How to Make a Timetable for Daily Meals

When you eat directly affects your energy levels and weight as much as what you eat. While nutritious food is essential to a healthy lifestyle, the timing of your meals also plays a role in your health. If you engage in regular exercise, your meal timing needs to support your workout schedule. A regular timetable for eating also helps you get into healthy dietary routines to keep yourself on track.

Two young women are eating a healthy breakfast. (Image: XiXinXing/XiXinXing/Getty Images)

Step 1

Review your usual daily schedule, including the time you wake up, go to bed, leave for work, have a scheduled lunch break and other regular occurrences in the day. Pencil these tasks into a schedule that breaks down the day by the hour or half hour as a reference.

Step 2

Decide if you prefer to eat the usual three meals a day or break your calorie intake into five or six smaller meals. According to the American Council on Exercise, either option works depending on your personal preference and how you are able to keep your food consumption under control.

Step 3

Schedule meals at least one hour before a workout to give your body time to digest what you eat. Look at your usual workout schedule to determine whether any of your daily meals fall near that time. Move the meal back to an hour before that time or push it back until after your workout.

Step 4

Schedule breakfast every morning to give yourself energy and keep hunger away during the morning. Use your typical wake-up time as a guide for scheduling your breakfast. Avoid waiting too long after you wake up to eat to avoid becoming overly hungry. The Weight-Control Information Network reports that there is a direct link between skipping breakfast and obesity, as those that skip breakfast tend to overeat.

Step 5

Fill in your other meals, depending on how many meals you eat in a day. For the typical three-meal schedule, write in your lunch and dinner. Lunch is often dictated by your work schedule. Try to keep the spacing between the meals relatively equal to avoid becoming overly hungry.

Step 6

Add in healthy snacks on the eating timetable as needed to keep your hunger at bay.