I want to start up again and I have some questions!

ambiences

I started calorie counting on June 10 2014. I set my limit to 1450 calories a day, and I was 204 pounds. (5'2.5 too ) All summer, I adhered by my limits and ended up being 185 pounds on August 12th. However, somewhere around...190 pounds, I changed my caloric intake to 1350.
I began college in early September, and I'm a resident which means I'm forced to eat the dining hall food. Long story short, since getting to college I have failed and today I weighed myself and I'm 198. This is extremely saddening for me. It's so hard to count calories when I'm at school. (also, I don't drink.)
However, there is a gym to use at my disposal and a salad bar. (which may i add, i have failed to use that salad bar, I think I've eaten salad like 4 times in being in University.)
I've been to the gym quite a few times but clearly it hasn't helped too much. And oddly enough, I am a million times more active at school because it's a big campus and it was built basically on a hill that I have to climb daily to get to classes, and pretty much anywhere.
I really want to get back on track. I need a push. I'd love to get back to 185 soon, but my ultimate goal is to be 140 pounds. I've been well overweight my entire life. I'd love to know what it feels like to be thin.
So I have some questions:
1) how can I stay motived? it's so hard counting at school and everyone else is always eating. food is such a social thing at school.
2) should I burn any calories I eat over my caloric intake goal? Is that what eating back exercise calories means? or should I eat them back if I end up under my goal? for example, if my goal for the day is 1400 calories but I ate 1700, would I just burn the 300 or would I eat them back? (sorry if this is confusing~)
3) does anyone have any tips - any at all - for the gym and making this easier and more efficient since I know have a gym literally a short walk away?

also, I did my body fat percentage online. I got 46%. I'm horrified. I want to know how to fix that!!!

anyway, please help! it would be much appreciated, thank you lovely people of mfp (:

RodaRose

One idea for the gym: Keep your gym clothes and shoes ready and near the door. Seriously, the only "hard" part is putting on the "outfit."
Regarding cafeteria food: breakfast has lower calorie choices than other meals sometimes.
At lunch and dinner: look for baked or broiled choices and vegetables. If you want, watch (limit) the starch stuff and ignore the desserts.
At the salad bar, look for fresh fruit like apples.
( You do not actually need to eat salad to lose weight.)
Add more walking to your days and weeks. Take the stairs instead of the elevators.
Look for a group of people who are active and hang out with them.
Look for opportunities on campus for walking groups and such.
Some people here eat back half their calories. Others have other ways to work with the app.
How did you set your Activity Level?

mckaytobe

Hiya, welcome back!

I think the first thing is to remember that this is a lifestyle change and hopefully the changes that you make to your eating and exercise habits will be sustainable enough to last a lifetime.

If it is hard for you to count calories, I would focus first on portion sizes and choosing healthier options. The reason why I chose a 'healthier' option is because I like to eat a lot so if I have high calorie foods then I don't get to eat as much!!
So the salad bar may be your friend. Also, you will need to eat enough protein and fats to keep you full. For example, I eat bacon and an egg most mornings...keeps me full until lunch. Cereal doesn't cut it.

Also, you may want to check your calorie goals. I am 5'3 and my goal is 1520 per day and I eat back most of my exercise calories.

Secondly, MFP gives you a goal with a deficit already in place. This is not including any of your exercise that you log. For example, if you eat 1400 (that may already include a 500 calorie deficit) and then you exercise you will need to eat at least some/most of those exercise calories back otherwise you will be in a much larger deficit-like 900 or so. That means that your body will not be getting the fuel that it needs to sustain your exercise. Obviously, day to day it won't affect your body but you wouldn't want to be in a really high deficit for a long period, if you are hoping to sustain this life style change for a long time.

Thirdly, in terms of the gym-you should get an orientation or take a friend who knows about all the machines. You should do some cardio and some strength training/weights so that you are sustaining your muscle. Look into HIIT. But to be honest, start off doing whatever you are comfortable doing and then you will get into the swing of things once you've been for a bit.

Good luck!

Liftng4Lis

I would definitely try pre-logging your day, as it helps tremendously. Also, you can pre-log exercise in the a.m. and that should help with your accountability.
As far as eating back calories, try for half (gives room for miscalculations).

Kalikel

1. Motivation comes from within. You can't buy it and nobody can give it to you. You have to want to do the work.

2. Everyone does the exercise calories differently. You have a goal, say 1000. You walk and MFP gives you 200 extra to eat. If you eat them, people call that "eating them back." Some people eat them all, some people eat none. Some eat half ("eat half back" - 100 in our example here) or some other percentage.

That's 1100 calories eaten, but 900 "net calories".

Since so many people have success with eating half back, why don't you try that for a few weeks and see how it goes. If you're really hungry a lot or feeling tired, weak or dizzy...eat more. If it's a chore and you feel like you have to stuff yourself, eat less. You have to play with it and see how it goes.

3. Just go. If you're a scheduler, schedule it. If not, just decide that you'll go X number of times a week - maybe three, at first - and keep track. But make it a priority. Studying has to come first, then gym, then social. If you're one of those people who always feel like you have to study constantly because it's hard and you don't want to fall off, but you're always getting As, chill out and hit the gym.

You won't flunk out because you don't remember EVERY SINGLE THING. Have *some* fun.

ambiences

ahhh thank you all this was all very helpful

skiextrm

Hi, good job with the progress you have made so far!

Regarding question #2: if your calorie goal is 1400 and you eat 1700, then, yes - exercise off the 300.

If you are at only 1100 in eating, eat up to or close to your goal.

If you have already done some exercise and have not gone over your goal, then you could eat back some of the exercise calories.

Your "Home" page pretty much does the math for you once you get used to how to make sense of what it's telling you.

Hope that makes sense!

999tigger

1) how can I stay motived? it's so hard counting at school and everyone else is always eating. food is such a social thing at school.

Small achievable targets help you build momentum because hitting them helps you feel like you are making progress. Focus week to week and pound to pound.

Write down a list for all the reasons for why you want to lose or advantages of being slim. Srick it on the wall as a reminder of why you are doing things.


2) should I burn any calories I eat over my caloric intake goal? Is that what eating back exercise calories means? or should I eat them back if I end up under my goal? for example, if my goal for the day is 1400 calories but I ate 1700, would I just burn the 300 or would I eat them back? (sorry if this is confusing~)

I stick to my goal calories, then decide from day to day whether im going to eatback any exercise calories. I generally dont eat what I havent earned. You cna eat 0-75% of them. Trual and error plus what suits you.

3) does anyone have any tips - any at all - for the gym and making this easier and more efficient since I know have a gym literally a short walk away?

Tips for gym is to get a routine. Get yourself on the induction first so you can learn what it has to offer and how to oeprate the equipment. Dont be too self conscious people arent worried about you they are busy doing their own thing.

Ask the instructor to sort you a program out. I would do a mix of cardio and weights 3x a week and you cna look to see of they have any classes which you might prefer. Biking, sport, swimming, walking are all good things. One thing I find helpful at the gym is to take my exercise plan with me so I know what im doing and then I tick the exercises off as I do them. I then finish with cardio. Once you have been a few times then your confidence grows and you cna look at times or weights lifted which should improve from month to month. Over time the gym becomes less terrifying and you will feel comfier. Knowing what you are doing makes you more efficient. Not knowing what you are doing, being on your phone, not lifting weights safely or properly is not efficient.

Everyone starts somewhere, so dont worry about how fast or what you can lift, just focus on steady improvement.

Oh and your Uni food. You can normally find out in advance what it, so just use MFP meal planner to estimate. talk to the manager of the kitchen and explain the problem they might assist with a healthy option or ingredients. You will just have to find something similar. Yous till have the option of portion control.