1600 cals seems like a lot of food

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  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    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?

    I too am a little confused by this. All "eating more" has ever got me was more pounds. I'm not sure I trust the wisdom of this.
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
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    Definitely eat your calories back! I have my cals set at 1200 which is low for me but I do around 600 cals of exercise or sometimes more and always eat the calories back. It is a better way of losing weight and you are need the energy! There is already a deficit built in by MFP so you shouldn't make it more of a deficit by not eating back exercise cals. In the long term, you are much more likely to keep the weight off too. Don't eat low cal versions as people have said...they are usually not that good for your body anyway.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    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 wonder if cutting down the calories in your drinks would help - if you are haveing a few coffees a day with 2 sugars each and other drinks with calories these will push your calorie count up without keeping you full.

    Most days I just drink non sweetened coffee and water , maybe half glass of OJ - and I find that doesnt add many calories at all.

    The big calories in your meals are most likely coming from the oatmeal and (I'm guessing here) your low carb bread. I simply don't have drinks that "cost" calories unless they're going to be my meal, and then I make them count (something like bulletproof coffee, or a smoothie). Other than that, I just drink water, green tea, or black coffee.

    One way to stay satiated on 1600 calories is to try eating a bit more protein and fat, and cut back on the sugars and grains, and any starchy carbs you may be eating (white potatoes, for instance). Sugars and grains consume a lot of calories, but more importantly, they spike blood sugar, which leads to hunger and cravings. I know people don't like to hear that, but if you're battling hunger pangs and weird cravings, that's the way forward in my experience.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    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?

    I too am a little confused by this. All "eating more" has ever got me was more pounds. I'm not sure I trust the wisdom of this.

    Have you noticed the people who are saying this (like me) have been around here a while and lost a decent amount of weight? Why would you not trust someone who's had such fantastic results?
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    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!!!

    So you are saying that your net is 300 to 500 calories per day?
    Do you see anything wrong with that?
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    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?

    I too am a little confused by this. All "eating more" has ever got me was more pounds. I'm not sure I trust the wisdom of this.

    Eating more than what - that is the question.

    yes if you eat more than yuor maintenance you will gain, but that's not what people mean.

    Mostly it's aimed at people who eat the bare minimum, and they can actually eat more than they are, and still lose, as they are still eating under maintenance.

    I prefer to eat the maximum I can whilst losing weight, not the minimum, which for me is a sensible 20% defict from my TDEE.
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
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    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?

    I too am a little confused by this. All "eating more" has ever got me was more pounds. I'm not sure I trust the wisdom of this.

    Eating more only ever got you more pounds because you were eating too much more. Eating the proper amount of calories to fuel will cause weight loss and make you healthier along the way. People way underestimate the number of calories they were consuming when they gained weight. Unless youre really small you most likely didnt gain any weight eating under 2000 calories a day.
  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
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    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.

    Agreed!! Eating 1000 - 1100 calories and then burning 500 - 700 calories during a workout without eating those cals back? I would pass out every single day, I don't understand how or WHY people do it.

    I eat 1640 cals per day and I eat my exercise calories back and I lose consistently. I have my goal set to 0.5 pounds per week right now because I'm close to goal (before that I was eating 1500 to lose 1lb per week) but I usually lose about 0.8 pounds a week right now.
  • Christine51562
    Christine51562 Posts: 8
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    I have to agree with pretty much everything that's been said, 1600 is not really a lot.

    But listen to your body, and gauge it.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,926 Member
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    So yourself a favor and forget all the crap people have been saying for decades about how to lose weight. The best way: lose it slowly, it will stay off - you develop good habits that you will take through your life time. So, eating more will give you energy to keep you motivated and happy and let you live while losing. It's not a diet, it's a healthy lifestyle change. I'm in maintenance right now and trust me the better you eat during the early stage the easier maintenance is.
  • colsaylors
    colsaylors Posts: 8 Member
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    If you stay under your 1600 calories you will lose the weight faster. Just count everything that you put in your mouth, even a piece of gum! and all the extras, like mayo and salad dressing and any sauces. they all ad the calories up fast!
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    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.

    This.

    That was horrible advice. I agree that nobody should listen to it. In fact, I'd delete it if I had the power. It should probably be reported as "promoting unsafe diet practice", which is against forum rules, but I'm not report-happy like some people...

    agreed
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    The thing I noticed in your post was that you wanted to lose "faster." While that may sound like a great idea, in reality, it's not. If you stick to eating real food, the kind of food you plan on eating when you're off your "diet" then you will be far more successful in the long run. I, for instance, have left nothing "off limits," but I have cut back and eat things in moderation. There are times though, where I don't log on purpose and those time where I go over my calories...on purpose. It's called life and it's going to happen. If you teach yourself that you can go to a family gathering, a Christmas party, a friends wedding, and eat like you want and then get back on the normal track of things the next day, you will find that all of this weight loss stuff is pretty easy.

    Don't focus on the scale, or how long its taking or going to take. Just log your food, try to get as close to netting your calorie goal as possible +/- 90% of the time and relax. Calorie deficit + exercise + wait for results = success. If you follow that, you WILL lose weight.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    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?

    Unless you're working out HARD for 2 hours straight, there's a very good chance that you're overestimating how much you burn working out.

    Eating back your calories or not depends on the type of formula you used to calculate how much you should eat. The one MFP uses does have you eating back exercise calories.

    I can put away 1600 calories in a meal, it's near impossible for me to eat less than 1600 without feeling like I'm going to eat someone's arm off.
  • matti07
    matti07 Posts: 93 Member
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    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 don't know that you are missing anything. Maybe you could add leafy greens to your lunch? It sounds like some of your choices may be nutritionally dense -- I have discovered that I love snacking on blueberries. A cup is (I think) 70-some cal and I feel like I'm eating a lot. Feel free to look at my diary, if that might help. One caveat: I've been under the weather with a lingering cold, so my food choices have been less than optimal (you know: sucky), and I had to skip working out while I was behind for a week (in paying the gym)(yes, I should've walked, but there's that pesky cold rearing it's exhausting head!)
  • matti07
    matti07 Posts: 93 Member
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    <snippety>
    Don't focus on the scale, or how long its taking or going to take. Just log your food, try to get as close to netting your calorie goal as possible +/- 90% of the time and relax. Calorie deficit + exercise + wait for results = success. If you follow that, you WILL lose weight.

    Yes! That. Unlike this poster, I log it all, because I do need to keep track of how far over I go, AND I have found that my appetite often gets me to a happy weekly average.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    That's less than two cinnabons at burger king :laugh:
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    I have found it can be challenging to get enough calories, and my goal is about 3000 just to maintain with my activity level, so I have a lot of calories I'm supposed to find during the day.

    To me, the challenge seems to come from a trend where health-conscious food items or recipes tend to focus on being low calorie. Most of the recipes I use from books that are health conscious enough to provide the nutrition information are usually 300-400 calories. Freezer meals, especially Healthy Choice / Smart Ones type meals, can be similarly focused on keeping their calories low. Usually, I'll build the core of my daily diet around healthy recipes and then have space where I can make up the rest of my needs with fun, less health-focued foods like chocolate milk, flavored almonds, even a chocolate bar now and then. Consuming the bulk of the calories from healthy sources keeps me from overdoing the fun stuff, but having some room for the fun food helps keep things from feeling restrictive.

    As far as eating back calories: IF your exercise is included in the activity level you selected to calculate your needs, do NOT eat them back. You have already "gotten them back" by being allowed a higher baseline calorie level.

    What many people do is set their activity level at "sedentary" so their daily calorie allowance is the "survival" amount. When they log activity, that calorie requirement is in addition to their needs at a sedentary level, so they DO need to eat the exercise calories back.
  • MrsG2
    MrsG2 Posts: 56 Member
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    The thing I noticed in your post was that you wanted to lose "faster." While that may sound like a great idea, in reality, it's not. If you stick to eating real food, the kind of food you plan on eating when you're off your "diet" then you will be far more successful in the long run. I, for instance, have left nothing "off limits," but I have cut back and eat things in moderation. There are times though, where I don't log on purpose and those time where I go over my calories...on purpose. It's called life and it's going to happen. If you teach yourself that you can go to a family gathering, a Christmas party, a friends wedding, and eat like you want and then get back on the normal track of things the next day, you will find that all of this weight loss stuff is pretty easy.

    Don't focus on the scale, or how long its taking or going to take. Just log your food, try to get as close to netting your calorie goal as possible +/- 90% of the time and relax. Calorie deficit + exercise + wait for results = success. If you follow that, you WILL lose weight.

    YES....this!
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    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.

    Thank you :) funny you say that. Ive been eating more than my allotment just a couple of days here and there. I workout alot but the past seven days I have been so hungry so ate more. I appear to of dropped weight for a change :) *thumbs up*

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