How do you distribute your calories?

abrockhausen
abrockhausen Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just starting my journey and curious as to how yall split up your calories throughout the day?
«1

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I am up around 630- to work by 8 AM
    My cutting split looks roughly like this.
    2 PM- Lunch (left overs- chicken- veggies- usually 3-400 calories)
    4 PM- snack (usually 300 calories of yogurt/protein/fruit)
    Gym time
    Snack (2 hard boiled eggs)
    Dance
    Home by 10- big meal of the night.

    Bulking-
    Eat around 9 AM
    Eat around 1130 AM
    Eat around 130 AM
    eat around 3 PM
    eat around 5 PM
    eat around 10 PM
    eat around 12 AM
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
    Depends on how hungry I feel throughout the day, but I typically fast in the morning, eat a small lunch, and then eat the rest of my calories for dinner. Sometimes I'll skip lunch and eat all of my calories in the evening. It's called intermittent fasting (IF) and I find that it helps me control my hunger. However, I cannot do this if I plan on doing a heavy workout because I'm a wimp.

    On the weekends, it's a free-for-all. Meals all day!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Are you talking meal/snack distribution?

    Some people are big breakfast eaters....and others a big dinner eaters. I don't think it matters either way.

    Breakfast is the smallest meal for me. But it includes protein and fiber....sometimes fat too. These are the more "filling" components.

    If I don't have much in the way of fat for breakfast....I definitely have fat at lunch time. Protein & fiber again too.

    Dinner is my biggest meal....like 40% of my calories.

    I do leave room for a couple of small snacks - midafternoon and before bed. My habits were grazing (mindlessly) when I got home from work & being a night time snacker.

    So, my snacks take care of that. I exercise to "earn" my snacks.
  • JenJBS
    JenJBS Posts: 83
    Since I'm only 4'11" I only get 1200 calories a day.

    Breakfast: 250
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks, or as needed for lunch/dinner: 150
  • bc2ct
    bc2ct Posts: 222 Member
    Since I'm only 4'11" I only get 1200 calories a day.

    Breakfast: 250
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks, or as needed for lunch/dinner: 150

    I always used to wish I was short/a normal height. But ****.... that blows.
  • Firehawk734
    Firehawk734 Posts: 132 Member
    I like about 30% for breakfast, 20% for lunch, 50% for dinner.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    breakfast 500
    lunch 500
    dinner 500
    snacks 350

    on a hungry day
  • spirit095
    spirit095 Posts: 1,017 Member
    I do breakfast, lunch and dinner, with snacks in between. Dinner is usually my biggest meal of the day.
  • sengalissa
    sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
    I need 500 cal in the am, 500 for lunch. Then I have to either go easy on snacks or on dinner. I typically have 250 cal for snacks and only 200 for dinner (for instance big salad and some protein).
  • Nt2Badhuh
    Nt2Badhuh Posts: 107 Member
    Usually

    250-300 breakfast
    400 lunch
    400 dinner
    200 snacks or whatever the hell is left ( Im a big snacker)


    recently I have been trying to eat something small every two hours so I dont attack my pantry at the end of the day . Im also trying not to eat after 7. It suuuuucccckkkksss.
  • crissi725
    crissi725 Posts: 82
    I'm 5'2 and am losing 1.5-3 lbs a week (started at 200 lbs) by getting at least 1500-1700 calories in plus 45 mins of cardio 4-6 times a week, no less that 9000 steps a day and strength training or yoga twice a week. Generally, my calories are split 300-500 per meal with my heaviest meal between 2-5pm plus at least one 100-150 snack a couple times a day up until midnight because I work out very late at night. I try not to obsess about it. I have one day a week when I eat whatever I want (WITHIN REASON) but still go to the gym and a gym free day with very careful calorie counting. And I'm doing very well. :-) Find what works for you.
  • JenJBS
    JenJBS Posts: 83
    Since I'm only 4'11" I only get 1200 calories a day.

    Breakfast: 250
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks, or as needed for lunch/dinner: 150

    I always used to wish I was short/a normal height. But ****.... that blows.

    Yes, it really does... :grumble:
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    I eat 1700 calories a day whether I exercise or not.

    Breakfast - 300
    Lunch - 500
    Afternoon snack - 250
    Dinner - 400
    Evening snack - 250 - often more depending on how the rest of the day has gone.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    I distribute them pretty evenly between 6 meals/snacks, which are evenly spaced throughout the day.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I let the calories fall where they may. :drinker:
  • bc2ct
    bc2ct Posts: 222 Member
    For reference I'm 6'1 (okay... 6'2 some days) and I get 2100 if I'm sedentary and want to maintain. Most days I eat upwards of 3500 :) Being tall = weird & hard to get used to as a youngin but I love me some eatin.
    Since I'm only 4'11" I only get 1200 calories a day.

    Breakfast: 250
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks, or as needed for lunch/dinner: 150

    I always used to wish I was short/a normal height. But ****.... that blows.

    Yes, it really does... :grumble:
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Since I'm only 4'11" I only get 1200 calories a day.

    Breakfast: 250
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    Snacks, or as needed for lunch/dinner: 150

    I always used to wish I was short/a normal height. But ****.... that blows.

    I am 4'11" too and have not done the 1200 calories a day for more than 3 years

    Breakfast : 300
    Lunch : 300
    Protein shake : 150
    Diner 1000 calories
  • BlueButterfly94
    BlueButterfly94 Posts: 303 Member
    I try to have my largest meals toward the beginning of the day. :) I eat 7am, 10am, 1pm, and somewhere between 4 and 6pm. I might snack in between the first three meals too. Otherwise I'm hungry all the time and that's not good for me. :) (each meal is around 300-600 cal)
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
    I love a big dinner!!! My dinners are usually around 1000 cals, my breakfast around 300. I don't eat a real lunch but rather I have smaller snacks every few hours. 2 hard boiled eggs, cheese, fruit, nuts and some chocolate make up my daily snacks so about 400-600ish calories depending on how hungry I am and/or how busy I get :). 1700-1900 cals
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
    Work days:
    Breakfast is a protein bar and usually a cup of juice (sometimes just the bar).
    Lunch is most of my calories (roughly 1-1.1k)
    Dinner is either the remainder in one run or spread out over the 2 hours before bed.

    Non work days:
    Breakfast is small, a couple hundred calories
    The rest of the day I usually go for 3-400 calories meals spaced out so I'm never really hungry.
  • Sad_Grandpa
    Sad_Grandpa Posts: 129
    I don't share 'em with anybody. There's barely enough for me.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I do 600-800 calories for breakfast, 300 for lunch, 500-600 for dinner, and 300-400 for after dinner snacking.

    It kinda depends on whether I'm cutting or bulking and whether it's a rest day or workout day. On workout days I need a lot of carbs in the morning. Rest days I prefer to save more for even snacks.

    But it really doesn't matter for weight loss-- you should structure them in the way that allows you to best meet your goals.
  • StarvingInSuburbia
    StarvingInSuburbia Posts: 130
    I try to split my calories for that day into four sections. One section for each meal, and one for snacks. Then I'll take my breakfast in half and just add it to whatever I need. If I'm going out for a meal, that's what I give those calories to. If I'm not doing anything special, I'll give it to dinner or snacks. I normally don't get too hungry around the morning, but I make myself eat a little so I can focus in classes. I can never focus (ADD), and if I haven't eaten it's so much worse.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Depends on the day...
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    It depends but most of the time i split in two meals. Harder when bulking because its too much at once, then i normally do 2 smaller meals and a snack before bed.
  • JenJBS
    JenJBS Posts: 83
    For reference I'm 6'1 (okay... 6'2 some days) and I get 2100 if I'm sedentary and want to maintain. Most days I eat upwards of 3500 :) Being tall = weird & hard to get used to as a youngin but I love me some eatin.



    Yes, it really does... :grumble:
    [/quote]

    2100 - 3500 calories a day... I'm jealous.... Very, Very Jealous...
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    I distribute them pretty evenly between 6 meals/snacks, which are evenly spaced throughout the day.

    Similar but I get hungry at night so I now go for 8
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    right now cutting at about 2200 so I will go three big meals breakfast about 700 cals, lunch about 500, dinner about 700 and then three hundred for a snack, ice cream, whatever….
  • mediamogulsteve
    mediamogulsteve Posts: 115 Member
    I know when I very first started that I was always feeling hungry, even with 3 meals and 3 snacks a day.

    Here's what I've been doing:

    8am - Breakfast ~200 calories
    10:30 - Morning snack (usually a sandwich) ~300 calories
    12:30-1ish - Lunch 400-500 calories
    4pm - Afternoon snack (Clif Bar if I work out, greek yogurt if I don't.) ~250 calories or 90-120 calories
    6:15 pm - Dinner 400-500 calories
    before 8pm - dessert 100-200 calories
  • Jeslefisch
    Jeslefisch Posts: 27 Member
    I save my calories for dinner. I'll have around 100-150 calories for breakfast (juicing) I'll have a coffee or tea and a banana for lunch (100-200) Then I eat whatever I want for dinner and I have room for healthy snacks or chocolate. calorie goal is 1540 but I'm usually around 1300. :) Good luck

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