For those of you that follow a range for each meal, or a specific calorie count for each meal, or even just a general calorie idea you LIKE to keep it near for certain meals:
1) Firstly, which kind of calorie counter person are you? Range, specific or close to a number per meal?
2) Are your meals all the same size? Larger one at some point in the day? Smaller one at some point in the day?

I'm curious to see how other people "format" their meals (*cough* hopefully to gain some insight as to what I could be doing better to avoid cravings )

I count calories by counting exchanges. Until recently, I had no format for meals. I just documented what I chose to eat, checked off the exchange boxes, and when I ran out of exchanges, that was it (in theory) for the day. Breakfast could be 150 calories one day and 500 the next.

Eating small snacks instead of meals was working really well for me, at one time, but over time I've gradually gotten into the bad habit of not distributing my calories evenly throughout the day (I'd skimp on or skip breakfast and then be very hungry and overeat).

So now, I'm trying out this distribution (trying to make mostly "primal" choices for each exchange - that is avoiding grains and other high glycemic foods)

So this is the plan I'm trying (and the rough calorie estimates).

Breakfast (260 to 375 calories)
1 milk
1 fruit
2 protein
0-2 fat
0-1 vegetable


Lunch (300 - 500 calories)

2-3 vegetable
2-4 protein
3-4 fat

Dinner (425 - 625 calories)

2-3 veg
3-5 protein
3-4 fat


Snacks (or additions to meals)
1 milk
2 - 3 fruit
2-4 vegetable
2 carb/starch exchanges

I also calorie count by habit, so I generally not only check my exchange boxes when I use them, I also tally the approx calorie count - aiming for an 1800 calorie average and a 1500 - 2000 calorie range.


I'll let you know what kind of success I'm having with it. Today was my first day, and it went great. No hunger spikes during the day at all.

I try to eat 3/4 of my calories before the evening meal, trying to make it the smallest and least carby. I eat the most calorific meal at lunch

I eat what I want each day and just disperse my calories threw out the day, but I always plan what I will eat the night before, and prepare my meals and snacks to take to work. I eat what I like, and I am a pretty boring routine person, so I pretty much know what calories I have to eat anyway. I have at least 2-3 snacks a day because if I allow myself to get hungry, I over eat. On average though I would say that I have a larger breakfast, and smaller lunch, and dinner. With that being said, it depends on what is going on sometimes my dinner is my largest meal.

Wilma

I've just been doing this for almost 3 weeks, but it seems to be working. Total calories goal is 1750 or so--I'm 6'2" and 308 (started 321), so I burn a lot just living. I never seem to actually eat to that calorie count because I'm satisfied with less--I think it's important to focus on quality of calories, not just number of calories. I try to eat at least 8 "superfoods" every day, and I elect not to include starchy foods (so for me, no pasta, rice, regular bread, potatoes).

I think the trick is to find what works for you. From what I've seen on the forum, the most successful non-surgical losses have come from people who calorie count and exercise. Within that framework, each person has developed his or her set of guidelines through trial and error. I know that eating regular bread is going to give me horrid cravings for more easy carbs for the rest of the day, so I avoid it like the plague. How do I know? I had a piece of raisin toast, which was fine according to my calorie count, but it was AWFUL in terms of how it made me feel. So counting the calories is part of the picture, but making the calories count is more important to me.

Here's what I do (kinda boring):

Breakfast (same every day--but I like it and it's quick): 1 packet of Quaker high-fiber oatmeal topped with 1 TBS crushed nuts (walnuts or pecans) and 1/2 c. fruit (whatever I have in the fridge). 300 cals.
Snack: Iced coffee with milk and 1 TBS chocolate syrup (yep, my one indulgence! but it's counted in my total), some fruit or a Fiber One bar (in which case I don't put chocolate in my coffee). 250 cals.
Lunch: Big salad, 1 tsp dressing (I just touch my fork in my on-the-side dressing so I never actually finish it), 3 oz grilled chicken or fish. 350 cals.
Snack: Double-fiber whole wheat bread/toast and natural peanut butter, 1 or 2 slices, depending on how hungry I am. Per slice, 140 cals. 1/2 c. fruit. 50 cals.
Dinner: Veggies (raw and cooked), 1 TBS dressing, 2 oz protein (meat, lunch meat, hard-boiled egg, whatever), 1/2 c. fruit. Aim for 400 cals.
Possible after-dinner snack: Yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit or some leftover slaw or carrots for munching, but I really usually don't eat after dinner because I'm satisfied. 80 to 100 cals if eaten.

Things I try to include to make my calories count: broccoli, blueberries, turkey, tomato, spinach, yogurt, oats, walnuts, beans, orange, tea.

Things I avoid: starchy foods/baked goods (exception: I do include my beloved double-fiber whole wheat bread at 50 cals a slice, bless them!), cooking with added fat, excess salt, fruit juices (would rather eat the fruit and get the benefit of the fiber).

I am using sparkpeople to count calories right now and it has my calories broken up into 3 meals of 370 - 458 and then 2 snacks of 185 - 229.

I am trying to keep it fairly balanced through out the day but also with enough wiggle room that if I wanna have something special I can shift around my other calories for the day.

I like eating my bigger meal later in the day so I start small with a 200 calorie breakfast, then a 400 calorie lunch followed by a 550 calorie dinner and 200 bedtime snack.

Breakfast is under 300 calories. I eat after I work out, which usually ends up being around 10, give or take.

I eat lunch at 1:30, and that's between about 300 calories, too.

Snack at 4, about 100-150 calories (bag of SmartPop kettle corn, a skinny cow pb ice cream sandwich, some fruit and an ounce of cheese)

Dinner I don't really count. I make the regular family dinner and watch my portions. I try to tweak it a bit to make it healthy. If we're having pasta, I get whole wheat or low carb. I have salad and no (or a tiny piece) of garlic bread. If we're having tacos, I make a taco salad and have no shells. I'm trying to incorporate more turkey vs beef or pork (ground turkey, bacon, sausage, etc) but it's slow going.

We eat dinner around 6:30, and then since it's a "bigger" meal, I don't get hungry before I go to bed.

This gets shuffled around on weekends. On Sundays we get Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. I then have my regular lunch and a smaller dinner. Sometimes we eat out for lunch on Saturday and even a salad with fat free Italian dressing is more calories than I normally eat, so my dinner is usually smaller.

ETA: I should add that the reason I do this is because I identified my hungriest time of day as nighttime. I can typically get through the day without being hungry b/c I'm so busy with my children, house stuff, errands, etc. At night, I'm always STARVING. So, I arranged my calories so I'm not depriving myself at night, or setting myself up to binge. After a reasonably sized "large" meal (typically about 1/2 my day's calories at dinner), I don't get hungry before bed.

What is this double fiber 50 cal bread you speak of???

I'm a range eater. I eat 1500-1700 calories per ay, down on the lower end if I haven't exercised or exercised much, more if I exercised a lot, and lately I'm calorie cycling. I eat on a range per meal too, I'm not about to try to make them all exactly even.

My meals are always about the same size but it's because I eat about five meals per day. If I ate three meals per day, I would eat a medium sized breakfast, a heavier lunch (which would be my post-workout time) and a lighter dinner. But eating five times per day, they end up about even. I aim for about 300 calories per meal, but I'm not afraid to "borrow" calories from other meals. My mid-day meal is after worked out in the morning and I'm hungrier, so many days I'll make that a 400 calorie meal and make another meal lighter, or cut it down to a snack. I find that it's really best to listen to my body; it will let me know when it's hungrier or not as hungry, so I'm not afraid to eat a bulk of my calories earlier in the day without "running out" of alloted calories later.

I'd like to know too. The one I pick up when I'm on a bread kick is 70 or 75 cals per slice. Not bad at all, but I'm not against cutting a few extra cals when I can.

I love the "name" 8675309...totally loved that song
LiliK...your daily meal plan actually sounds delicious to me....

I love this thread! I love seeing how other people work their plans.

I try to stay at 1600 during the week. Weekends are still difficult and throw me off, though I'm working on it. Anyway, during the week my days are planned like this:

10:00am - Breakfast: 300 calories. 80% of the time it's a mix of rolled and steel cut oats with ground flax seeds, protein powder and mixed berries. It's super filling, since there is decent fat and protein in it along with the fiber. On days I don't have time to sit down and eat it, I have a Perfect Foods Bar. They are also 300 calories and quite filling for a protein bar, taste awesome and have tons of vitamins in them without lots of added sugar or other junk.

1:00 Lunch - 300-350 calories. Lots and LOTS of veggies, like spinach, or frozen veggies, with some sort of protein like salmon or tofu and some grain (rice or quinoa.) Lately I'm on this kick of butternut squash, spinach or chard, and white beans with some tahini on it for fat. It's a TON of food for 300 calories and fills me up every time. (just had it for dinner a while ago as a matter of fact and am STUFFED.)

4:00 - snack, usually between 200-300 calories. If my dinner is going to be closer to 400 calories I'll make this snack closer to 200. Sometimes it's a Perfect Foods Bar if I have room in my calories for the day for that much at a snack, or a bowl of high fiber cereal for 200 calories, or fruit, etc.

7:00- dinner, also between 300-400 calories. Similar food choices as lunch - lots of veggies, some grain and/or legumes, protein, etc. When I'm tired I have a Veggie Burger on one of those Orowheat Sandwich Thins since together with the ketchup they add up to 300 calories and it's fast when I'm tired.

8:00- 200 calorie yogurt/berry/Kashi parfait for desert

If I have room in my calories and/or need more fat for the day, I'll have a tablespoon of almond butter. I'm trying to make sure I have room for that ever day since it's so healthy.

Once I add in the creamer in my coffee and my calcium chew, I get to 1600 for the day, give or take a bit. Since I create meals that have TONS of veggies and fiber as well as decent protein and fat, I find them to be very satisfying and I'm not often hungry in between meals. (especially since they're only 3 hours apart.) On days when I workout a LOT I can feel that I'm hungry sooner. But for the most part, this plan works really well for me.

I'm like the worst calorie counter ever, I don't follow any of the rules or tips, lol.

First of all, I'm not too specific. I record as much as I possibly can on caloriecount.com, but if I'm having an extra 25 calories at a meal because I put more than the recorded amount of veggies on my sandwich or something, I'm not going to record it and I really don't care. Calorie counting is NOT as specific and perfectly mathematical as we would like to think it is, so I'm not going to obsess about it. I use it as a guide.

Second, I eat all my calories for the day within about a 4 hour period in the late afternoon/evening. That's SO opposite of what every diet will recommend, I understand this. I understand why the mini meals, or at three least balanced meals throughout the day, are suggested. It just doesn't work for me, I've tried to stick with it. 5-6 mini meals of lean protein, fiber, and whole grains throughout the day for a month just about turned me into a crazy person. I was obsessed with food, always starving, always watching the clock for my next meal, and time after time I'd give into cravings and cheat just because I was never satisfied. Even switching to three meals/day made me an unhappy critter.

I'm simply not hungry in the mornings whereas I'm VERY hungry in the evenings. I don't have a desire to eat until about 2pm, and then I like to have a big meal and then graze over the evening. Yes, that behavior made me fat in the first place, but I have modified it so instead of eating a huge meal of pizza at 2pm and then eating chocolate, ice cream, more pizza, etc until 10pm, I eat healthy food within my calorie limits. It was a compromise for myself, and I'm very content with it. It's been working pretty well for me so far, I'm always content, not hungry, and I never feel the need to go off plan.