How many calories do you need for lunch. How to choose the right breakfast: theory

Attributed by chemical composition and energy value.

Before considering distribution of food according to these criteria, we will define the optimal ratio and recommended energy intake for adults.

It is believed that the most optimal ratio by weight of the main nutrients at various physical activity following:

  • 1: 1.3: 5 - with heavy physical labor;
  • 1 proteins: 1.1 fats: 4.1 carbohydrates - with a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle.

The balance in a number of other indicators is also taken into account: the ratio of fatty acids, amino acid composition,.

Age groups women men

Umst. labor 18-29 2400 2800

Easy physical labor 18-29 2550 3000

Avg. severity of labor 18-29 2700 3200

Heavy physical labor 18-29 3150 3700

Particularly heavy. physical labor 18-29 4300

They also explain the third point of view by the fact that gastric juice and enzymes are maximally secreted at 18-19 hours. In addition, nature provides protection from the evening accumulation of metabolic products by the maximum of kidney function in the evening, which quickly remove toxins with urine. For this reason, such a food load is also rational.

Features of the distribution of food for people with diseases

The diet of sick people is determined by the nature of the disease and the type of treatment procedures. For sanatorium-resort institutions and treatment-and-prophylactic establishments, at least four meals a day are typical.

Five - six meals a day are recommended for diseases such as myocardial infarction, peptic ulcer, cholecystitis, circulatory failure, postoperative period, condition after gastric resection and a number of others.

Frequent, fractional meals require a more even distribution of the energy value of the diet over meals.

If there is four meals a day, then light second dinner is more desirable than an afternoon snack, since the time interval between meals at night should not exceed ten to eleven hours. It looks like this: 25-30% for breakfast, 35-40% for lunch, 20-25% for dinner, 5-10% for the second dinner.

If the meal is five times a day, then an afternoon snack or second breakfast is additionally included, in the case of six meals a day, both.

Variant of distribution of food for five meals a day:

  1. 20 - 25% - for breakfast
  2. 10 - 15% - for the 2nd breakfast
  3. 40 - 45% - for lunch
  4. 20 - 25% - for dinner
  5. 5 - 10% - for the second dinner.

The distribution of the diet according to six meals a day:

  1. 20 -25% - for breakfast
  2. 10 - 15% - for the 2nd breakfast
  3. 25 - 30% - for lunch
  4. 10 - 15% - for an afternoon snack
  5. 20% - for dinner
  6. 5 -10% - for the second dinner.

The diet at balneological resorts is determined by drinking mineral waters and procedures. Since the procedures are best tolerated two to three hours after a meal, and worst of all - after a meal, especially a plentiful one. Therefore, the first breakfast before taking the procedures involves 5-10% of the energy value of the diet (bun, tea), the second - 20-25%. Four -, five - and six meals a day are possible.

Any competent weight loss must necessarily combine a balanced healthy eating and regular physical activity. But in order to organize the right diet, you need to know how many calories for weight loss you should consume daily. Along with these indicators, you should also consider the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that enter your body in order for it to work properly. If you know all these characteristics, it will be easy for you to achieve the right, but most importantly, effective results. In today's article, we will introduce you to the listed information and tell you how calories are calculated.

The opinion of nutritionists about the caloric content of meals

So, in order to know how many calories to consume for weight loss, it is important to consider many factors. On average, it is believed that for women their daily norm ranges from 2100 to 3000 kcal, and for men - from 2600 to 3200 kcal. However, experts in the field of weight management say that in fact, reducing the daily calorie intake to less than 1500 units is not worth it. This figure includes three full meals. But for weight loss, it is considered quite small, and in order for the weight to start to go away, you should also take care of physical training.

We will pay special attention to the meals mentioned above. After all, they, in fact, are the main for establishing how many calories you need to lose weight. According to nutritionists, breakfast should include a variety of cereals. Cereal crops are especially useful. They contain slow carbohydrates that will supply us with energy and within 3-4 hours our body will not be able to experience hunger. It is good to eat oatmeal, buckwheat or a mixture of 4 cereals as a breakfast. And you need to cook them with water, not milk. So you can reduce the calorie content of the dish. To add flavor to the porridge, you can add fruit or a small amount of low-fat yogurt.

Lunch will also indicate how many calories for weight loss you consume. According to nutritionists, it is this meal that should be full and satisfying. At this time, it is important for the body to get enough proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, at lunch it is recommended to eat soups and main dishes, for example, meat or fish with side dishes, that is, with vegetables. Proteins, as medical experts explain, give us a feeling of satiety, and carbohydrates provide us with a normal life. After all, if a person receives less than 70 g of carbohydrates, then fainting, nervous breakdowns and increased fatigue may occur.

Dinner must take place no later than 7 pm. Since at a later time our body loses the ability to properly absorb and process incoming food. And here it is worth paying attention to how many calories to consume. For weight loss, they should not be too much, that is, for dinner it is better to cook light meals. After all, everything that does not have time to be properly digested in the stomach will go into subcutaneous fat accumulation. Therefore, as a dinner, it is best to use dishes from carbohydrates with a glycemic index below 50 or any protein, not too fatty foods.

How to count calories for weight loss

How to count calories to lose weight? Initially, for this you need to measure your height and weight. And then use a formula that looks like this:

  • for women - 9.99 x weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height (in cm) - 4.9 x age - 161;
  • for men, the calculations are similar, the only thing is that at the end you need to add the number 5 to the results obtained.

But, you won’t be able to find out how many calories you need to lose weight using these formulas. Since it should also be taken into account here, the required amount of energy in accordance with your physical employment. Therefore, additional numbers are introduced into the calculations.

So, for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not engage in any kind of sports, the results obtained in the above formulas should be multiplied by 1.2. The same category, but subject to training conducted 1-2 times a week (say, fitness), should be multiplied by 1.375. With an average level of activity with 5 sessions in the gym, the results should be multiplied by 1.55. With more high level activity - by 1,725. Well, for professional athletes - by 1.9.

It will be more clear about how many calories you need to lose weight with an example. To do this, we will consider a 38-year-old woman with a weight of 65 kg and a height of 156 cm, whose level physical activity the lowest. Based on the formula, we get the following results:

9.99 x 65 + 6.25 x 156 - 4.9 x 38 - 161 = 1289 kcal.

But for the full life of the body, this number will be:

1289 x 1.2 = 1547 kcal.

In this example, the woman has overweight Therefore, for weight loss, you should reduce the daily caloric content of her diet. How to do it right? You just need to reduce the resulting daily rate by 1/5, which will be 309 kcal. And the final calorie content for weight normalization will be - 1238 kcal. That's all the calculations. And remember that your diet cannot be less than 1200 kcal per day. The results of such experiments are often accompanied by negative consequences.


The calorie content of food is a very important indicator when choosing food. For each meal, there is a specific calorie allowance that must be adhered to to maintain health and energy. How many calories should you eat for breakfast we'll find out now.

Caloric content of food- these are not just numbers on the label that will tell us how much we will get better by using this or that product. Every day we eat food with a certain calorie content, and every day we spend a certain amount of calories (energy). This involves all the processes that happen to us, including sleep, rest, food, etc. If we eat more calories than we expend, the body stores them, and we get excess weight. It is also not necessary to limit the calorie content of food too much, in which case the body begins to take energy from tissues, including muscles. And we do not want this, because the muscles have a positive effect on the process of losing weight.

How many calories should you eat for breakfast

Breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day, especially if you are trying to lose weight. It is an undeniable fact that breakfast should be 40% of the calorie content of all food that we eat throughout the day. The calorie content of products directly depends on the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in them. Fats and simple carbohydrates will add calories to the product, they are absorbed very quickly and go into fat, which is not very pleasant. So how many calories should you eat for breakfast? It is very good if you have two breakfasts: the first one immediately after waking up and the second breakfast after 2-3 hours, which will be very light and fast. An ideal breakfast should consist of carbohydrates and proteins, fats may be present, but in a very limited amount. The calorie content of the first breakfast should be approximately 350 kcal. The calorie content of the second breakfast should not exceed 220 kcal.

The name "low-calorie breakfast" speaks for itself - the essence of such a breakfast is to limit the calories consumed with food. Dietary calorie restriction is one of the simplest and most natural ways get rid of extra pounds and cleanse the body.

However, you should limit yourself in calories competently, not forgetting about vitamins and water. According to experts, a low-calorie breakfast should contain about 250 - 330 calories.

We offer a menu of 40 low-calorie breakfasts. Calorie content 220-330 kcal.

1. 200 g of oatmeal in water, 1 apple, a cup of green or black tea without sugar.

2. 1 boiled egg, 2 loaves, coffee or tea without sugar.

3. 200 g of buckwheat porridge on water without sugar, tea with lemon and a teaspoon of honey.

4.1 soft-boiled egg, thin layer of toast butter, half a grapefruit, a cup of black (green) tea or coffee without sugar.

5. 200 g of wheat porridge, 1 glass of orange juice.

6. 250g coffee with milk (not fat) without sugar. Cottage cheese low-calorie 200g.

7. Tea without sugar (can be with milk) 250g, fried pike perch 100g.

8. Coffee without sugar, with milk 250g, 2 boiled eggs.

9. Tea without sugar 250g, ham (preferably low-fat) 100g.

11. Coffee without sugar with milk 250g, pork (beef) cutlet 100g.

12. Tea with 1-2 teaspoons of honey. After 2 hours, you can eat 40 g of 17% cheese, or 100 g of cottage cheese.

13 Tea with 1-2 teaspoons of honey. After 2 hours, you can eat 75 g of meat, or 100 g of cottage cheese.

14. Tea with 1-2 teaspoons of honey and lemon. After 2 hours, you can eat 30 g of cheese and crisps or 2 pharmacy loaves, or 80 g of cottage cheese with loaves.

15. Tea with 1-2 teaspoons of honey. After 2 hours, you can eat 75 g of meat, or 100 g of cottage cheese.

16. Tea with 1-2 teaspoons of honey and lemon. After 2 hours, you can eat 30 g of cheese and crisps or 2 pharmacy loaves, or 80 g of cottage cheese with loaves.

17. Calcined cottage cheese - 100 g, stewed carrots - 200 g, coffee with milk without sugar - 200 g.

18. Fresh cabbage salad without salt with sour cream - 170 g.

19. Hercules with vegetable oil (200 g); egg; black tea with honey and a slice of lemon; Apple

20. 125 g yogurt without filler; wholemeal flour loaf

21. 200 g buckwheat porridge with vegetable oil; 200 g sauerkraut salad; black tea with honey and lemon

22. 150 g of rice; 200 g assorted vegetables; black tea with honey and lemon wedge

23. boiled egg; 200 g boiled beetroot salad with vegetable oil; black tea with honey and a slice of lemon, 200 g of hercules; tomato or cucumber - fresh or pickled; loaf; tea with honey and lemon slice

24. 200 g of rice; 100 g boiled veal; tea with honey and lemon slice

25. Oatmeal on the water 3 tbsp. spoons, 200 g skimmed milk or 200 g non-fat sugar-free yogurt, half a grapefruit or medium banana or 2 tbsp. spoons of raisins

25. 200 g skimmed milk or 200 g non-fat sugar-free yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar-free corn flakes, medium banana or glass of orange/grapefruit/pineapple juice

26. Bran bread toast with 1 tbsp. spoon of light butter, milkshake with fruit, mix 200 ml of skimmed milk with half a very ripe banana, add vanilla

27. 200 g skimmed milk or 200 g non-fat sugar-free yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar-free corn flakes, medium banana or glass of orange/grapefruit/pineapple juice

28. Skimmed milk 200 g, sugar-free corn flakes 3/4 cup, orange or 2 tbsp. spoons of raisins

29. Oatmeal on the water 3 tbsp. spoons, 200 g skimmed milk or 200 g non-fat sugar-free yogurt, half a grapefruit or medium banana or 2 tbsp. spoons of raisins

30. Half grapefruit or whole orange or medium banana, 200 g skimmed milk, 3/4 cup sugar-free corn flakes

31. Oatmeal on the water 3 tbsp. spoons, 200 g skimmed milk or 200 g non-fat sugar-free yogurt, half a grapefruit or medium banana or 2 tbsp. spoons of raisins

32. Bran bread toast with 1 tbsp. spoon of light butter, milkshake with fruit, mix 200 ml of skimmed milk with half a very ripe banana, add vanilla

33. Half a grapefruit or an orange or a glass of pineapple juice, 200 g skimmed milk, 3/4 cup sugar-free corn flakes

34. Water-based oatmeal (from 100 g of dry cereal), 1 tablespoon of raisins, green tea or black coffee without sugar

35. 100 g boiled buckwheat with 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, green tea or black coffee.

36. 1 boiled egg, 2 cereals, green tea or coffee.

37. 1 grapefruit, oatmeal (as on Monday), green tea or coffee.

38. 60 g dried apricots, 2 cereals, 30 g cheese (17% fat), green tea or coffee.

39. 100 g of boiled buckwheat with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, green tea.

40. 200 g cottage cheese (0% fat), 100 g fresh or frozen berries, tea or coffee.

About what a healthy breakfast should be, the site was told by the experts of the portal - chief physician Medical and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia and a dietitian of the highest category at the Clinic of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Elena Chedia.

How much should you eat for breakfast?

It is believed that in the first half of the day you need to eat most food, in the second - less.

That is, breakfast should be quite dense. For ordinary person with an average calorie intake of 2000 per day, the calorie content of breakfast should be about 400 kcal, and a snack - 200 kcal.

For a more accurate estimate, use our calculator to determine your daily energy requirement. Breakfast should be 20 percent daily requirement, for a snack - 10.

What should you eat?

Want to keep your stomach light after breakfast? Elena Chediya advises eating mostly carbohydrates. If you know that after breakfast you will not be able to eat for a long time, perfect optionprotein dishes with vegetables in a ratio of 1:3.

A side dish is required, because fiber ensures the functioning of the intestines. In addition, the side dish itself is large in volume, it fills the stomach and promotes a feeling of satiety. Meat is best eaten boiled or steamed - it is easier to digest. Such breakfasts are convenient because you can finish the food left over from dinner or lunch.

Don't feel like eating and cooking?

It is not necessary to serve three courses for breakfast, but don't skip it at all. Many people refuse breakfast, explaining that they simply cannot eat in the morning: they don’t feel like it at all. In this case, a simple trick will help. “If you begin to have dinner no later than four hours before bedtime, you will definitely want to have breakfast in the morning,” Tatyana Shapovalenko explains. You can adjust to this mode in about a week and a half.

You already want to eat, but is it far before dinner?

Snacks in general and second breakfast in particular are very beneficial for the body. “They empty the gallbladder in a timely manner, reduce the load on the pancreas: it has to produce less insulin at a time, which reduces the risk of pancreatitis. For those who have an afternoon snack, the load on the enzyme system and the heart decreases, ”says Elena Chedia.

In terms of calories, a snack between breakfast and lunch should be about 10 percent daily diet. There can be many options for such a snack. Here are a few of them:

Big apple;
- Light salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce;
- Green tea with honey;

- A jar of yogurt without sugar and fruit additives;
- One or two bananas;
- Sandwich of bran bread with cream cheese, lettuce and tomatoes;
- A glass of kefir;
- A small amount of dried fruit.

So, the main thing is not to skip breakfast and get used to the fact that in the morning you have one of the two main meals of the day. A hearty breakfast will help you control your portions at lunch, “reach out” for a snack and not gorge yourself at night. And, of course, it will give you strength for the whole day and help you finally wake up. Recipes and examples of healthy breakfast menus compiled by our experts will be published on the portal on October 9th.



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