How many calories at one meal should you eat?

almostdedicated
almostdedicated Posts: 10
edited October 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering, how many of your daily calories should you eat at each main meal? Like breakfest, lunch, dinner.

Lets say you have 2000cal to eat a day. How should you break that up? How many calories at one sitting break,lunch,dinner should you eat?
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Replies

  • JavaSparrow
    JavaSparrow Posts: 51 Member
    it depends on how much you need to consider a meal satisfying. If you simple divide up 2000 evenly, you get three 500 calorie meals and two 250 calorie snacks. but maybe you like to have a smaller breakfast and a bigger lunch? or several smaller snacks?
    i would start by finding what i liked to eat at a sensible meal on average, like how many calories till i'm comfortably full? and also take into account what times in the day i'm hungry between meals, and make sure i'm still able to fit a snack into my budget for those times.
    It really depends on you and how you'd like to budget them.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.

    Same here. It's how I've been doing things since I started losing weight and it's worked really well for me. Break them up however works best for you. If you want a big meal earlier in the day, do it that way.
  • Cynduck
    Cynduck Posts: 255 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.

    I do the same thing.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I eat 600-700 calories for breakfast on my 1750 calorie allowance.

    Lunch is around 300.

    Dinner makes up whatever is left after a couple snacks.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.
    To give you another view, I'm more comfortable doing the opposite. I have a solid breakfast before I workout and do a snack midmorning, lunch, perhaps another snack if needed then a lighter dinner. I do this because I work out in the a.m typically and prefer to be fueled for that.

    Each one of us is likely to vary depending on our needs due to activity, habits, lifestyle/work etc.

    But I do agree with the poster above who shared about 3 meals and 2 snacks. That seems to work well for many of us to keep the blood sugars from dropping dramatically between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. For myself it helps to avoid that sluggish afternoon feeling.

    I typically fuel up with a carb/fat/protein at each meal/snack.
  • tndejong
    tndejong Posts: 463
    it depends for me day to day. sometimes i eat breakfast and sometimes i don't. my dinners are typically 500-600 calories. i like to leave at least 200 calories for a late evening snack. i can do 1400-1500 calories a day pretty easy on that.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    It really doesn't matter.... How one person divides up their calories may not work for another. I would suggest thinking about what time of day you are usually hungriest and eat your biggest meal then. For me that's usually dinner. I will pre-log my dinner, I eat the same thing for breakfast so I know what that will be, then my lunch/snacks/dessert is worked around what I have left. Breakfast usually ends up being the least amount for me because I don't like to eat a lot before I workout (between 200-250), dinner is the biggest (500-800), lunch is anywhere between 300-500 then dessert and snacks is what ever is left.

    But like I said, there is no set way. Do what works best for you.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.

    I do this too, mainly because I like to look foreward to a big dinner at the end of the day. Plus that way if my fiance cooks instead of me I don't have to make myself something separate or only eat a few bites because I only have like 400 calories left for the day
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    1200.

    I'm kidding, it varies from person to person. Eat the amount that works for you to give you the max energy and still either lose or maintain (or build muscle if that is your goal).
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    I am more interested in eating in the late afternoon/early evening, so my early calories are on the light side (with rare exception). Usually breakfast is around 250-300 and 11sies is about the same.
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    I think you are going to get as many different replies as there are members here, and that can only mean that you should do whatever works for you.

    Personally, I find that an equal balance of calories per meal, with about 200 cals. allotted for snacks, works best for me.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    P.S. - When I'm not exercising and only have 1200 calories to work with, each meal is pretty close to the same calorie count (300). But the last 2 meals of the day are bigger if I've earned exercise calories.
  • Nurseblondy
    Nurseblondy Posts: 76
    I have to stay within 1400 or under and split my meals like so:

    Breakfast: 300
    Lunch: 500
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks: 200
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
    Depends how hungry you are for each meal. For me, I eat around 2000-2200 per day and I usually end up splitting it something like this:

    Bkfst: 300 cals

    Snack: 200 cals

    Lunch: 500 cals

    Snack: 200 cals

    Dinner: 500-600 cals

    Dessert/snack: (whatever's left) around 200-400.

    I thought about having a bigger breakfast around 500 calories but I am just not THAT hungry first thing in the morning...
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I typically eat about half my calories between breakfast, lunch and mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, then the other half at dinner and an evening snack. Dinner alone is usually about 1200 calories.
  • almostdedicated
    almostdedicated Posts: 10
    i feel as if i can go the day finishing way below my daily calorie allowance. does anyone else?
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,336 Member
    It doesn't matter to me as long as I have no more than 45g of carbs at the meal.
  • almostdedicated
    almostdedicated Posts: 10
    does anyone else feel that they are eating way too much even thought they stay within their calorie limit
  • shmoony
    shmoony Posts: 237 Member
    breakfast - 250

    lunch- 300

    dinner- 700

    snacks - 300

    dessert - 200

    drinks - 450
  • alisiaendris
    alisiaendris Posts: 213 Member
    Typically:
    Breakfast 200-300
    Snack 100-200
    Lunch 300-400
    Snack 100-200
    Dinner 400-500
    Snack 100-200

    So... 1200-1800 cal.

    I am working on maintaining now, so I strive for the higher end and may tuck in some extra calories at the end of the day to get closer to the higher end. When I was at 1200 I did stay with the lower cal intake for each 'meal'. I do find that 6 'meals' per day works best for me.
  • Luv2ChewBaca
    Luv2ChewBaca Posts: 15 Member
    I think it would not matter how much you eat per meal as long as you do not go over your daily goal. However, that can cange if you have a workout that requires you to fuel up in adavance. For ex, if I go out for a 30-40 mile bike ride, I like to eat a larger breakfast. And for sure need to bring snacks.

    During the work week, I eat the same Breakfast nearly every day (I LOVE MFP's Remember Meal feature) which is just under 400 cals. Then most of the time, the same Lunch which is around 300 cals (unless I go out with work friends). Snacks are usually 100-150 cals. Which leaves 600-650 for dinner. Dinner is determined by what I ate for lunch but is typically my largest calorie meal. Breakfast may change slightly on weekends, so meal totals can vary but the daily goal total ends up the same.

    Breakfast ~400
    Lunch ~300
    Snack ~100-150
    Dinner ~600-650
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
    As many as you like . . .?

    I do IF and regularly consume 1000 calorie or more meals (still staying at an overall deficit for the day, of course) and it's worked very well for me
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    does anyone else feel that they are eating way too much even thought they stay within their calorie limit

    Never.

    And why would you want to? You have to eat to lose.
  • tam_a_ram_a
    tam_a_ram_a Posts: 52 Member
    i eat lower calorie meals for breakfast and lunch and tend to eat more for dinner. Tonight was a 700 calorie + meal, which is not common for me, but if I have the leftover calories, I allow myself to splurge at dinnertime since nighttime is when I want to eat more. It all depends on your preference is. I'd rather not eat so much at night, but I do and I still manage to lose weight.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    I try to stick to the old maxim:

    Break fast like a king, Lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper, but it doesn't always quite work like that - lunch always seems to contain the most cals even though I have 3 eggs and toast for brekkie.

    The way I see it, they fuel me for the day wheres dinner only fuels me for sleep. Although I do have an outdoor job.
  • ambernjody
    ambernjody Posts: 1
    do you work off that many calorie in a day ?
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I prefer to eat light during the day with a heavy calorie load in the evening.

    Me too. I think it's because I like to make myself a nice healthy dinner and take my time with it. My lunches are small and boring because I'm at work and don't have the time like I do in the evening.
  • deearess
    deearess Posts: 28 Member
    I change it up based on what workout I'm going to do that day and what time it is. I also change it up based on how hungry I am (novel, I know). Though most days, I wake up hungry so I like a pretty calorie dense breakfast and then a small snack a couple hours later
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    no more than a third to half unless you are trying to become a Sumo wrestler

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