How was "food tracking" for you?

Amber030583

I just decided today that I would use the food tracking on here. So I put in the food for yesterday and now I have started with today. As of right now I am over the calories they said I should have. Then again, I have not worked out yet.I find this kind of discouraging. Has any one had this experience? Or possibly can enlighten me on this and what I need to do? I have always been the one that doesn't really care about what I eat. I feel that I eat semi normal. I am not one of those fast food people. However, I do like my Taco John's but I seldom have it.

So in the past I have never thought I would need to really care about my caloric intake or anything. I think part of my problem is that I don't like to fail and seeing the big red negative number is making me feel like I have failed. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Amber

goal30Lori

Hi Amber! I joined this site specifically for the food tracking, because I knew I was eating way more than I was supposed to. It was amazing to me that I could easily eat 1000 or more calories over and above my recommended values! If you make your food diary public(ar add me as a friend if your diary is set to friends only), I can take a peek in there and see if there are better options for the choices you are making. I'm new at this too though, so take my advice with a grain of salt, LOL! Do you mean that you are already over for your day today? How many meals have you eaten so far?

sngnyrslp

When I go over on my calories, or if I know I'm going to (like if I'm planning on going out to dinner), I just make sure to work out harder and longer and burn extra calories. That's really all you can do, I think. Aside from that, take a look at what you're eating and consider it when you're making food decisions in the future.

Amber030583

Hi Amber! I joined this site specifically for the food tracking, because I knew I was eating way more than I was supposed to. It was amazing to me that I could easily eat 1000 or more calories over and above my recommended values! If you make your food diary public(ar add me as a friend if your diary is set to friends only), I can take a peek in there and see if there are better options for the choices you are making. I'm new at this too though, so take my advice with a grain of salt, LOL! Do you mean that you are already over for your day today? How many meals have you eaten so far?

I know my diet is not the best by any means. I have to have my soda. I know that sounds bad but I have cut back and eliminated the Mountain Dew. (I am on anti anxiety meds which make me so drowsy it is hard to function without some caffeine) Yeah, I am already over for the day. But I haven't worked out. Like yesterday thought with my workout I burned something like 953 calories? And right now I am over by 23. See my problem is when I have cereal in the morning I can't just have one bowl or I am not filled up and I am hungry in an hour or so. Then I also have a snacky snacky issue. I sit at my desk all day here and we are not really up and producing right now(I work at a biodiesel plant) so I really do not have a lot of paperwork to do. Just sucks. Like is it normal to go over at first til you can get used to everything and adjust it? Sooo confused and discouraged.

Learning2LoveMe

So far for me its working great. I know if I don't track I'll end up eating like crazy. Tracking helps me watch what I eat more... and slow down, not eat so much.

I try not to get worked up over it if I end up in the red, as long as I'm not WAY over my calories. If it's 1-250 over, no big deal... I just exercise to make it up as close as I can.

Joscelle

Food tracking has helped me a lot - in fact, I think it has been the one thing that has made a big difference. At the beginning it felt like I was completely blowing it but I told myself I would just keep going - no matter what those numbers say. You will find yourself making better choices as there's nothing like seeing those lists in full detail.

As long as you're honest with yourself, it's very helpful - it has kept me accountable. There are days where I will eat a lot of sweets and really go over the limits but hey, it's life and sometimes a huge burger AND dessert are the only things that will do it for me.

It's a lifestyle change and the good thing is, you can try again each day. Hang in there.

goal30Lori

Hi Amber! I joined this site specifically for the food tracking, because I knew I was eating way more than I was supposed to. It was amazing to me that I could easily eat 1000 or more calories over and above my recommended values! If you make your food diary public(ar add me as a friend if your diary is set to friends only), I can take a peek in there and see if there are better options for the choices you are making. I'm new at this too though, so take my advice with a grain of salt, LOL! Do you mean that you are already over for your day today? How many meals have you eaten so far?

I know my diet is not the best by any means. I have to have my soda. I know that sounds bad but I have cut back and eliminated the Mountain Dew. (I am on anti anxiety meds which make me so drowsy it is hard to function without some caffeine) Yeah, I am already over for the day. But I haven't worked out. Like yesterday thought with my workout I burned something like 953 calories? And right now I am over by 23. See my problem is when I have cereal in the morning I can't just have one bowl or I am not filled up and I am hungry in an hour or so. Then I also have a snacky snacky issue. I sit at my desk all day here and we are not really up and producing right now(I work at a biodiesel plant) so I really do not have a lot of paperwork to do. Just sucks. Like is it normal to go over at first til you can get used to everything and adjust it? Sooo confused and discouraged.

How about diet Mountain Dew? And veggies for snacking?Skim milk in your cereal? I have a hard time getting all my water in too, but if I do, I find I am not nearly as hungry.

HTH!

glfprncs2

If it's the sodas that are really sabotaging your calories (oh, wait...I think I just remembered somewhere you said you drank diet...hmmm, there's recent research that correlates those who drink diet sodas with weight gain...I'll have to look it up), I would certainly try to find other ways to get the caffeine you feel you need without the sugar. My one big vice is my morning coffee. I have two GIANT cups, but I drink it black. No creamers, no sweeteners, no nothing. The calories in sugared sodas is huge...if you could swap that out for something (tea?), you may find that your other nutrition is much more reasonable.

It may be helpful if you open your food diary to public so that we might be able to see if there are other things that could be swapped out for foods that are still good, but not packed with calories.

I eat regularly throughout the day...every 2 1/2-3 hours...I find that it helps me manage my calories much more easily than trying to only eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

emmylou13

It will get easier... if this is you first / second day... don't beat yourself up over 23 calories... remember it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound... so 23 isn't a big deal... and many of us would be over if we didn't exercise... I exercise to earn calories

Anyways in terms of the snacking LOG EVERYTHING before you eat it... then you can make the decision if it is worth it to you... do you... if you really want it just take note of it and work it off later... no big deal!

In terms of breakfast... you may want to try making omlets / getting in some protein... cereal wouldn't fill me up either...!

good luck!!!

Amber030583

How about diet Mountain Dew? And veggies for snacking?Skim milk in your cereal? I have a hard time getting all my water in too, but if I do, I find I am not nearly as hungry.

HTH!

I actually have eliminated the Mountain Dew. I have been drinking Dr. Pepper and have limited myself to two cans a day. Sometimes on the weekends though I find myself having a couple more. I do drink a lot of water at work. I have a bottle that I refill at work so I drink about five bottles at work and drink about 3 at home at night. I drink alot. lol. I friended you. I am not sure if you can see my journal. (I am new to mfp)

MacMadame

If you know you are definitely going to exercise today, put it in now. You need to do that anyway, in general, or you end up having to stuff yourself every night to eat what you just finished exercising off -- when you probably won't even be hungry just then.

What I did when I was first starting out was to set my food diary up for maintenance. I used it to take inventory of where I was. I wanted to see if I had trouble spots and how healthy I was eating. I wasn't even actively trying to lose weight at that point.

However, just by logging my food, I found myself making better choices and I did start to lose weight. Then, as I had data to work with, I start working on specific areas one at a time such as getting more water, then eating more protein, then cutting out added sugar, etc., etc.

By doing it that way instead of jumping in and trying to go from high calorie eating to something like 1200 calories a day in one fell swoop, it was less overwhelming and I experienced success all along the way. I didn't even lower my calorie goal from its maintenance level until I was regularly eating less calories (due to drinking more water and eating more protein and therefore being less hungry).

mamagooskie

I need to track my food or I'd never lose weight, I used to eat way way way too much and of the wrong things......I could easily probably quadruple my daily food intake and that would be the reason I was twice the size I should be.

I love tracking and it keeps in line. I do have my cheat days and do see the the big red minus.....but I don't let it get to me if it's occasional.

Tracking does get easier though as time goes on. There are days I don't want to track what I eat but I know it's for the best so I keep on doing it.

aippolito1

Try to estimate what you'll burn for the day and then put in what you plan on eating all day. Make some tweaks so you don't see the red numbers. For right now, don't worry about the red numbers on anything but calories. Since you're just starting out, focus only on calories. Make sure your protein is set at least to 30% and your fiber to 25g and then you won't have to worry about red numbers there (most likely). Go to My home / Goals / Change Goals / Custom to change your percentages (carbs/protein/fat) and fiber goal.

stressd1mom

I love the food tracking, there is so many items in the database that I don't have to go looking elsewhere first. I never worried about calories before either, I never thought that I was actually consuming as many calories a day as I was. It was a real eye opener. After truly seeing how many calories are in certain things, I started to make healthier choices. I am also a very organized person & I like to be held accountable for my choices. Good luck!

jrich1

I had my wife do it for the longest time for me and then I started doing it myself a month or so ago, Its second nature, I use it as a tool to keep me accountable for my food and tells me what I should eat and how much, its really great

glfprncs2

To make your diary public, click the "MY HOME" tab, then click 'Settings.' In the list of choices, click "Diary Settings." Near the bottom of that page you'll see where you can make it public (if you want to) and then click to save the changes.

Holton

If your goal is to lose weight over a certain period of time, then counting calories is truly the way to do it and to be successull at it, it is helpful to stay within a range of the recommended level of calories. That does not mean you should panic when you go over, as I think it is impossible to hit on target your "assigned" calorie count each day. Some days you will be over, others you will be under. And do eat back any exercise calories you earn on a given day.

When I started out, I found it helpful to enter my foods in advance to eating them, as it was a way for me to learn more about the right kind of foods to eat. It is hard to make a lot of changes at first, but hopefully you can develop more healthy snacking options as you go along and wean yourself off of sodas.

Counting calories keeps me on track and tells me when I should stop eating or readjust what I am eating. It is a tool that if used properly will empower you to lose the weight that you want to lose. Good luck on your journey.

Amber030583

Ok everyone, I have marked it public. Please don't be too harsh.....eeekk

emmylou13

what might make your life a bit easier is to allocate an amount of calories for each meal so you don't over, or under eat.... for example 3 meals (400 calories each) and 3 snacks 150 calories each... and then a bonus snack for exercise... that is what I do... hope it helps!

4lafz

I have been tracking and it works out great. I have enjoyed full calorie sodas for YEARS and am completely off of them! They are empty calories and there are many alternatives. You just have to keep testing and trying. In addition - you need to find low calorie options for your meals that are more filling and less calories. Check out the other forums for manu suggestions - including Recipes. Good luck!

glfprncs2

what might make your life a bit easier is to allocate an amount of calories for each meal so you don't over, or under eat.... for example 3 meals (400 calories each) and 3 snacks 150 calories each... and then a bonus snack for exercise... that is what I do... hope it helps!

This is similar to what I do as well...and I find that it keeps me from 'junking out' at other times of the day.

You also said that you snack out of boredom at the office right now because it's slow. Is there something else you can do rather than snack? Whenever I want to snack, and it's not really 'snack time' yet, I get up, move around, drink some water, chew some gum, pet the dog, flip pencils...I do something to get my mind off of wanting a snack (because it really is a want, not a need.)

Also, from your food diary, you're eating a lot of foods that are processed...they're prepackaged/in a can. They're generally loaded with sugar and preservatives and from personal experience, they make me hungrier! Since I've switched to eating more 'real' foods (fresh fruits, veggies, wraps, lean cuts of chicken, beef, seafood, etc.), my cravings are so much more manageable.

Also, remember that this is a process. Rome wasn't built in a day, and making small swaps each week will be easier than just going 'cold turkey' on a totally revamped menu.

For breakfast...can you find a cereal that you like that contains less sugar? That will help save you calories. For lunch, can you pack your own that includes some fresh veggies, fruit and proteins? Can you swap out the sugary soda for something else with the caffeine that you desire?

MysterriGal

I love the food diary! If it had not been for my food diary I would not have lost a pound yet, just because you have no idea what your eating unless you record it.
I know what you mean by the one bowl of cereal issue, its not enough, but instead of just eating more cereal I eat things that are lower in calories, for example a bowl of berries with some almonds. Gives me sweet and a bit of protein and it balances it out. Along side a bowl of cereal, it keeps me going pretty well til lunch. Variety is good because you feel fuller if you've eaten more things, regardless of quantity. Also, lower fat options work great. I like my 0.5% extra calcium milk. I used to hate it, now I can't even drink 2%. slowly add more switches, being able to see the difference in your diary helps a lot.

Amber030583

I usually drink 1% milk but my dad picked me up a gallon while he was at the store and grabbed 2% on accident. So that is a better change I guess. The spaghettios are not a normal item but I was running late for work so I just grabbed them out of the cupboard and ran out the door. They were actually my sons. lol. I know excuses, excuses.

See my main thing is that I am not much of a cook. I have to be really in the mood to cook something. Like in the morning I would love to make some eggs or something but I just haven't had the motivation to do it. LOL. Plus I am usually short on time. Every morning I am out the door by 6:50 am and I don't usually get out of bed till 5:50 and have to get my son and I ready to get out the door.

Anyways, any and all suggestions are welcome with open arms. Keep em' coming!

Yurippe

Try adding more fruit and vegtables to your diet (5 servings a day).

If the cereal doesn't fill you up in the morning do you like oatmeal? Quaker has a line of weight control oatmeal that have less sugar and more protien and fiber. It keeps me full for hours.

If you don't enjoy cooking often, make huge amounts of foods at a time and freeze them for meals later.

Don't try to take every suggestion you get and impliment them all at the same time. Pick one (or two) and work on that until it's easy. Once that is a habit you can add another change.

goal30Lori

I peeked at your food diary, it's not too bad! I'd just try to pair higher calorie things with lower calorie things, like your Chop Suey and your cheese strings... I would have saved the cheese strings for an afternoon snack, because though I could easily have eaten them together, adding in some broccoli and an apple would fill me up too, and saves calories!! Feel free to peek through my diary for ideas if you'd like! There's mistakes in there too, no doubt! But - I'm making changes slowly as well. I still drink Coke Zero more often than I should, for one!

Good luck!

navstar

I know what its like to be short of time in the mornings, (carer for disabled mother in law who gets up at 7 and needs attention straight away and mother to a very active 3 year old who always wants attention same time as his Gran!) so to save time I prepare breakfast before I go to sleep, IE get together all ingredients for the omelette's or what ever I'm having in the morning cut anything that needs cutting, put it in a tub and back in the fridge, set the table, make sandwiches for lunch for hubby, get his snacks in his lunch box, even get the pan on the stove with the spatula next to it, ETC, it takes about 30 Min's each night, but it saves my sanity in the morning. And I always plan my meals before i get the shopping so I know I have everything for the week and I check the calories as I write my shopping list, it takes longer at first but now most of my meals/snacks are in my "my food" section and it takes seconds to check.

Don't get disheartened if you go over the set calories remember that as long as you eat under your maintenance calories you will still lose weight, and it is still early days, it took me about 2 weeks to get used to "food tracking". And some days you will be over some days, close to goal some days, and even under on others.

Good luck with your weight loss, just by joining this site you've taken a giant step in the right direction.

suejonestx

Food tracking is hard, but that's really the whole point of this website, in my opinion. It forces you to see the actual calorie count of what you are putting into your body, and since weight loss using the "calorie counting" method is truly a formula, it makes sense to track calories. What I've learned is that my food choices matter much more than I previously thought they did, and (thankfully) there are easy ways to carve out extra calories that have helped me lose weight. I choose to (mostly) focus on nutritional, satisfying calorie foods instead of say a snickers for lunch, which may be within the calorie limit but doesn't provide much nutrition. Since in my world, workouts may or may not happen, even if I plan them, I try to stay within my calorie goal. If I workout, either I eat some of them back after the workout or just take the calorie deficit in stride. Lastly (sorry to bore some of you!), if I do stick to my calorie limit (give or take 100 cals) every day, the magic of weight loss REALLY DOES happen for me! (I've been off the wagon for about a month, but am just now getting back on). Good luck!!!

merimeaux

Hi Amber! You've got a lot of great responses here already, but I thought I'd go ahead and put in my two cents.

First of all, the food diary has helped me IMMENSELY. I started a 30-week program combining diet, exercise and therapy on May 27 and yesterday I found out that I've lost 10 pounds! I credit this to being cognizant of what I'm eating because I'm recording what I eat. The diary really increases your accountability and awareness.

As far as the fear of failure, as my dietitian/therapist said, just because you're over your recommended calories does not mean that you're going to gain weight as long as you're still under your maintenance calories--or, the amount of calories it takes to keep you alive with normal activity. (Navstar also mentioned this.) He also said that you shouldn't get disenchanted with logging your calories just because you feel like you blew it for a meal or two. If you can still manage to log those calories during those rough patches, imagine what you're capable of during the good times, right?

I'm not sure what kind of food you prefer, but to feel full longer, you'll want to choose foods high in protein and fiber. The Kashi brand has a huge line of granola bars, cereals and entrees that are relatively low in calories and high in protein, fiber and other such good nutrients. I'm a vegetarian so I eat a good amount of fruits and veggies, along with stuff like nonfat yogurt, whole wheat pastas, beans and such. Feel free to look at my food diary if you want different ideas for meals and snacks. I will say that I'm supposed to have 1600 calories a day but I'm not very good at meeting that goal. (I was anorexic for a long time in college...old habits die hard, I guess.) Also, don't forget to drink LOTS of water if you can handle it. That'll fill you up! If you don't like water, try unsweetened tea (I love Good Earth's Original stuff, Aveda tea, Republic of Tea stuff, etc.) or Crystal Light or something.

Sorry for such a long message but I hope you took something out of it. But like another poster said, don't go crazy on all of our suggestions. Take a couple, try them out, and go from there. You don't want to do everything and get burned out!

Best wishes on your journey, my friend :flowerforyou:

Amber030583

Wow! I am just so appreciative of all the great responses I am getting here! Thank you soo much! I am so glad I joined this site! All of the responses are great and are really helping me enlighten myself on everything. Just maybe this tracker will not be too bad. I will just need to get used to that I will not be under everyday that it is ok to be over but to learn from it. This is really the kick in the bum I needed especially cause the big grocery shopping is to be done this weekend.

Honestly, I thought when I posted this I was going to find that alot of people did not use it. I was wrong! lol. I am going to try to keep with it. Too bad there wasn't a blackberry app so I could log it when I am away from home.

Any other suggestions are great! Also, if you guys know of simple substitutions for simple things that everyone uses let me know.

Thank you soo much everyone! It means alot.

MacMadame

I'm pretty sure there is a blackberry app. I know there's an iPhone one because I use it.

LotusF1ower

I just decided today that I would use the food tracking on here. So I put in the food for yesterday and now I have started with today. As of right now I am over the calories they said I should have. Then again, I have not worked out yet.I find this kind of discouraging. Has any one had this experience? Or possibly can enlighten me on this and what I need to do? I have always been the one that doesn't really care about what I eat. I feel that I eat semi normal. I am not one of those fast food people. However, I do like my Taco John's but I seldom have it.

So in the past I have never thought I would need to really care about my caloric intake or anything. I think part of my problem is that I don't like to fail and seeing the big red negative number is making me feel like I have failed. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Amber

It was only when I started to record my foods daily on MFP that I was shocked to see just how many calories I was REALLY eating. That was the moment I knew that all my failed attempts at losing weight before (except once many years ago) were due to me kidding myself and it was a massive turning point for me.

Stuff I had always thought was okay, was in actual fact to my detriment. However, that all changed and as the weeks fly by and the pounds come off, I am, truly, grateful to MFP, it was a lifesaver for me.

You see, I was never a failure, but my reasoning was way off, that has now turned around and that is why I love MFP so, it is one powerful piece of kit!

The same with you, it is not YOU who is the failure, but your judgement on some of the things you were eating was slightly out if you are talking about calories. You have this site now though to help you get to grips with everything and therefore, you are not a failure in any way x