to ensure that you have enough energy for the whole day, you should be eating 6 meals a day, or eat every 3 hours. the portion of each meal depends on your build and how active you are. for example, i run almost everyday and lift at least 3x a week. and i'm eating about 360-400 calories per meal. the idea is to have just enough energy for your body to function and keep the metabolism going until the next meal. never starve yourself, otherwise your body will shut down. and depending on what activity you are doing, your body may start to decompose muscles or organs for energy. also, when you eat a large meal after starving, your body will try to store more fat in case you starve yourself again.
breakfast is very important. try to eat something within 30 mins after waking up. when you sleep, your body uses energy to rebuild itself. after 8 hours of sleep, your body doesn't have much energy left. also, avoid eating anything that's high in fat, which takes greater effort to digest and makes you feel sluggish . i usually have 2 non-fat or multi-grain english muffins w/ jam + something high in protein (i.e. several egg whites or a protein drink) every a.m.
here are the snacks that i bring to school:
- protein bars (i practically survive on promax honey peanut - 300 cal, 20g protein, 38g carb, 7g fat)
- bananas
- peanuts / almonds / assorted nuts (nuts promote testosterone level so they are really good for guys!)
good luck and happy eating! when you get to college you'll need to worry about dinner also!
