Okay, okay. I guess it's time I start counting things. HALP!

cassandranken

I've counted calories before, but counting carbs and fat macros is foreign to me and I'm a little freaked out, especially since I can't seem to figure out how to set my MFP to where it needs to be. These are my results.

I'm at 183.3 today, 4'9'', 26 years old and ATM don't exercise

I used this website which gave me 1,346 calories to lose weight, and this chart:



but I'm still confused.

Counting calories was easy, but now it's like, 2 more things to count? My ADHD mind is having such a hard time with this. I'm a little concerned this is one of those things my mind is going to say "it's too hard to figure out, *kitten* it"

Overwhelmed

SherryTeach

I wouldn't be too concerned right now with anything except calories. Get most of them from lean meat, veg, fruit, dairy and whole grain, in other words, nutrient-rich food. Don't worry about the other stuff.

rankinsect

cassandranken wrote: »

I've counted calories before, but counting carbs and fat macros is foreign to me and I'm a little freaked out, especially since I can't seem to figure out how to set my MFP to where it needs to be. These are my results.

I'm at 183.3 today, 4'9'', 26 years old and ATM don't exercise

I used this website which gave me 1,346 calories to lose weight, and this chart:



but I'm still confused.

Counting calories was easy, but now it's like, 2 more things to count? My ADHD mind is having such a hard time with this. I'm a little concerned this is one of those things my mind is going to say "it's too hard to figure out, *kitten* it"

Unless you have a specific medical issue, there's no need to go low-carb. You'll lose slightly more initially but it will be more glycogen and water weight.

All I do (63+ lb down so far) is this:

* Pre-plan and pre-log my next day's meals so I am under my calorie goal for the day
* Try to reach or exceed my protein goal if possible, but don't worry too much as long as I get close (I'll throw a protein bar in if I'm way off)
* Work out 3x per week and be more active in general
* When I have meals that are particularly satisfying, noting them down to replicate that on later days

Frankly I don't give a damn about carbs or fats, and there doesn't seem to be any reason I should care - I lose as fast as I safely can anyway.

Lovee_Dove7

That's a good start! Now, you weigh your food in grams on a food scale, and start logging. Even if you don't get your macros perfectly, it will all start coming together.
Just begin logging and don't stress about doing it perfectly.
You'll be able to adjust what you do as time passes and you get used to doing this.

cassandranken

@rankinsect that sounds fine and dandy...I guess I'm just getting in that paranoid state I get, thinking, I don't want to waste this entire month and not see any losses. I simply can't exercise right now. I've tried, and I'm braindead. I work with Alzheimers and Dementia patients and I just...don't have the brain power to even think about exercising when I get home. So that's why I was so concerned, at least if I wasn't going to exercise just yet I could figure out these macro thingies. IDK. I'm just stressed about work tonight.

cassandranken

Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »

That's a good start! Now, you weigh your food in grams on a food scale, and start logging. Even if you don't get your macros perfectly, it will all start coming together.
Just begin logging and don't stress about doing it perfectly.
You'll be able to adjust what you do as time passes and you get used to doing this.

I still need to get a food scale...I think I get paid this upcoming Friday.

rankinsect

cassandranken wrote: »

@rankinsect that sounds fine and dandy...I guess I'm just getting in that paranoid state I get, thinking, I don't want to waste this entire month and not see any losses. I simply can't exercise right now. I've tried, and I'm braindead. I work with Alzheimers and Dementia patients and I just...don't have the brain power to even think about exercising when I get home. So that's why I was so concerned, at least if I wasn't going to exercise just yet I could figure out these macro thingies. IDK. I'm just stressed about work tonight.

You can lose weight with 0 exercise if you need to (exercise has other health benefits). Low carb vs. high carb is basically irrelevant. Higher protein is helpful as it helps protect lean mass to some degree, and it's more filling.

Weight loss really isn't complicated. It's not easy, but it is simple.

Your most important tool is just a simple food scale.

Lovee_Dove7

cassandranken wrote: »

@rankinsect that sounds fine and dandy...I guess I'm just getting in that paranoid state I get, thinking, I don't want to waste this entire month and not see any losses. I simply can't exercise right now. I've tried, and I'm braindead. I work with Alzheimers and Dementia patients and I just...don't have the brain power to even think about exercising when I get home. So that's why I was so concerned, at least if I wasn't going to exercise just yet I could figure out these macro thingies. IDK. I'm just stressed about work tonight.

Even if you didn't lose a lot of weight the first month, the changes you make will make you feel better.
If you let impatience make your decisions, don't you think you'll keep running around in this anxious circle?

cassandranken

That is true... @Lovee_Dove7 I have this bad habit, I think I get it from my military-father, I'm very "ALL" or "NOTHING." Sometimes it causes me to get a little obsessive. I also think it's part of past disordered eating. I'm trying to be patient, really, I am. It just bothers me--I don't even think I'm in ketosis right now. I guess I don't have to be though, I mean I lost weight before just by counting calories.

Azurite27

I would worry more about getting adequate protein and healthy fats and not worry about your carbs unless you have a special health issue. This is what I did and didn't have any trouble. In fact for the first 75 pounds or so I didn't even bother with macros, not until I found MFP. But learning about macros helped me feel a lot better. Exercise if you can but you don't have to. Set your activity level on MFP without considering exercise and then if you do find time, eat back some of those calories, kinda like a little reward for exercising.

WendyLaubach

I've been investigating various kinds of exercises, and I know what you mean about feeling too brain-dead to deal with it. For now, I've decided to start with the dumbest, simplest thing imaginable: just get on the treadmill every day for 45 minutes. The only complication I deal with is wearing a cheap heart monitor (or using the one built into the machine), and keeping my heart rate between 110 and 130. You can do this when you have zero mental energy and concentration going for you. Later on, when I have more endurance, I can think about changing this up and lifting weights and what not, but there's no reason not to start with something immediately. Something constructive right now is better than the perfect thing much later, or never at all! If you keep your heart rate in a constant range, you'll automatically increase your effort (maybe by speeding up, or increasing the incline) without having to consult any charts or do any calculations. Your heart will keep track for you; it knows how hard it's working. A rate of 110 is more than you'll get from casually walking, but not enough to exhaust you.

It really does help to do this at a gym. At home, you have to make a space, find the right equipment, and resist distractions like the phone or the doorbell. But even at home, if you find something simple, you can make it a simple, ironclad habit to do your x minutes--no matter how fried your brain is from dealing with people all day. Just don't get distracted right up front by all the information about the zillion different forms of exercise available. For now, almost anything is better than nothing, as long as you breathe heavily and sweat some for a consistent period every day.

WendyLaubach

PS, and you'll be amazed how it helps with the stress from work.

daremightythings

WendyLaubach wrote: »

I've been investigating various kinds of exercises, and I know what you mean about feeling too brain-dead to deal with it. For now, I've decided to start with the dumbest, simplest thing imaginable: just get on the treadmill every day for 45 minutes. The only complication I deal with is wearing a cheap heart monitor (or using the one built into the machine), and keeping my heart rate between 110 and 130. You can do this when you have zero mental energy and concentration going for you. Later on, when I have more endurance, I can think about changing this up and lifting weights and what not, but there's no reason not to start with something immediately. Something constructive right now is better than the perfect thing much later, or never at all! If you keep your heart rate in a constant range, you'll automatically increase your effort (maybe by speeding up, or increasing the incline) without having to consult any charts or do any calculations. Your heart will keep track for you; it knows how hard it's working. A rate of 110 is more than you'll get from casually walking, but not enough to exhaust you.

It really does help to do this at a gym. At home, you have to make a space, find the right equipment, and resist distractions like the phone or the doorbell. But even at home, if you find something simple, you can make it a simple, ironclad habit to do your x minutes--no matter how fried your brain is from dealing with people all day. Just don't get distracted right up front by all the information about the zillion different forms of exercise available. For now, almost anything is better than nothing, as long as you breathe heavily and sweat some for a consistent period every day.

This is such wonderful advice, and the way it's written is exactly what I needed to hear right now.

In terms of counting macros, it's honestly really easy! MFP kind of does it for you, when you look at each meal it tells you how many calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber, sodium, etc. are in each food, depending on which nutrients you have set up to track in your columns. Start out with simply counting your calories and noticing the amount of protein, carbs, and fat you're getting. MFP defaults to a guideline of 50% carb 30% protein 20% fat. I believe. This is where you get the red or green 'over' or 'under' numbers at the bottom of your diary.

If you're not happy with those distributions, you can tweak them in your settings. A good baseline for most people is 40% carb, and 30% each protein and fat. So the trick is to pick a set of ratios, set them up, and plan your meals so that your grams of protein, fat, and carb fall as close to the numbers at the bottom of your diary as possible. Give it some time, at least 4 weeks. If you're not seeing the results you want, pick one variable and change it for another 4 weeks. Then reevaluate. If protein helps you feel full, then you might want to bump it up and lower csrbs or fats in proportion. If you like a lot of fiber, you might want to bump up your carbs to account for that. If delicious fats keep you running smoothly all day, bump it up and ditch some carbs! There is no right or wrong.

It is very possible to go math crazy with counting macros and figuring percentages. Bit you really can start very simply and make small changes based on your observed results. Don't let it stress you, use the concept as a tool when you're ready.