% Breakdown of Calories per Meal

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boilermaker6
boilermaker6 Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello All.

My calorie intake % breakdown is usually as follows
15% breakfast
25% snacks (spread out but mostly midmorning)
25% lunch
35% dinner

Seems reasonable but I think a more optimum breakdown would be (more reversed)
35% breakfast
15% snack
25-30% lunch
20-25% dinner


My problem is that I am never hungry in the morning until around 10:00am so i just get a peanut butter toast or similar to get something in my stomach. I am also always extremely hungry around dinner. Any suggestions on how to increase appetite in the morning and decrease in the afternoon...more water? more protein?

Does anybody have any REAL results with both scenerios and can elaborate on if increasing calories in the am and decreasing in the pm actually works more effectively or just slightly or not at all?.....

Also I am pretty new here so feel free to ADD me as a FRIEND

Replies

  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I am pretty sure that it doesn't matter when you eat those calories as long as you stay in deficit. It does change for me day by day but for the majority of the time I eat 900 + of my 1700 calories after 6 PM and it seems to be working
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You're way overthinking this. Eat when you're hungry. All that matters is that you stay under your calories by the end of the day.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    You're way overthinking this. Eat when you're hungry. All that matters is that you stay under your calories by the end of the day.
    ^^^This.

    Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. Log your exercise, and eat back your exercise calories. If you're not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants
  • boilermaker6
    boilermaker6 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks....I tend to do that a lot (overthink and analyze).....it's what i do for a living..lol
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
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    what the guy above me said.... I used to do 'nutrient timing' before which means i divide my percentages like you did but my breakdown before was 30 percent both breakfast and post workout and the rest divided evenly thru out the day, it makes me feel hungry night time coz im a shift worker, now im doing a flexible dieting style which means i only worry about hitting my macros for the day near picture perfect and i dont worry about the percentages anymore and it seems working just fine and a lot more easier. Have a look on my diary to get an idea.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Hello All.

    My calorie intake % breakdown is usually as follows
    15% breakfast
    25% snacks (spread out but mostly midmorning)
    25% lunch
    35% dinner

    Seems reasonable but I think a more optimum breakdown would be (more reversed)
    35% breakfast
    15% snack
    25-30% lunch
    20-25% dinner


    My problem is that I am never hungry in the morning until around 10:00am so i just get a peanut butter toast or similar to get something in my stomach. I am also always extremely hungry around dinner. Any suggestions on how to increase appetite in the morning and decrease in the afternoon...more water? more protein?

    Does anybody have any REAL results with both scenerios and can elaborate on if increasing calories in the am and decreasing in the pm actually works more effectively or just slightly or not at all?.....

    Also I am pretty new here so feel free to ADD me as a FRIEND
    Why do you think it would be more optimum? Total calories per day is the only metric that matters to your body, not number or size of individual meals. Optimum is what you adhere to best, and it sounds like your current plan is something you can easily adhere to, so why try and force a meaningless change?
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Doesn't matter how you break them up. All that matters is your total calories. personally I ate from 6pm to 9 pm in 2 to 3 meals. Been on 4 meals a day and 6 meals a day type of diets, no difference. Just pick what is more convenient for you. You don't have to force yourself eating at morning if you don't want to.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
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    All of the above. It really doesn't matter. If you just eat when you're naturally hungry, you have a greater chance of success than forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry and then risking a binge/exceeding your calorie goals at a time of day when you're normally hungry but don't have the calories left for something to eat.

    I don't eat breakfast, simply because I'm typically not hungry then and it's my preference. Coffee only til usually 10:30 or so, then I'll have a snack of (usually) some fruit and some cheese or a yogurt or something. I also am naturally a before-bed snacker. Always have been. I've learned to embrace it and just leave myself extra calories for later in the day. Overall, I have a much easier time staying in my calorie goal that way, which is the most (maybe only) important thing when you're trying to lose weight.
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Thanks....I tend to do that a lot (overthink and analyze).....it's what i do for a living..lol

    I'll mention Ed's motto as it is quite fitting here "Keep it simple, stupid." Eat when you're hungry. Stick to calorie and macro goals. I personally focus on them on a week by week basis, rather than daily. This helps me have a few very high calorie days, and then I can cut back the other days; it all ends up averaging out.


    And i mean no offense by the motto btw :flowerforyou:
  • boilermaker6
    boilermaker6 Posts: 16 Member
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    Tiger that was one of my questions...is it meaningless or is there something behind it. I really dont know....I don't plan on changing anything unless i can adapt to it and was merely looking for suggestions if there was good evidence behind this.

    I can't remenber where i read but it had to do with eating more later in the day results in more stored belly fat as the energy is not used up (since your sleeping)...It just seems like the older i get the harder it is to lose those final 10-20 pounds plus i am at a desk job so i guess im looking for every advantage i can get.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    You're way overthinking this. Eat when you're hungry. All that matters is that you stay under your calories by the end of the day.

    This.

    My breakdown is usually:

    Breakfast - 15% ish (around 11 or noon)
    Lunch - 0-10% ish (if I even eat lunch-usually around 3PM ish)
    Snacks - 10% ish (spread throught the day)
    Dinner - 45-55% ish (usually around 10PM)
    After dinner - 20% ish (usually around 11PM)

    I eat when I'm hungry (which is generally late in the evening if that isn't painfully evident). Eating more calories earlier in the day doesn't change my hunger at night. It just uses up calories that I'd rather be eating at night when I'm actually hungry.
  • jcorpern
    jcorpern Posts: 96 Member
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    You're way overthinking this. Eat when you're hungry. All that matters is that you stay under your calories by the end of the day.

    This! A brilliant lady!
  • StevenDeCord
    StevenDeCord Posts: 7 Member
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    I breakdown my calories by type of food...35% carbs, 25% protein and 40% healthy fat...I used to eat six small meals each day and lost 65 LBS doing it...But, now that I added strength training last November, I changed my plan so that I eat a heavy breakfast (400+ calories) a medium lunch (350+ calories) and a light dinner (300+ calories)...In between I have a 175 calorie snack three times each day...This has maintained my energy throughout the day and helps me to sleep at night (I'm not energized by protein in the evening)...There is an old saying...Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper...Makes sense to me...Good luck!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Tiger that was one of my questions...is it meaningless or is there something behind it. I really dont know....I don't plan on changing anything unless i can adapt to it and was merely looking for suggestions if there was good evidence behind this.

    I can't remenber where i read but it had to do with eating more later in the day results in more stored belly fat as the energy is not used up (since your sleeping)...It just seems like the older i get the harder it is to lose those final 10-20 pounds plus i am at a desk job so i guess im looking for every advantage i can get.
    That's a myth. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day. If it stopped while you slept, you wouldn't be sleeping, you'd be dead.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
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    What works for you and keeps you satiated and happy is the right breakdown for you. According to latest research, meal timing is irrelevant in weight loss.

    Eat when you feel like it and enjoy every bite :)
  • cactuswax
    cactuswax Posts: 77 Member
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    i agree with others who say it's overall that matters... but i've noticed when i eat a slightly lighter meal at night, my digestion is better. You're usually inactive from the time you eat dinner to bedtime, so giving your body all day to digest a bigger breakfast might make sense.

    I'm not always hungry when i wake up, until i start making my amazing oatmeal.... then it kicks in!

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