400 kcal breaskfast too much??

on a long drive back to uni i was talking to my friend about weight loss as we both want to lose some. my friend is just under 5' 3'' and last summer lost a considerable amount of weight. i remember when i saw her for an exam after not seeing her for a few weeks and noticing how skinny she was. we then went home for summer and when we came back in october she had put the weight back on again and then some (she reckons she's now about 9.5 stone (133lbs) but thats just a guess so i don't know- she doesn't look big but she doesn't carry her wieght well being small boned and flat chested. anyway while driving she admitted to me that she had actually gotten down to below 7.5 stone (<105lbs).

so we were chatting about what we were going to do to lose the weight and i said that i reckon i could eat about 1500 calories minimum and still lose. she was shocked!!! she said that she would aim for 1200. whilst i know that this is the healthy minimum she then preceeded to tell me what she had been eating when she lost the weight last summer. an apple for breakfast, yoghurt of half soup (200kcal) for lunch and a piece of meat with veg for dinner. this is NO way 1200 calories and i told her so.

but then what she said really annoyed me. she was shocked and said how she couldn't believe that i could eat a 400kcal breakfast! 'how can you eat that much' i said! well i explained i have a fairly substantial bowl of porridge with maybe some milk, a spoonful of yoghurt and some cottage mixed in and some chopped pineapple mixed in to sweeten. or sometimes i'll have two scrambled eggs with some toast and tomatoes. i thought this was a pretty healthy breakfast to lose but she would not get over it. asking didn't i feel bloated afterwards and if it was her she'd either just have the pineapple or just a small bowl or porridge.she just coudnlt believe that i ate such a big breakfast! two eggs???!!! yes two! i tried to explain that her meal plan before obviusly wasn;t that great because she hadn't been able to sustain the weight but she was making me feel really guilty! sometimes i can go to 500 for breakfast but i didn;t dare say that!

ok, now i'm a smart girl so i know that this girl definatiely doesn't have an attitude to eating so i know i shouldn't listen to what she said about her previous diet ( i could never eat that little anyway) but it got me thinking abouth whether it was too much. i don't really excercise but i walk quite a bit i really hate eating below 1500 calories- normally its more like 1800. or 1900! i'm 133 lbs at 5'5'' and want to reach about 125lbs. the thing is i've been bulimic fr the last three years- so glad i didn't confide in her about that she wuld have been disgusted!!!- i've been doing pretty well since christmas- just a few 'episodes' so i don't want to restrict myself in case it triggers a binge.

anyway finally sorry! my question is how many calories to you eat at each meal and is my firend just being an idiot!! could i lose, albeit really slowly, eating this much- lets say 1700? because my sister who has a lovely figure and a pretty good attitude to food- sometimes she eats loads, other days less, just pretty much when shes hungry- told me that when shes at uni she doesn't eat breakfast. so i don't know now.

gosh rereading this i seem quite naive and dismissive about my e.d. i'm not sorry i'm a chemist so i'm bad at explaining my self- but anyway i'm taking it really seriously, seeing a councillor and really trying! i know soime will say maybe trying to lose while recovering is a bad idea but i know that bulimia makes me put on wieght so its not a thing i do to lose weight its more an emotional/ control thing so i don't think trying to lose will worsten the bulimia as say it would a recovering anorexic- if you understand??!!

I don't see a problem with a 400 calorie breakfast.  It is said that breakfast should be your largest meal.  Think about it this way - if you eat a 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch and a 400 cal dinner - you would be at 1200 calories for the entire day.  Cramming all your calories into one meal sounds like a situation that will trigger a binge and you know what happens next.  Ignore her - you know what is healthy for you and what isn't!

I understand!  Eating badly just feeds the disorder - the only way you feel you can stop is by carefully monitoring what you are eating - a site like this helps you do that - just have to be careful to maintain a healthy number of calories so you don't fall into anorexia.  It is a constant struggle : ( 

Given that the average adult, reasonably active female can maintain her weight on 1900-2100 cals a day, a 400 cal breakfast would be about 25% of the day's intake..... perfect.  And even if you're trying to lose weight on 1500 or 1200  - as ckolobow rightly says - a 400 cal breakfast still makes a lot of sense because it gets you off to a good start for the day, full of energy, ready for anything!

Skipping breakfast is generally accepted as not being a good habit to get into.  Beyond that, whether you choose a light or more substantial breakfast, it's entirely up to how you feel.

I eat anywhere from 1300-1500 calories a day and I start every morning with a breakfast of about 400 calories, or at least 300 and a mid-morning snack like an apple or some light yogurt (100). I figure if you have a decent size breakfast then you are less tempted to be ravenously hungry and overdo your lunch. I think 400 is a perfect size for breakfast if you want to feel satisfied, but not stuffed.

Don't worry too much about what your friend was saying. Do what works for you and what makes you comfortable! I've learned that part of why I gained my weight in the last two years was because I let other people's eating habits influence my own too much.

Keep up the good work!

I think a big breakfast is good, it keeps me from snacking on junk the rest of the day! I think 300 cal-400 cal seems good, dont let your friends hang ups get to you! Her methood obviously didnt work in the end and yours will. Slow and steady wins the race no?

I also eat around 300 for breakfast, but everyone's body is different. I will end up having a snack before lunch... a banana or some yogurt. I include lots of protein and fiber in my diet to hold me over until the next meal, which is why my caloric intake is lower. Breakfast is definitely supposed to be the biggest meal of the day. Both of you are just doing what works for you. Don't let her influence you, if that's the way you like to do things and what works for you!

Another point to add....the earlier you get most of your calories (say in your breakfast) the more likely you are to burn most of it off unlike if you ate most at dinner where you obviously would be going to bed in a few hours and even if you do burn calories in your sleep you wouldn't be as active like you are during the day.

After your friend told you about her eating habits I don't think I would take what she says in offense because obviously what she was doing wasn't right and very unhealthy.

Do what feels right for YOU and will keep you on a healthy track. If you should listen to ANYONE it should mostly be by your doctor or a nutritionist, not an ignorant young woman.

It has been proven that people who eat a good breakfast which includes healthy choices and several of the food groups loose weight quicker and keep it off. Your breakfast sounds fine as long as you stay within your calorie range for the rest of the day. She is under-eating and not eating a balanced diet and you are right that is why she cannot keep it off. She is just messing with her metabolism. Clean/balanced is the key.

I agree with the other posters... I think 400 cals for a breakfast is completely appropriate... actually, if I don't eat at least 300 cals, I will be starving by 11am and gorge myself at lunch... also, it sounds like you gave your friend great advice... I have done the starve yourself thing where you gain it all back... it makes one super defensive, but she absolutely needs to know the right way to do it... I have lost 25 pounds eating exactly the same way you do and actually enjoy life instead of walking around hungry... take care, good luck, and keep it up!!!

You are absolutely not having too much for breakfast. I eat about 1400-1500 cals/day when I don't exercise and my breakfast is around 500 cals (generally 3/4 cup of Ezekiel flourless cereal, a large sliced banana or strawberries or both, and a cup of vanilla soymilk). Your friend was going about weight loss the wrong way - obviously - that's why she didn't keep it off! Starving your body will do you no favors, and like others have mentioned, it is good to eat a bigger breakfast because you have the entire day to burn it off.

Most people eat a bigger breakfast actually. Breakfast should be the most important meal of the day.

I've been known to pack in up to 600 cals in breakfast.  I never used to eat it when I was overweight, and now I eat it every day, more and more, and have lost 30 lbs almost. Granted, I exercise and other things etc... but I find that I am more full, alert, ready to exercise etc. when I eat breakfast. Plus the bigger the breakfast, the smaller the dinner is how it usually works for me, not by choice but just by how hungry i am around dinner time.

thank goodness!!!! because i was certain it was normal but she really got me thinking- and then i thought about people who just have a bowl of cereal like cornflakes for  200 or so calories and my meal was beginnning to seem huge in comparison. but i love my porridge so i'm gonna carry on eating it. and my occasional toast and eggs combo! its weird i'm really beginning to think that i must have a pretty quick metabolism. i've eaten my 400 breakfast and 500kcal lunch (skinless salmon fillet, two eggs scrambled with cherry tomates onion and a little oive oil, some brocolli) and a slice of pineapple to snack on (this as a binger and constant snacker is a brilliant day!) and i'm absolutely starving! but i'm going out for sushi in an hour so i need to hold out. its my ttom so perhaps thats whats the cause but its actual hunger pangs in my stomach not just a bored urge! also i've been up since 6am today after just 4 hours sleep and three nights before again i only got about 5 hours sleep cos i had a big exam today so maybe thats it??

thank you all for your posts people i really really want to beat this this time!!!

I was just reading in Shape magazine about a study where they followed dieters, and the dieters who ate big breakfasts lost on average 30 more lbs(!!) over 6 months than those who didn't! I'm sorry, I don't remember the calorie count of the "big" breakfasts, but it was definitely over 400! So eat your sensible breakfast, you genius girl,  and enjoy it :)

Breakfast is the best meal of the day! You stick to your big brekkies & ignore your friends comments.

How much I have depends on when I have to be at work. If I have to be in at 8.30am I have museli & skimmed milk (200-300cal) as its quick to prepare & eat, but then have a snack at about 10am.

If it's my day off or I don't start work till 12.30 I'll have a bigger breakfast (300-400cal) Something like porridge with honey & blueberries, or museli & a big ol' smoothie. Or my low fat banana pancakes. Mmmm, yum yum!

My boyfriend just started having breakfast a few months ago & said hes stopped eatting chocolate at work as he doesn't feel peckish & in need of a sugar boost.

I agree with all posts.  A healthy breakfast is the way to go.  Your friend gained all her weight back because she did not eat in a way that she could sustain for any length of time.  Once she quit starving herself, she put back all her weight and then some.  

I agree with the others- 400 calories is not too much for breakfast!

But to respond to your comment about being hungry after what seemed to be satisfying meals, maybe it's because you're not eating enough carbs?? I find that I don't include one serving of carbs at each meal, I'll be hungry. But like everyone has been saying, everyone is different. And you could be totally right about not getting enough sleep... that might cause your body to feel like you are hungry, but really you are just tired:)

No I don't think 400 cal breakfast is too much. I eat a 200-300 breakfast myself. Some people eat more.  You have to do what works for your body. Personally I don't think you friend is eating 1200 cal because that what I eat and I eat way more than that!!!!