How do you split up your cals?

hwilliams519
hwilliams519 Posts: 428
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I know it's best to eat 3 meals and 1-2 small snacks a day to keep your body fueled. How do you split up your calories for each meal? I only have 1300 net calories a day.

Here's what I'm thinking about doing with mine.

350 cals for breakfast
350 cals for lunch
400 cals for dinner
200 cals for a snack

*Extra 100-200 post workout snack (of course only on days that I workout)

Replies

  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
    I jsut eat when I am hungry. If I start getting too close to my cals goal I work in some exercise on days that I don't ahve time for a full workout. My goal is 40 minutes of exercise a day. Sometimes that burns 300 cals, sometimes it burns closer to 1,000. I don't split up my cals or plan anything. I just go with the flow! I have a home daycare so squeezing in some dancing, sports, running,.... is easy.
  • Ahzuri
    Ahzuri Posts: 272 Member
    I just eat when I'm hungry, my diary is set up in blocks of hours instead of meals so that I can see when I tend to eat the most (usually the evening) and be more conscious about it.
  • ohdear1986
    ohdear1986 Posts: 110 Member
    they say eat most ofmyor calories at breakfast and least at super. and you could have 2 snacks instead of 1
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    I don't split them up but I can tell you that the nutritionist I see said no meal should be over 600 calories.

    Just try what you have and see if it works, if not, they mix it up!

    Best of luck!
  • anner53108
    anner53108 Posts: 103
    That looks about right to me, although, personally, I would swap lunch and dinner (eat more at lunch). But that's just me. I figure I need more during the day and less at night. And since I weigh in first thing in the a.m., if I eat less the night before the scale is a wee bit kinder. :smile:
    "They" usually say it doesn't matter if you eat at night, that it's the total calories that count. But that ^ has always worked better for me than eating a big dinner. Of course, I end up doing that sometimes, but that's a whole different story. :laugh:

    Congrats on your weight loss so far! Great job! :smile:

    ~ Ann
  • meshellw
    meshellw Posts: 50 Member
    I wondering the same thing and asked my buddies.. the reply I got from almost everyone was.. your biggest meal should be breakfast then lunch with dinner/supper being the least... they always say breakfast is the most important meal. I was actually doing it the opposite. .. Light breakfast , lunch and healthy dinner but I was wrong... I know I'm not much help but I'm a work in progress...lol I'll keep watching to see what others think... good luck :)
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    I eat 1400 calories plus about 200-400 work out calories so I usually do;

    300-500 at breakfast
    200 mid morning snack
    300 lunch
    200 snack
    600 dinner/post work out/dessert
  • rebeccabickle
    rebeccabickle Posts: 19
    I try to eat most of my calories earlier in the day and less at night. Or I do 5 meals at 240 calories each which equals to 1200.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    I have found the best practice that works for me and achieving my goals are:

    Breakfast = 450-550
    Morning snack = 150 or less
    Lunch = 300-350
    Afternoon snack = 150 or less
    Dinner = 250-300
    Evening snack = 150 or less

    Someone posted the following earlier on a friend's wall and I find that it holds true. May not work for everyone though. "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper."
  • carp68
    carp68 Posts: 42
    I read that your meals are supposed to get smaller as the day progresses with dinner being the smallest.

    The analogy was eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner.

    Check out the line of books, "Eat This, Not That." I swear by them!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    I eat when I am hungry. sometimes my breakfast is big or lunch is big.....other times I eat minimally all day and have a nice dinner out or whatever. I snack all day long. No set amount of calories for any time period.
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
    I get hungrier at dinner; so i save more calories for dinner. and i have a snack between breakfast/lunch, lunch/dinner, and one after dinner too...

    your suppose to eat more at breakfast than you do at dinner, but im just so hungry in evening that that theory doesnt work for me.

    i dont try to stick to a certain number of calories per meal, but find it pretty common for my breakfast to be 250calories, and lunch being 250 or under, and then dinner is 500, and that would leave all remaining calories for my 3 snacks, which if im having a high calorie type of day with my meals, i can have low calorie snacks like carrots or celery, or a fruit, but if im having a low calorie day everywhere else then my snacks will be bigger to make up the difference--like high calorie nuts or peanut butter on my fruit or pb on my celery, etc.
  • Nicey59
    Nicey59 Posts: 3
    My goal is 1200 calories per day and I tried doing the following:

    300 or less in the am
    400 or less for lunch
    and pray I don't over do it on the snacks.

    Snacking is my biggest hurdles thus far.
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
    Usually I eat between breakfast and lunch for about 500 calories (breakfast usually about 225).. I like to leave a lot for evenings because i'm a snacker. My dinner/snacks run every couple of hours in the evenings.

    Though.. I go out for meals with friends often, so those days (and weekends) I eat as light as possible so that I can get something I want when i'm out.. I also have zig/zag net calorie days - as long as i'm netting an average of 1400 daily for each week i'm meeting my own goal.
  • hwilliams519
    hwilliams519 Posts: 428
    I've tried to eat more earlier in the day. It just results in me eating more for the day. Also I know know myself and my body. I am hungrier at night and usually face more temptation then. I also usually work out at night. So that's why I allow more calories then. And if I don't try to set a budget, so to speak, I will go over.
  • Nicey59
    Nicey59 Posts: 3
    Just once I'd like someone to call me "Sir," without adding, "You're making a scene."

    I really like your comments, carp68.
  • TigersLions
    TigersLions Posts: 34
    I do 300 each for three meals and snacks (try to eat every couple of hours). This is on the days where I have a routine which starts at 7am and ends when I go to bed. 300 calories for dinner is tough though. there are two days a week where I don't exercise at all so I am usually over in my calories (within reason) due to dinner. I think 1,200 per day is pretty low so I don't sweat it too much and the results continue to be what I want (1 lb per week) so I'm not changing a thing.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    I have around 1300 calories for the day, and typically split it up as such:

    300-450 cals for Breakfast
    400-550 for Lunch
    200-400 cals for Dinner
    And whatever is left for snacks.
  • kklindsey
    kklindsey Posts: 382 Member
    I eat when I am hungry. sometimes my breakfast is big or lunch is big.....other times I eat minimally all day and have a nice dinner out or whatever. I snack all day long. No set amount of calories for any time period.

    ditto. I don't try to plan or I get uptight. I keep track and log food as soon as I eat it so I always know where I am at with calories. Rarely am I starving in the morning but if I was, I would eat more that day. You have to be flexible.
  • MrsZMartin
    MrsZMartin Posts: 165 Member
    I get hungrier at dinner; so i save more calories for dinner. and i have a snack between breakfast/lunch, lunch/dinner, and one after dinner too...

    your suppose to eat more at breakfast than you do at dinner, but im just so hungry in evening that that theory doesnt work for me.

    i dont try to stick to a certain number of calories per meal, but find it pretty common for my breakfast to be 250calories, and lunch being 250 or under, and then dinner is 500, and that would leave all remaining calories for my 3 snacks, which if im having a high calorie type of day with my meals, i can have low calorie snacks like carrots or celery, or a fruit, but if im having a low calorie day everywhere else then my snacks will be bigger to make up the difference--like high calorie nuts or peanut butter on my fruit or pb on my celery, etc.

    I'm the same! I know you're supposed to eat less as the day progresses, but my appetite just doesn't work like that. That's why counting works so well for me. I can stay within my limits, but I eat when and how much my body tells me to.
  • ajsdream
    ajsdream Posts: 223 Member
    I am most hungry during the afternoon, so I tend to eat more of my calories then.

    Prob looks like this:
    Breakfast 300
    Snack 100
    Dinner 250
    Snacks 400
    Supper 300
This discussion has been closed.

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