Confused. Please help

angelcake1978

So. DAY ONE and quite confused already.

I have previously done slimming world and lost 3 stone, but a sit down shift working job and too much food has meant I've put it back on again!

My slimming world mind which says I "syn" and can eat as much fruit, veg, pasta as I want with weighed cheese and bread, I find it a little confusing as to what I SHOULD be eating.
I have eaten an apple and yoghurt for breakfast.
Homemade soup (tomato, pepper, carrots and veg stock) for lunch
Tea was a tomato, ham, mushroom and pepper omelette.

I have eaten 1200 calories worth of food and am under by 200 according to my recommendations. Do I NEED to eat the full amount? Is this balanced enough???

PLEASE help?

jgnatca

That diet sounds very complicated and unnecessary. Do they have a hot line?

angelcake1978

It's not one that I'm following now. Hence my move to MFP. I just need reassurance, I think, that what I've eaten today is balanced enough and to ask if I HAVE to use all calories?

ChristineE63

If you are not hungry and you have eaten at least 1200 calories today you can just stop eating for the day, if you are still hungry, great, you have 200 calories to fill your belly.

ccsernica

I assume you're asking about MFP and are confused because of your Slimming World experience?

MFP will track calories and macronutrients for you. Your diet will be reasonably balanced if you come close to your macro goals, and you sound as if you're eating a good variety. In theory, if you do that your calories should be close to your goal as well, but calorie counts can be "off" by as much as 20%.

Another thing to be cautious about is that the database is largely user-contributed and may be inaccurate. It pays to double-check to ensure you're using accurate entries.

Solid food is best tracked by actual weight, not volume, although estimates are occasionally unavoidable.

You don't "need" to eat the full amount of calories, but as long as you do you will usually lose weight at the rate you have set since it should have the calorie deficit built in. There's no need to undereat.

MichelleSilverleaf

It's ideal to use all of the calories MFP gives you, it essentially calculates what you need to run plus a deficit to lose weight. If your diet is a good variety of stuff you should be just fine in terms of balance.

diannethegeek

Eat foods that you like in portion sizes that fit your goals.

Get enough of fats & protein for health and satiety.

Get plenty of fruits & veggies for the micronutrients.

Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs, sweets, and treats as you see fit.

It's hard to tell based on the quick descriptions you've given whether or not it's balanced, but if you're hitting your nutrition goals and like what you're eating then it sounds fine. There are no foods that you must avoid or must eat for weight loss. What's important is the overall calories in your day and the way the diet makes you feel.

I found it easier to log my food and then make small changes as I went instead of trying to overhaul my diet to hit some perfect ideal. You should play around with your diet and see what makes you feel best.

And if you haven't already, read the stickied "must reads" posts at the top of each forum section. Especially: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest and https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest. There's a ton of really good information there.

angelcake1978

Thank you.

Yep. Confused because of the food I was eating on slimming world, which did not need weighing. All the "free" and "speed" foods and moving on to macronutrients which is a whole new word to me!!! Lol

Ccsernica, you say there may be inaccuracies for the data, do you have a "go to" site/app to double check

diannethegeek

You might find this useful: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1

kimny72

1200 is the minimum calories MFP will give you, so yes in general you should eat all of them. If some days you are under you can carry those calories over to the next day if you'd like.

A good way to see if you are eating a balanced diet is to see how you are doing with your protein, fat, and fiber goals. Many here look at those goals as minimums they want to hit or even exceed. But the calorie goal is priority #1.

Make sure you are logging accurately too, as 1200 calories is not a lot. Just be patient with yourself and keep learning as you go!

angelcake1978

Thank you

ccsernica

angelcake1978 wrote: »

Thank you.

Yep. Confused because of the food I was eating on slimming world, which did not need weighing. All the "free" and "speed" foods and moving on to macronutrients which is a whole new word to me!!! Lol

Ccsernica, you say there may be inaccuracies for the data, do you have a "go to" site/app to double check

If it's packaged food, it may suffice just to check what it says on the package.

Here in America, the USDA has a food composition database you can search that I find very useful: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list Most of its entries have been added to MFP's database, and they're most easily found by NDB number. Otherwise it tends to get lost among all the other entries that come out of a search. You gave your weight loss in stone, so I assume you're in the UK. I don't know if you have an equivalent database over there, but if so you might prefer to use it. If there are any differences in food preparation that result in different calorie counts, it will be more accurate for you.

angelcake1978

ccsernica wrote: »

angelcake1978 wrote: »

Thank you.

Yep. Confused because of the food I was eating on slimming world, which did not need weighing. All the "free" and "speed" foods and moving on to macronutrients which is a whole new word to me!!! Lol

Ccsernica, you say there may be inaccuracies for the data, do you have a "go to" site/app to double check

If it's packaged food, it may suffice just to check what it says on the package.

Here in America, the USDA has a food composition database you can search that I find very useful: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list Most of its entries have been added to MFP's database, and they're most easily found by NDB number. Otherwise it tends to get lost among all the other entries that come out of a search. You gave your weight loss in stone, so I assume you're in the UK. I don't know if you have an equivalent database over there, but if so you might prefer to use it. If there are any differences in food preparation that result in different calorie counts, it will be more accurate for you.

Yes. I'm UK

brisingr86

A couple folks have mentioned hitting macros to define if your diet is "balanced", but at its root, MFP is based on calories in, calories out (CICO) concept: if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. It doesn't matter whether those calories are from cake or loads of vegetables. That said, you will be healthier and likely feel better if you eat a well balanced diet with a mix of protein, vegetables, fruits and some carbs (for which the macros can be a good guide). Sounds like you're on the right track (although if you're hungry and have calories, definitely eat them; you might lose a little faster if you don't, but it will probably be easier to maintain if you don't feel like you're starving yourself). Welcome and good luck!

jgnatca

You have hit the minimum (1200 calories), have eaten a variety of foods, and you aren’t hungry. You’re good.

angelcake1978

brisingr86 wrote: »

A couple folks have mentioned hitting macros to define if your diet is "balanced", but at its root, MFP is based on calories in, calories out (CICO) concept: if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. It doesn't matter whether those calories are from cake or loads of vegetables. That said, you will be healthier and likely feel better if you eat a well balanced diet with a mix of protein, vegetables, fruits and some carbs (for which the macros can be a good guide). Sounds like you're on the right track (although if you're hungry and have calories, definitely eat them; you might lose a little faster if you don't, but it will probably be easier to maintain if you don't feel like you're starving yourself). Welcome and good luck!

This has helped massively. Thank you