WHEN should I eat my calories?
 

Hi, all.

I am eating 1200-1400 calories per day. Here's my normal habit:

Breakfast (7:30am): Slim fast dring (200 calories)

Lunch (12:30pm): Slim fast bar, 100 calorie snack pack (300 calories)

Dinner (7:30pm): Some sort of pasta meal, around 600 calories. 100 calorie snack pack.

I'm having a pretty easy time sticking to that diet. I've lost around 2-3 pounds per week. I am 5'5 and started at 145, and am now around 138.

I'm trying to wean myself away from all the carbs by substituting better snacks for the snack packs and eating more nutritious meals than the pasta. I'm wondering, however, if I should shift more of my calories to my morning/afternoon meals. I've heard the "no starches after 8pm" rule, which says you are supposed to avoid eating after that time, because your body will not have time to burn it off. But will I just burn whatever my body stores at the gym the next day, anyway? Does it matter WHEN I consume my calories?

It seems to me what you are currently doing is working for you...I'm of the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' school of thought.

Congrats on your loss so far!!! :bravo:

I also think it's a good idea to cut back on the processed food in favor of more healthy choices. Your body will thank you. :D

Does not matter when you consume your calories. You are eating most of your calories with dinner - are you hungry during the day? Might want to spread some calories out just so you feel satisfied all day. Try to transition from the meal replacement shakes to real food as quickly as possible. Losing weight is only the beginning, keeping the weight off is the long term battle. Learning healthy habits for handling breakfast and lunch will be beneficial in the long run.

I agree with the others, I don't think the time matters at all. I think Glory has good suggestions about getting off the slimfast though. I used to drink their shakes and eat their bars and I discovered they just didn't have enough protein and had too many calories for how NOT filling they were. Just my opinion though, I don't believe in instant healthy-foods, just something to work towards as a goal and sounds like you are on the right track!

Hmmm. I was not so concerned about the Slim Fast shakes/bars, more concerned about the mountain of PASTA I eat every night! I am not terribly hungry during the day...and I still love the taste of the Slim Fast. Am I weird?

Problem is, I don't really have access to a microwave or fridge for lunch. Being a college student, my life is go, go, go for at least 12 hours of the day. I guess I will investigate other meal options.

I think you are spacing your calories out just fine...but the actual foods that you are eating are not really that healthy overall.

Your breakfast and lunch about 2 servings of carbohydrates (due to the sugars, etc. in them) and a serving of dairy...so to balance that out-don't have a 100 calorie pack with it for "a meal".

With your pasta meals for dinner, and your 100 calorie packs for evening snacks-you are eating carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs...and two servigns of dairy. I am not a low carber-but you DO need to balance this plan out a lot. You may be on track calorie wise...but nutritionally speaking your diet is severely lacking.

I would start by replacing your 100 calorie pack that you have with your lunch Slim-Fast with a serving of fruit or vegetables instead. Depending on what fruit or veggie you choose-you could even have two servings for the calories. Your body needs the fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants present in fruit and veggies for optimum health. The vitamin supplements present in Slim-Fast, or in a multi vitamin are not the "same" as what comes naturally in fruits and vegetables.

The next step would be to change your dinner and balance it out more. If you are eating a 600 calorie dinner-you can surely have a serving of pasta in that-but an actual measured portion of pasta is usually around 200 calories...so be sure to have only one measured portion, and have the other 400 calories consist of vegetables, the sauce, and some sort of protein. A small servign of pasta with a dash of marinara sauce, a serving of steamed veggies, and a little cut up cooked chicken breast could be equal to about 600 calories-and would be much more balanced.

Calories are what count when you lose weight...but you also have to think about your health (because there is "healthy thin" and there is "unhealthy thin" and they LOOK different!) as well.

Jilly's right that it IS a challenge to get healthy meals on the go, but it can also be done! Invest in an insulated lunch bag (they aren't expensive). Pack some fruits, cut up veggies, a sandwich, and you can munch much of the day, but healthy! Maybe add cottage cheese or a yogurt too.

I've changed my mornings to pack lunches and snacks for me and hubby, but that extra time has really paid off!

Good luck!

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the feedback. I get so caught up in counting calories that I forget to look at other nutrients, too. I think I did better with my dinner last night--I had 6 ounces of yogurt, a salad, red beans and rice, a slice of chicken, and half a cup of soy ice cream. I was pretty stuffed after all of that, and ended up only having around 700 calories for that.

I guess I will use of the rest of my slim fast bars and shakes and move on to 'real' food. :(

I actually like the taste of my fudge brownie slim fast bars...

Never!

My SIL, who is one of the world's slimmest women (makes me nuts!) always travels with a bag of baby carrots.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...

But they are good for you, and really portable.

Sue

Your dinner sounds pretty tasty....:T If you want some creative ideas to get more veggies in - check the Veggie Challenged forum...full of nifty recipes for veggies...I am addicted to veggies 'cause I can eat a huge pile of some of them...and stay within my calories for the day. :carrot:

IMHO - I don't think you need to give up slim fast bars entirely....they just shouldn't be breakfast and lunch every day. Maybe keep them around for emergency quick snacks. They are better than candy...and if you like how they taste...

I agree. You don't have to give them up entirely...there is a time and a place for a meal replacement bar or shake. Sometimes when I am traveling to a dance seminar-I have to have something that I can eat in the car, or throw in my dance bag to eat between the seminar and the show that evening-and it has to be portable. A meal replacement bar and a piece of portable fruit-like a banana or apple-usually fits the bill nicely.

It is just that they don't have to be two meals a day, every single day.

I tried SLim Fast once, and honestly, I dont know how anybody can stay on it. I nearly starved to absolute death, and i guess that stuff must be loaded with fiber or laxatives, because I found out pretty quick just how you loose the weight on that stuff. Once I realized that I could have 2 slices of dry wheat toast, and an oz of FF cheese for the same calories as one of those shakes (and feel fuller for much longer), I chucked the stuff.

I love my shakes!!
 

I drink a shake for breakfast every morning. I don't buy the Slim Fast ones, I buy the Equate generic ones from Walmart. Not only are they cheaper but they also have half the fat in them than the Slim Fast shake. They still have 10g of Protein (the same as a Slim Fast shake). There are tons of vitamins also, I feel it is a good start to my day. Besides, I am not a breakfast eater, my shakes make it easy to get my breakfast in. I really don't like or agree with the whole meal replacement bar thing. They don't always taste too great and they are not enough to eat.

I have been eating 5-6 meals a day, each between 150-300 cal each.
A typical day for me (calorie wise):

Breakfast:
Shake
220 cal 3g fat 10g Protein

Mid Morning Snack:
2/3 cup Low fat Cottage Cheese (I can't stand the fat free)
119 cal 3g fat 17g Protein

Lunch:
Healthy Choice Frozen Meal - Creamy Dill Salmon Pasta
240 cal 6g fat 19g Protein

Afternoon Snack:
Apple Slices w/lite vanilla yogurt for dipping
205 cal 1g fat 7g Protein

Dinner:
Two MS Garden Vegetable Burgers
200 cal 5g fat 20g Protein

Pile of Broccoli (10oz)
82cal 1g fat 9g Protein

Evening Snack:
3 cups lowfat microwave popcorn
93cal 2g fat 3g Protein

This makes my total for the day: 1108 cal 21 fat 85 protein

I also try to keep my percentage of calories from protein above
27% My example day was 34% protein.
I feel like I am eating all the time and the food is good food, I don't feel like I am dieting at all. I am also getting more than is required of necessary vitamins and minerals, including calcium.

Just wanted to share my opinion, I am new here and trying to include myself in the group.

Tiffany - 29 pounds lost! :bravo: You are right on track! I aim for 30% protein as well.

Gina,

How did you do it? We both started at around the same weight. How long has it taken you? Etc. My goal weight is at 170, which is the top of my healthy weight range. I am 5' 10", and my family is very "hippy" so I don't know how much lower is feasible. When I was 18 I weighed 170 and I was described as thin, so I am hoping the same will be true 12 years and 3 pregnancies later.

It took me about a year of keeping my calories 1200-1400 avg a day. I also was walking about an hour a day. Then I attempted to maintain for another year after that...well I was still supposed to be losing...but I ended up putting 15 poundds back on. I started actually using my gym membership...and have been going to the gym 5 days a week for like an hour. (1/2 hour weight training 4 days the rest cardio, mostly elliptycal) I still walk- but the dog is getting older...not much of a workout for me. Last September I bought the book Winning by Losing by Jillian Michaels.....lots of great workout tips and plans as well as some decent advice about the mental stuff of weight loss like negative self talk.
Food-wise I'm taking it slow this time....I figure I can keep the eating plan I use today for the rest of my life. It hasn't lost me very many pounds...only like 14 pounds since September...(mostly because I haven't been keeping the calories low enough to lose....I'm averaging closer to 1600 than 1400) but I've gone down from a loose 16 to a size 10 because of being much more toned. I am in danger of being happy with myself where I am right now....which might explain the lack of urgency to lose the rest to get to 150... :p
BTW....I'm 5'4"...

I understand the feeling when you are happy with yourself. I was there 12 years ago and this is where it got me. I was fat in high school and then lost about 70lbs when I was 18. I was happy with myself, right?? I was wearing a size 11, not bad for a 6' tall woman. Then I got pregnant and gained 60lbs back. But I was happy with the baby, right??? Then I got pregnant again. Lost 40lbs during the pregnancy, I gave birth and all my old clothes were too big, so I was happy with myself again, right?? After that I gained 50lbs back, got pregnant a 3rd time gained 20 more lbs, Haven't been happy with myself since. Gaining a losing here and there lose 15 gain 20. Vicious cycle. After my roller coaster over the last 12 years, I will not let myself get "comfortable" again. The way I am eating now, I know I can continue indefinately.

By the way, I used to be 6' tall, I lost an inch in my first pregnancy and another inch sometime since then. I am 5'10" now, I am wondering if my height will come back from losing weight. Like maybe my spine is bowed from accomodating my belly??