1600 cals seems like a lot of food

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.

Nuts

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!

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.