how many breakfast cals is too much?

for breakfast today i had

a golden delicious apple w/ honey    (110 cals approx)

oatmeal with probably 1/8 cup raisins  (200 approx)

80 cal fat free yogurt  (80)

thats almost 400 cals. my goal is to keep myself from being starving after classes, but i just feel like thats a lot, even though it doesnt seem like a lot of food in writing. i dunno.. you tell me

It'll depend on your total daily cals & how you like to breakdown your meals. IMO I think its great- the oatmeal should fill you til lunchtime thus reducing the liklihood you'll resort to snacking before then (unless you've factored a morning snack into your cals?).

My intake goal is 1500cals- I try to have a breakdown like this:

Breakfast- 400, Morning Snack- 100, lunch- 400, afternoon snack- 100, dinner- 400, evening snack- 100. This works for me because regular snacks prevent me from binging at mealtimes. HTH?

My nutritionist gave me a meal plan to follow. Here is what she suggested:

Breakfast

Breakfast should include:

-Protein (cottage cheese, peanut butter, egg whites etc)

-Carbohydrate (whole grain or fruit)

-Fruit (include a fruit, if possible)

-Goal: 350-400 calories

Lunch

Lunch should include:

-Protein (turkey, chicken, beans, tuna etc)

-Carbohydrate (whole grain bread, brown rice, beans, etc)

-Nonstarchy vegetable (leafy greens, asparagus, carrots, etc)

-Fruit or dairy (include at least one, if possible)

-Goal: about 500 calories

Snacks

-Goal: 100-200 calories

Snacks should be substantially filling to get you to the next meal.  Always try to choose something with protein and fiber. 

Dinner

Dinner should include:

-Protein (turkey, chicken, fish etc)

-Carbohydrate (whole grain rice, sweet potato, beans, etc)

-Nonstarchy vegetable (leafy greens, asparagus, carrots, etc)

-Goal: about 400 calories

Tip:

Avoid snacking after dinner or within two hours before going to bed

This is based on eating no more than 1500 calories a day which is what I would need to lose weight. I am 5'5" and currently weight approximately 170 and my target goal would be 150. She says as long as I stick to this guideline I will lose weight, even if I barely excercise.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

I would say that is perfectly normal. I usually have a similar size breakfast, it's almost always some combination of the following, picking and choosing one from each group:

• 1 of the following: english muffin w/ 1tbsp peanut butter, oatmeal (with 1 tsp brown sugar and cinnamon), hard boiled egg, and sometimes (usually the weekend after a big a.m. workout) I splurge and make a stove-top egg with pam and eat it on an english muffin with 1/2 or 1 slice of reduced fat co-jack cheese.
  
• a serving of fruit, usually either a green apple, banana or cup of blackberries.
• Usually a 100 cal. yoplait light yogurt.

Sometimes I don't eat it all at once, but will spread it out through the morning. One pick from each groups keeps me about 400 cals, fills me up but not too much.

I find that if I eat that, followed by a similar calorie sized lunch and a slightly larger dinner that I make it through the day perfectly. Depending on how much I exercise I may need more on certain days, which I take into account.

In short, I think that's a pretty smart breakfast you've got. It's so important to start the day off right because it helps to not make you ravenously hungry during the day. Keep up the good work!

I think thats a fine breakfast. Could be improved with skipping the honey and having your apple with peanut butter or some nuts instead maybe? Starting the day with sugary honey might lead you to get hungry pretty soon after, whereas something more protein-rich would tide you over better.

There is no real answer to 'how many breakfast cals is too much' - everyone is different and has different calorie needs. I would ask yourself - am I getting hungry too soon afterwards? Do I feel satisfied after I've eaten it? Do I get hungry later on in the day or in the evening? Am I eating enough to give me energy for my workouts? And use these answers as the guide for what is best to put in your body.

My breakfast every day is around 350-400 calories too.  I have an egg and cheese sandwich almost every day, because I LOVE THEM!  I'm not afraid of fat and don't think that the cheese will kill my diet, especially since the rest of the day I eat lots of beans and cabbage and fiber etc. 

Original Post by ivi425:

This is based on eating no more than 1500 calories a day which is what I would need to lose weight. I am 5'5" and currently weight approximately 170 and my target goal would be 150. She says as long as I stick to this guideline I will lose weight, even if I barely excercise.

I'm 5ft 2", 177lbs and my nutritionist also suggested eating my BMR which is 1535.  She also said no-one should be fat eating that amount of cals and I should lose no problem. I've been doing that for nearly 3mths now with no change....

It'll be interesting to see what she suggest when I return in 4wks or so?

Are poeple's nutritionists really telling them it is okay to "barely exercise"?!!!!

Original Post by hilary77:

Are poeple's nutritionists really telling them it is okay to "barely exercise"?!!!!

 No, well mine said to try and do some exercise. They know that they can tell people to 'do this' & 'eat this' all the want to, but some people will just do what they want anyway. I think if they say something that people might consider doing (a little exercise- walking etc.) rather than dismissing it out of hand (eg. at least 30-45mins exercise a day, 7 days a week) then theres a better chance of seeing a result- i.e.them actually doing a little exercise?

But she did give the impression that even if I sat on my behind 24/7 that I would have to lose weight eating this amount because I was only taking in what my body needed, so any movement would be 'extra' burn, and I'd lose quicker?

i feel like a pig now, i usually eat 600 - 700 cals for breakfast; its quite rare that i have 400 cals, but i do once in a while.

I think OP's breakfast is very close to ideal, except I'd change the fat free yogurt to low-fat, so that you get some fat with the meal.  It adds to the total calories, but I aim for 400-500 cal breakfast.  With that level of protein, fiber, and fat, I'd be fine until lunch, no problem.  Or I might save the apple for a few hours for a snack.  Either way, I want 500 cal before lunch.  At least. 

But then, my breakfast and lunch are large, and my dinner is very small:  200-300 calories.

My meal plan breakfast calls for 2 starch, 2 fat, 1 yogurt or 3/4 cup cottage cheese, and 1 fruit.  Depending on what I choose, it can be anywhere from 450 to 550 calories.

I eat maybe 300 calories for breakfast, because I just don't get very hungry until lunch. Typically I'll have oatmeal and an apple with half a tablespoon of peanut butter. I love cereal, but can't keep it around because I'll eat it non stop. I eat most of my calories at lunch, usually 500 ish, and then a snack (200) around 4PM, and then dinner (400) at 6-7. I do get hungry around bed time though...