so, im aiming for 1400cal per day (5'1, 106lbs, female). would it still be benifical if i was to set my meals up like this...

breakfast - 300cal
snack - 100cal
lunch - 400cal
snack - 100cal
dinner - 500cal

i am not talking about the foods of which i consume during these meals, but mearly the amount of cals on the last one. in my current sitation this is neccisary, but might/will it cause an increase in fat or hold me back from my goals? (currently cutting) what would be the problems with doing this?

many thanks :D

edit - this meal is most usually quite starchy, contains alot of carbs

How does your training schedule match up with your meal plan?

How many pounds are you looking to lose?

around 8lbs, 1 lift weights (full body) 3 times per week

Do you lift weights right before dinner?

What times of day to you eat, and what activities are you doing around those times? That will affect how many calories you need.

I feel better with a really large breakfast, and fewer carbs later in the day unless it's immediately after working out.

How long have you been working towards this specific goal and what other strategies have you tried? Any meal plan can work, but some will be more successful for some people than others.

usually, i lift weights about 3 hours before i eat dinner. I have only just started working towards this goal, and havnt tried any other startagies as to yet. in my current situation i dont really have much of a choice (eating with family at dinner, and its always around 500cal). my goal here is to lose 1lb per week (for 8 weeks) and maintain most of my muscle mass in the process. With this backward way of eating, is it still possible for me to achieve my goal?

Some people find tapering calories throughout the day to be effective. Tom Venuto recommends this approach. Others, like me, find that it doesn't really matter. Not yet anyway. Maybe it's more important when you get into lower amounts of body fat.

I say do what you're doing and if you don't see results after a few weeks, change things up.

ok great thanks for your help :D

just out of curiosity, what are the downsides of eating a heavy evening meal? i realise the theory is that unused energy will be stored as fat, however can it store that fast? or will the body use it durning sleep or on the following day?

Like banderbe already mentioned, I most respect Tom Venuto's advice on this:

The Within Day Energy balance approach not only backs up the practice of eating small meals approximately every three hours, AND the practice of "nutrient timing" (which is why pre and post workout nutrition is such a popular topic today, and rightly so). It also suggests that we should adjust our energy intake according to our activity.

An important rule to remember in all cases, is that whatever is working, keep doing more of it.

If you eat your largest meal before bed and lose fat anyway, I would never tell you to change that. Results are what counts. On the other hand, if you're stuck at a fat loss plateau, this is a technique I'd suggest you give a try.

He offers a few explanations here (http://www.formerfatguy.com/weblog/2007/02/night-time-eating-and-weight-loss.asp), but no real concrete answers.

thanks guava, that was a really good artical. hows this sound? i think i can make it happen...

breakfast - 300cal
snack - 100
lunch - 400
snack - 100
dinner - 400

any comments? i know thats only 100cal different, but eh maybe 100cal might make a bit of difference...?

also, while im here asking these questions, is it OK to eat 3 servings of carbs a day? (one at breakfast, lunch and dinner) by serve i mean 2 slices of bread, a bowl of pasta, oats etc.

thanks again! :D