How do I stop eating 6,000 calories??

Theres some good advice here, go with it . At 188lbs you really dont NEED to be eating 6000 calories a day unless youre an athlete, and eating so unhealthily will catch up with you. Make some healthy chnages, and just eat less and you'll probably feel a lot better as well as lose the weight you want

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 with him.

I truly believe that its important do this is baby steps. Too big of a change can be overwhelming and set yourself up for failure. 2000 calories a day is very manageable and that is the calorie intake I have lost the most weight with at first.
In fact, I am eating 2110 calories a day now and I am still losing weight like crazy. Saying that, I do go to the gym 6 days a week and work my butt off. So, if you exercise a lot and I mean a lot, stay the same. If you don't, lower your calories gradually and find what works for you.

Here is a link to some snack foods I often eat to give you some ideas.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lect/view/the-snacks-i-eat-the-most-189226

6,000 calories in a day??? And you don't exercise??? And you are only 188lbs???

See this is the stuff that ticks me off. I have been eating under 2,000 calories a day AND exercising regulary for years and I can't even get under 200lbs, no where close!!!

I really would like to know why is it that some people can eat so much and not really gain much or nothing at all, while others like me have to basically starve and exercise to death just to drop a freakin pound! {yea, I'm pouting right now!}

6,000 calories in a day??? And you don't exercise??? And you are only 188lbs???

See this is the stuff that ticks me off. I have been eating under 2,000 calories a day AND exercising regulary for years and I can't even get under 200lbs, no where close!!!

I really would like to know why is it that some people can eat so much and not really gain much or nothing at all, while others like me have to basically starve and exercise to death just to drop a freakin pound! {yea, I'm pouting right now!}

1- muscle mass. some have more than others.
2- higher BMR
3-higher TDEE than you
4-different foods/macros eaten
5-sodium levels and water retention

I am an all star cheerleader and our diets are closely monitored so I have been conditioned to nearly throw up at the smell of greasy foods and the thought of putting something so bad for my body into my mouth. A lot of foods that used to be my favorites i am nearly throwing up at the sight of. I'm going to teach you the secret of all star cheer and how we make this happen(because everybody asks) And all it took us was thirty days. Thirty days of no soda, juices, or any drink besides water. We were forced to drink 8oz of water every hour-which lets your body know theres plenty of water and it can let go of the fat stores holding water. In hours we worked out they required 16-24oz of water to be drank, but we're hardcore so 12oz-16 is probably a more reasonable range. Then they said any packaged food, pizza, cookies, whipped cream, ice cream, cake, yada yada yada. Basically if your ancestors couldn't eat it 2,000 years ago we couldn't put it in our mouths. So we found fun yummy alternitives to things we could eat. Eggs mixed with cayanne peppers for breakfast, roman lettuce with veggies and vinager with fruit for lunch and usually our parents would have a nice protien filled dinner when we got home at night with meat that had little to no fat(i don't like fat anyway it's slimy) and plenty of steamed veggie(boiled in water with onions)<- better than it sounds. And i'm a picky eater. The pickiest you will ever find. So if i like it you know its good. THen on top of all that they started showing us what all this junk food was MADE OF and could do to harm our bodies. Did you know chicken nuggets are made out of the bone and fat of chickens? And a small bag of chips contain as many toxins as a cigarette? So after hearing all this horrible stuff and SEEING it when they alloted us to have little things back in small amounts i just couldn't stomach it. But it's a good thing because my body loves me for it. Granted there i days i need a granola bar fix or maybe some cereal in the morning, but i have to monitor my portion size on bad foods. They tell us you can eat all the good food you want but you are alloted no more than 300 cals of bad food a day. (That's usually my 2 granola bars or bowl of cereal) So get out there and educate yourself on what this food does to you. Because i know that i am totally changed for life because of all this. And i feel lighter and happier and just great because i stopped poisening my body. Oh and we do this 1-3 times a year depending on our diets as a team. But really it's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. You have to train like there is no finish line.

To all of you who took the time to look at my diary and offer me some help - I really appreciate that you have reached out and given me some support. I can't believe what a great (and helpful!) community there is out here, I am so glad that I checked it out

I am so grateful for all the advice about substitutions. I can't believe that some of you even typed out meal plans for me. You are amazing!

If you are interested in what I am taking from all of this so far:

- I have calculated my BMR and TDEE at fat2fitradio.com and changed my calorie goal to 1,700 (if I exercise then I will eat more). I am going to see how this goes for today and if I feel that I need to, I'm going to increase it to 2,000 until I get the hang of things
- I will definitely be making substitutions/eliminations of the fattier foods I eat (bacon, cream, cheese, cookies, chocolate)
- I am going to try not to drink calories and try to drink much more water instead
- for now I am going to walk more (and put more effort into it) but I will be looking into some sort of exercise routine/schedule
- I will educate myself more on nutrition and eating healthy (I might be too lazy to input all of my own foods in the database but hopefully some education will help me spot the entries that are off)
- the thought of life without chocolate milk is making me very sad so I am going to look into chocolate protein shakes

AMAZING followup reply YOU CAN DO IT! :bigsmile:

You can do it! But, start slowly. If you try to do too much at first you will give up and quit. Here are a few tips:

If you don't already have it, get the app for your phone. That way, your diary is at your fingertips at all times. No more forgetting!

Starting with drinking only water was a good tip. If you are really craving a soda or carbonation, try a La Croix. It is flavored soda water. It has zero calories and counts towards your water intake for the day. The bubbles make you feel full and tricks you into thinking you are having a treat. Don't expect it to taste like a Dr. Pepper or anything though!

Another tip is to look at your calorie goal as a game. Do some research on low calorie foods, healthy snacks, etc. Then see how much you can eat and still stay within your calorie range. Trading veggies for chips with your dips is a good place to start.

Exercise and tally up those calories, too. Exercise=more food.

Watch out for dairy products! Especially cheese. Just a little bit has tons of calories. There have been many times one slice of cheese sent me over my limit, and the sandwich would've been just as good without it!

If you aren't satisfied after one helping, load up on veggies and fruit. You're still eating, getting fuller, but it will be less calories than if you eat another cheeseburger.

Read healthy food blogs and talk to your friends.

My number one tip! Be honest! Log everything even if you go over. It will open your eyes to how much you have been eating--so many of us are clueless until we start tracking-- plus, it will motivate you to d better the next day. The more you log, the easier it will be for you to make smart choices and see patterns. Plus, even if you are over chances are it will still be less than what you have been eating, and that is progress! Lying to yourself will only make you feel worse.

Good luck!!!!

Hi,

Just wanted to say well done for starting!!!

I can totally see how you have reached that figure and how easy it would be to allow your self to eat like that...I have spent years letting myself eat however I want....more often than not just simply not tracking the bad foods (if I don't track they calories they don't count right???).

Way to go on acknowledging that you need to, and are ready to start looking at cutting back and looking at what you have tracked for breakfast you are well on your way to a much better day today.

My only advice would be not to go the whole way on day one because in my experience this will leave you feeling deprived and almost resenting the diet!!

Take your time and if each day you make one smarter choice than the previous day you will see your calorie intake come right down.

Good luck with your losses :bigsmile:

haha I can relate...

Mfp takes off 500 calories for every pound you want to lose a week which isnt exactly accurate (but 1 lb of fat is burned with 3500 calories, it doesn't mean everything your burning is fat though). If your falling off the wagon eating 1500 then jump off and jump on a different one. Figure out your tdee and know that if you eat anything below that you should lose weight. Also tdees are estimated, so some people can eat at their tdee and lose. Just type tdee calculator in a search engine and you will likely come up with fitness frogs.

Im 120 and 5'7 and agree that 1500 is not allot. I have to eat over 2000 to be happy so I make sure I move. At the same time what your eating is a lot. Cut down by small amounts so your not hungry at first and you will eventually get to weight loss zones (look up tdee).

PS I wouldn't listen to what a lot of people are saying on this thread so don't assume everything everyone is saying is right.

It is a shock when we finally face the fact that we eat more than we ever dreamed.It scared the hell out of me. Yes, 1500-1600 calories are possibe. Things that have worked for me include using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate, drinking a full glass of water (or milk) before sitting down to eat, no white food, no eating out and, most important to me, No processed food!!! I cook everything from scratch. I use whole grain pasta, when I eat pasta, eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, drink 1% milk (or non-fat if you can stand it). It is the little tricks that are allowing me to drop weight and inches. And that was without exercise. I hate exercise, so I garden, take short walks (to the end of the block and back), and play with the dogs. Don't forget to add activities you don't think of as exercise. Mostly, don't give up. This site is a real blessing for me, if for no other reason than to have a place to turn to with people who understand. Friend me if you like. Love and Light thruthewoods13