Tell me about your eating habits

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jc86
jc86 Posts: 151
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious about how you all meet your calorie goals for the day. Do you set guidelines about how many times a day you eat? Do you aim for a certain number of calories per meal? Do you repeat the same meals over and over or always try new stuff? Do you plan what you'll be eating the night before or do you just see what you feel like as the day goes? I'm trying to figure out what will work best for me and curious what's working for all of you.

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  • Jacole18
    Jacole18 Posts: 716 Member
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    I try to eat at least 5 times a day, about 2-3 hours apart depending on my hunger that day. 3 meals, and 1 or 2 snacks. I don't necessarily "plan" my meals, but while I'm cooking breakfast, I think about what I might want for the day and how many cals it will take. Just find a rhythm that works for you! :)
  • EJand94
    EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
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    Lately since i've started this website, i've realized how not hungry I get. Or if i do get hungry, i will just shrug it off and wait till later. But I eat in the morning, then a bit at lunch around 11:30, and then again around 3:30, and dinner in the evening. I usually have some snacks in between.
  • Amy_nz
    Amy_nz Posts: 145
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    I generally have the same breakfast during the work week - convenient and cottage cheese makes me happy! (I need all the happy I can get at work...)

    Lunch I usually allocate about 400-500 calories of deliciousness - will often have a wrap or a sandwich or leftovers from an earlier dinner. And dinner I allocate the bulk of the calories to. I try loads of different things depending on what I feel like that day. If I need to get some extra calories I'll make sure I squeeze in a workout.

    This is permanent and I like food. I'm not going to eat the same darned thing day in and day out (with the exception of cottage cheese and toast!) for the rest of my life - I enjoy cooking and I enjoy eating and so far it's completely compatible with this website!

    (And I have a couple of snacks a day - usually fruit or nuts. I don't need a lot of snackage anymore, I think I was eating out of boredom before. Now if I need a change of scene I'll go and make myself a green tea or something!)
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I plan my meals a day in advance, but I do allow myself to adapt on the day. I have a lot of the same meals regularly - the same breakfasts and lunches, and a few evening meals. I don't have the time or money to get creative with my meals.

    In general, I consume my calories as:

    Breakfast (350ish)
    Snacks (550ish)
    Lunch (250ish)
    Evening Meal (450ish)

    I try to eat all of my snacks before lunch.
  • BitteOrca
    BitteOrca Posts: 74 Member
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    i'm new to this as well but i think a good balance between planning and flexibility is key. like ideally i will map out the day in terms of what i will have for breakfast and lunch, but will keep the evening's plan pretty loose just in case i want to go out and have a beer later on with a friend.

    i've failed in the past from the tedium and constant thinking about food, so this time around i'm going to try to have a good stockpile of tasty, simple breakfasts and lunches to keep me from obsessing on a daily basis. keeping healthy snacks around the office will be key too!

    good luck to both of us!
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
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    I usually have dinner planned the night before, so I enter that into my diary. I usually have the same snacks daily so I enter those, and then make up breakfast/lunch/extra snacks as I go along the day. Sometimes I enter what I think I'm going to eat, and if I change my mind later on then I change it.

    I eat 5-6 times a day, all fairly small sized meals instead of 3 small snacks and 3 larger meals. I really don't like having a big dinner so I usually end up having just a little bit (or parts of) what the rest of the family is having.
  • PaveGurl
    PaveGurl Posts: 244 Member
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    I often eat the same things for breakfast during the work week to alleviate stressors - I mix up a giant batch of greek yogurt w/ steel cut oats, protein powder, and some fruit, and portion it out for daily breakfast (mmmm!). The rest is catch-as-catch-can; I get bored super easily, and hate eating the same things all the time. Luckily, I'm fortunate enough to have a well-stocked larder and freezer. I usually have leftovers for lunch, and something different every night. I usually eat about 3x a day, and split most of my calories between lunch and dinner.
  • gamehen2
    gamehen2 Posts: 45 Member
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    I have a general selection of meals that are planned for over the weekend so I can do my shopping and stock up appropriately. Then each morning after my workout, I take some time to plan out my day. I have macro numbers that I need to hit so it really helps to map it out. If I decide later that I want say chicken for dinner instead of fish, I'm free to do that. I just have to work the numbers in my diary so that everything comes out fairly close to goal.

    Otherwise, I find my diet collapses in the afternoons and I end up grazing on carbs which, of course, make me feel hungrier so I go graze some more until I'm over calorie goal and my macros are shot to hell.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    I take it as it comes. If I wake up with time and energy to run, then I'll have a bigger breakfast to fuel myself. If I'm working (I'm a bartender) I'm on my feet a lot so I eat bigger meals but allow room for a drink or 2 at work. If I do nothing then I eat small meals frequently to save calories for whatever I cook that's man-friendly in the evening.

    For example, a workday:
    Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on toast with a piece of fruit and a coffee.
    Lunch: Chicken salad wrap with a bowl of soup
    Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise
    Snacks: Natural yoghurt, fruit, nuts

    If I'm running but not working:
    Breakfast: Muesli with natural yoghurt and coffee.
    Post run: Protein shake
    Lunch: Cheese and anchovies on toast (1 slice) and a piece of fruit
    Dinner: Roast chicken breast meat with vegetables

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