i dont know what im doing.

arn1313

hello. im new to this myfitnesspal. im not sure what to do. just log in what i eat, log in what exercise i do? im trying to diet but thats info overload...low carb, low cal., cabbage soup diet...the list goes on & on.
i need recipe ideas that my whole family will enjoy. i have lost 10 pounds but now im feeling stuck with what to do, what to eat.......ideas? suggestions? recipes?
thanks, i appreciate it.

purebredpolly

If you click blog, on the top bar it takes you to the MFP blog. There you will find a lot of healthy articles that should give you a good start. You will also see at the top, on your left, the word EAT. Hold your cursor over the word EAT, and you will see how to get healthy recipes.

Good luck on your journey.

heatherbassoon

I found skinnytaste.com really helpful for healthy meal ideas. As for a general suggestion, eating food that you make at home as opposed to buying food out is less calories and more nutritious almost 100% of the time.

_HeartsOnFire_

Everything I've learned in almost 3 years…

I am a constant work in progress. I have ups and downs. No matter what I keep at it. I don't believe in fad diets or quick fixes. I don't believe in detoxes or cleanses. I believe in being brutally honest, maybe with a touch of snark. You have to realize this is a LIFESTYLE change NOT a diet...

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.
-Wayne Dyer

It's about moderation not deprivation. There are no good/bad foods, only bad eating habits. Do or do not, there is no try. You have to want it, you have to work for it, you have to realize that only you can do it.

This is a lot of info. Don't try to read it all at once. Take your time. The first one to start with is…

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1346163-change-your-mindset

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1217573-so-you-want-to-start-running

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

TL:DR the link right above this one then ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

Leenda62

purebredpolly wrote: »

If you click blog, on the top bar it takes you to the MFP blog. There you will find a lot of healthy articles that should give you a good start. You will also see at the top, on your left, the word EAT. Hold your cursor over the word EAT, and you will see how to get healthy recipes.

Good luck on your journey.

Great tip! I did not know this.

Pinklobita

i am starting off too and i also understand how you feel i replace alot of my protein with turkey and fish i also bake alot of my foods just explore with new things you will find that you like things you didnt know you liked

editorgrrl

You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn—period. Rather than going on (and eventually off) a diet, make some healthy lifestyle changes.

Step one: learn to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. You don't even have to change anything yet—just log. Once you see what you're eating and drinking, you'll start to see changes you want to make—like eating your calories rather than drinking them.

Logging will keep you mindful and make you want to eat better. You can eat all the same foods you do now and still lose weight. You just have to eat less.

For more advice, read the posts pinned to the top of the Getting Started thread.

Leenda62

There is always a lot of controversy on here about what and when to eat and what to do for exercise. You have to find what works best for you. I have to say that my biggest help and motivation has been that I have made friends. We chat, we share recipes, we encourage each other. That one thing about 60 days in made a HUGE difference to me. Feel free to friend request me if you would like (tell me where you saw me if you don't mind). And either way. Best of luck to you.

betstoo

arn1313 wrote: »

hello. im new to this myfitnesspal. im not sure what to do. just log in what i eat, log in what exercise i do? im trying to diet but thats info overload...low carb, low cal., cabbage soup diet...the list goes on & on.
i need recipe ideas that my whole family will enjoy. i have lost 10 pounds but now im feeling stuck with what to do, what to eat.......ideas? suggestions? recipes?
thanks, i appreciate it.

Make one change at a time! But log everything! Even the bad. It will help u find patterns and answers. I had the same problem of being overwhelmed. A meal planner is my next goal. It makes it easier to stay on track if u know what yr going to eat.

Hearts_2015

Hi and welcome to MFP:) Yes it can be quite overwhelming at first just like anything else new.

First thing: take a deep breath and smile
Then decide to stop dieting this very minute! Even the word diet seems like being deprived when thought of the way many ppl think of it.

Diet is actually foods that our meals consist of on a daily basis or types of foods we like to eat. Check out the meaning and it might help you change over your thinking. I know when I did that it did.

Slow down and take another deep breath, hopefully things don't seem quite so overwhelming now.

To get started there are many ways. Some start out eating exactly as they were but they start logging every single bite no matter what it is or how much they eat of it.

What helps when we start there is it really opens our eyes to where we need/want to make changes. Perhaps we're super high in sodium, or sugar, or low in fats or protein.

You'll learn a lot using this site and I can tell you now unless you find a yummy recipe with cabbage in it under the recipe section... you don't have to worry about making cabbage soup.

So no dieting, OK? As in the old fashioned meaning of the word. Eat fruits you enjoy, veggies, bread if you like that... anything you might normally eat but what we're learning to do is eat less of it now.

Some in time do cut back on sweets and some keep eating them and they (ppl that chose to do that) are fine. I have to be careful with sweets myself as I don't have the moderating down on those yet.

Please post any more questions and I'll sure you'll get lots of responses.

Just remember you don't have to know everything about the site or what you're doing today... We've got the rest of our lives to learn to eat healthy as that's really what you learn how to do on this site.

LotusAsh

arn1313 wrote: »

hello. im new to this myfitnesspal. im not sure what to do. just log in what i eat, log in what exercise i do? im trying to diet but thats info overload...low carb, low cal., cabbage soup diet...the list goes on & on.
i need recipe ideas that my whole family will enjoy. i have lost 10 pounds but now im feeling stuck with what to do, what to eat.......ideas? suggestions? recipes?
thanks, i appreciate it.

Log your food. Log your exercise. Eat at a deficit

lishie_rebooted

purebredpolly wrote: »

If you click blog, on the top bar it takes you to the MFP blog. There you will find a lot of healthy articles that should give you a good start. You will also see at the top, on your left, the word EAT. Hold your cursor over the word EAT, and you will see how to get healthy recipes.

Good luck on your journey.

Actually I don't suggest this. That blog has promated cleanses (unnecessary ) and 7 moves on a treadmill that aren't walking/running that could easily injure you. That blog is full of misinformation and some pretty gross recipes

_HeartsOnFire_

603reader wrote: »

purebredpolly wrote: »

If you click blog, on the top bar it takes you to the MFP blog. There you will find a lot of healthy articles that should give you a good start. You will also see at the top, on your left, the word EAT. Hold your cursor over the word EAT, and you will see how to get healthy recipes.

Good luck on your journey.

Actually I don't suggest this. That blog has promated cleanses (unnecessary ) and 7 moves on a treadmill that aren't walking/running that could easily injure you. That blog is full of misinformation and some pretty gross recipes

I was just coming back to address this…yeah there may be a good one here or there…but the majority are not good. Not good at all...

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

_HeartsOnFire_ wrote: »

Everything I've learned in almost 3 years…

I am a constant work in progress. I have ups and downs. No matter what I keep at it. I don't believe in fad diets or quick fixes. I don't believe in detoxes or cleanses. I believe in being brutally honest, maybe with a touch of snark. You have to realize this is a LIFESTYLE change NOT a diet...

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.
-Wayne Dyer

It's about moderation not deprivation. There are no good/bad foods, only bad eating habits. Do or do not, there is no try. You have to want it, you have to work for it, you have to realize that only you can do it.

This is a lot of info. Don't try to read it all at once. Take your time. The first one to start with is…

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1346163-change-your-mindset

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1217573-so-you-want-to-start-running

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

TL:DR the link right above this one then ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

Yes to all of this. Take it slow. I'd start out with just learning how to log your food. Then you can add as you go.

I would not recommend the official MFP blog as a source of good nutrition information. Some of the articles are fine but a lot of them are not.

skinnyinnotime

Don't follow silly diets, eat properly. Chicken, fish, seafood, steak with vegetables, salad and some carbs will give you a good base for lunches and dinners.

Work out how much you need to lose sensibly, say 1lb a week, plan your meals to fit your calorie allowance.

Exercise if you want to, some strength training and cardio 3 times a week will make a nice difference in the long run. You can re evaluate your workouts as you get stronger and your goals change.

nlmillervt

Lots of good information in HeartsOnFire's and Hearts_2015 posts!

Some of the ideas that help me are:
- The scale is not the best tool for measuring success. Being fit and healthy is better than being skinny.
- Moderation in all things. :-)
- Build habits that will last for a lifetime, not for two months just to fit into a bikini on vacation.

I wish you success! Feel free to add me as a friend.

MKEgal

Welcome aboard.

I did a newbie help post that has links to lots of useful info, including sexypants, logging accurately, goal setting, motivation...
Go read sexypants.

Start with logging everything you eat for a couple weeks, to see how much you're eating now. Weigh or measure everything. Yes, it's a pain, but eventually you'll know what 4 oz of meat looks like.

Once you have a baseline, cut 500 cal/day from that & tell MFP that's your goal. (Don't go under 1200 cal if you're a woman, 1500 if you're a man, unless your doctor says it's OK.) That's your _total_ calorie intake for the day. Ignore exercise calories (most of the time).
Being 500 cal/day under should have you losing 1 lb per week. With about 40 lb to lose, that's a pretty reasonable rate.

For now, keep eating what you like to eat, just in smaller portions. Don't cut out or emphasize any food or food group. Eat a balanced diet, maybe a bit heavier on the veggies than maybe you're used to.
Once you have a handle on eating less, you can start playing with the macros (carbs, fat, protein). Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss. Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein to stay within the healthy ranges.

For recipes, I really like Taste Of Home. Everything is tasty, and if you follow the directions it will turn out great. Most are pretty easy to make. In the menu bar, hover over "recipes". In the menu that pops up, the top of the right-hand column is "healthy recipes".

And get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. That could be going for a walk, chasing the kids around the park, swimming, rollerskating, whatever flips your switch. It's supposed to be at least tolerable, preferably enjoyable. If you can do longer, do it.

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

MKEgal

Forgot to mention...
When you're searching for things in the database, avoid anything that says "homemade".
Go for brand name foods.
For fuits, veggies, and meats, preface your search by USDA to find the best info.