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Hello - I just started and i'm wondering about how many calories to eat per meal. I just have a breakfast - I thought was good, and it was 541 calories. Is that good or bad?

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  • hatkinson87
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    What kind of food are you eating for breakfast?

    The kind of calories you're taking in for your first meal of the day are very important. I've always heard and read that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it sets the tone for how you will eat for the rest of the day.
  • Frankii_x
    Frankii_x Posts: 238
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    Exactly what the person above me said. A great theory to live by is "Breakfast like a King; Lunch like a Prince; Dinner like a Pauper". Breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day but just because it's the 'biggest' doesn't mean it should be filled with sugar and other bad choices :) It totally depends on your age/weight/height/exercise to say how many calories you "should" have. I can recommend having a research of "TDEE" and "BMR".

    Hope that helps!
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    So long as you eep your calorie goal for the day, it does not matter how much you eat for any one particular meal. Are you going over your daily calorie limit?
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    You can spread out your calories as you wish, there are no rules to follow, just myths, do what works for you.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    You can spread out your calories as you wish, there are no rules to follow, just myths, do what works for you.

    This. Meal timing is a myth - elsewise people who worked overnights would be screwed.

    What's your overall calorie goal? As long as you can fit your meals into that, you'll be fine. Make adjustments for times when you know you'll be hungriest. (For me, it is breakfast, so I decrease lunch and dinner calories to free up some extra room in the mornings.)
  • MJTBQ
    MJTBQ Posts: 13 Member
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    It depends on what you generally eat. You don't want to go from 3000 calories a day to 1000. I used the tool to put in what my height and weight was and got my recommended calories. Most people think a bigger breakfast and lunch is best and not to eat past a certain time at night, like 6, 7, or 8 pm. I still like my eddys bar at about 9.

    As you progress and record your food, you will learn how it makes you happy what you eat and learn how you feel. Ive been dieting all my life and do best when record my weight. I had kept my weight off about 4 years and due to stress and life I fell off the wagon. I try to balance my calores by 3 for my meals, taking off a few hundred calories for snacks. I like wine and vodka but know alcohol is all sugar and impedes weight loss. But if it goes in my mouth I record it. My weakness is also cheese and crackers. One day I did very well and blew it with a huge mozzarella and tomato salad.

    Some people I know like their big meal late at night, and its all individual. As long as she counts her calories and exercises, her late meals don't seem to impede her maintenance weight. I'm looking for friends to share with so anyone feel free to add me. Im 51 5'4" and goal to lose 20 pounds but also to build muscle and get in shape. There is no silly questions!!! We are all in this together.
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
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    I actually usually skip breakfast. I find that if I eat breakfast (especially a big breakfast) I keep wanting to eat and eat throughout the day. If I put off eating until between 10 and noon, I don't get very hungry in the morning and I am satisfied eating less throughout the day. I'm down 13 lbs in a bit over a month doing that.

    The important thing is: Find what works for you. Some people do the big breakfast - medium lunch - small dinner thing and it works for them. That doesn't work for me. Some people eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. That works for them.

    Edited to say - I do eat breakfast if I work out in the morning, because my body needs fuel after the workout. Eating a breakfast after a workout doesn't make me hungry throughout the day like it does if I don't workout in the morning.
  • MJTBQ
    MJTBQ Posts: 13 Member
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    Love that expression: Breakfast is King, Lunch is Prince, and Dinner is Pauper! Fabulous :)
  • lovemitch125
    lovemitch125 Posts: 257 Member
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    For me, personally, I like to eat a big breakfast (If I don't have a protein shake substitute), usually a banana, a slice of toast and margairine and 3 eggs scrambled or a bowl of cereal with a banana and a granola bar, a salad or a sandwich for lunch and then a lean cuisine meal or smart ones meal with a side of veggies for dinner. I'll have a snack of a fruit or protein between lunch and dinner and a small snack after dinner as well. This has worked well for me.