference. You can do anything ranging from eating none of your calories for breakfast or eating all of your calories for breakfast. Or, you can do something that lies in between these two endpoints.
  • SGT_Reg
    SGT_Reg Posts: 186 Member
    I guess it all depends on how hungry you are for breakfast.
  • joebb3
    joebb3 Posts: 2
    Again... Sidesteal +1

    When food stops being important to you and you aren't living trying to make it meal to meal without "starving"... Then you will start your new lifestyle with a healthy body.

    It doesn't look like you have that problem from your avatar, but still.

    Answer: I don't have a goal for breakfast calories... Some times it's a granola bar, sometimes bacon, eggs and toast, sometimes its nothing. I just ensure I meet my exersize and coloric intake goals every day.
  • PANZERIA
    PANZERIA Posts: 471 Member
    You need to pace it out and figure out your body's rhythm.

    For me, if I eat a large breakfast, my calories are reduced throughout the rest of the day. If I miss breakfast, then I have to make my lunch and dinner larger, plus add a larger snack in between. There's a much smaller window of time to get those calories in.

    I don't eat when I'm hungry. If I did that, I would never eat enough calories. Ever. Get into a rhythm and figure out what's right for you. It's taken me a few years to figure mine out. It's a slow process.
  • commanderval
    commanderval Posts: 187 Member
    It's always around 300, no matter if it's an exercise day or not.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
    I don't really eat breakfast because I'd rather eat more later in the evening. If I'm really hungry ill have like a piece of fruit or a slice of 50cal toast. You just have to find what works best for your lifestyle.
  • apedeb09
    apedeb09 Posts: 805 Member
    I've found out my new favorite breakfast is 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tbsp peanut butter and half a sliced banana in it.... Fills me up until lunch and it's just under 300 calories.
  • celticmuse
    celticmuse Posts: 492 Member
    I aim to eat 400 calories each for breakfast and lunch. My daily goal, excluding exercise calories is 1,400, so that leaves 600 calories plus whatever I burned through exercise for dinner and evening snack. I try to limit my evening snack to 150 calories.

    Works well for me.
  • celticmuse
    celticmuse Posts: 492 Member
    I've found out my new favorite breakfast is 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tbsp peanut butter and half a sliced banana in it.... Fills me up until lunch and it's just under 300 calories.

    Sounds yummy! I am going to try this. Thanks!
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    My breakfast is usually about 400 calories - 240 for the food and 160 for a protein shake.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    Again... Sidesteal +1

    When food stops being important to you and you aren't living trying to make it meal to meal without "starving"... Then you will start your new lifestyle with a healthy body.

    It doesn't look like you have that problem from your avatar, but still.

    Answer: I don't have a goal for breakfast calories... Some times it's a granola bar, sometimes bacon, eggs and toast, sometimes its nothing. I just ensure I meet my exersize and coloric intake goals every day.

    I am not living trying to make it meal to meal and I am like sidesteal. Just because someone doesn't eat breakfast doesn’t mean they are starving. It takes 60 hours to "starve" and go into a starvation mode not 12! I eat when I am hungry and alot of times I don't in the morning because it plays with my levels. Read the article below. If I do eat when I am not hungry it sometimes make me starving 1 hour later. This happens when you reach a low body fat % and is why many choose to not eat breakfast. Or they just don't feel like it. As you said it doesn't matter, it just maters what your caloric intake goal is every day and that you hit that.

    http://www.leangains.com/2012/06/why-does-breakfast-make-me-hungry.html
  • JenMull44
    JenMull44 Posts: 226 Member
    I try to keep it aroun 350, then I have more to spread out through out the day.
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
    for breakfast, "the most important meal of the day" should you be eating healthy but with a significant amount of calories to start up your metabolism, or keep it still healthy obviously, but a smaller amount of calories? to throw a number out, under 300 calories, or over? just curious

    Somewhere between 0 and your allottment for the day. Whatever makes it easy for you to stay in compliance with your calorie goals.
  • PinkEnvyx
    PinkEnvyx Posts: 172
    I find when I eat breakfast I get tired and want to eat more during the day. For me when my body stops fasting and works on digesting food before a good amount of physical activity it makes me less energized later in the day. Also as soon as you eat your body slows down fat burning and thier is nothing wrong with prolonging detox and waiting a few more hours to rest your bodies digestive process. Sorry for type errors On the ipad.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    i used to just eat an apple for breakfast, for months. then someone told me to up it to something of about 300 calories, and i was cocky and took the "don't fix what isn't broken, thanks for your advice, but i am fine" attitude and stuck with my apple. then i platued and needed to eat more calories, so i upped my breakfast to 300 calories, a mini bagel, egg whites, low fat yogurt, and i have found that since doing that, i snack less during the day. wish i listened to that person who recommended it months ago.

    from what i have read here, and i am no expert, most people suggest breakfast to be about 300 calories or so.

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