how do you guys break up your meals??

jennfox612
jennfox612 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 17 in Introduce Yourself
Hi there, New to this trying to drop 30 pounds..... my weight loss calorie intake should be 1200 a day. And help and pointers would be very much loved :) cheers and good luck everyone!

Replies

  • iamdianejackson
    iamdianejackson Posts: 5 Member
    Hello, I'm new to this also and trying to learn what I can. I was suggested to eat 4 meals; breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Each meal should be 400 calories. In your case you can probably do 300 for each meal. Also try to go no more than 3 or 4 hrs between meals. Hope this helps a little. Best of luck!
  • Jrockward
    Jrockward Posts: 80 Member
    A lot of people will tell you to eat seven small meals a day to fuel your metabolism but that all depends on the individual and the way your body's responds to calories
  • MikeLeTwigg
    MikeLeTwigg Posts: 162 Member
    Hi

    I'm doing 300 breakfast, 200 lunch, 600 dinner and 100 snacks (mid morning and mid afternoon). Feel like I've never eaten so much but the weight is dropping nicely.
  • KenSD
    KenSD Posts: 229 Member
    how do you guys break up your meals??

    With a fork?.......LOL
  • KingoftheLilies
    KingoftheLilies Posts: 71 Member
    Eat what you want, when you want. Over time the routine will take hold & you'll begin to feel hungry when your meal times normally are.

    Calorie- or macro-wise it makes no difference when you eat them, just that you eat them.
  • Lindy901
    Lindy901 Posts: 71 Member
    You can rename the meals too in the settings. i just renamed mine first meal, second, third, etc., just to get away from the thought of 3 squares. I found myself feeling guilty for using the snack one. I try to plan the majority of my calories at the end of the day as that is generally when i find myself hungry and it's easier to cut off.
  • MikeLeTwigg
    MikeLeTwigg Posts: 162 Member
    @KenSD, neanderthal use a knife ;)
  • Laura732
    Laura732 Posts: 244 Member
    The simple answer is to Eat when you're hungry. For me, sometimes that has been 4 times a day, at other times its been six times a day...
  • Hastalabeastababy
    Hastalabeastababy Posts: 34 Member
    I break mine out into 6 during the day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, casein shake before bed). Doesn't matter what time you eat them, but I'm normally pretty consistent during the work week eating every 2-3 hours just because it fits my schedule. I'm also doing about 1900 calories, so I just make sure my macros (45P/30C/25F) fit within that calorie guideline.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    First, there’s no need to do any meal gymnastics: split your calories however you like. For instance, I don’t eat breakfast because I’m not that hungry in the mornings - works for me, may not work for you.

    Second, 1200 is pretty low, so you can always have a slightly less aggressive weight loss goal but take longer doing it. I did 1200 for a couple of months and it made me majorly grumpy :tongue:
  • Eliz_99
    Eliz_99 Posts: 85 Member
    I'm on about 1300 calories per day and more if I exercise. I have approximately 300 for breakfast, 400 for lunch, 600 for dinner. Or if I have a smaller lunch I might have a snack in the afternoon.
  • mmoore83
    mmoore83 Posts: 5 Member
    It really depends on your body and metabolism, as well as your activity level and what time of day you work out. I think that eating the majority of your calories in the first half of the day (breakfast and lunch) is important for weight loss. Eating a meal too close to bedtime is not a good idea either. You should try to eat your last meal no less than 2 hours before you go to sleep because your metabolism drops while asleep. I tend to do about 400 for breakfast, 400-500 for lunch, and 300-400 for dinner, with a snack of 100-200 thrown into the mix too. It is also important to eat a nutrient-dense meal/snack no more than an hour after working out because your muscles need nutrients (especially protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates) to recover and restore glycogen levels.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    edited May 2015
    mmoore83 wrote: »
    It really depends on your body and metabolism, as well as your activity level and what time of day you work out. I think that eating the majority of your calories in the first half of the day (breakfast and lunch) is important for weight loss. Eating a meal too close to bedtime is not a good idea either. You should try to eat your last meal no less than 2 hours before you go to sleep because your metabolism drops while asleep. I tend to do about 400 for breakfast, 400-500 for lunch, and 300-400 for dinner, with a snack of 100-200 thrown into the mix too. It is also important to eat a nutrient-dense meal/snack no more than an hour after working out because your muscles need nutrients (especially protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates) to recover and restore glycogen levels.

    @mmoore83 Can you explain why this is the case?
  • mmoore83
    mmoore83 Posts: 5 Member
    @Emilia777 It really depends on the person's schedule and routine, but typically most people are more active during the daytime hours, so eating more calories earlier in the day gives you more time to burn them off. Like I said in my first post, it also depends on your activity level and what time of day you work out. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone is different. That is just what seems to work for me and is only a suggestion. What works for me isn't going to work for everyone, but here is an article that explains it too: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/best-times-to-eat

    The study mentioned uses a small sample size, but I think it does a good job of explaining why it isn't usually a good idea to eat heavy meals at night. However, there are also some who would argue that consuming more calories later in the day is better. Again, it depends on each individual. Sometimes you have to try a few different approaches to see what works best. Regardless of your diet schedule, it is important to keep hydrated throughout the day as well.
  • sdr2015
    sdr2015 Posts: 14 Member
    I try to evenly divide them
  • KingoftheLilies
    KingoftheLilies Posts: 71 Member
    mmoore83 wrote: »
    It really depends on your body and metabolism, as well as your activity level and what time of day you work out. I think that eating the majority of your calories in the first half of the day (breakfast and lunch) is important for weight loss. Eating a meal too close to bedtime is not a good idea either. You should try to eat your last meal no less than 2 hours before you go to sleep because your metabolism drops while asleep. I tend to do about 400 for breakfast, 400-500 for lunch, and 300-400 for dinner, with a snack of 100-200 thrown into the mix too. It is also important to eat a nutrient-dense meal/snack no more than an hour after working out because your muscles need nutrients (especially protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates) to recover and restore glycogen levels.

    Your metabolism is essentially a living breathing thing. It alters with almost every other aspect of your body that can possibly change (hormones, weight, activity level, & so on). There's no possible way of determining your exact metabolic rate at any given hour of the day, that's why we work off our basal rates, allow for activity & adjust as required to get a daily goal.

    Ultimately the effect meal times have on your weight loss are negligible. I know the study you posted suggests otherwise, but there were variables (like physical activity) that were not measured or restricted in conjunction with the calorie deficit given & that has a much more profound effect on your body than feeding times.

    It's really more helpful to focus on convenience, personal preference & how it affects your energy levels.

    Glycogen is also restored naturally throughout the day, the "window of opportunity" is actually about 24 hours, but more than that unless your level of activity is on-par with an athlete training & competing constantly your workout is not depleting your glycogen stores... particularly not to the point you need to rapidly "refill" them.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    mmoore83 wrote: »
    @Emilia777 It really depends on the person's schedule and routine, but typically most people are more active during the daytime hours, so eating more calories earlier in the day gives you more time to burn them off. Like I said in my first post, it also depends on your activity level and what time of day you work out. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone is different. That is just what seems to work for me and is only a suggestion. What works for me isn't going to work for everyone, but here is an article that explains it too: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/best-times-to-eat

    The study mentioned uses a small sample size, but I think it does a good job of explaining why it isn't usually a good idea to eat heavy meals at night. However, there are also some who would argue that consuming more calories later in the day is better. Again, it depends on each individual. Sometimes you have to try a few different approaches to see what works best. Regardless of your diet schedule, it is important to keep hydrated throughout the day as well.

    I’m hesitant (to say the least) to trust anything out of the magazine that says you can “lose 12 pounds in 12 days with Beyonce’s delicious diet”. Regardless, I looked up the study you mention and there is almost nothing that can be accurately said, from a statistics standpoint, about a study with a sample size of 38 people. Besides, it doesn’t look like they have controlled for many factors that could alter the final results.

    Nonetheless, if it works for you, that’s great.
  • mmoore83
    mmoore83 Posts: 5 Member
    @Emilia777 I actually did mention that the sample size was small so I know that the study may not have been statistically significant. I'll admit that wasn't the best article to use as a reference, but there are plenty of resources available and not all of them are going to agree with what is the most effective approach to use because, and I'll continue to beat a dead horse here, it isn't going to be the same for everyone. I was simply offering the approach that works best for me, because the original poster was asking for suggestions. But thanks for the condescending response.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    edited May 2015
    mmoore83 wrote: »
    @Emilia777 I actually did mention that the sample size was small so I know that the study may not have been statistically significant. I'll admit that wasn't the best article to use as a reference, but there are plenty of resources available and not all of them are going to agree with what is the most effective approach to use because, and I'll continue to beat a dead horse here, it isn't going to be the same for everyone. I was simply offering the approach that works best for me, because the original poster was asking for suggestions. But thanks for the condescending response.

    @mmoore83 Nope, I actually meant that if it works for you, it’s great, thereby agreeing with you that people should do what suits them (as long as they’re maintaining that caloric deficit, of course). I was simply pointing out the flaws in that particular study, and expressing my distaste for Women’s Health as a publication.
  • mmoore83
    mmoore83 Posts: 5 Member
    edited May 2015
    @KingoftheLilies I am aware that study wasn't the best example to use. I appreciate your response. Even dietitians, personal trainers, and exercise physiologists are going to disagree on what the best course of action is because it really does depend on each individual. No single approach is going to work for everyone.
  • kpodaru
    kpodaru Posts: 133 Member
    Laura732 wrote: »
    The simple answer is to Eat when you're hungry. For me, sometimes that has been 4 times a day, at other times its been six times a day...

    ^^ this. listen to your body; it will tell you when you're hungry.
  • KingoftheLilies
    KingoftheLilies Posts: 71 Member
    edited May 2015
    mmoore83 wrote: »
    @KingoftheLilies I am aware that study wasn't the best example to use. I appreciate your response. Even dieticians, personal trainers, and exercise physiologists are going to disagree on what the best course of action is because it really does depend on each individual. No single approach is going to work for everyone.

    Of course, we are all our own individual people and our personal preferences, conveniences & therefore effort we're willing to put into our approach all impacts on what does or doesn't work.

    I'm just saying, from a scientific standpoint, the concept of meal timing & frequency is largely irrelevant, so there's no need to alter your meal times or relative sizes if you're totally happy with them as they are.
  • mmoore83
    mmoore83 Posts: 5 Member
    @Emilia777 My apologizes. It has been a long week. And I know better than to look for answers on the internet. It was a quick search, with not much thought put into it. I'm pretty sure the "real" articles out there will not give a definitive answer and will simply say what we and others agree on: it is not the same for everyone. Have a good weekend.
  • joegarbutt1
    joegarbutt1 Posts: 5 Member
    Hastalabeastababy wrote: »
    I break mine out into 6 during the day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, casein shake before bed). Doesn't matter what time you eat them, but I'm normally pretty consistent during the work week eating every 2-3 hours just because it fits my schedule. I'm also doing about 1900 calories, so I just make sure my macros (45P/30C/25F) fit within that calorie guideline.

  • joegarbutt1
    joegarbutt1 Posts: 5 Member
    Good macros
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    I bought a thyroid diet book, and the author also suggested not eating after about 8:00. My crazy after-work schedule means I can't always do that, but when I do, it certainly doesn't hurt. It doesn't affect my morning energy to "close shop" at 8:00 - I am up and about at about 4:30 a.m.
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