How many calories for each meal?

Jess3Loves
Jess3Loves Posts: 94 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
If you are aiming for 1200 calories a day, how do you break it up between meals and snacks?

Replies

  • GufoBianca
    GufoBianca Posts: 41
    Breakfast: 300

    Snack: 100

    Lunch: 350

    Snack: 200

    Dinner: 250

    It really varies, and I'm not one who really likes to snack, but that's pretty much what I average out at. If I exercise, I will add a little more to either the snacks such as having an additional cup of yogurt or some extra fresh fruit and veggies. :)

    (Also: I eat a much lighter dinner due to being pretty inactive in the evenings. I hate feeling bloated before bed, but it varies from person to person. It's all personal preference.)
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I think it's good to experiment and figure out what works best for your body. I'm very active in the morning and do best with a big breakfast. If I don't get a good breakfast I end up fighting snackage allll day. So I tend to have 400-600 calorie breakfast depending on how much exercise I know I'll get before noon. (Sometimes I might walk 90 - 120 minutes in the morning.) Then I can estimate how best to break down the rest of the day's meals based on how hungry I am at lunch. A lot of times I'll have a light dinner because I'm not that hungry at night and can see by the food diary that I don't need anymore anyway.

    But I know some people who aren't hungry in the morning and prefer bigger dinners. If it works for you go for it.
  • Jess3Loves
    Jess3Loves Posts: 94 Member
    Thanks!
    I do better with a bigger breakfast, but am afraid I won't have enough calories for dinner after the whole day. I really need to play around with it and see what works good!
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    I prefer to have a substantial dinner so breakfast is around 300, lunch around 400 and dinner can be up to 500.

    Depends day to day (how hungry I am etc...) I normally manage at least one low cal snack too within my allowance...
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    Thanks!
    I do better with a bigger breakfast, but am afraid I won't have enough calories for dinner after the whole day. I really need to play around with it and see what works good!

    That's one of the great things about the tools MFP provides. You can use that food/exercise diary to keep tabs on where you are throughout the day and make adjustments along the way. You're welcome to poke around in my diary if you want. Maybe it'll give you some ideas. I'm always picking up new stuff from others, lol
  • dawnslaughter
    dawnslaughter Posts: 125
    i graze all day and have a nice meal in the evening , i tend to plan ahead what i want for my evening meal and that dictates what i graze on
  • mandavann
    mandavann Posts: 38 Member
    I have 5 meals a day and aim for 250 for each one. It just works out better for me that way.
  • mayburcm
    mayburcm Posts: 24
    I can't stand getting home at the end of the day and people and my boyfriend is eating a nice big supper. I save like 500-600 calories for super and have something high in fiber in the morning but low in calories and usually homemade vegetable soup for lunch. I stay full all day and stay within 1200 calories.
  • passionately_kate
    passionately_kate Posts: 99 Member
    carnat22.....i really like your kitty...she/he is so cute :)
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