bloody difficult

right, i got to the weight i wanted to be, lower actually because i didnt weigh myself

i decided i was too skinny and started weights and doing cardio,.. which i now do alternate days

even though i dont eat rubbish, ive started to eat more and more

problem is, lets say i do "800kcal" burn on the cross trainer over 45 minutes, putting in my weight as 70 kg when im 76kg now ( i was 73 but i presume ive gained muscle mass) and keep my heart rate around 172

alternate days i do weights (opposites)
then ill take a day off if i feel tired

now im just sketched as to what im supposed to be eating

i understand im supposed to eat enough to cover the crosstrainer work

but the varied work out means im stumped so i just end up eating everything

i took a day off today and i packed away 2900 kcals give or take  a 100 (im 5'9, was 9/10 % bf probably more now, though im not sure --i feel guilty, as if im stepping off the wagon

i just need to know what intake i can afford with out gaining bad weight, but still gain muscle weight/strength (i read that in an experiment with people having the same kcal intake against those with an increased intake, muscle mass difference was there, but both gained the same strength increase)

i dont want to stop the cardio cos i bloody enjoy it, and im not stopping the weights either

i just need a rough idea of what i should be eating and this 2900 kcals a day thing was less than i normally eat, some days i hit 3400

im not sure if im hungry or not, or eating for the sakes of eating

ah, it's bloody confusing

maintaining is simple but so damn not either

i just felt like i needed to say this as people are like, why you still watchin your weight, youve lost it now.. i.e. i needed to rant

-rant over

I think it's easy to get mortally confused if you try and base your eating habits around numbers.  Food is essentially something to eat, to be enjoyed, to be shared with others, to sustain you.... it's not medicine to be taken in strictly controlled doses.  My suggestion would be not to count calories at all but to work on something like the following.

- Eat food... real food, plenty of vegetables, lean meats & fish, wholegrains, olive oils... make it yourself rather than get it out of a packet.  Balance the meals up rather than eating too much of one thing.

- Eat regularly.... breakfast, lunch, supper, a few snacks if you need it.  Don't skip meals.  Make time to eat, sit at a table & give food priority. 

- Trust your own judgement.  If you're hungry, eat more.  If you're not so hungry, eat lightly.  Stop eating when you're nearly full. 

-  Enjoy what you eat, keep it interesting, get plenty of variety and include the odd not-so-healthy thing in the mix.