Maximum calories to consume in one sitting?

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jtintx
jtintx Posts: 445 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all. I did a brief search on this but didn't find what I was looking for. What I'm wondering is is there a maximum number of calories that you should consume at one sitting (meal/snack)? I'm wondering if the body can process only x number of calories at one time and therefore the rest will be converted to stored fat. Maybe this way of thinking is totally wrong, but it just seems to me that there might be some validity to it...can anyone confirm or deny? If there is a limit then how long should you wait before consuming your next meal/snack?

Replies

  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    I don't know but I've thought about this as well.

    It would make sense that you should only consume a percentage of the calories you'll need throughout the day during one meal, or a certain timeframe. I have no idea what that would be or if it really even matters. I just think it does and am chiming in to hear the answer.
  • eliblish
    eliblish Posts: 124 Member
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    bump. I'm curious too.
  • inchik
    inchik Posts: 35 Member
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    You should eat every 3-4 hours and limit snacks to 100-150 calories per serving. Eat just enough to fill you so you do not feel stuffed after a meal.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Not sure the answer, but your body will be more efficient eating many small meals and snacks in a day rather than a 2 or 3 large meals. I tend not to go over 600 calories in any one sitting that way I don't get weighed down trying to digest all that food.
  • abbie38
    abbie38 Posts: 128
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    I've been wondering about this too, actually...
  • Sunsh1ne
    Sunsh1ne Posts: 879 Member
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    There's no hard and fast rule but a good guideline is the number of calories you consume in a day, divided by the number of hours you will be awake, multiplied by how long you will go between eating. Technically, you can eat ALL of your calories in one sitting, but it's not a good idea because you will be hungry at the end of the day.
  • lynnie30
    lynnie30 Posts: 105 Member
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    woo hoo! My Science teacher skills can finally come in handy- it depends on how active you are. Your body will burn any calories it needs then store the rest. First thing it burns from a meal are carbs. then fat, then protein. You don't ever want to actually burn protein though. This is also why you shouldn't eat things that are too high in fat- if your body doesn't burn it all it stores it.

    And yes. Small balanced meals is best.
  • byHisgrace
    byHisgrace Posts: 175
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    You should eat every 3-4 hours and limit snacks to 100-150 calories per serving. Eat just enough to fill you so you do not feel stuffed after a meal.

    Hi,

    Where did this information come from? Just curious? As far as the 3-4 hours and the very calorie limited snacks?
  • jtintx
    jtintx Posts: 445 Member
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    woo hoo! My Science teacher skills can finally come in handy- it depends on how active you are. Your body will burn any calories it needs then store the rest. First thing it burns from a meal are carbs. then fat, then protein. You don't ever want to actually burn protein though. This is also why you shouldn't eat things that are too high in fat- if your body doesn't burn it all it stores it.

    And yes. Small balanced meals is best.
    This is at the heart of my question. So, if I don't want any of the food I ate to be stored as bodyfat then what should I limit my calorie intake to during one meal/snack?
  • BombolinaM
    BombolinaM Posts: 561 Member
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    You should eat every 3-4 hours and limit snacks to 100-150 calories per serving. Eat just enough to fill you so you do not feel stuffed after a meal.


    I've heard that before too. Or eat 5 mini meals throughout the day. Not going over your alloted calories. I just joined weight watchers too and lots of great ideas for low cal foods and snakcs. Good luck to everybody
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    woo hoo! My Science teacher skills can finally come in handy- it depends on how active you are. Your body will burn any calories it needs then store the rest. First thing it burns from a meal are carbs. then fat, then protein. You don't ever want to actually burn protein though. This is also why you shouldn't eat things that are too high in fat- if your body doesn't burn it all it stores it.

    And yes. Small balanced meals is best.
    This is at the heart of my question. So, if I don't want any of the food I ate to be stored as bodyfat then what should I limit my calorie intake to during one meal/snack?

    Depends when you eat. Breakfast should be larger as you have all day to burn the calories off, followed by lunch and the smallest meal of the day should be dinner as you don't have as much time to burn the cals off. Doing this will only make a very slight difference, probably not enough to move the scale in any direction, so don't sweat it too much. Just try to have fairly even meals/snacks throughout the day.

    The 100-150 every 3-4 hours is not enough that would only leave you with eating 900 cals consumed (150*6) the 6 would be number of snacks/meals if you ate every 3 hours other than when sleeping. Try evening your cals out if you consume 1500/day eat 5 times at around 300 cals each.
  • ScarletTarah
    ScarletTarah Posts: 117 Member
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    I usually eat between 300-400 calories a meal except breakfast which is about 200. On Sat. I ate almost 500 for lunch and felt bloated and stuffed I think it was to much for me, NOW ( alittle yeah for me).

    I don't know the exact answer for your question, but for myself and my activity level I think this works for me not to much, not to little if I was an athlete I know I would have to eat alot more.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    i typically eat 300 calories for breakfast (8:30 to 11), 400-450 calories for lunch (11 to 5:30) and 550-600 calories for supper (5:30 to 11). it is not a scientific answer but it works for me and the family life i have. it throws my whole day off when i have a bigger breakfast, more emotionally than food-wise, if that makes sense. :) the flat belly diet (one of the members on here was using it and wrote about her experience) recommends 4- 400calorie meals a day. it really worked for her. you will find what works for you.
    dawn
  • lynnie30
    lynnie30 Posts: 105 Member
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    woo hoo! My Science teacher skills can finally come in handy- it depends on how active you are. Your body will burn any calories it needs then store the rest. First thing it burns from a meal are carbs. then fat, then protein. You don't ever want to actually burn protein though. This is also why you shouldn't eat things that are too high in fat- if your body doesn't burn it all it stores it.

    And yes. Small balanced meals is best.
    This is at the heart of my question. So, if I don't want any of the food I ate to be stored as bodyfat then what should I limit my calorie intake to during one meal/snack?

    Depends when you eat. Breakfast should be larger as you have all day to burn the calories off, followed by lunch and the smallest meal of the day should be dinner as you don't have as much time to burn the cals off. Doing this will only make a very slight difference, probably not enough to move the scale in any direction, so don't sweat it too much. Just try to have fairly even meals/snacks throughout the day.

    The 100-150 every 3-4 hours is not enough that would only leave you with eating 900 cals consumed (150*6) the 6 would be number of snacks/meals if you ate every 3 hours other than when sleeping. Try evening your cals out if you consume 1500/day eat 5 times at around 300 cals each.


    Right. There isn't a magic number. It does help to eat more calories early on in your day (breakfast). But again- if you are active you actually need more calories than if you sit at a desk all day.
  • Astralmage
    Astralmage Posts: 9 Member
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    Tricky question, and lots of good answers. My best guess for this would be to plan out how many calories your needing a day. Currently I am trying to lose weight so Im trying to stick around 1500 calories a day. Then I would want to follow some of the above advice and tweak it as needed. First of all I would likely plan my biggest meals earlier in the day, figure out how many times I would be eating, snacks included, and then make a meal plan to make it all work. So if I planned say 3 meals and 3 snacks, then averaged the snacks to be 125 calories per snack, I would be at 375 calories before main meals leaving me 1125 for those meals. If I ate big in the morning, good in the afternoon and light in the evening, I may try 425 calorie breakfast, 375 calorie lunch, and 325 calories for dinner giving me my 1500 calorie goal.

    Other people will eat differently, and you will want to see what works best for you. It will have to become a lifestyle that you can live by if you want continued results. Some people cannot eat breakfast. Some people will find that 6 times a day is a bit much as it may feel like grazing. Of course you will have to figure out what works best for your schedule and or dietary needs, but I think that planning is the first step to obtaining your goals. Take away some of the good tips found above as they will surely help. The next step is making sure your getting enough water, half your body weight in ounces per day. Good luck.

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