1st week done ugh

lholmes1985

Today marks day 7 of using MFP, and really trying.
Well I've caved and had junk a lot- I recognize it and won't do it again.
I purchased an elliptical today and will be doing that daily, along with my fun dance dvds(Richard Simmons all the way!).
Despite my few chocolates and iced caps, I thought I was doing great and there'd be some change. Anything. And there's NONE. No pound, half pound, nothing gone. Ugh

wizzybeth

Well you said you caved and had junk a lot....that sounds like you went over your calories?

Also - your body doesn't really care that today or tomorrow or yesterday was your "weigh in day." It will lose when its good and ready to lose.

Did you check out the threads for newbies to help you get started? Particularly with setting goals the right way, choosing the right number of calories to eat, etc?

wizzybeth

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think#latest

Some words of advice:

1. Weigh yourself at the same time of day wearing the same clothing - i.e., in the morning when you get up, after going to the bathroom and before eating/drinking or getting dressed.

2. Know that your weight will fluctuate daily. You may weigh 4lbs or more higher at night than in the morning. You may retain water (esp. if you start exercising or eat high sodium foods) Some folks like to weigh themselves often; I prefer 1 or 2x a week.

3. Weigh your foods with a food scale (great $20 investment) rather than using measuring cups/spoons. Use cups/spoons for liquids only.

4. Be sure to verify the accuracy of the food you enter. I usually enter my own stuff or scan UPC codes with my phone. Since I tend to eat a lot of the same foods over and over, it is relatively easy for me. Home made foods may be harder - enter each item individually in the recipe builder for things like casseroles, etc.

5. Drink lots of water - it does help avoid water retention and helps you feel fuller. Sometimes when you want to munch on snacks you may actually be thirsty...I usually make myself drink a cup or two of water before giving in to an urge to munch.

6. Eat the foods you ENJOY and make room for them. Don't force yourself to eat things you hate simply because you think it has to be that way. Take a peek at my diary and see - you have to be sensible...of course...and I focus on trying to meet my nutritional needs (protein, calcium, iron, fiber, fat, potassium, etc) as well as staying below my calories. But sometimes, I treat myself. :)You're allowed!

7. Be wary of the calories MFP allows you for exercise . They are often overinflated...I take about half of the calories that MFP gives me for exercise.

lholmes1985

Only one day I went over my Cals! I'm usually under
Hopefully next week is better, but I find keeping up with the carbs/fats/proteins% really confusing

dflat0821

2 of the best books I've read, well listened too, (audible.com) were "good calories bad calories" and "why we get fat" by Gary Taubes. "Why we get fat" is a little easier. Changed my life, there not diet books just well written books about the science of food. I now don't believe "the calories in calories out" theory of weight management, I do excersize and believe it's good for me but I don't need to run marathons to keep my weight under control. Just some thoughts, I hope the best for you.

lholmes1985

Oh I will definitely check those out! Thank you!

wizzybeth

How many calories are you eating per day? Are you weighing and measuring? Also if you are retaining water, need to go to the bathroom, had a lot of sodium, etc...that can all keep your weight from moving down.

lholmes1985

1260. Measuring. Should I be weighing instead?

tlblood

lholmes1985 wrote: »

1260. Measuring. Should I be weighing instead?

I highly recommend weighing instead. Measuring is better than nothing, but often the measurement given in a serving size is quite a bit off from the weight given for the serving size.

Be sure you're drinking plenty of water, too. That can aid in weight loss, especially if you eat a lot of high sodium foods.

lholmes1985

Ok! I'll definitely grab a good scale! And up my water intake a lot

Lisabobisa13

Don't rely on the scale only. Measure your neck, chest and waist. The scale may go up as you start building muscle, but the other measurements should start decreasing.

Make your new eating habits a lifestyle change...not a diet. Diets are temporary. I eat whatever I want, I have just reduced the portions. Make a fist, that is a portion size. When I go out to eat, I share a meal with someone.

I used to crave chips and donuts and soda and ice cream and french fries. Then I changed my thinking. Those foods are always going to be around. I can have them whenever I want. But I really don't need to eat them everyday. So I stopped keeping them in my house. I have those foods every once in a while, but now my body doesn't crave them anymore.

Can't remember where I read this advice but the author said when you change your caloric intake and start losing weight you body may start thinking you are starving, so it increases your appetite to gain the weight back. The advice the author gave was one day a week, eat whatever and don't count the calories. That will stop the body from thinking it is starving. That advice has worked for me. I have gone from size 18 pants 4 years ago to size 12 pants (same size I wore in high school in the 80's). My chest has gone down from 44 inches to 38 inches. Waist down from 38 inches to 32. I weighed 210 lbs in 2011, and I now weigh 175. ( I also do 45 min - 90 minutes cardio workouts 4 days a week as well as weight lifting/circuit training).

A really good book to read to help understand why certain foods are "good" and "bad" is called "Eat Right For Life". http://www.drannwellness.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=30

Keep trying...you are worth the effort!!!!

wizzybeth

You might also want to consider upping your calorie intake so you will be less likely to be hungry and overeat. I eat about 1350 per day - some days I don't eat that many but it just helps. I've lost 15 lbs since Jan 25. I average from 1 - 2.5 lbs per week. Some weeks I don't lose on "weigh in" day but it catches up a couple days later, depending on so many things like time of the month, sodium intake, BM's, etc...

Feel free to peek at my diary if you want if it helps. I do weigh just about everything! (Just don't look at Friday night, that was wayyyy over for the day ha ha)

Hang in there!

Lisabobisa13

One more thing, keep journaling your food intake. It's hard for me to believe I overeat sometimes (for a whole week even), that's where journaling has been really useful for me.

juliet3455

@wizzybeth nailed it with her list of important posts to read and Lisabobisa13 with her comments about keep on journaling.
Here are a few more posts that are pretty good.

An index of Important posts to read.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

A second Version of Logging Accurately with a little more guidance especially when it comes to Searching for and Selecting Food from the database.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

I offer Five pieces of advice on the food data base.

1) Compare the Nutritional Data to the USDA Website for un-biased confirmation of the values.

2) Look for items that do not have a * beside there name. As the * indicates it was entered into the Database by another MFP member. At the bottom of the search window there is a little note ( * = Nutritional information provided by another MyFitnessPal member).

3) Look for items that have been verified by a lot of users, if you have two choices and one is verified by 4 people and one is verified by 1000 people, its not likely that 1000 people are wrong.

4) If you have multiple choices look for the one that has grams available in the portion size drop down menu.

5) Rather than creating a new Entry in the Database and adding to the confusing mess I Select the one that has values closest to the USDA Website data - cross referenced to the Label on the product. Then do an Edit on it. I have a Personal Bias to always add a 100g reference

@dflat0821 Listed two pretty good books to read or listen to as audio books.
Here are two more that are the ones that influenced me.
Lose it Right by James Fell and The Diet Fix by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff.
I initially borrowed them from my Local Medical Clinic ( they have a selection of books that were purchased by the Doctors and Nurses during there school studies) then I signed them out of the Local Library and finally purchased my own copy.

Don't let a few bad Days stop you. Flip the page on the calendar and keep on logging. This is a Journey - Not a Race and as we Lose weight the Finish Line to get into Maintenance will also keep moving.

sahead710

Don't let an unmoving scale discourage you, I had a serious unmoving scale problem before I came on here and even a bit after, I've been attempting to eat better (it didn't always work very well) and working out diligently 4-5 days a week for 5 months now and I'm just now seeing weight loss, sometimes it takes time and trying new things but no matter how much results you are seeing or are not you have to remember that what you're doing for your body is good for it and that it will pay you back in kind eventually if you're keeping yourself on track happy logging!