100 calories = a small meal?

Hey y'all, first time poster, long time reader.

I've been using CC for counting my calories for about a month now and have been reading the forums everyday. (Great community, by the way =)  )

Anywho, on to my question:

I read a thread a while back about eating 6 small meals a day and how it's said to keep your metabolism in the fast lain.

I'm very intrigued by this and want to give it a go, though, I'm curious about the amount of calories I would need to keep my metabolism running hot?

I was thinking of having a fat-free yogurt or a serving of fruit between meals, would that be enough for a small meal?

Thanks in advance!

My calorie alawance: 2050

Weight: 250

Age: 24

I think that if you get hungry in between meals that you should have a healthy snack. Getting really hungry between meals makes me over-eat at each meal....snacking solves that problem AND my energy level stays more constant throughout the day. I don't know if any of this effects metabolism but it makes me feel better and I'm still losing weight. Just budget in your snacks when you plan your meals. My snacks range between 50 and 150 calories...depending on time of day and what my activity level is. Post-workout snacks usually have the most calories.

my understanding is that it works like this:


2050(calories you are allowed per day) divided by 6 (number of meals per day) = 341 calories per meal (roughly)

So I think for you, you would eat six meals throughout the day, and they would all have roughly 341 calories :-)  So, no big 600 calrie lunch or dinner or anything.. I could be wrong.. but thats my understanding.


Also, if you dont want to do 6 meals at 341 a piece, I think your idea of snacks between larger meals is still a good idea.

I dont follow a specific amount, I just eat food every 3 hours.  I like to eat more than one item at once, like grapes and pretzels, or yogurt and grapes, etc.

Another way to look at it is that you want to spread that 2050 calories out without being too rigid.  So an egg and toast or cereal and fruit breakfast is going to run you about 300 calories.  Perhaps you want to make that a little bigger say 500 calories to get your day started with a lot of energy.  Let's say you have 3 meals that run about 500 calories each -- let's say Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  Now you have another 550 calories to account for.  There are a lot snacks that run in the 90 to 150 calorie range.  Two energy bars would run you about 200 calories.  That leaves you 350 calories for your post workout snack.  On the other hand you might want a mid-morning snack of crackers and cheese that might run you 150 calories and then have a cup of grapes or strawberries or a slice of cantaloupe for an evening snack.

Think about what you want to eat.   Build a core meal plan and then add or subtract as necessary to get the calories that you think you will need.  By the way you can use the Food Log as a meal planner by entering what think you will be eating in ahead of time.

I tend to have a smaller breakfast -- usually 100-200 calories, so that I can have a nice dinner. 

Also, that way I can have a small snack when I hit my afternoon slump and another after dinner:)

Hi y'all,

Thanks for the replies and advice! It's very much appreciated =)

I've bee a little hesitant to cut the calories in my meal which usually are about 500-600 calories.

I'm a big guy with an equaly bit apatite and when I have a meal, I want a meal-meal... though, what we want isn't always what's best for us I know.

I think I'll try to get 400-450 calories per meal and the a 200 calorie snack.

Hopfuly my stomach won't growl at me too much =)

Having almost 100 pounds to lose, I like to look more at the journy and not the destination.

Learning more about the mysteries of weight loss and getting advice for others, help to make me feel more in control of it all.

Cheers

Hi :)

try including foods that are big in size and low in calories...

like 2 cups of veggies or veggie soup = 100 calories or less;  the 100 cal bags of popcorn (5 cups = 100 cals or so)...  things with fiber can help slow digestion, add bulk and keep you satisfied.

also try to include some protein and some healthy fat with the meals and snacks which also take longer to digest and will help keep you satisfied longer...

like nuts or peanut butter, olives or avocado...  low fat cheese sticks like string cheese or fat free/low fat dairy...

Hope this helps...

I usually end the day at around 1300 calories, 600sh of those usually come from dinner.  I'm one of those nocturnal eaters.  No matter what or how much I eat early in the day if I don't have a good dinner I'm hungry the rest of the evening/night.  I eat a bowl of instant oatmeal every morning (170 calories), a turkey sandwich with fat free swiss on whole wheat for lunch (200 calories), a snack of fruit in the late afternoon (~100 calories), dinner (~600-650 calories), and around 8pm a fat free yogurt (100 calories).  I stay satisfied all day, stay well within my calorie allowance and eat around 5 times per day.  I've lost 53.5 lbs. so far.  Find what works for you to keep you motivated and not hungry.  From my understanding of things I've read here it doesn't matter how you divide your calories or at what times you eat them as long as you stay within your budget and don't create such a deficit that you're losing muscle with the fat.  I'm sure someone will correct that if I'm wrong.  ;)

I would think that if you eat a big meal you're more likely to feel hungry later. My thinking behind this is that everytime you eat a big meal you're stretching your stomach out. By eating lots of smaller meals you maintain a more consistent stomach shape/size, and your hunger pangs are less pronounced.... 

be patient.  appetite adjusts within a week or two and you will get used to the smaller meals.  I remember the first time dw weighed and handed me 4 oz of steak.  I asked her if it was for the kid.  Not :(

what happened to the days of the 12+ oz steak.

hey dave!

I have been back on eating healthy for almost 4 weeks now and have lost about 20 lbs.  I came across CC by fluke and have been using it for about 2 1/2 weeks.  I like you am a big boy, and like my volume!  I try to eat about every 2 - 3 hours and when I snack I fine low cal high volume snacks that statisfy that munchy feeling I have.  I like veggies, so I pack lots of baby carrots, celery, etc when I am at work and h ome. They have that cruch factor and slow you down since you just can't throw 'em back. 

 I also like FF yoplait yogurt with a half cup of Go Lean, it is better for you than granola, and has that fiber t hat fills you up about 170 cals.  (I try to get my good milks (3) in, it does help burn the belly fat I can tell in my mid section where I usually lose last).

Oh and let me tell what is my friend if I really feel like I have cravings, suger free popsicles I use them if I  have a real need to eat. You can eat 3 or 4 and burn them off walking around the house! LOL.

And my one last God-Send. . . air popped popcorn is like nothing!!!  Use a little Pam sprayed on it and some flavored popcorn topping that is low cal and you can have HUGE snack for hardly any calories, plus the fiber benefits.  Plus its fun to watch and takes less time than microwave!   Good luck!

Dave:

A couple more thoughts.  I like big meals as well which is why I have never been happy with the lots of small meals approach.  I generally consume about 600 calories at breakfast and 800 to 1000 calories at dinner.  I am ending up the day around 2000 calories.  The numbers are higher these days because I have stepped up my exercise routines and my body is demanding more food.  But that's okay because I am running pretty lean at 172 pounds.  So thought number one: What weight is right for you?

Secondly, a large dose of protein will help satisfy your cravings.  I particularly like yogurt and cottage cheese.  A cup of fat free yogurt will keep me going for several hours.

Third: Veggies are your friend.  Fruit is good but it is a high energy food source.  That means calories from fuit add up pretty fast.  You have to eat a lot of veggies to get any measurable calories.  Of course, you get a lot of other good stuff from the veggies.

Fourth: Don't keep extra food handy.  If you don't have food around, you won't be tempted to eat unless you are really hungry.  If you concentrate on using up the calories you have consumed, you will find that you won't be tempted to eat more calories.

btwn meals I eat mixed greens with little bit of dressing or a special K cereal bar or a Kitkat/Aero singles. These things are all 35 to 100 cal...quite filling.

I eat them not because I feel hungry just to boost my metab. PPl think I eat a lot but who cares :)

good luck on your weight loss! My support for you!

how about not going straight into the "6 meals a day".

you could try 4 or 5 meals a day to start off with?

Here's what I do...

400 to 500 cals for breakfast (this is good stuff like two slices of whole wheat bread and jam and an entire grapefruit and a cup or two of milk)

Those whole grains keep me feeling full longer as they take longer to digest.

around 11 I eat an 8oz yogurt (110 calories) or a bannana or something

at 12:30 or 1 I go hit Wendy's and buy a crispy chicken sandwich... there's another 380 calories.

I'll eat maybe another snack after that pending if I work out or not... and I still have another

Then I still have 500+ I can spend on dinner.   Which is no big deal.   Right now I'm actually down to only needing to eat 1500 calories and I eat back any calories I burn for exercise.   So like yesterday this was around 2100 calories since I worked out at the gym and burned around 550 calories.


The 6 meals things works as well... but if you eat some good whole grains as part of your diet and oh... I drink nothing but water... then it makes it really easy to figure out how to break the meals up.

Really the best way to keep your metabolism revved up is just to get out 5 days a week and do some kind of exercise.   45 min of walking... or whatever will go a long way to keeping that metabolism up and your weight dropping.