How do you spread out your daily calories?

7589jessica
7589jessica Posts: 3
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I try to spread my calories out throughout the day because I get hungrier often. Anyways, I get so hungry in the evening and it seems like all my calories and stuff is all used up, how do I do this?

Jess

Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    try to eat 6 small meals a day and this shold help level out your blood sugar and keep you from being hungry or have cravings.
  • anamercedez
    anamercedez Posts: 19
    Try eating every 3 hours like snacks and small meals
  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    I eat every couple of hours with my main meal at dinner. I have breakfast at 8:00, a snack (usually yogurt) at 10:00, lunch at noon, a snack (almonds or cottage cheese) at 2:00, then a protein snack bar (100 calories) at 4:00 because I work out at 5:00, then dinner at 7:00pm. I am eating all day so I don't get the muchies.
  • gumby101ca
    gumby101ca Posts: 539 Member
    i try and spread mine out even across 3 meals , and be sure to have some good whole wheat carbs with each meal.. thats what works for me anyway !!!
  • happy115
    happy115 Posts: 68
    300 breakfast
    150 snack
    200 Lunch
    150 snack
    300 dinner
    100 snack/dessert

    Usually. and always incorporate carb/fat/protein otherwise I get hungry fast.....
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I do better if I eat the bulk of my calories before noon. I'm rarely hungry in the evening if I had a good breakfast and a moderate lunch, so I'm happy with a light dinner. If I try to spread it evenly I tend to be so hungry I'll want to overeat at night. Sometimes I need to do that though because I know I'll be having dinner with others and have to budget calories accordingly.
  • theidarisafa
    theidarisafa Posts: 46
    eat 5-6 smaller meals.

    If you're working out, you probably need to add in 300 calories more than that mfp recommends.
  • crazytxmom
    crazytxmom Posts: 166 Member
    I changed my log to reflect how often I eat. It doesn't matter what I eat, I'm usually ready to eat again in about 2 hours. My food diary is public, so you should be able to view it from my profile (click on my username). If that doesn't work, go ahead & friend me and then you'll be able to see it.
  • jillerin457
    jillerin457 Posts: 70
    When I'm on a 1500 cal/day diet, I usually do:
    150 - small breakfast
    500 - early lunch
    150 - afternoon snack
    600 - dinner
    100 - evening snack

    Now that I'm trying to stay at 1310, it gets a little tricky. I aim for a smaller dinner and/or skip the evening snack.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    Perhaps you're not eating enough during the day? I've found that I have to pack about 700-800 calories worth of food for during the day in order to keep myself from being starved by the time I get home from work... I typically do about 300 for breakfast (including milk in my coffee), 100 for a snack about two hours later, about 400 for lunch, and then another snack after lunch (and before the train) of about 200 calories. Then I have myself a 400 calorie (or so) dinner. If I do a run or plan on working out, I'll just add a bit in more throughout the day (heavier breakfast, extra snack at lunch, little larger dinner). I have to keep it evenly spread out or else I get super full and then super starved again.
  • ncorkett
    ncorkett Posts: 49 Member
    I only have 1440 calories/day. I usually allow 200 calories for breakfast, 100 calories for morning snack, 300 calories for lunch, 100 calories for afternoon snack and that leaves me with 740 for supper and a dessert/evening snack. That's the plan. It doesn't always work out that way, though.
  • Fineraziel
    Fineraziel Posts: 140
    I have always been the "evening snacker" type, but since Im trying to get in shape, I try not to snack in the evening anymore... But I do enjoy having a BIG meal for dinner. :D So I try to be nice and eat low cal meals on breakfast and lunch, so that way I can eat all the calories left for dinner (according to MFP, depending on how much exercises I did that day). :)
  • jclji4
    jclji4 Posts: 118 Member
    What I do, is I eat all day, but I try pick things that are not high in calories early in the day. I try to eat my biggest, and highest calorie meal in the middle of the day, and then I try to leave about 500 cal at least for my evening time. Usually I don't eat a huge meal in the evening. I eat something small, and snack on fruit and nuts and yogurt.....Granted, my evenings are really 3am. I work at night. So, my breakfast is at about 4pm. Breakfast will consist of either a smootie- a low cal one, oatmeal (regular with a smashed banana), or one or two scrambled eggs with ****take mushrooms and garlic. None of these meals are even 300 calories. Later I eat my lunch- which is the biggest meal. Sometimes I will drink a v8 between those two. Sometimes I wait until after lunch. My last meal is usually a salad with protein and in it. And then I snack on nuts, fruit, yogurt....pickles on the days that I have the munchies....
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    I guess for me it's all about planning.

    1) I have target calorie amounts for meals and snacks (on a 1280 calorie diet). This works for me, but some like bigger breakfasts.
    -- 200 or less for breakfast
    -- 300 or less for lunch
    -- 400 or less for dinner
    -- 300 (or what's leftover) for snacks (I try to do snacks of around 100 calories each)

    2) Plan & cook dinners, and eat the leftovers for lunch
    -- after dinner I enter my recipe into MFP
    -- once I know the calories, I can figure out what portion size I can eat for lunch to stay within my goal

    3) The more I can add to my diary ahead of time, the better. Today, for example, I added lunch, dinner, and snacks to my diary before I even ate them. That way, I sort of know what I'll have left beforehand and I can plan an evening snack and workout accordingly
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
    it is supposed to be healthier to spread out your calories because it speeds up your metabolism since it is constantly working & i know someone who lost all her pregnancy weight fairly quickly by eating 6-8 small meals a day consisting of 100-300 calories each meal. i myself am not a breakfast person at all & deff eat the majority of my calories in the evening, so i have been trying to get in a small breakfast & keeping my lunch small too, so that i have plenty left over for dinner & a snack if i'm hungry before bed. i'm seeing weightloss change & i'm eating when i'm hungry (like mid-morning or afternoon), & i'm able to enjoy going out for dinner or whatever without worrying about going over on my calories. do what works for you. :o)
  • kym117
    kym117 Posts: 315 Member
    I like to think that I am getting my 3 meals a day usually around 350 for breakfast including tea and a bit of fruit for around 10ish, 350 for lunch and that includes a bit more fruit for 3pm, and around 400 for my dinner and I always allow myself my 100 cal snack for night as it's my treat!
  • ammccarter
    ammccarter Posts: 12
    I try to eat less of my calories during the day because I know I'm going to go home and eat more no matter how much I eat during the day whether it's 200 calories or 1000. I'm a social/emotional eater so when I get home to my family that's what I want to do. And there are many times my husband's family wants to go out to eat and that never gets planned until last minute.
    It's hard and I drink like a gallon of water to keep me from eating so much during the day (and this also keeps me from running to the bathroom all night long since I've done it all during the day. :drinker: )
    I know it would be better to spread my calories out througout the day and night, but the temptation at home is just too strong so I have to plan accordingly.
  • LoserCruiser
    LoserCruiser Posts: 184
    I try to eat 3 meals at 300 calories a meal and then three snacks at 100 calories per snack, so a snack between each meal and one in the evening!
  • yellowfairy
    yellowfairy Posts: 207 Member
    I can have 1350. (GRR-sometimes I think that isn't enough!)

    Coffee-105
    Oat Meal- 160
    Lunch- 300
    Snacks (2)- 200
    Dinner-around 600

    I know I seem to eat bigger dinners than the other people on here-but my husband and I eat together-so I prefer to save my bigger meal for then.
  • PoeRaven
    PoeRaven Posts: 433 Member
    I agree with everyone who says to eat small meals and low calorie/healthy snack throughout the day. This practice keeps your blood sugar levels in check and increases your metabolism. :glasses:
    I start my day with a work-out. Then a light breakfast that includes a well balance of protein, grains and fruit.
    I take raw veggies, whole grain snack bars, fruit etc to work and munch on these in the mornings. I like to cut up celery and carrots in bite sized pieces...it's like popping popcorn in your mouth except a lot healthier and a lot less calories!
    After a light to moderate lunch, I'm usually not too hungry in the afternoons except maybe get a little sweet tooth. For this I usually have the snack bar or flavored rice cake with a little PB2.
    By supper, I'm just not real hungry...no wonder, I've been eating all day! We usually have something light or if I do cook a heavier meal (for the hubby and son) I just don't have large portions.
    Also, make sure you keep up with your water intake. it will help through those evening cravings. :drinker:
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