Struggling

ehloring1

I am just starting today. I have been struggling to eat right but I have been having such a difficult time. Any suggestions on getting through this first week ( or day) would be welcomed!

bmeadows380

I've found that planning my menu for the day ahead of time to be a help to me. That first week is always the hardest! Good luck!

tinkerbellang83

Try not to change everything at once. No point in changing everything at once, finding that it's not sustainable and going back to what you've always been doing.

What worked for me was:

• Not starting in a deficit, just logging what I'd normally eat for a couple of days (a food scale is very useful).
• I chose a sensible rate of loss, just because the maximum rate of loss on MFP is 2lbs per week, it doesn't mean that's automatically what you should choose. I have the weight to be able to lose at 2lbs per week, but I wouldn't be able to stick to a 1000 calorie deficit in the long term. If it's a choice between losing slower at 1-1.5lbs per week and lasting until goal, I will take that over starting over every 3-4 weeks out of feeling deprived.
• I looked at the log from the first couple of days and scruitinised what I could cut out/reduce/swap to get from what I was eating to my calorie goal. Such as:
  > Switching from frying to roasting/baking many of my meals - using less oil to cook with.
  > Increasing the ratio of vegetables to other carbs in my meals - for example rather than having Steak with half a plate of chips and a few veg, I'd now have half a plate of veg and a few chips.
  > Cutting down on condiments like Mayo and Creamy Salad Dressings.
  > Buying kids treat size snacks instead of bigger bars/packets.

As time goes on and you get to know what foods help you feel fuller for longer and you can improve your nutrition but in the short term weight loss is about calories and meeting your calorie goal consistently is what is important, so don't worry about eating "right" and just aim for a little better each day.

Better habits are a lot easier to form when you can focus on one at a time.

ehloring1

Thanks for the great advice!