how much food should i be eating?

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anhancock10
anhancock10 Posts: 148 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am new to this whole dieting thing! I know that 6 small meals is what i should eat but im not for sure how much i should be eating per meal? When i first started dieting i apparently wasnt eating enough so i lost weight at first and then i kept gaining only eating like 1000 calories a day. So i upped my calories and my weight evened out, im wondering if im not eating enough still because i just seem to maintain my weight now. Like for example for breakfast i usually eat an egg or 2 egg whites, a whole peice of toast and an orange. Should i be eating more? Thanks in advance:)

Replies

  • katemiddletonisawesome
    katemiddletonisawesome Posts: 152 Member
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    Measure and weigh your foods just to start so you get a general idea. Follow the portion sizes listed on packages and think that everytime you go out to eat, a normal serving is about half of what is on your plate.
  • anhancock10
    anhancock10 Posts: 148 Member
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    Thank you:)
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
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    Play with this site... It is really helpful!! http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    It doesn't matter how many times per day you eat. Do what works for your schedule because that's what's going to keep the better habits going in the long run.

    What matters is, calories in / calories out.

    Your protein and fat are essential.

    A general starting point....
    .8-1g per lb of body weight for protein
    .4g per lb of body weight for fat
    fill in the rest of your calories with carbohydrates
  • michelledruss
    michelledruss Posts: 40 Member
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    You can take a look at my diary - I try to eat 6 meals a day, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. My late night dinner is only protein - usually egg whites or a protein shake. I keep the meals around 300-400 calories and the snacks at about 150-200. It depends on my exercise that day how much I eat at each of those meals. I eat every 2-3 hours, 3 hours max! I have 5 pounds to loose still but I would rather remain the same weight, maintain muscle, and just loose body fat. I love to eat - eating this way makes me never go hungry and when I stay on this schedule I don't feel like eating bad.:flowerforyou:
  • drusso1491
    drusso1491 Posts: 11 Member
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    what gp79 said... its all about calories in/calories out... gotta figure out what your maintenance calories are and adjust accordingly how you eat to your goals ( more calories weight gain, less calories weight/body fat reduction) .. the # of meals you eat in a day is irrelevant really, overall nutrient intake/energy expenditure at the end of the day is what is the most important
  • michelledruss
    michelledruss Posts: 40 Member
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    The number of meals per day are not irrelevant, taking the way the body works, insulin causes the body to store food as fat. If you eat all your calories at one time, you insulin will increase causing your body to store the food as fat. Keeping a steady flow of insulin in your body will prevent spikes of insulin. Believe me I was gestational diabetic and prediabetic and it makes a huge difference on my blood sugar levels when I eat big meals vs. small ones. That is why you can't starve yourself all day and eat one large meal at the end of the night. Its much better to keep insulin levels steady so you won't store fat and so you won't get cravings.

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