How do I stop eating 6,000 calories??

Ri024
Ri024 Posts: 24
edited December 22 in Introduce Yourself
Hello,

I am new to this. I put it in most of what I ate today and it is around 5,744 (I cannot remember everything) but this program says my goal should be 1,530.

Is this right? I know I eat more than some other people but is 1,530 really manageable? I am not very active but now I think I should start! Please feel free to send me any advice.
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Replies

  • Heather294ever
    Heather294ever Posts: 8
    Very manageable, choose different foods, educate yourself on low calorie food, keep the tally on myfitnesspal :)
  • oOTaraOo
    oOTaraOo Posts: 29
    1530 sounds correct.

    You need to eat more protein which will fill you up for longer. Cut back on sugar and fast foods. Eat more vegies.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
    1500 is definitely manageable. People somehow even manage 1200... don't know how, but they do lol
    I would suggest breaking your meals up into 4 or 5 meals of maybe 300-400 calories each, and map them out throughout the day. Schedule feeding times every 3 to 4 hours and stick to it. Make sure what you eat is full of nutrients and not just empty calories.

    Also, if you aren't active, I'd suggest becoming active. The more exercise you incorporate into your life, the more calories you're allowed to eat... so if you aren't able to stick to 1500 calories a day, try working out for 30 minutes a day to start... often times 30 minutes would give you an additional 200-300 calories, depending on the exercise and intensity, bringing your calorie allowance to around 1800... which means more food lol

    Aaaaand if you DO decide to become more active - do the cardio to burn fat and give you more calories to eat, but also find a way to work in some strength training/weights to maintain muscle mass... ultimately burning more calories in the long run. ;)

    Good luck on your journey!

    Love and Alohas,
    Ihilani Kapuniai
  • naasirab
    naasirab Posts: 43
    Yes 1500 is manageable, I eat around 1200-1300 but I should probably go up pretty soon with how much I work out. If you are eating that many calories I think you should start by cutting out all junk food, fried food, greasy food, fast food, and sweets, and sodas and juices. I know that sounds like alot.. but if you stop eating the things listed you will drop weight with out even having to count calories especially if you were eating over 5000 to begin with.

    Good Luck you can do it!
  • shellebelle87
    shellebelle87 Posts: 291 Member
    You need to cut out the bacon and cheese. It is good as a treat, but not as part of two meals in one day. Cut down on portions and find healthier options. A ham and salad roll will fill you up just as much, and for only about 280 cals approx. I am on 1200 cals a day and I manage to stay within that goal (with exercise). It will get easier!
  • SilenyNoel
    SilenyNoel Posts: 1
    Are you sure you put the right amounts in? Like accidentally added a 2liter of soda instead of a can or something? Might be something to check to make sure you had the right total first.
  • oOTaraOo
    oOTaraOo Posts: 29
    Are you sure you put the right amounts in? Like accidentally added a 2liter of soda instead of a can or something? Might be something to check to make sure you had the right total first.

    Their food diary is open - don't think it is an accident.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Yes very doable. Many days I do it though my allowance is higher than that. Protein helps fill you up and avoid extra fats and sugars. I have been where you are at; for me, a reduction in intake started the process then when I felt like I could, I started exercising. I now go to the gym most days for a couple of hours .. 1 hour cardio, 1 hour resistance training. I have not felt this good in years. Best wishes on your journey. Honestly at first, you may want to cut back maybe to 3000 calories then start cutting back lower until you get to the 1500 if it seems impossible to you now.. It is about a new lifestyle.. You can do it. Look forward to hearing your success story.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    You can lower your calories immediately by not drinking any... try just drinking water. Just for one day. Water has zero calories in it but it is very good for you. Eat like you normally would but only drink water in addition to food. You will be shocked by the difference in calories. Then the next day try cutting down the amount of food that you eat. and so on, until you can get down to the 1530 calories.

    1530 is manageable. You can do this.

    Also, with this program, the more you exercise the more you can eat. So if you did 300 calories worth of exercise, you could then eat 1830 calories instead of 1530.
  • led6777
    led6777 Posts: 268
    Hello,

    I am new to this. I put it in most of what I ate today and it is around 5,744 (I cannot remember everything) but this program says my goal should be 1,530.

    Is this right? I know I eat more than some other people but is 1,530 really manageable? I am not very active but now I think I should start! Please feel free to send me any advice.

    Well if I was you, i'd cut out about 2,000 calories and start there. Jumping that low makes no sense from your starting point. Over time decrease them as you lose weight.

    ^I agree 100%. You can't go from 6,000 to 1,500 in a day. Gradually reduce or else you'll go crazy!! Btw I still think 1530 is really low... you seem like someone who would benefit from the group Eat More to Weigh Less here on myfitnesspal. It has worked well for me and countless others. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight!!
  • Gloworm46
    Gloworm46 Posts: 96 Member
    What are you eating now to total that many calories? You are doing the right thing by journaling what you are eating. Following a healthy eating plan - even if it has to be done in baby steps - will help you get those calories down daily. Add exercise - even if it's only a 5 minute walk in the beginning will get you up and moving. Definitely use the nutrition tracker on this site - it is awesome! I wish you success!
  • Gulgamesh
    Gulgamesh Posts: 4
    I am pretty new here as well. I started 2 months ago - have lost 20 pounds - and a few things I have learned:

    Look carefully and verify that the food entries by users is correct. I have seen some crazy calorie numbers both low and high. My favorites are the ones you can get right off a package that are wrong. I have noticed that the entries by people that spell correctly are usually more accurate ... just sayin'. 6k calories is a heck of a lot of food no matter how rich it is, I would suspect there are some bad numbers in there.

    Look at what you eat before you eat it, not at the end of the day. Get the phone app for your particular phone and check things out. I sit at a restaurant with my phone and the menu now to get a feel for what I am eating.

    I am a big guy ... a little less big now, but as I have been told "An intimidating presence" and for me to lose 2 pounds a week, I need to stay under 1960 cals a day. With watching what I eat, and really how much, it is not a struggle, I am rarely hungry, and actually eat pretty good food still. Smaller portions usually, but still tasty things. (I eat salads when I just HAVE to have a beer). Drinking water helps keep you full as well, the water is important. Once in a while, I do splurge a little and have something I really like no matter how bad. I do not go crazy, but I do savor the meal. I realize that I can do that and often still hit my goal or just barely squeak over.

    I do not eat more if I exercise. I work out on my property a lot, walk a lot and am reasonably physical. I still shoot for that 1960 goal ... if I go a little over, I don't beat myself up, I chalk it up to I needed to to recoup the 2,000+ calories I just burned off. When I hit my goal weight, my maintain weight will be around 1800 calories ... with the habits I am creating now, I am prety sure I will be fine ... I will always watch from now on no matter what.

    This web site is a great way to develop good eating habits. Keep at it and in a week or so you are going to find a groove and be fine.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    I suggest checking http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    and going by their calorie reccomendations.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    You can do 1500. If it seems overwhelming, make small changes to work your way there.

    Some suggestions I can make right away from looking at your 5,000 calorie entry:
    1. Cut back on the full-fat dairy (use low-fat milk instead of cream in your coffee, and buy low-fat cheese)
    2. Get in more fruits and vegetables, but especially vegetables! They are both filling and nutritious for very few calories.
    3. Bring the number of sweets waaaaaay down. Some people here have one day a week or one meal a week where they allow themselves dessert. Others, when they crave chocolate, go for a couple squares of good-quality dark chocolate, which is satisfying after a small amount.

    Just those three things will bring you much closer to your calorie target. Once you've incorporated those changes, then you can start tweaking even more to get to your target (preview: bye-bye bacon and fried eggs).
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
    Well done logging all that to see what your daily intake is like! It can truly be an eye opener.

    I'd suggest adding in more fresh fruits and vegetables. Experiment and find some that you like that aren't too high in calories. You can really fill up on fruits and veggies and stay at or near your calorie goal.

    Also try drinking lots of water! It always help me get that full feeling without needing to eat a ton of food. Making the switch from your old eating habits to new ones is the key to success, and also the hardest for most people. It is so worth it though. You can do it! :smile:
  • nsimportant
    nsimportant Posts: 170 Member
    Dont go to low. First try reducing the amount of non essential food like candy's and/or try to eliminated one whole meal from Your current diet.
    This has to be a joke, who eats over 5,000!calories??
    Tbh if You look at that persons day it seams really reasonable and looks like a "normal" person diet.
  • small_ninja
    small_ninja Posts: 365 Member
    It is doable - you've just gotta cut down on the fried foods and chocolate etc that I can see from your food diary. If you up your vege, fruit and wholegrain intake you'll find it's very easy to get by on 1,500 calories and not feel like you're starving yourself :) Do a bit of reading up on the internet about healthy eating. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • Tippismom
    Tippismom Posts: 10
    I get 1200 a day. Yes it is managable. I try to keep breakfast to 300 or less lunch about the same two snack of about 100 and the rest at dinner. Eat Protine and whole graines, Lots and lots of Veggies. Make sure you log in every day and get the support that is on here. We are all in the same boat and can help each other stay on track. Help with little tricks that we have learned along the way. Weight loss is never easy but with help it is doable.
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
    This has to be a joke, who eats over 5,000!calories??
    I have and so have thousands of people on this site. It's actually not difficult at all if you choose high calorie foods.

    Some things to consider:

    1. The OP is a new member and this was her first post. Not everyone is where you are at with their eating habits.
    2. Check someone's diary before you accuse them of making stuff up. She logged it all, and for all we know it may be her first time actually logging what she eats.
    3. For anyone who's gained a large amount of weight over time, 5000+ calories can be pretty "normal".
  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
    This has to be a joke, who eats over 5,000!calories??

    i ate like that for the better part of 10 years, probably higher
  • Neahpata
    Neahpata Posts: 322 Member
    1530 is very manageable. I agree with the others you might want to wean yourself off of the sweets, start cutting them back. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours to stave off hunger. Fill your meals with whole grains, veggies, lean protein and healthy fat. The fat will help satiate you and you won't feel like you are so deprived. If you need more food, exercise and eat back those calories or make your weight loss goals less ambitious. You didn't mention them but I would assume it is currently 1.5-2 pounds a week.
  • teagirlmedium
    teagirlmedium Posts: 679 Member
    If this is what you eat on average I think you should go to the store and get different brands of the same stuff you eat, but compare the other brands to the ones you usually get to find a brand that has less calories in the same quantity. I think trying to drop from 6000 calories to 1500 calories is too much of a difference if you eat about 6000 everyday, so I think gradually lowering your calorie intake to about 1500 would be better.
  • charelg
    charelg Posts: 599 Member
    If every meal including breakfast is well over 1000 calories, then I guess that would be that many in a day!
  • Neahpata
    Neahpata Posts: 322 Member
    This has to be a joke, who eats over 5,000!calories??

    I used to regularly. It's easy when you are eating a lot or calorie dense foods.

    There's also binge eating disorders. I used to have 2000, 3000, sometimes 4000 calorie binges for years.
  • LinaBo
    LinaBo Posts: 342 Member
    I would start by cutting down to something like 2000-2500 calories a day, to start, and work your way down to the lower goal from there. The reality is, now that you've done "the crime" for so long, you must do "the time". It's not easy to watch what you eat and actively try to lose weight, but that's what we all get for overindulging and gaining more than we ought to, instead of being reasonable to begin with. It's going from one extreme to a bit of another.

    You are going to need to seriously crack down on a lot of the cheese, the bacon, the fried things, the whole eggs, the white bread, the alcohol, the mayonnaise and other full-fat condiments, and the sugar, to name a few. You can still have a little bit of some of these, occasionally, but not much if you want to lose the weight. Stock up on a variety of colourful vegetables, some fruit (not too much fruit, it's still high in sugars and therefore calories), lean proteins (fin fish, shrimp, skinless chicken, lean pork chops, lean ground meats, lentils, beans), healthy fats (olive oil used sparingly. PAM spray, avocados, nuts, NATURAL peanut butter), low-fat dairy (skim or 1% milk, or dairy alternatives), and whole grains (brown rice, sprouted grain breads, quinoa, to name a few). Try to reduce the quantity of foods you eat that have a laundry list of ingredients. Most of the ingredients that you can't pronounce or identify probably aren't good for you, and you should at least relegate to less than 20% of your daily caloric intake, if we are being reasonable.

    There is a "Recipes" section in the forums, I would suggest you peruse it for ideas. Do some web research to learn how to "cook light". If you're really stuck on how to cook something to get a desired result, feel free to ask me. My culinary arts certificate should get at least SOME use, for all the money I owe in student loans!
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Reduce your calories gradually, and eat more veggies and salad (with a low-cal dressing) to fill you up while you're reducing your portions. Maybe try reducing by 200 calories a day, and reduce by more than that if that feels too easy. Also, drinking nothing but water will reduce your calories by a lot. :) Good luck! You can do this!
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    One of the biggest things I learned to do was to read the labels BEFORE I ate the food. I have hot dogs all the time- did you know there are hot dogs that are 300 calories for one hot dog and there are hot dogs that are 90 calories a hot dog. Big difference in the long run.

    Not to say you always have to chose the low-cal version. Sometimes it's just about realizing what's in the food you're eating.

    Specifically from your diary- switch brands of bacon to a lower cal version. Two slices for over 300 cals is pretty high. I would avoid the turkey bacon out there as it tends to be higher in sodium. Have cookies- but avoid the super high cal ones like the Tim Hortons- opt for that Lemon Cake instead- 160 cals for a cake is rather good.

    Look at the big players in numbers in your diary- then find lower cal versions of them.

    I wouldn't jump down too fast in calories either- take your time and just pick one thing a week to try and get lower. It's a marathon- not a sprint.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    I did too! It is an eye opener, but that many is absurd!

    DO you know how big this person is? it's very doable for heavier people. I consume this much or so on my free days.

    This. VERY doable, especially if this person weighs a lot AND is tall! They're not here to get judged for how much they eat, they're here for advice on how to eat less.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    good on you for logging what you usually eat - that is a really helpful starting point!

    looking at your diary, i am actually surprised it came to 5000cals.

    I wouldn't go as low as 1500 to start off with, i would work toward a goal of <2000cals over a period of time that is comfortable. (maybe two weeks? maybe longer, just give yourself a goal date.)

    then I would add in a walk every day so that i could eat more than 1500, because i am a bit more comfortable eating a bit more than that.

    good luck!
  • melonclarinet
    melonclarinet Posts: 163 Member
    I agree with others...it's possible. Make small changes to start out. I looked and you consumed 1110 calories in beverages, so that might be a good place to start. You are drinking almost as many calories as many of us on here are eating.

    We all start somewhere; just start making moves in the right direction. Not everything has to change today.
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