How many calories do you normall have left after lunch??

cupcakelover103
cupcakelover103 Posts: 197 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm on a 1,200 calorie diet, and after lunch and a snack, i've normally only got about just under 200 calories left. So if i don't work out I go over my caloric intake.
What tips do you ahve to balance things out, and how many do you normally have left after lunch?

Replies

  • RavensBoo
    RavensBoo Posts: 3
    I am struggling with the same thing after lunch time I only have about 100 left. I just dont get it.... I also shop on a REALLY low budget which means I only get whatever is on sale or at dollar tree (CA) If anyone has tips I really hope you can help both of us out.
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    I am averaging a 1500 cal/day and usually after my pm snack I still have 400-600 calories left. It's all about eating clean and real food. I love me some REAL food ;)
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
    Hi!! So after eating lunch I have about 700or so depending. I start with a yoplait smoothie which is 110 cal and a 100 cal bagel thin with a laughing cow wedge which puts me at 955cal. For lunch I usually have a spinach salad with ham or grilled chicken Wich is about 200 or 250. I usually save my snack calorie for dessert after dinner, which it will be chocolate pudding the 60cal ones with lite cool whip. Like I said it depends on how my day starts but I usually have about the same, or start workingout so you can eat more.
  • prettier_me
    prettier_me Posts: 53 Member
    i usually only have 200 or so left...and it's so discouraging because then i feel deprived and starving...... :/
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
    if you honestly feel hungry all day, you may need to increase your calories from 1200. some people need more nutrition than that and eating less than what you need will plateau your weight loss. eat if you're hungry!
  • a2canadian
    a2canadian Posts: 43
    I recommend afternoon workouts. Eat lunch and then about 3 hours later (mid-afternoon) try to do 1hr of exercise (or burn up about 300-400kcal). Today I had a pretty hearty snack before lunch and had about 500kcal left in the day but an hour of Kundalini put me right back on track for a satisfying dinner.
  • jlay777
    jlay777 Posts: 13 Member
    I feel like I used to be the exact same way!!!! I am on a super low food budget shopping sales only and sometimes eating junk because it's cheaper! blah!

    After lunch, now a days I have anywhere from 1,000 to 800 calories left. I swear I am not starving myself. Some days it's still considerably less, usually if I have company or if I am on vacation or, the worst .... with family for a celebration. I start my day with one to two cups of water, literal 8 oz cups. Then I have a cup of coffee and I have switched to almond or soy milk with splenda. When I cut dairy out of my diet I cut tons of calories. Then no matter what I am eating for breakfast I eat one piece of fruit, or a can of mandarin oranges. At lunch time I try to plan to have a lighter lunch knowing that I will have a snack 2 to 3 hours later. Almost like having two little lunches. I do this because I am a snacker and I like to eat.


    As for cutting costs. When I stopped drinking milk, things got cheaper. Now I don't have any dairy which sounds scary and was really hard for me at first but I spend less money and my tummy feels better. I also cut out beef and pork and my wallet was much happier. Lastly, I plan ahead, sometimes way ahead for shopping, by using coupons combined with store ads. Some stores have a clearance section and you can use coupons on those items too. I also started buying dry beans and making them at home. You can buy them in bulk and they are much cheaper this way. It's a great healthy protein, and it saves you money.
  • a2canadian
    a2canadian Posts: 43
    if you honestly feel hungry all day, you may need to increase your calories from 1200. some people need more nutrition than that and eating less than what you need will plateau your weight loss. eat if you're hungry!

    agreed... hungry = your body is a sign that your body is going to start converting muscle into fat storage... try to avoid feeling famished
  • emh009
    emh009 Posts: 14 Member
    I try to not eat meat (I used to be a carnivore, but I slowly started to stop eating it so much and now I don't even really miss it- but of course, that doesn't stop me from eating it every once in a while!) and that honestly helps with calorie intake so much. I feel so much more full eating other foods that are more nutritious with less calories. My favorite breakfast is Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, which only has 200 calories per cup (and I usually only eat 1/2 cup because it just fills me up) so paired with 1/2 cup of skim milk, that puts me at about 190 calories plus I'll usually throw in half a grapefruit or an orange an hour later as a mid morning snack. I tend to eat an early lunch, but I love a big salad full of veggies and tossed with a low fat vinagerette. I'm usually full before finishing it and it's not even 250 calories. Soup is another great option, an entire can of Progresso Minestrone is only 200 calories- and that's two servings! You just have to be careful and watch the sodium, but I can't even finish the full can of soup. The typical day leaves me with around 700 calories for after lunch. Focus on using veggies to fill you up- it's healthier for you and lower calories. It's hard to adjust to at first, but it's well worth it in the end!
  • radwan_masri
    radwan_masri Posts: 54
    I am on 1540 calorie a day; I am usually left between 500 - 800 a day "average", i's all depends what you consume for breakfast & lunch. you can look at my Dairy it's public; maybe you'll get an idea. Hope i was of a help!!!
  • exp_lauren
    exp_lauren Posts: 29 Member
    I'm also doing 1200 calories and aim for something like this:

    Breakfast: 175 calories
    AM snack: 75 calories
    Lunch: 350 calories
    PM snack: 75 calories
    Dinner: 450 calories
    Eve snack: 75 calories

    I also try to eat lots of fibre (30g - need lots of fluid, too) and protein (75g). Protein and fibre take longer to digest, so especially if eaten before the carbs, it seems to help keep the hunger away. I understand that the frequent meals and protein/fibre content means the digestive system is busy working and burning calories all day, too, and so starvation mode is less likely to kick in. It's just tough initially to figure out what foods will work. 175 calories for breakfast doesn't seem like much, but your snack is only a couple of hours away. I'm now buying low fat cheese portions, mini turkey snack sausages, skim milk, no-fat yogurt, low fat meats, cartons of egg whites, and uber-high-fibre cereals. Whole grain pasta/bread and beans are good, too. Eating lots of salads and non-starchy veggies with your meals feels like a lot of food for hardly any calories. Avoid juices - don't gulp down the calories when you can eat fewer of them more slowly and get the fibre too.

    Hope that helps!
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    I'm also on a 1,200 net calorie plan and I have between 500-600 calories left after lunch. Breakfast is black coffee, oatmeal with some cut-up fruit added and cinnamon (real whole rolled oats, not the prepackaged instant stuff) along with one slice of ham or canadian bacon or a hard-boiled egg for protein OR three scrambled egg whites with salsa and one slice of whole grain toast with either sugar free jam or very little butter, plus fruit. Breakfast is always 300 calories or less. Lunch varies but often includes a turkey or roast beef or tuna sandwich (2-3 oz. of meat) open faced on one slice of whole grain bread with one cheese slice, tomato, lettuce, peppers and spicy brown mustard along with fruit and another vegetable of some kind (carrots, brocolli) OR a big lettuce salad loaded with veggies, 1 oz. of cheese, 3 oz. of chicken or tuna and fat-free italian or light french dressing (no more than 2 Tbsp) OR a big bowl of homemade soup. Lunch is between 300-400 calories. I completely stopped eating processed and prepackaged food and now I eat only real food. I sure miss Bertolli frozen entrees! It's definitely more expensive to eat healthy which is sad. It's also more time consuming so make sure you plan ahead. Remember to drink tons of water throughout the day and cut out all higher calorie beverages. Eat foods high in fiber which keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time. Think about taking a multi-vitamin every day. It takes time to change your eating habits and to learn how to eat healthy. Stick with it, you can do it! Good luck.
  • nicjane113
    nicjane113 Posts: 48
    It depends when you have your biggest meal. If you are having a big lunch you might not need as much for your dinner.
    I have 30g of cereal with a little milk for breakfast - 160 calories
    A tin of weight watchers soup and 2 ryvita crackers with phyladelphia spread - max. 230 calories

    I am aiming towards 1240 per day so that gives me 850 leftover for my dinner which is my biggest meal of the day.

    Alot of people feel it is wrong to be hungry and eat alot so they are always full - it's ok to get hungry a little bit. I find I am hungry around 12pm - 12.30pm. I have my lunch break at 1pm, then I feel myself getting hungry at around 4.30pm. I finish work at 5pm so by the time I get home and make the dinner it can be around 6pm when I eat. I find myself appreciating what I'm eating because I'm hungry for it. I then try not to snack after dinner.

    Not having a very big shopping budget isn't really an excuse to not eating a good diet.
  • dainj
    dainj Posts: 25 Member
    I am also on 1200 calories. I have just started and I work in an office all day but I am trying to eat most of my calories in the day, so when I am active most (which is afterwork) I will burn them. At the moment I eat most of my calories at night but once I get into my gym habit this will change! I currenly have around 600 cals left for dinner.
  • princess_f
    princess_f Posts: 148
    im not a big breakfast eater and tend to have a sandwich/or bakedpotato for lunch which leaves about 600-700+ left.

    Take a look at my diary for ideas or suggestions if im going wrong!!
  • Cupcakebettiejo
    Cupcakebettiejo Posts: 125 Member
    Hi,
    I tend to work out what im having for dinners for the week then i know how many calories to use for my dinner around 400, i then plan my breakfast, lunch and any snacks around that so i dont go over in the evening. It does sound like you may have to increase your calorie intake slightly if you are really hungry all day long.

    Jo
  • catherine1979
    catherine1979 Posts: 704 Member
    I'm on 1700 calories a day. I try (am not always successful) to have about 300 calories for breakfast, 400 for lunch, and another 300 in snacks, leaving me with about 700 calories.
  • geminisam
    geminisam Posts: 40
    Im on 1620 a day and its my 1st day today and if ive done things right ive got 808 left to use.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I was on 1200 also, and after lunch I would typically have about 350ish. Sometimes a little less. Look at where your calories are coming from -- are you drinking your calories? What are your snacks? What do you eat for breakfast? I was amazed at how many calories I was drinking -- we have softened water in our house and no filter, so I don't like the taste, but I was drinking half-strength juice and thought it would be ok. It's still a crazy amount of calories. If you look at what you typically eat, you'll probably find some adjustments you can make.

    After all that though, if you're hungry, you need to either find more filling foods that you can fit into your calorie goals, or increase your goal. I increased mine to 1300 because I was just hungry all the time, even after cutting back where I could. I think I expend more energy than I realized just trying to get through the day with the kids. It's still not easy for me to stick to my goal, but it's more manageable, and I'm still eating FAR fewer calories than I was before I started tracking.
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    Im on 1620 a day and its my 1st day today and if ive done things right ive got 808 left to use.

    Impressive for a first day! You got this!
  • katslosingit
    katslosingit Posts: 41 Member
    Cupcakelover - Give us an example of what you're eating throughout the day. Maybe you can cut something or change what you're eating from your morning. I usually have about 400 left for dinner unless I exercise, then I have about 700 - 800.
  • kimwig
    kimwig Posts: 164
    if you honestly feel hungry all day, you may need to increase your calories from 1200. some people need more nutrition than that and eating less than what you need will plateau your weight loss. eat if you're hungry!

    agreed... hungry = your body is a sign that your body is going to start converting muscle into fat storage... try to avoid feeling famished
    Not quite correct.

    Feeling hungry (if that is what the feeling is, because some people do not know difference between hunger, thirst, or their bodies addiction to bad foods), is not bad). It is your bodies sign that immediately available sugar (glucose) is low, and that it will start converting glycogen ( a stored sugar) to glucose for use.

    When that store is down it will go to fat stores and start converting fat to sugar for the body to use. This is a process that happens all the time ( the reverse when we eat too much - ie sugar to fat).

    One of the last things the body will do is take from it's protein stores. Muscle decreases when you do not excercise as it is not needed. Muscle gets taken only in extreme starvation when your body has no more fat to go to.
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