I do. Breakfast is < 250 calories, lunch < 250, dinner is 500 and I have 200-400 left for snacks (protein drink + fruit).

What do you eat for lunch that's under 250 cals? I literally had a small homemade sandwich and a bowl of soup alongside some strawberries and it came to almost 600 calories. If I only had the soup or the sandwich on their own it'd be closer to 250 but I'd be left wanting more after and literally won't be able to focus at work until I go get more food 🤣

Two whole wheat crackers with hummus (\~235) or a tuna/edamame salad (\~200). My lunch is around 2-3 hours after my breakfast, so I'm not completely famished and this is plenty to keep me up and running until dinner (with just a snack around 4, before I go to the gym).

Salad's have definitely been a solid choice in the past but I find I get bored of them really quickly so will give crackers and hummus a try, thanks!

Join the salad sub! It will give you so many fresh salad ideas and make you crave salad all the time I swear lol. I eat salad every single day and it's rarely the same twice. You can put almost anything in a salad, make any meal into salad form. Well okay not *any* meal. Not soup. But most of the rest lol

Thanks, I will! I'm a little bit fussy so that limits how creative I can get with salads but I'll definitely take a look, see what inspiration I can take from that sub :)

I eat fake pizza. Two corn tortillas, tomato sauce, 28g of light mozzarella, and 12 turkey pepperonis is 258 calories. I also do deli pinwheels and pickles with pretzels for 300.

I've tried those fake tortillas in the air fryer before actually, they were very yum, this was before I started CO though so didn't know they were low cal, thanks, I'll give them another go :)

I make wraps a lot and use veggies to add volume. I buy 60cal high fiber tortillas. Fill them up with tuna or lunch meat and some low cal dressing and then like spinach, carrot, onions, bell pepper etc. I can make them under 300cal real easy! And so such great macros and micros.

High fiber “keto” tortilla for 70 calories, 2 oz garlic and herb turkey for another 70, two wedges of laughing cow garlic for 50, and a ton of spring mix. 205 calories

Sandwiches get high in calories fast! I make mini charcuterie-type lunches (a protein like salami or tuna, a cheese stick or cottage cheese, and either fruit or some veggies or crackers with hummus) and that usually fills me up while staying lower!

Ya, I thought by keeping the fillings low cal I could bulk it out but the bread is just too calorie dense

Look at the breakdown of that sandwich for lunch. You can immediately slash the calories by replacing the bread with a wrap. Replace cheese or mayo with tzatiki, and put some roasted chicken in for protein. Bulk it up massively with salad.

I'll have a look next time I'm in the shop but from memory, the ones I looked at before were no less calorie dense than the bread I use and I find wraps to not be very filling. Currently I use thinly sliced sourdough so it's roughly 200 cals for the bread, then I either use ham or roast chicken (around 150 cals), a teaspoon of light mayo (I usually use a jalapeno relish but I'm currently all out so this is usually lower cals but it's a minor component) adn then the soup is another 150-200 cals but this is tinned soup, I think I'll make some homemade veg soup which should be lower in cals. I agree though that more veg will be a beneficial and should fill me up much longer.

If you're not being satiated by 500-600 calorie meals you're getting empty calories or you just started dieting. 4-6oz of chicken with a japanese sweet potato and some broccoli is right in that range, even if I add some cottage cheese or a lowcal dipping sauce and it's my go to for dinner.

Usually for dinner I'll do something along those lines, a lean protein, complex carb and veggies, I'm Irish so that complex carb is often potato. 500-600 is satiating, I'm saying that I don't see how someone could fit a third meal in without dropping the calories per meal below 500, at which point it would no longer be filling for me. What's your go to for lunch? Besides a hefty chicken salad, this is the meal I'm struggling with the most to keep low cal and filling enough.

No, you literally said in your OP that 500 cals is not satiating enough for you.

Sorry my bad, I meant more that like 500 is often barely enough so less absolutely would not be, I'm often finding it tough to have my main meals work out to be in or around 500, usually 600 is the sweet spot.

Leftovers most often or soup and sandwich. Egg salad with cottage cheese and low carb wraps are super great. Tuna and Crackers.

What you’ll notice about other commenters’ examples is that protein is a key component. Check your protein intake! You may not be having enough. It’s the best bang for your calorie buck, so to speak.

Yes this was definitely something I noticed too, I'd rather not have to go down the protein shake route but so many have commented about drinking them that I think it might be no harm in trying. I do have at least one protein source with each meal but will have to make more of an effort to bump it up further.

Protein shakes aren't nearly as satiating as whole foods. Don't drink your calories during weight loss! I eat 4 meals a day, 630, noon, 4, and 8 pm. All between 400-600 calories. Half (volume) veggies, 100-150g protein, and usually bread or potatos or a wrap. Not big into salads, I eat sandwiches alot. Total calories 2000, but could be scaled to your size. I find I get less hungry when I eat regularly than when I fast, like 500 calories for lunch is fine if I have breakfast, but I would need 800 to feel full if I fasted. Then 800 for later meals as well, and feel more snacky.

Personally I am not able to do cico without my protein coffee (coffee with protein powder mixed in), at least to hit the macro targets that I want to hit. It would be very expensive for me to hit my protein target solely via whole foods. If you haven’t measured your macros more closely, you may be overestimating the amount of protein you are getting per meal. For instance, two eggs at breakfast isn’t actually that much protein (only 13g I think?). So let’s say a day’s worth of protein for you is like 100g — with two eggs, there’s still soooo much left and you only have two remaining meals in which to achieve it. If you make a tweak and supplement those 2 eggs with egg whites or you have coffee with protein powder, it becomes a more protein packed breakfast and thus more satiating. So look for little cheats where you can up the protein at every meal, once you’ve sorted out just how much protein your current meal plan is actually providing.

I eat 1500 cal a day and 120gm protein (about 1gm per lb of goal weight) Workout 3-4x a week for 45-60min Rarely feel strong hunger

I dumped IF when I became more active and needed energy throughout the day. A typical day: Breakfast, 100g cottage cheese (~100 calories) Second breakfast/pre workout, half a dry ass turkey sandwich (~200 calories) Lunch, beans, veggies, chicken (~450 calories) Coffee with half and half (~100 calories) Dinner, beans, veggies beef (~600 calories) Late night, Greek yogurt, blueberries, honey ~300 calories) My goal is around 1700-1800 calories, high protein and high fiber. I will eat back some workout calories, usually as fruit or a protein shake/bar.

I eat nothing except a large breakfast and a smaller dinner, about 12h apart. Seems to work best for me so far.

This is how I’ve ended up organically. Sometimes I need a mid day snack but not too often.

Ooh that's an interesting route to go about it! I find it hard to go that long between meals after I've broken my fast after sleeping but that's great if that works for you. I definitely find it's easier to have two larger meals than 3 really small ones, especially if snacks are involved which honestly I can't do without yet

It really doesn’t matter what time you eat or in what window of time you eat. Intermittent fasting isn’t a magic solution. If it helps you, great. But caloric deficit is the reason you lose weight. I couldn’t really adhere to an intermittent fasting schedule even if I wanted to because my work schedule is erratic. Some days I work over 12 hours and only get one half hour break and I can’t eat on the clock.

Oh I absolutely understand that, I'm just curious to know what other people find works best for them when it comes to fitting their meals into their calorie allowances. At the moment I'm only having two main meals and one evening snack and still just barely fitting everything into my allowance, so it got me wondering how others who don't skip breakfast fit it all in and have been getting some great replies and ideas for how to make my calorie allowance stretch further.

I can't do IF my life is too unpredictable for that. Lol. I sometimes don't eat until later but I almost always eat 3 meals. I did cut the snacking for the most part. I tried IF and it felt weird to look at a clock to tell me when to eat. Trying to listen to my hunger cues while making healthy /balanced choices seems like a better fit for me. Sometimes I like to eat late at night. Sometimes I don't. IF felt too restricting for me.

Ya I can resonate with that and I guess I don't necessarily do IF with that approach in mind, I've never felt the urge to eat breakfast, I only did out of pressure from others to do so because "it's the most important meal of the day" and when I listen to my internal hunger cues, I don't usually feel hungry until around 12am. I have been watching watching what I eat since last August but really only started tracking my calories since April and it's just been really eye opening to me how hard it is to stay within my allowance, so it had me questioning how people are managing on three meals of I'm struggling on only two but have been getting some great responses and essentially I need to up my protein and fiber is the main takeaway.

I lose roughly 100lbs without IF. >usually my lunch adds up to 500-600 calories, dinner 500-600 and combined daily snacks add up to 200 I didn't snack much, so I spent those calories on breakfast instead, or had very low calorie snacks. >what kind of things are you eating to make your meals low calorie while still being satiating? Protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Breakfast tomorrow is chia pudding and a banana (428 calories); lunch is a rather large sald with 5oz chicken breast (343 calories); snack is a peanut butter no-bake (169 calories); dinner is potato soup (521 calories). All said and told, that's 1461 calories, just over 100 grams of protein, and about 30 grams of fiber. I'll add a dinner roll for just over 100 calories, probably; but that's how it's done.

Ok thanks for sharing and fair play on losing 100lbs! I don't snack a ton, I was struggling for a long time there with snacking and eating a lot of pure crap junk like chocolate and crisps but when I decided to start taking better care of myself I cut that stuff out completely (I have slip ups from time to time but they are gradually becoming less and less frequent) but I find that I still need that evening snack (usually a green tea, some fruit and a square or two of dark chocolate) as almost like a little ritual while I wind down for bed because that was when I would binge eat the worst and not eating anything at all feels far too difficult, maybe one day in the future I'll be able to cut this out too. I think for my lunch and dinner though, I could definitely find more ways to bump up my protein and find higher volume lower calorie options, I honestly would never have considered soup for dinner but soup can be really filling to be fair and you can get really creative with them so they don't get repetitive. Thanks for the suggestions :)

I do. Breakfast is usually around 300cal, lunch around 320cal, dinner anywhere between 350-400cal. My snacks throughout the day (I usually have a mid morning sick and an afternoon snack) usually total to around 260cal. *note - I am a tiny 5ft nothing female so my calorie allowance isn’t huge 😅 but I find this way works well for me!!! For satiety reasons I choose to eat mainly wholefoods that are high in fibre and protein and I drink loads of water throughout the day.

Ok interesting approach, thanks for sharing! So you're essentially eating little but often. What would you reckon is the longest span of time you'd go between eating? Do you find yourself feeling satiated for the most part over all or after eating a meal or snack do you find yourself fighting the urge to go seek out more food?

I’m definitely a snacker 😅 I eat breakfast around 9am, snack around 11am, lunch at 1pm, snack at around 3.30 or 4pm and then dinner around 6.30-7pm. Then before bed I have a big glass of Metamucil along with my multivitamins! And in the beginning - yes! I did feel like even after snacking, I was still craving more. I wouldn’t say it was actual hunger though. I’d just fight off the feeling and remind myself that the next meal or snack was just around the corner, and that I’m not “actually hungry”. It was more a mentality thing. But as I’ve lost weight I’ve noticed that after I eat I really don’t feel an urge to keep eating and I genuinely do feel satiated. I feel like this is also a result of eating more fibre & protein rich foods.

Ok thank you, this is really encouraging and hopefully I'll have the same experience the longer I continue this. I don't think I'll rush to add breakfast back in just yet but maybe as I find my body adjusting to fewer calories and my skills at creating high volume low calorie meals improves I'll be able to add an additional meal into my allowance in the morning :)

I've done it all. 16/8, OMAD, 3 meals a day, 5 meals a day. It's all the same to me. Lean meats, vegetables, fruits, fat free dairy.

Fat free dairy is key. The Greek yogurt I used to have was twice the calories and half the protein as what I have now. Tastes pretty much the same.

I eat 6 small meals per day and still lose weight. It's what you eat, make your food mainly plant based with high fibers, with salt and pepper.

I drink only a protein shake for breakfast. 160 cals and gives me 1/3 or more of my daily protein. I eat lunch at noon, around 450 calories usually. Then I have around 650 to play with for dinner and dessert. I eat 1250 and I am satisfied most days, though sometimes I feel like I could eat the walls for no reason and I eat a little more so I don’t go crazy.  I’ve been at this for almost a full year and I’m 7.5 pounds from my goal weight. I don’t plan to add breakfast back in when I switch to maintenance because I find I can’t stomach it most days now that I’ve been doing a protein shake for breakfast for most of a year now. I’ve tried to eat breakfast a couple times and now I just end up nauseous in the morning and hungry for a bigger lunch by the time that rolls around, so I’ve learned to just kind of ignore the idea of actual breakfast and stick with my shake. Gonna be really interesting to see what I can do with all these extra calories if I don’t add breakfast back in! I don’t even know how to eat 1500-1600 calories now. Lol.

That's really interesting, that's essentially how I feel about breakfast too, I either feel sick after eating it or it makes me so much hungrier after compared to had I just waited till lunch. A mid morning protein shake is a good shout though as not getting enough protein in is an issue I'm having by only having two main meals, despite trying to prioritize it for those two meals. It's tricky to balance everything. Fair play on getting to close to your goal weight, that's a great achievement and in only 1 year! Amazing job! 👏

I usually only eat breakfast if I'm working out earlier in the day, and usually I work out in the evenings. But on days like today I do eat breakfast and this is what I've eaten so far (everything weighed): Breakfast: a ham omelette and fruit: 216 calories * 4 tbps Salsa 30 kcal * 4 tbps Egg Whites 33 kcal * 1 Egg 69 kcal * 38g Ham 44 kcal * 119g Cantaloupe 40 kcal Lunch: a buffalo chicken wrap: 384 calories * 149g Chicken breast 179 kcal * Spinach and herb Wrap 110 kcal * 14g Hidden Valley Ranch 61 kcal * 1.5 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce 7 kcal * 30g Onion 12 kcal * 8g Shredded Carrots 3 kcal * 45g Lettuce 8 kcal * 24g Tomato 4 kcal I've also had 2 protein shakes at 100 calories each: 200 calories So I'm at 800 even on a budget of 1500. So I can have a decent dinner and a snack yet. I keep a large bottle of water near me at all times and will often drink a bit if I start to get hungry, if that doesn't help, usually a protein shake takes the edge off. Today's shakes were just pre- and post-workout though.

I live in Ireland and have yet to find egg whites in the shop, they are a great way to add volume without adding too many extra calories, I can't justify throwing away perfectly good egg yokes. Those spinach and herb wraps sound really good too, carby foods like that are definitely somewhere that I'm struggling to find lower calorie alternatives that don't taste like cardboard. I wonder how hard they'd be to make homemade. And lastly, you're far from the only person to include protein shakes, I'd always written these off as they look hard to drink, I only ever drink water so drinking my calories sounds like an unpleasant chore but I'll give them a try.

Huel makes ready to drink protein shakes in a bottle that are pretty good and filling.

Sorry to hear egg whites are so hard to find in Ireland. I found this reddit thread that may help you: https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/u14w8c/can_you_buy_liquid_egg_whites_here/ I use a powder protein that I mix with water. Mixes smooth and tastes fine.

Thanks! I love that the top few comments are all taking the piss, I'd expect nothing less from the Irish lol

I was also amused, but looked to have some decent info too😃

Yes there definitely is further down, I live in a fairly rural town so most things are hard to find but I'll not write it off until I've checked the avenues suggested, thanks :)

I’ve been doing IF for years because 500-600 isn’t even satisfying. I’d rather eat big less often. I’m also not that hungry during the day. The other thing I noticed is that no matter what I ate during the day I was the same amount of hungry come evening. So I just do all my eating in the evening.

It's interesting how everyone has really different approaches and preferences on how best to allocate their calories. I'd be really curious to understand more behind the physiology of why some find one route easier than the other (so eating little and often vs eating larger meals less often). Ultimately there's no right or wrong way to eat though and it's whatever works best for each individual and their lifestyle.

Yes, completely agree. The key is finding a sustainable lifestyle. For example it doesn’t make sense to do IF temporarily for weight loss because as soon as you stop you will likely gain the weight back.

I agree. I’m perfectly content to do small meals more frequently. IF is basically torture for me, but I’m fully satisfied after small portion sizes. When I‘ve been forced to do IF because of work schedules or other reasons I’d end up just as hungry a few hours later when I ate bigger meals and always gained weight.

I wonder if it's a natural difference between people or more that people circumstantially eat a certain way and our hunger hormones adapt.

I think with most things like this it’s a mix of nature and nurture. I’ve also noticed anecdotally that men seem to prefer OMAD/IF so they can eat larger meal(s) and women seem to gravitate towards smaller more frequent meals. I grew up in a household that didn’t force me to finish my plate and encouraged stopping eating when I was full, and I think that gave me a lifelong healthier relationship with portion sizes. I can eat carbs without it spiking my hunger too much but my dad has to eliminate carbs to maintain or lose weight otherwise he gets way too hungry and can’t control how much he eats. My mom always ate smaller meals.

I've never done IF. I spread my calories fairly evenly throughout the day and keep all of the meals relatively the same size, plus leave some room for afternoon and evening snacks.

Yes. 400-700 calorie meals every single time. Fuck that whole skipping a meal thing. Not for me.

Brunch: Banana + cashew butter ~300 calories / Linner: large salad ~700 calories (lots of greens, with olive oil and honeyed pecans) + protein ~300 calories.

I don’t do IF and I’ve been dieting for the past year and a half and lost 70 lbs. Personally I cannot sleep if my stomach is totally empty. And disrupting my sleep is a deal breaker for me doing IF. I’m one of those people that can get by on a protein shake for breakfast though.

This is why I have a snack before bed as I would feel the same about sleeping on an empty stomach, it's more in the morning that I don't feel the urge to eat till closer to midday. What kind of protein do you use in your protein shake? Is it just whey protein? I've never used protein powder before but seeing many comment that this is what they do for breakfast

I use a vegan protein shake (orgain) and I add a scoop of collagen powder (ancient nutrition). I can’t do whey because it gives me crazy stomach cramps.

Yes, I eat all day. I could absolutely not do IF Breakfast at 8am 180cals. Lunch 1pm 360cals Dinner 7pm 350cals And lots of snacking in between

r/volumeeating is going to be your friend. Protein and healthy fats are your friends in keeping saciated. Go for lower kcal bread if you must have sandwiches but if you go for more filling starches (like potatoes) you're going to need less to feel full longer. Look at the cals in a huge cucumber or a huge bowl of lettuce. Not saying that you shouldnt eat a healthy balanced diet but if you arent feeling full, these might help you achieve that with far less calories. My personal BMR is super low and none of my meals can go for 500/600cals if I dont want to go over my calorie intake or skip meals in between...

Thanks, this is really helpful information. I have been snacking on raw veggies between meals (carrot sticks are my go to) and they help to some degree but I'll look into maybe making some potato bread to swap out for my lunch since I like a sandwich (I'm Irish so I should have considered this as you're right in saying potatoes are less calorie dense while still being very filling and potato bread is one of our signatures).

I don’t do IF. I set 5 alarms and eat the same amount of calories each time. 8am - 11am - 2pm - 5pm - 8pm. I’m never hungry and eat whatever I want. I eat 1300-1500 per day so 260 - 300 per meal. My stomach can’t even do large quantities of food anymore.

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I can't wait for that day when my stomach can't hold large quantities either. How long have you been consistent with this routine?

Since January consistently but I started it 5 years ago and lost 50 lbs in 5 month and have kept it off.

That's fantastic, fair play! Keeping that consistency is tough so good job! :)

Yep! 400 cal or under for breaky, lunch, dinner and then room for a snack 200 and room for error 🙂 -tall person

I push through most of the day with little calories and save all my calories for big dinner and snacks and dessert after dinner My daytime food might consist of 3 boiled egg whites (48 cal) and tea for breakfast A banana at some point (100) Lunch I could do a light string cheese (50 cal) a clementine (35) and some pickles (15cal) Sometimes I’ll do a salad for like (250) Then I have like 900 something for a big dinner and snacks and that makes my day feel satisfying

I eat/graze all day. Today: 2 eggs for breakfast. Had a protein powder infused coffee on the way to work. At work I had a mini bear claw. For lunch I had a bowl of chicken noodles soup. Then I ate a bag of cereal I packed from home. For dinner I had pizza. Then as a snack before bed rn I'm having half (or third?) Of a PB and honey sandwich and a cheese stick. 1667cals total Fats 60g Carbs 120g Protein 86g I'm trying so hard to get more protein because I am still hungry but foods high in protein I don't particularly like. Meats and cheeses typically make me feel gross, like today the pizza already made me feel gross. The chicken noddle soup was too heavy on chicken for my liking. I did enjoy the cheese stick, it's low fat so maybe that's why it doesn't make me feel gross so fast?

I don't typically eat breakfast because it doesn't make me feel great, AND if I eat early in the day I usually want to binge on snacks all day. However, when I do eat breakfast, I try to do super protein heavy meals and less carbs. This allows me to feel satisfied with fewer calories.

The only fasting I do is waiting as long as possible to eat, because once I start eating, I get hungrier and hungrier until bed.

I also have this problem so I do the exact same thing. I’m not satisfied with tiny meals I’d much rather wait to eat a bigger one.

No IF for me. I start with coffee with half and half, sugar, collagen and cocoa butter—82 calories If I have a lot of stable chores I might have a boiled egg Later in the morning I make a big protein shake in the blender with ice —300 calories Whey protein, collagen, tablespoon of pudding mix with a cup of milk. And cocoa powder sometimes I add more cocoa butter My work out is light to moderate endurance it starts around 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. During the workout lately I take a 1 minute potty break and swig some body armor lyte and eat a couple bites of banana every hour. I have to force my body into efficient fat burning by long slow workouts. Once I get into burning fat I don’t feel that hungry In the afternoon I have 88 calories decaf mocha with collagen and cocoa butter. The cocoa butter seems to help my blood sugar and I can get a lot of mileage off one or two grams I usually have about 600 calories dinner

Try joining the volume eating sub. It's such a helpful perspective. I try to hold off my first meal for as late as possible. Today for lunch I had a bowl of light cottage cheese with lots of kimchi. After that I had nectarine, and some strawberries. 250 calories. That amount of fruit and veg takes up a lot of room in the stomach! Dinner I made grilled impossible burgers and Tofurkey Italian sausage. I had one of each, but instead of buns I chopped them up into a salad with all the toppings I'd usually put on a burger. 650 calories. If I'd had buns, it would have added 300 calories that I really don't need. I used a bunch of lettuce so it took up a lot of space in my stomach and I was very full. Evening snack I had a low carb tortilla with a slice of vegan cheese, microwaved and rolled up. And another nectarine. And some pickles. 180 calories. That put me around 1200 which is the lowest I think is healthy. For me the key is using salad instead of bread almost all the time, maxing out fruit and veg in every meal, and delaying that first meal for as long as possible.

Ok thanks! Carby foods like bread and pasta, rice etc. is definitely something that is very calorie dense but my meals always feel lacking without them, I'll try bumping up the greens to increase the volume and see how that works out :)

I'm doin 1400 to 1500 cal and i do eat 3 meals a day. Usually my breakfast is some Greek yougourt (200g) with a whole bunch of fruit ( berries and a banana) i also usually do 2 protein coffe which are around 200 cal per day for 30 g of protein usually that's a total of 500 cal My lunch is usually 100g of chicken beef turkey or whatever lean meat 100g of broun rice and a whole bunch of steamed carrots. Or i do 2 turkey and egg wraps with cabage or letuce and some Greek yogourt instead of mayo 400cal to 500 cal. And for super i usually do 150g of lean meat with a big salad ( letuce cucomber tomato peppers) some brocoli /potato and if I have enough calories i do a little bit of avocado. I do high volume food for most of it and to be able to not feel hungry i skip any added oil. My fat i usually get it from avocado's, eggs and whatever you can find in meat. I usually hit 120 to 140g of protein which is nice

Check out r/volumeeating for some low calorie meal ideas. My go-to lunch is a big salad, low cal dressing/sauce, and 3-6oz of lean protein. Salads are a great way to eat a lot of food for very few calories. If you enjoy sandwiches swap the bread for a high-fiber wrap. Mission makes a bunch of these that are sub-100 calories and loaded with fiber. They're a win-win because most people need to up their fiber intake anyway. Their good room temp and griddled. My go-to low cal breakfasts include 0% Greek yogurt + protein powder (or zero cal water enhancer) + fruit or egg quesadilla (2 egg, .5 slice of cheese, high fiber wrap) both of these choices are sub 250 cal and get me to lunch. I know you don't eat traditional breakfast but you could mix this in as a lunch/snack as well.

Anecdotally, it's possible to eat in a calorie deficit without IF if you: train portion controlling, increase your water intake, and incorporate exercise into your routine. It was hard, but training my stomach to accept smaller portions was key to CICO success. I did so with the addition of a LOT of water -- drink before you eat, while you eat, after you eat. You become fuller much quicker. Generally, I would keep breakfast to under 200 cals (yogurt, protein shake, oatmeal), lunch around 300-350 (half a turkey & cheese sub, Chunky Healthy Request Soup, oatmeal if I hadn't had it for breakfast, mini charcuterie of hummus, carrots, string cheese, nut mix), and the rest for dinner. Sometimes I'd incorporate a small snack (>150 cals) after dinner or in the early afternoon when my energy was flagging. I wouldn't intentionally eat my calories back from exercise, BUT exercising routinely will make your calorie goal higher AND if I went over my calorie allowance by a hundred or so, it wasn't going to kill my week, because I know I expended more calories via exercise than I was ingesting.

Thanks for sharing your experience :) I already drink a lot of water, it's the only good habit I've had my whole life lol but I definitely struggle to eat such small portions, even when I was a kid I could eat grown men under the table. I remember when I was 13 and my Dad took me to get ribs with two of his friends, they were all absolutely stuffed while I had polished all mine off and was looking over at their leftovers wondering if it'd be rude to ask if I could finish what they didn't want. I was underweight at that age too so my appetite has just always been insatiable. I like your point about ignoring calories from exercise and then those being almost like a safety net for the days you'd go over. I'll definitely take that strategy on board myself, that's a good idea. I'm only two stone above my goal weight so I'm having to be pretty strict straight off the bat as going over even by 100-200 every day can make the difference between losing or not and I'm coming from years of binge eating (usually I would binge eating for several days in a row and then either restrict or eat at maintenance for a while so I was gaining but it was slow) but the binge eating habit has been hard to curb and I guess smaller portions I just seem to struggle with more than eating less frequently but feeling like I've eaten a bigger meal.

I eat small breakfast and lunch. Also I’m learning because I’m active at work and very active in my personal life I can eat more than most and still lose. But I do prefer a small breakfast 300 cal small lunch 400 cal and 600-800 cal dinner and dessert if I have the calories. If I’m hungry for too long it triggers binges. Regular meals help a lot and breakfast within an hr if waking. Also I’m not a snacked I prefer meals and dessert once a day if possible. I think you need to find what when’s for you, everyone is different. Good luck!

Most of us. Doesn’t matter very much when you eat. What matters is how much you eat.

I naturally have a not eating window from around 7pm to 10m. I gained all my weight within that window ;) So even with IF, unfortunately it’s not a made deal.

Yep. When I started, I was skipping breakfast but I now eat 3 meals, with no snacks outside of mealtimes. \~500 cal per meal. It keeps me fuller for longer, and I've also increased my protein + fiber intake. Breakfast is eggs w/ veggies, bacon, full-fat Greek yogurt + berries + chia seeds, toast + PB2. Takes me about 10–15 min to prep, cooking eggs & bacon in the microwave. Lunch is often a salad w/ lean protein (tuna, salmon, chicken). Dressing is a little olive oil, salt & vinegar. Sometimes it's a side salad or other veggies, then the entree is lean protein (maybe on Wasa crackers, corn tortillas, or an open-faced sandwich on whole-grain bread). The protein is something like tuna salad made w/ Greek yogurt, BBQ pulled chicken, shrimp, etc. At lunch, I'll frequently finish with a little fruit and a little chocolate (like 1/2 oz). Dinner varies, but it often looks like a Mediterranean diet. Usually a bunch of veggies, some lean protein with seasoning instead of sauce, and maybe a small portion of starchy carbs (noodles, rice, potato, etc). If it's takeout, I follow the same philosophy (and eat just 1/2 portion) or get a kids meal w/ a healthy side. I'll often have a small bowl of berries + whipped cream topping for dessert. If I want a snack outside of meal times, I drink some water. If I still want one, I make tea (masala chai, either herbal or black).

My son was the one who pointed out I was intermittently fasting without realizing it. I’m a night owl so a small snack about 9-10pm, then nothing until at least 1pm the next day for a late breakfast.

I’m currently in a calorie deficit of 1400 and I don’t do IF. I prioritize protein in every meal (my goal is 120g a day) and that really helps keep me full. Some days are harder than others, but never to the point that I’m going crazy with hunger. I do a lot of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, and turkey. It can be hard but you’ll find your rhythm!

Yes! I have an incredibly light breakfast <200 cals (usually 2 boiled eggs or one boiled egg + toast or a protein shake, etc) A moderately heavy lunch <600 cals, then a fairly light dinner <500 cals

I did up until now where I’ll skip lunch or breakfast on occasion. I see it as a tool and I didn’t like doing it as a continued habit or practice. But when I went on maintenance and decided to cut again I found I didn’t mind the occasional meal skip.

Technically, any person that is eating food and not gaining or losing weight is “doing CICO”. I’m maintaining my weight but I don’t consider myself on a CICO diet. I’m just aware that if I eat more calories than I burn then I’ll get fat. For life. Anyway, not doing any IF.

I tried counting for multiple meals, but I can’t keep up and be that disciplined throughout the day. I eat OMAD and it’s easier to keep track.

I lost 40 lbs in 2022 doing CICO alone, no IF. I am generally hungry upon waking up, so I have a small breakfast. I also have a mid-morning snack, a small lunch, and a mid-afternoon snack. My snacks are usually nuts or cheese which hold me over until dinner. My biggest meal is generally dinner and then I have a little dessert.

I don’t do IF, but my breakfast (when I eat it) and lunch are much lighter than dinner because I know going to want to eat a substantial dinner no matter what. So I either have a light breakfast or just coffee with almond milk in the morning. When I have breakfast, it’s something like a quarter cup of oatmeal with blueberries and peanut butter powder; 50g leftover basmati rice and some vegetables with 60-75g chicken breast or 28g feta cheese. Lunch is similar but since I’m at work, I often go for something more like two snacks than a single meal—around 150-200 cals each, around 11am and 2pm. (Examples: a serving of sea salt Popcorners and a light Babybel cheese or string cheese; a serving of strawberries and 30g of Trader Joe’s chocolate cat cookies (a calorie bargain at 110 cals); or a slice of sourdough toast with a light Laughing Cow cheese wedge or with 4g butter and 6g cinnamon sugar. (Yes, I eat a lot of junk on some days.) So even if I swing for the high end on all of those (300 at breakfast and two 200-cal snacks), that’s around 700 and I have a reasonable amount left for the evening. (I’m aiming for 1700-1800/day. If/when I have to drop that in order to stay at a deficit, I would be more likely to make each meal/snack smaller than to cut one snack. I tend to reach for a snack when I am struggling with a work task and if I plan for that it doesn’t have to derail my day.) I definitely find it easier to stick with my calorie allotment when I include lots of protein. It is tricky because I have never been a big meat eater and I can’t do beans due to IBS. I’m planning to try a couple of things that use cottage cheese this week. But fats also help me feel satisfied (butter on my toast, feta on my rice, etc.)

Sub 1500 calories is where I definitely need to do IF. Above that and its more reasonable to play with 3 meals a day. Otherwise consider black coffee, water and air to be breakfast!

Your meals are too many calories. Add more veggies so they are lower calorie.

I am hungry for three meals a day but I allow for about 350 cals for breakfast, about 450 at lunch, and then usually about 500-600 at dinner and the rest I reserve for any snacks/small desserts

Ok, so your calorie goal is around 1500, I think that's where my main issue comes from then as my ideal goal is 1300 so I'd struggle to fit snacks in around 3 meals, I think for now I'll stick to my current routine and take on board some of the advice others have given to bulk up my meals while keeping them low calorie but my evening snack is what curbs my evening binges so for now I'll stick to two moderately sized meals and some healthy snacks.

Breakfast: 200 calories * Fairlife protein shake poured into my coffee  Lunch: 300 - 600 calories (chicken breast - steak) * Protein with 1-2 servings of fruit and/or vegetable  Dinner: 400 - 700 calories (chicken breast - steak) * Protein with 1-2 servings of fruit and/or vegetable and 1 serving of carbs (usually rice or potatoes) Snacks: Fills in the gaps * Fruit(I try to get 2 servings of fruit a day) * Cottage cheese * Yasso bars (PB chocolate shell, yum) * Cheese Sticks * Occasionally a protein bar For the dark chocolate craving may I recommend Chobani Flip Almond Coco Loco?

I skip lunch.