How do you eat 6 meals a day with 1500 calories/day?

I've been researching weightloss tips and advice on the internet, and keep hearing that I need to eat 6 meals a day to keep my metabolism working all day, and maxmize my weightloss. According the MFP, I'm supposed to eat 1500 calories/day to meet my weightloss goal. Basically that means each one of my meals should be about 250 calories. That's more like a snack, not a meal, if you ask me. So my questions is, how do I eat 6 meals and stay under 1500 calories? How are you folks doing this?
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Replies

  • Take a look at this.
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-01-03-diet-menus-recipes_N.htm
    They advocate 3 meals and 2 snacks. It works for me. I'm aiming for 1600 calories, and it's working OK for me. I don't always use their recipes, but the schedule and the general division of calories is pretty good.
  • I am also at 1500 cals. I like to have a "bigger meal" for lunch and dinner. My breakfast usually is only about 100-150 cals or so. For snacks I usually try to have a fruit which is around 100 calories. By having smaller snacks I can have "bigger" (though not HUGE meals).

    BTW I rarely feel hungry either. Good luck!
  • wasveganvictoria88
    wasveganvictoria88 Posts: 249 Member
    I eat 6 meals at 1300 cals a day

    Breakfast: 250kcal
    Snack 100kcal
    Lunch: 250kcal
    Snack: 150kcal
    Dinner: 350kcal
    Supper: 200kcal

    Voila!
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I eat more than this but when I was around 1600 I ate 3 major meals around 350 cals each then had in between meal snacks and a nightime snack ranging from 100-200 cals. Still do this but my calorie range is higher.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,392 Member
    Do what works for you. There is no evidence that five or more meals makes any difference to weight loss. Ditto to eating breakfast or not eating before bed.

    Get good nutritious food, keep your macros in line and you can eat when you want.
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    Eat how many meals you are happy with. It doesn't matter if it is 1, 2, 3 or 6 meals. Metabolism doesn't change but more meals can help stop snacking if someone wants to stop or reduce it.
  • reyna99
    reyna99 Posts: 489 Member
    I always shoot for a carb and protein at each 'meal/snack' whatever you want to call it

    about 250 a meal/snack

    apple with peanut butter
    chicken with veggies
    cottage cheese with peaches
    protein bar with a fruit
    egg with toast
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    That whole you must eat 6 meals a day to keep metabolism going is bull ****... Do a quick google search or a forum search.. and you'll see that it's def. not true.

    I never ate 6 meals a day(mainly 3 meals, and maybe an afternoon snack) and I lost weight just fine. I was also eating around 1500-1600 calories per day.

    If you want to rev metabolism then go lift some weights.. the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be.
  • cyn365
    cyn365 Posts: 3
    What I do is use most of my calories for my three main meals, then leave a few for snacks between.

    For example

    Breakfast 300
    Lunch 400
    Supper 500

    Then your three snacks for 100 cal each.

    great luck to you :)
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    You need to eat every 4 hours, like a newborn. Get up at 2am and eat!

    I'm kidding. You don't have to eat 6 meals a day and if you choose to they can be 'snacks'. Some people do better if they don't ever get too hungry so they try to keep the food coming.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    My non-cycle-commute-day menu:

    Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 fried egg: 150-ish calories.
    Snack #1 at 10:30 - half a wrap consisting of 1 wheat tortilla, 1 slice American cheese, and some turkey lunch meat: 120 calories
    Snack #2 at 11:30 - other half of wrap: 120 calories
    Snack #3 (post-workout if I do one): Banana, handful of almonds and walnuts: ~340 calories
    Snack #4 late afternoon: Big bag o'fresh veggies and an apple: 90 calories

    I'm on a 1450-calorie diet, and even if I don't work out that day I have about 600-650 calories to work with for supper on a normal day. If I want a larger supper, I work out more.

    EDIT: Clarification - The continual "slow drip" of calories keeps me from feeling particularly hungry at any specific time during the day, and has helped me curb cravings and avoid temptations. This is a PSYCHOLOGICAL tool I am using, there is no physiological benefit to doing this. However, it works very well for me and has helped me lose weight with little to no hunger/cravings.

    Barring any underlying medical condition, there's no dietetic or metabolic reason you NEED to eat more often. You could take this entire menu and turn it in to a simple "egg-and-oatmeal for brekkies, everything else at lunchtime" day and your metabolism would work exactly the same (except maybe if you have a heavy workout - you want to make sure you do a little fueling before and after that in my experience). Hell, you could probably take all your food for the day and scarf it at 8AM and go 23 1/2 hours without food with almost no change in anything.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    If you are eating lean protein and lots of veggies and fruit, you will get more bang for your buck. If your menu is mainly processed it's definitely going to be harder.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I guess technically I eat 6 meals a day-although it feels more like I just graze. I kind of have 2 breakfasts (approx 200 cal each), then I have lunch (around 300 calories). Then I have a snack-another 200 calories (by "snack" this could be anything from yogurt & string cheese to a whole "meal" like a salad or sandwich or soup-but whatever it is it's generally around 200 calories). Then dinner rolls around and I have another 400 calories (sometimes 500-kind of depends). I then have another 100-200 calories before bed. So I eat 6 times a day-a good volume of food each time-but it really feels like I am eating every couple of hours (I guess I pretty much am).
  • krbates84
    krbates84 Posts: 96 Member
    I try to have a small protein packed breakfast, snack, larger lunch, snack, and dinner. It's all about portions and what feels best to your body and schedule. Having healthy snacks at work help me feel energized throughout the day, but I limit my snacks to around 100cal.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    Take a look at my diary. I stay around 1400 cals a day and I eat about 6 times a day. A typical day looks like this:

    Breakfast: 1 egg, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 slice cheese, small apple or some other fruit (today was cherries!)

    AM Snack: pistachios, 1/4 of a baked or grilled chicken breast

    Lunch: Lean meat like chicken or fish with some sort of veggie (my favs are brussell sprouts or spinach)

    PM Snack: baby carrots, sometimes hummus, and 1/4 of a baked or grilled chicken breast

    PM Snack #2 (pre-workout): banana

    Post workout: Protein shake (usually a Muscle Milk Light or EAS Carb advantage)

    Dinner: Lean meat, veggies

    And often, I still have calories left for a glass of red wine :smile:

    Just remember, you can eat like a TON of veggies for very little calories, so eating lots of veggies and 2-3 servings of fruit a day will really help to keep you full for a small amount of calories. You'll also notice I eat zero bread/rice/pasta (it upsets my stomach, just doesn't agree with my body) and tons of chicken. Lots of protein keeps me full too and gives me plenty of fuel for tough workouts.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I eat about 1500 calories/meal......Does that help?
  • jessimom
    jessimom Posts: 29
    I just plan three meals and kind just snack on my lunch when I get hungry in the morning and then bf I go home in afternoon to keep me going when I get home with the kids .... I tend to get too stressed if I overplan meals and then get distracted at work or home and miss them ... I think this has not helped me in the past :)
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    Do what works for you. There is no evidence that five or more meals makes any difference to weight loss. Ditto to eating breakfast or not eating before bed.

    Get good nutritious food, keep your macros in line and you can eat when you want.

    This. What works for me might not work for you, everybody is different. If you prefer to eat 3 squares a day and are meeting your nutritional needs, then do it! I think the only real reason they advocate the "eating 6 times a day" thing is so you don't get hungry between meals, which is when people tend to overeat. But if you don't have that issue, there's no reason to eat more times a day than you want to.
  • iamfranniefierce
    iamfranniefierce Posts: 305 Member
    I eat 6 at less than 1500 cals., so it's doable. Just get used to smaller "meals" but I make sure they are protein rich so I stay satiated but really I am hardly ever hungry because I eat every three hours. Here's some examples of my meals:

    Breakfast - 1/2 a grapefruit with 3 scrambled egg whites with onions and peppers
    Mid-morning snack - greek yogurt with a 1/4 cup blueberries and chopped walnuts and a tbsp of honey
    Lunch - 4 oz grilled chicken with 1/3 cup wild rice
    Afternoon snack -1 slice whole wheat toast with a tbsp peanut butter and half a banana with low-fat chocolate milk
    Dinner - 2 cups of herb salad with artichokes and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and 4 oz grilled salmon
    Evening Snack - 1 slice low-sodium oven roasted turkey cold cut with 1/4 slice of avocado

    I also drink a gallon of water a day which helps to keep me full as well. Good luck!
  • jessimom
    jessimom Posts: 29
    Hah! Very motivational comment about eating 1500 calls per meal ;)
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I'm a 5'7" 138lb female and I eat about 1900-2100 calories a day over three meals and sometimes a small snack. So I may be biased.

    If you are eating only 1500 calories a day, and you have decided that you MUST eat 5-6 meals, then yes you're going to be eating "snacks" rather than "meals". If this doesn't sound very motivating to you, then don't do it.

    There are a zillion different "tips and tricks" for weight loss, if weight loss were that complicated, then the only people losing weight would be the ones who eat like that.
  • You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas. I guess I was just stuck on the "meals" part. I just have to make some of them snacks and call it a day. Thanks again.
  • sehrler
    sehrler Posts: 89 Member
    I do it at between 1200-1400 a day.
    Typical day:
    Breakfast - fruit (raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries) and Greek yogurt. (about 210 cals) plus zero cals for my vitamins.

    morning snack - EAS protein shake (17g protein, 110 calories, sugar free and 3g fat)

    Lunch - either grilled chicken and salad or a turkey/lettuce/tomato sandwich (either on half a kaiser roll, a wrap or a 100 cal Fold It flatbread, no dressing or mayo) approx 250 cals

    afternoon snack - usually 2 tbsp of peanut butter on a rice cake 215 cals (or if I'm out and about, a granola bar or protein bar - 190 cals)

    dinner - varies, usually grilled chicken and veggies and maybe a small amt of starch (rice or bread), or pasta/meat sauce, or steak/veggies...or pizza when I want. I don't kill myself sticking to one crazy thing. Dinner is usually between 400-600 cals max.

    if I am low on cals I will have a small snack at night, usually a granola bar or something.

    I am rarely starving hungry with this type of food and schedule. I try to get at least 100g protein a day.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    That whole you must eat 6 meals a day to keep metabolism going is bull ****... Do a quick google search or a forum search.. and you'll see that it's def. not true.

    I never ate 6 meals a day(mainly 3 meals, and maybe an afternoon snack) and I lost weight just fine. I was also eating around 1500-1600 calories per day.

    If you want to rev metabolism then go lift some weights.. the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be.

    Because I eat 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks a day, I am NEVER hungry. I don't know if it is or is not boosting my metabolism but I am never hungry and that's all I care about (drinking water helps me not be "hungry" too)

    It's doable if you make the right choices. If you don't, that can be a LOT of food and a LOT of calories.
  • britaut2
    britaut2 Posts: 19
    You spread your calories out. You don't have to have 6 meals at 250 calories. I eat 3 meals plus snacks. I may have a few calories left over sometimes, but not many. Lunch maybe my biggest meal. After working out, I am not hungry so, I might eat a bowl of Special K cereal and a snack.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I don't do equal-size meals, either. 300, 400, 500 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, that is 1200, then 2 snacks under 200 each and you are there.
    Some people will tell you that it doesn't matter if you eat your 1500 calories in 6 meals or one meal and that might be technically true, but some people handle the many small meals better because it can keep bloog sugar stable, reduce cravings and make you feel less deprived, so it's easier to stick with it.
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
    Don't eat six meals. Three meals with some snacks thrown in between works better and requires less prep time.
  • pandsmomCheryl
    pandsmomCheryl Posts: 168 Member
    Feel free to look at my diary - it's public. I feel like I'm eating all day long and I'm not starving myself. I definitely watch my quantities and I try to have better quality all the time. I'm probably 80% "good". I excercise nearly every day so sometimes I'm more than 1500 calories. My goal is to find the MAXIMUM amount of food I can consume whilst still losing weight. What I've lost has come off very slowly, but I'd rather it creep off than on. Good luck to you.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    3 meals 2 snacks... you are more than welcome to look at my diary as well...
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
    No reason to eat 6 meals a day if you don't want to. I only eat 1 or 2 big meals a day and 1 or 2 snacks usually within an 8 hour window. I feel more satisfied that way. It certainly hasn't hurt my metabolism.