how many meals a day to YOU eat?

AprilChampion
AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
so, i was thinking about this earlier as i was preparing my THIRD meal of the day out of 6 and i was wondering just how many meals a day does everyone eat? and how many calories do you keep those meals at? My meals are around 211 cals or less depending on what i eat as my trainer wants. If i feel like im not going to get to eat those 6 meals a day due to time restraints ( i wont eat after 9PM), i sometimes combine TWO of the meals....so, how many meals do YOU eat?
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Replies

  • Akasha13
    Akasha13 Posts: 7
    Before I started back to dieting, I would eat 3-5 times a day. I wouldn't say that they were meals though because I would eat just whatever was handy.

    Now that I"m back to dieting I eat 2, sometimes 3, times a day. I'm working on getting it back down to just 2 times a day because it's easier for me that way. I don't like eating a lot of little meals because it tempts me to grab junk food.
  • vixey2906
    vixey2906 Posts: 30
    I have three: breakfast, dinner and tea :)
  • MattySparky
    MattySparky Posts: 771
    I eat about every two hours. I find it keeps my metabolism up and helps me keep fat off.
  • KarenECunningham
    KarenECunningham Posts: 419 Member
    I eat the traditional 3 main meals a day (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner) I usually have at least one healthy snack or mini meal if I am feeling hungry or weak. I eat 1200 calories a day so I try and save some calories for snacks. I find that it works better for me not to get too hungry and maintain my blood sugar level.
  • Sheri226
    Sheri226 Posts: 22
    I'm eating 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day since I've been on MFP. Most meals are around 250-350 calories and the snacks are usually around 100 each. So I'm easily reaching my 1200 calories a day and by spreading it out I'm not feeling hungry as I once used to. On days I have a bigger meal planned I normally don't need the snack as I've learned eating a 400-500 calories meal I'm feeling like I have over eaten.
  • Stepmom1
    Stepmom1 Posts: 155 Member
    5 meals... 3 meals and 2 snacks
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
    I eat when I get hungry. I have breakfast lunch and dinner, always a morning snack or 2 and an afternoon snack. Usually a snack when I get home before dinner. My snacks tend to stay in the 100 - 200 range, breakfast and lunch both around 300 - 400 each and dinner is whatever else I have left for the day.
  • gabearismendez
    gabearismendez Posts: 6
    i eat more like 5-7 times a day, more like snacking every 2 1/2 hours. i try hard to stay right now below 1500 calories a day. im training in the mornings 6days a week and cardio n the evenings after work, so this type of eating is imperative to my hypertrophy training. right now my goal is to basically get shreaded. need to get down to about 8% body fat. at the rate im going i hope to be there by end of july. i hope you reach your goals! good luck..
  • nopogal
    nopogal Posts: 162
    I'm hypoglycemic, so I eat 5-6 times a day. I generally eat 300-400 for major meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and only about 100-200 for snacks, except my right before bed snack, which is only about 40 or 50 calories (whole milk, avocado, protein shake). My snacks depend on whether or not I'm working out that day--I work out most days, so usually closer to 200. Depends on how hungry I am though. I just started doing it this way upon recommendation of my naturopath and I find that I'm much less likely to want to binge because my blood sugar is pretty controlled throughout the day. Cravings are starting to fade away. It's been great! I've also been sleeping better.
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    I eat three times a day, breakfast lunch and dinner. They are usually around 300-400 calories each, sometimes a little more or a little less. I also have pretty good snacks between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. Like a yogurt in the morning and in the afternoon a plate of hummus with a half a pita and some carrots. Yum. Snacking is something I NEVER did before I dieted, but now I don't know how I lived without it!
  • TalonaCat
    TalonaCat Posts: 241
    Since I started MFP, I stopped limiting myself to the '3 meals a day' mentality. I did this because I would find I was NEVER even getting close to my calorie limit. So now, I eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes that's several times a day, sometimes it's only 4. It's working for me, though.
  • arfletcher
    arfletcher Posts: 143
    5 times a day - three meals and two snacks - I dont let myself go more than four hours between eating and I wont eat (usually :laugh: ) anything in the last hour before i go to bed. The calories varry but are around 12-1400 a day- I also will sometimes skip a snack if I dont have the time to get all 5 in, usually its because I have slept in! :happy:
  • Alexis1227
    Alexis1227 Posts: 15
    I'm just getting started on changing my eating habits. I am not a breakfast person so I'm trying to do a small snack type "meal" for breakfast.
    I'm at 2 meals and about 2 snacks a day right now.
    I've just started calorie counting this week on the food tracker and it seems most of my meals around around 300-400 calories and the snack meals are less than 200.
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
    I'm more of a snacker than a big meal person, always have been. I eat when I'm hungry, so about every 3 hours and the food ranges from 100-300 calories.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I eat three meals (and they vary by calorie-size... whatever I'm in the mood for & have left) and 2-3 snacks that are usually 100-200 calories each. The only thing that stays consistent is I try not to go lower than 400 calories for my breakfast, as this keeps me from being SO hungry during the day and overeating/snacking too much.
  • kajaknowers
    kajaknowers Posts: 113 Member
    I eat usually 2 meals a day or maybe 3....and eat no later than 3PM as that seems to keep me full for the rest of the day x
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
    6 meals a day, about every 2 hours.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    I eat 6 times a day every 2-2.5 hours.
    Meals I try to keep around 350-500 calories, 200 cal snacks.
  • chelsinicole
    chelsinicole Posts: 37
    I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks between.
  • perrim
    perrim Posts: 117
    breakfast, lunch, very light dinner, one to two snacks. Better to eat more frequently and smaller meals. Supposedly, anything over 500 calories is not good because your body can only process about 500 calories in one sitting, so the extra will likely get stored as fat.
  • allykat8
    allykat8 Posts: 237
    I eat at minimum 4 times a day.

    Breakfast
    Lunch 1
    Lunch 2
    Dinner

    And usually 2-3 snacks!
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
    Breakfast at 7, lunch at 1, snack at 3, dinner at 6. Try not to eat after that, but it happens sometimes. I eat 1400 a day, with the biggest percentage at dinner and the others pretty equal (600, 300). I used to eat a snack at 10, but I eat a high protein/fat breakfast so I can be sustained without having to eat something boring in class.
  • Missouwechanged
    Missouwechanged Posts: 963 Member
    I eat at least 5 small meals a day.
  • TheMotherAwesome
    TheMotherAwesome Posts: 174 Member
    I'm with the five-timers - three main meals, two healthy snacks. Sometimes even a low-cal dessert if I can squeeze one in. :)
  • _Bunnytown
    _Bunnytown Posts: 110 Member
    <3 tea
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
    I eat 6-8x's a day, but my days are 18 hours long, i'm aiming around 1300-1500 ..but I don't stess if I go over, it's not about being bang on that number everyday, I take it a week at a time.
  • tutujoli
    tutujoli Posts: 104 Member
    three meals and two snacks. :)
  • SewRue
    SewRue Posts: 74 Member
    If it's a work week I eat about 5 or 6 small meals. Usually yogurt, fruit and granola for breakfast. Then either fruit or vegetable for a snack. Lunch is between 300 to 400 calories. Another snack later. I have classes after work so I have to plan way in advance for dinner. But I like to eat a snack less than 200 calories in between meals. It keeps my metabolism going. Which is good for long days.
  • sunnysashka
    sunnysashka Posts: 296
    Big breakfast (around 500 cal) at 8 am,
    snack around 10-10.30 am (100 cal)
    lunch 12.30 pm (400 cal or less)
    dinner 5.30 pm (300 cal or less)

    I do around 1200 cal a day if I don't workout, and 1500 if I do.
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Hard not to notice .. It seems to me that those who are eating the most often, are also losing the most weight. Duly noted!!
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