1600 cals seems like a lot of food

LNCOTA

Hi everyone, i am new to the site and i have done every diet under the sun, i have been given 1600 cals to eat for the day, i have put all my food in for the day and it still says i need to eat 600 more! plus i normally burn about 600 cals in my work out, so does that mean i need to cram another 600 cals in? this seems like way too much food, am i doing this right?

jg627

I can put away 1600 no problem. Try adding some calorie dense foods or liquid calories in your diet. I'm a sucker for chocolate milk and peanut butter.

rose313

Yup you're doing it right. There are tons of calorie rich healthy foods you can eat. Eggs, for one. Eat the yolks too because they contain nutrients. Or yogurt, milk, pretty much any dairy product.

dg09

Nuts

LNCOTA

is it just me or does this seem like the opposite of what you are used to doing? do really need to eat the cals that i burn too? or will i loose weight quicker if i do not?

ladyraven68

Hi everyone, i am new to the site and i have done every diet under the sun, i have been given 1600 cals to eat for the day, i have put all my food in for the day and it still says i need to eat 600 more! plus i normally burn about 600 cals in my work out, so does that mean i need to cram another 600 cals in? this seems like way too much food, am i doing this right?

Welcome !

1600 is a lot compared to what? Maintenence for the average female is around 2000, so you were probably eating mor ethan that to gain..

it will probably help you to log your food in the morning, or the day before, so you can play about with it and get to your goals. you'll get used to it after a while.

If you log your main meal first, you can build your day around it.

Good luck!

tatebos

It really depends on your height and your starting weight. When I first started and punched all the numbers in, it said that I should eat 1200 cals a day. I eat that amount probably a couple of days a week but for the most part I am at between 1000 and 1100 per day. I burn an extra 500 - 700 per day during my workouts and I do not replace those calories on most days. I have been consistantly losing an average of 1.5 pounds per week. I have been on MFP since January and have lost 39 pounds. The key for me is that I eat if I'm hungary, I don't force myself to eat just to reach my calorie goal for the day. My suggestion to you is to listen to your body, see how it goes for a couple of weeks and make adjustments as needed. Also, make sure your calories are a good balance of carbs, proteins and fat. Good luck to you!!!

devil_in_a_blue_dress

If you are eating lots of "low calorie" dairy or salad dressings -- use full calorie. Use a tablespoon of olive oil instead of cooking spray.

MFP estimates on exercising calories burned can be way off -- just be aware of that too.

LNCOTA

good to know...although i think i have been eating around 1200-1500 ish and then i was burning about 600 so it seems like i was left with 900 could that be why i couldnt loose weight?
I am not used to this approach of eating more!

carriep2010

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

SPNLuver83

nope, not too much food at all.

CardioKnitter

at first it seems like a lot. but its all about choices. If you go to taco bell and get a number nine (one of my favorites not too long ago,).. well the food alone is over 700 calories. then add soda and you're can be close to 1000.. this was just an example of mistakes i made. coffees, milkshakes, any fast food really, quick microwave burritos. They are all small amount of food for a lot of calories.. so thats how you were eating more than 1600 calories.

If you are eating healthy foods that are low in calories you can virtually eat as much as you want, and then supplement your calorie intake with nuts, avacado, and other health fats.

I went the route of eating 1000 and under a while back.. and I came out of it heavier in the end because i couldn't keep up with it. Now I eat everything back with the help of a bodymedia fit..

I try and work out more days than I don't, and I work at an after school program where I join in with the kids most days in football, freeze tag, basketball. A lot of times i can get my burn up too 3000. which means I'm eating up to 2000 calories on some days. and i'm losing weight.

Just stick to it for a month. You'll see the rewards. =D

onyxgirl17

I ate 1600 today... Didn't seem like too much. Coffee cream and sugar was 400 of those calories though lol...

aquasw16

Everyone is different in regards to eating back work out calories. In general, if you worked out super hard that day, and feel like you need to eat some of your work out calories because you are hungry- do it. If you aren't hungry, don't eat.

aquasw16

good to know...although i think i have been eating around 1200-1500 ish and then i was burning about 600 so it seems like i was left with 900 could that be why i couldnt loose weight?
I am not used to this approach of eating more!

That may be the case only for a short while. Ultimately, weight loss is a game of numbers. If you eat more than what your body burns, you are going to gain weight. If you eat less, you will lose weight.

Sarauk2sf

Depending on your weight, it is not necessarily a lot of food to lose weight. If you open your diary people could give you better suggestions.

RepsnSets

Im dreading it when my cal intake drops after losing weight

rduhlir

It might seem impossible but there are simple fixes.

Swap out the low calorie versions for regular foods.
Cook with oils.
Eat a peanut butter sandwich.

Those are some things I can think of to up the calories fairly easily.

neandermagnon

Im dreading it when my cal intake drops after losing weight

My calorie intake went up as I lost weight, not down.

I started off obese, so was eating 1300 cals/day. A bigger deficit is safer if you have a lot to lose.

As I got leaner, I switched that to 1400 cals/day to avoid loss of lean tissue and metabolic slowdown. I also was more active, simply because I was fitter so was able to do better workouts.

As I got leaner still, I switched to 1500 cals/day. I wasn't really doing all that much more exercise than at 1400 cals/day

I'm currently maintaining my weight at 1800-1900 calories/day. And I'm not even that active. In fact right now I'm not even allowed to lift weights (medical reasons), though I can't wait to get back into it.

If you look after your lean body mass and metabolism, it isn't necessary to keep on cutting your calories lower and lower.

jesz124

It really depends on your height and your starting weight. When I first started and punched all the numbers in, it said that I should eat 1200 cals a day. I eat that amount probably a couple of days a week but for the most part I am at between 1000 and 1100 per day. I burn an extra 500 - 700 per day during my workouts and I do not replace those calories on most days. I have been consistantly losing an average of 1.5 pounds per week. I have been on MFP since January and have lost 39 pounds. The key for me is that I eat if I'm hungary, I don't force myself to eat just to reach my calorie goal for the day. My suggestion to you is to listen to your body, see how it goes for a couple of weeks and make adjustments as needed. Also, make sure your calories are a good balance of carbs, proteins and fat. Good luck to you!!!

My advise, don't listen to what this lady does. Not cool. Netting around 500 cals a day is pretty sure to do you more harm than good in regards to long term weight maintenance. I wish people would temper their advice when it's like this. You may be happy abusing and under feeding your body but please don't encourage new members to do the same.

VelociMama

Definitely try to squeeze in more calorie-dense snacks like nuts throughout the day if you need to. I second the suggestion of full-fat dressings, etc. also, just watch your portion sizes with these, as overdoing them can put you over your calories.

Enjoy being able to eat a little more! If you find that you're not losing after 2-3 weeks of consistently eating at this level, then readjust your intake at that time.

Weight loss isn't about starving yourself or depriving yourself.

CardioKnitter

Weight loss isn't about starving yourself or depriving yourself.

^^^^ YES exactly

alexisu96

I want to know what people are eating that is keeping them full for under 1600. ??? I am struggling staying under 1800 net. AND I am eating healthy. Breakfast puts at 400+ and that's eating nonprocessed oatmeal, fruit , milk , a juice ( a spritz of juice with water) and coffee 2 sugars a milk. Add a healthy, low darb sandwich around noon at 300 and that leaves me 700/800 more till 10pm not alot for dinner, snacks, drinks. What am i missing???

trudijoy

I want to know what people are eating that is keeping them full for under 1600. ??? I am struggling staying under 1800 net. AND I am eating healthy. Breakfast puts at 400+ and that's eating nonprocessed oatmeal, fruit , milk , a juice ( a spritz of juice with water) and coffee 2 sugars a milk. Add a healthy, low darb sandwich around noon at 300 and that leaves me 700/800 more till 10pm not alot for dinner, snacks, drinks. What am i missing???

i was eating around 1300 and mainly salad, chicken, and crackers with hummus, with crumpets and peanut butter for breakfast. Since (I THINK) learning I should be on 1800 ish i still eat that, but bigger portions of things, and a few extras like sunflower seeds in salads and that to pad it out. I thought i'd be ridiculously overfull on the extra 4-500 but it's been okay so far.

taso42

1600 is about the level of a smallish woman in a calorie deficit. Not a lot of food. Get used to it / over it.

glitteredgrave

I can eat 1600 in veggies, fruit, Ezekiel bread and peanut butter alone. YUM

Noor13

Eating 2750 at the moment (bulking) but my TDEE is at 2600. A year ago this would have been enough for at least two days for me lol.
Fuel your body and your workouts. You might be losing slower but the chance that you can sustain it, is higher.

geekyjock76

I peruse metabolic studies and found those whose subjects were elderly females had ranges in TDEE between 1600 to 2600 calories. 1600 calories may seem a lot to a person if he/she did not track calories in the past during maintenance or an continuous increase in weight gain.

714rah714

1600 calories = 3 big macs

Mountain_woman

What if you are balancing your day, balancing your proteins, carbs, etc, but just find you aren't hungry at the end of the day? I'm not a salad dressing person really and while I am happy to eat nuts, sometimes, I'm just not hungry. Am I really going to implode because I'm not gorging/readjusting to meet some predetermined number?

Blast away.

Guisma

It is alot of food in low calories food. If u had two handfull of nuts or seeds to your diet u eat the extra 600 without even noticing it.