How do you break up your calories during the day??

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Dsnyfrk921
Dsnyfrk921 Posts: 64 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I have a question.. Do you try to aim for a certain calorie point for each meal? I get 1200 calories per day. I was wondering if I should have more of my calories for breakfast and then go down from there or should I eat about the same calories for each meal?

Just curious what you all think.

I tend to eat less during the day so that I can have more calories for dinner. I have been making better choices for dinner though and haven't been hitting my target calories for the day. In fact, I don't think I've gone over 1000 calores. I'm a really picky eater and have trouble finding new things to eat.

I'm just trying to figure out how to balance it all.

Any help is appreciated. I'm always looking for friends for support, feel free to send me a friend request. :)

Replies

  • teamfit2day
    teamfit2day Posts: 213 Member
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    try to break up your calories into 3 Main meals (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner-higher calories) and 2-3 snacks in between those meals. The meals dont have to be exact in calories but you dont want to eat a 600 calories breakfast then a 100 calories lunch and dinner you know. keep your 3 main main meals around 250-300 calories (if you go a little over or under thats ok, nothing it meant to be exact). theny our snacks can be 50-100 calories each.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Nutrient timing is mostly irrelevant. All of the reasons for eating several small meals per day are myth. Break it up in whatever fashion is easiest for you to stick to based fullness and convinience.
  • Berto0391
    Berto0391 Posts: 273 Member
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    Nutrient timing is mostly irrelevant. All of the reasons for eating several small meals per day are myth. Break it up in whatever fashion is easiest for you to stick to based fullness and convinience.

    This!!! I find I'm more hungry mid day then anything else so lunch is normally my biggest meal.
  • Hollyjd1019
    Hollyjd1019 Posts: 148
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    I eat most of my cals at dinner. I am set to 1280 cals and I usually burn300-400ish exercising 6 days a week. I eat back most of my exercise cals. It works for me. I have never been able to eat first thing in the morning so I have breakfast once I get to work usually 2 boiled eggs and 2 cinnamon toasts (light buttered high fiber bread w sprinkle of Splenda & cinnamon). Then I usually have a lean cuisine of similar for lunch w an apple or another slice of bread or other fruit. I know that frozen dinners aren't the best but they work well for me. I usually try to get a late afternoon snack otherwise I get overly hungry by the time I get home. I snack on cheese sticks, laughing cow wedges, or peanut butter w some pretzels or fruit. I try to have a protein & carb for snack bc that seems to keep hunger at bay until dinner. For dinner, I usually have a decent portion of lean protein and "good carbs". Although I do eat white baked potatoes a lot. I find them easy & filling and, again, it works for me. I find that if I don't have a protein & carb for dinner then I'm more hungry in the mornings. I workout about an hour after dinner. If I am hungry and have cals leftover then I'll have a cheese stick after workout. Or a portion of breyers light slow churned vanilla bean ice cream w berries (Yum!).

    Sorry that was prob more info than you asked for... Good luck. Just remember everybody is a little different and you'll find what works best for you. :)
  • kimberly2504
    kimberly2504 Posts: 60 Member
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    My meals tend to break down evenly but I don't really do it on purpose, I just eat what I feel like having and it seems to work out. I don't think there's anything wrong with dividing them how you are hungry, as long as you are starving or depriving yourself of what you need the rest of the day, you know?
  • arielian
    arielian Posts: 200
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    my calorie goal is 1600. I try to make each meal 400 calories, and each snack 200 calories. 400x3=1200+200x2=1600!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Most days I tend to have a fairly substantial breakfast (I'm usually pretty hungry after my run) a lighter lunch and then most of the calories at dinner time (some days I'll have a snack - usually a piece of fruit - in between lunch and supper but that varies with how busy things are at work and whether or not I'm commuting by bike (then I'll definitely have a mid afternoon snack)
  • Dsnyfrk921
    Dsnyfrk921 Posts: 64 Member
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    bump
  • airbent
    airbent Posts: 150 Member
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    In my experience it doesn't really matter what time of the day I eat for weight loss -- but timing meals to make sure I get my calories in before the end of the day is an issue sometimes. I usually only end up having 1/2 of my 1200 before dinner just because I'm afraid of going over or I'm not sure how many extra calories I'll earn/whether i'll feel like working out. But this way, if I do work out, it makes eating back exercise calories really hard.

    I have an active weekend job so I try to pack a lot in for breakfast and on saturday and sunday, and snack as much as I can.
  • angelicasmommy
    angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
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    On an average day I eat breakfast at 8am ish, lunch between 11-12, snack at 2-3, and dinner at 5. I usually eat the same amount of calories in each meal/snack. I just get hungry every 2-3 hours so I eat.

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