calories throughout the day

Hey all,

I'm new to this whole shooting match, and I've got a question. 

I'm trying to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism up.  For me that means "meals" at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm.  the first 4 of those meals are when I'm at work, and I dont have easy access to refrigeration or a microwave.  Because of that, they usually consist of a meal replacement bar and some fruit.  Each one typically is between about 150-250 calories.

I'm trying to eat between 1600-1800 cals a day, so that means my last meal has to usually be around 800-1000 calories.  Am I doing more harm than good if half my calories are consumed in only 1 of my meals?

Nope.  I've lost 97 lbs eating around 1700 calories, with about 800 of them coming from dinner.  Everyone is different, but it hasn't ever hurt me!  Try it and find out...if you do more harm than good, switch things up.

that's exactly what i'm trying to do too. my meals are very similar to
yours also. since my calorie intake isn't huge during the day, i like
that i'm able to have a nice, big dinner.

I eat the same way. Dinner is my biggest meal and if I don't have enough cals after that I make them up in the evening. Some say it's not good, but really as long as you are staying within your calorie limit I don't see a problem in when you're eating them. If it makes you feel better you could take a walk or do some small bit of exercise after dinner. It makes me feel better and 63 pounds lighter.

Good Luck!

I am in a similar situation. Can you take one of those thermal lunch bags to work? That is what I did. I put some frozen gel packs in and then load it with my sandwiches etc., and they stay nice and cool all day long. Hope it helps. Finewine and Christenwentboom have found something that works for them. In losing weight there is hardly anything that must be adhered to rigidly all the time. Find what works for you and then enjoy the ride.

Like FineWine states, everyone is different, with different lifestyles, exercise regimes, nutritional needs, health concerns etc.  IT is not a one-size fits all.  Fat loss and changing your body's composition (lose body fat & increase lean muscle mass) is a very individualistic endevour. For example, myself, before I workout (5:30pm) I have a balanced 3:30pm mini meal of approx 250-300 calories, but after the workout, when the body needs fuel to begin the recovery, repair and growth process, I eat at least 500-600 calories at that meal, and even more sometimes. But every calorie is a healthy calorie. Lean protein (tissue repair), low glycemic carbs (to replace the glycogen stores in my musckles *flexes her biceps* and healthyfats (aids in digestion) As a female I don't have the same caloric requirements of a 200lb man or that of a 200lb woman for that matter.  Just focus on eating healthy calories. Each and everyone of them. No empty calories.

But from what I have read and learned from my nutritionist and endocrinogist, eating a really large meal, anytime of the day may not be conducive to digestive health, as it can really slow you down and make you feel full and bloated, but if you are not experiencing any of that. Eat and Be Merry.... Food fuels the body.