Healthy Calorie Breakdown Anyone?

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Sharkbite2016
Sharkbite2016 Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was just wondering what people's breakdowns are of their calories per day? I am trying to figure out which meals should have more calories and which ones less.

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  • ebouchie
    ebouchie Posts: 124 Member
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    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.
  • loseweightleslielove
    loseweightleslielove Posts: 7 Member
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    ebouchie wrote: »
    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.

    This is correct. You have all day to burn breakfast, then to burn lunch. Not so much time to burn your dinner off.

    I don't have an exact breakdown, however.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    loseweightleslielove wrote: »
    ebouchie wrote: »
    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.

    This is correct. You have all day to burn breakfast, then to burn lunch. Not so much time to burn your dinner off.

    I don't have an exact breakdown, however.
    If you don't die, you have the rest of your life to burn off dinner.

    This is utter bunk.

  • soulofgrace
    soulofgrace Posts: 175 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    loseweightleslielove wrote: »
    ebouchie wrote: »
    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.

    This is correct. You have all day to burn breakfast, then to burn lunch. Not so much time to burn your dinner off.

    I don't have an exact breakdown, however.
    If you don't die, you have the rest of your life to burn off dinner.

    This is utter bunk.

    Thank you!
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited October 2015
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    loseweightleslielove wrote: »
    ebouchie wrote: »
    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.

    This is correct. You have all day to burn breakfast, then to burn lunch. Not so much time to burn your dinner off.

    I don't have an exact breakdown, however.

    No, it's not. It's a myth. Meal timing makes no difference to weight loss. You still burn calories when you sleep.

    Personally I have small meals and snack a lot most days, then some days I will eat nothing then eat all my calories before going to bed.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Sharkbite2016 wrote: »
    I was just wondering what people's breakdowns are of their calories per day? I am trying to figure out which meals should have more calories and which ones less.

    Most of this comes down to personal preference and what fits best in your schedule. Some people do really well with six small meals a day. Others do better with IF or just one or two large meals.

    Personally, I eat about half my calories before dinner and save some for evening snacks. But there's no right or wrong way, unless you have blood sugar issues or other medical problems you need to watch.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    Yesterday, which is pretty typical for a lifting day was:

    Breakfast: 570 (14%)
    Pre-workout: 742 (18%)
    Post-workout: 595 (14%)
    Dinner: 1483 (36%)
    Dessert: 753 (18%)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    loseweightleslielove wrote: »
    ebouchie wrote: »
    Someone recently told me that you should eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have no idea if that is legit. However, a breakfast rich in protein and fiber makes me feel full until lunch.

    This is correct. You have all day to burn breakfast, then to burn lunch. Not so much time to burn your dinner off.

    I don't have an exact breakdown, however.

    Incorrect.

    Your body is a 24/7 energy burning machine. It does not shut off once you go to sleep or it hits a certain time of night.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    It's all personal preference. Some people like to eat big breakfasts and smaller lunches. Some people love small dinners and big lunches. Some of it's cultural, some of it has to do with work or life schedule, some of it comes down to your natural circadian rhythms or when you work out or really, just when you get hungry.

    They're your calories. You can spend them on whatever you like, whenever you like. The only rule is that you can't spend more of them than you have.
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
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    t just depends on the day.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
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    I eat about 700 calories around 13.00 and 700 between 17.00 and 18.00.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2015
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    It's all personal preference.

    With about 1500 calories I tend to like to do:

    400 for breakfast (usually around 5: 30 or 6 am)

    550 for lunch or lunch plus afternoon snack (lunch is around noon)

    350 for dinner (usually around 9)
    200 for dessert (right after dinner)

    This breaks all the "rules" of 6 mini meals, have a lengthy fasting period or narrower eating window, don't eat too late, don't eat much at night, etc., and yet I easily lost 95 lbs doing it.

    I also modify it or do something different all the time, especially on the weekend.
  • cocates
    cocates Posts: 360 Member
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    Agree with PP's; it's personal preference.

    I eat about 20% of my calories for breakfast, about 25% for lunch, about 40% for dinner. I use the rest for snacks and/or spirits!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Do as you please. The "dinner as a pauper" is to make it harder to (over)eat when (most) people eat the majority of their calories. Does NOT affect metabolism, lol.

    I prefer to eat four meals per day on most days, the breakdown is possibly breakfast 20% lunch 20% dinner 40% supper 20%.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I like to have at least 400 calories for breakfast as experience has taught me it will keep me fuller longer. My lightest meal is lunch, but I have two snacks morning and afternoon a hundred calories each.

    Experience is your teacher. Experiment. Budget the calories the way it works best for you.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    It all doesn't really matter. Find what you naturally prefer
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Even if there is some benefit, there's a larger benefit to keeping it simple. The more constraints you add to your diet, the harder it is to stay on track. My goal is always to constrain my diet as little as possible while losing weight and without causing health problems. Calories are a necessary constraint. Timing not so much.
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
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    I agree it's preference. I tried to divide it out but some days I want more breakfast, come days I want less. I just preplan my day.
  • ebonynight04
    ebonynight04 Posts: 3 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's all personal preference.

    With about 1500 calories I tend to like to do:

    400 for breakfast (usually around 5: 30 or 6 am)

    550 for lunch or lunch plus afternoon snack (lunch is around noon)

    350 for dinner (usually around 9)
    200 for dessert (right after dinner)

    This breaks all the "rules" of 6 mini meals, have a lengthy fasting period or narrower eating window, don't eat too late, don't eat much at night, etc., and yet I easily lost 95 lbs doing it.

    I also modify it or do something different all the time, especially on the weekend.

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    Usually I'll save about half my calories for the evening meal, and break up the the rest day based on how hungry I am at the time.

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