easing into calorie counting

RaggedyAnnazon

calorie counting is super overwhelming for me, but I know i need to do it to lose weight.
Any recommendations on easing into it? Should I start by doing a general count of everything, like ball park estimates or should I just start with accurately and in detail counting one meal a day and work my way up?

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

It can be overwhelming at first. I found it helpful to have no expectations for the first couple of weeks. I called it my trial period. Weigh and measure everything you eat, but don't make drastic changes to your diet just yet. This way you can get a feel for what you are currently eating. Don't freak out when you go over (which will likely be daily). After you get the hang of this and it becomes habit and you're noticing trends, start gradually making changes to your diet.

You may also notice people talking about macro nutrients: protein, carbs, etc. Don't worry about this for now. Keep it simple and look only at your calories until you master that.

Good luck! This works!

RaggedyAnnazon

even counting to see what I am eating now is overwhelming. I have a few mental things that i'm taking care of but i know weight loss will help with it as it'll be easier for my body to regulate and all that.

Ready2Rock206

Just start logging then. I know we're on MFP and the whole idea is to use the app/website - but if it is too overwhelming maybe start just writing down everything you eat in a notebook. Work your way up. Just seeing what you eat during the day can be a real eye opener. Then you can see where you need to start making changes. Then when you're ready you can start using the app. Log it all. Work your way up to accuracy. Might take a little longer to reach your goals, but sounds like you have a lot going on right now and diving right in expecting perfection might be too much all at once.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

It takes a while. Eventually it will become habit if you just keep up with it.

Dootzy1

Maybe........just make little deals with yourself. People on here call them "baby steps"-- just to get yourself going towards your goals. I kind of make a game of it! (That you will take just "one serving" instead of going back for seconds, for example. That you will be seated when you eat or that you will do a "hunger check" before grabbing something to eat.....etc. )

ManiacalLaugh

BinkyBonk wrote: »

It can be overwhelming at first. I found it helpful to have no expectations for the first couple of weeks. I called it my trial period. Weigh and measure everything you eat, but don't make drastic changes to your diet just yet. This way you can get a feel for what you are currently eating. Don't freak out when you go over (which will likely be daily). After you get the hang of this and it becomes habit and you're noticing trends, start gradually making changes to your diet.

You may also notice people talking about macro nutrients: protein, carbs, etc. Don't worry about this for now. Keep it simple and look only at your calories until you master that.

Good luck! This works!

This is solid advice. I found that just writing everything down (using brutal honesty)really helped me get my mind around how it works and what I was eating. For me, the precise weighing and measuring didn't actually come into play until I'd already lost about 80lbs, but it was necessary for me to push through a "plateau" I was on.