What to eat....2344 calories sounds like tons

I put my info inhttp://www.phord.com/cc/ and if I'm using it correctly its telling me I should eat 2344 Calories a day and burn either 1135 doing exercise or 1385...this confuses me....It says the recommended deficit is 1385 but than it says exercise 1135...not sure which number I'm supposed to use.

Anyway besides the confusion about how much exercise to do I'm finding it hard to think of what to eat to get 2344 or near it at least...I eat Fiber One Oats and Peanut butter bars for snacks 150 calories each 3 a day...or at least I try to.

If I take 2344 - 450 calories for the snacks that would leave me eating 632 calories per meal breakfast lunch dinner.  It seems a bit daunting and I keep eating candy and things because my calories are too low.....I'm probably eating too much and going over the number because of this.

I don't log every food I eat but I just don't think I can bring myself to do it that way.  The ideal would be to figure out how many calories portions of things are and to just eat intelligently.  Calories listed on packages make it somewhat hard to do though....Sandwich meat lists calories per serving and list servings and amount of oz....I have to buy a scale to figure out how much to eat?  Why can't they just say serving size is a certain number of slices...?

Thanks for any advice I hope I can figure this out someday I'm tired of being tired/depressed because of my weight issues

rather than focussing on the calorie content of your food, you would do better to focus on the nutritional value for your body.  you have weight issues because you have never learnt how to accurately manage your portions.  i would advise you to buy a set of scales and get smart about your weightloss, start a food log and be realistic. 

if you keep doing the same thing you have always done, you will keep getting the same results.

oh and after having a look at that site you used...calorie count is sooooo much easier to understand <>

I think you're reading the Phord calculator the wrong way around.   The only two numbers that matter are the 'total burn'... the total amount of calories you need to maintain your weight based on your age, size and level of activity.... and your total calorie intake.   For safe, healthy weight-loss, there should be about a 700 cal difference between the two.

If your total energy needs really are 3500 then your calorie intake should be 2800.  That's the way to read it.

You really do have to plan your food day so that you're getting all the energy you need.  It helps to do this in advance so that you can increase portions & add some more energy-rich foods and/or snacks.  (Much better than topping up with sweets)  And it does help to keep your food log accurately, at least in the early days - or you will have no idea if you're doing the right thing or not.   Yes, get a kitchen scale if you want to do this properly.  You could be overeating or undereating and you'd have no idea either way.  It takes a little effort and organisation to do this but that would apply to anything worth doing.

Try to incorporate more wholefoods in your diet so that you are well-nourished and your digestion is working properly.  Wholefoods will also reduce your salt consumption.   Healthy foods with a good energy content would be things like nuts, seeds,  avocados, oils of all types, oily fish, red meats, wholegrain foods, oats, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, dried fruits, bananas.... 

I totally recommend getting a little kitchen scale. I used one for everything for the first few weeks the last time I was losing weight (before baby #3) and it really helped me figure out how to eyeball serving sizes. I can always accurately measure out 4oz of steak, 1oz of almonds, etc., now, but previously I would be way off.

I'm with everyone else about the scale. Personally, I would CC determine your burn rate per day and go from there. I recommend a deficit of 700-1000 calories a day, but no more than that.

Also, shoot for an average intake rather than a regular intake. That way you can plan for high calorie days (like parties, restaurant visits, social stuff, etc) and not have it make a dent in your weekly deficit.

So....here's what I did. I set my CC activity level to sedentary to start. I then added my work outs to the activity log. I then logged everything i put in my mouth...every single calorie. This is important. I then did some math and set my calorie goal at a round, sustainable number. In my case it was 1800 calories a day. I did this for several months and lost 90 lbs.

Another thing you can do to help is to plan to eat your biggest, bestest, favouritest meal of the day at a time you normally used to binge or sneak large snacks.

I was 251 lbs at 5'6....you have to eat a lot to get that big... good luck!

Cheers,

Mike