Newbie

zaraxpx

Hi everyone I thought I would give this a try any hints or tips would be great 🙂

KrissFlavored

Some Basic Tips

MFP is designed using the NEAT method. This means that when you perform an exercise and log it into mfp, you are expected to eat back at least 50% of the calories you burned.

Do not eat under 1200 calories per day for women and 1500 calories for men, this can lead to a lot of health problems including lean muscle loss, hair loss, poor skin, organ damage or even failure, and fatigue which can stop all progress you aim to achieve. Always make sure you fuel your body by following the first tip.

Diet preferences are based on the individual, some people make changes in their diet for health related reasons or doctor recommendations. However, for the average person, counting calories means you can enjoy all foods, you can eat whatever makes you feel full and satisfied through the day and eat foods that you know will be life long habits that you will enjoy. This includes treats and restaurant dining. You do not have to limit carbs or fat or anything else to achieve weight loss. Only calories matter.

Make sure that you have a realistic goal. Most people want to lose 2lbs per week, however sometimes this is not possible. 2lbs per week is usually obtained by people who have over 100 pounds to lose. Its important to understand that the less you have to lose, the slower it will be, but that is not a bad thing. You want this time to learn good habits and moderation, so that you can maintain the weight you lost. Set a reasonable goal to 1lbs per week or a half pound per week. Always make sure you're not struggling through the day with hunger because of too low calorie goals.

Make sure you have a good relationship with your scale. Understanding that foods we eat have a great influence daily on the scale and it's not uncommon to see 1 or 2 pound fluctuations in normal daily weigh ins, it's also not uncommon to see much larger increases with days where we might go to a party or to a restaurant due to increased carbs and sodium. It takes a few days but the water weight will come off. Also if you are female and not having menopause, it's normal to gain weight before having your period and to lose it within a couple days of finishing.

A food scale is best for accuracy. Measuring cups and guesstimations are not the best way to log food and using gram weight with a food scale will give you the best way to track how many calories you are consuming.

Make sure you are using correct database entries. The food list on myfitnesspal is made of user created entries and a lot of them are reflected on their own personal information. For items that do not have nutritional information already listed, you can search for items in the database using search terms for the USDA, which is the United states department of agriculture's website. Typing in "USDA, boneless skinless chicken, raw" or "cooked" will bring up entries from their website with the most accurate information in gram weight. Having a food scale will be most helpful here. It is also best to weigh foods in their raw weight unless stated on the package that its cooked or you are unable and must use the cooked weight.

Exercise is for health and not for weight loss, do any exercise that you enjoy and will stick with.

If you are having a hard time meeting your calorie goal there is a list of calorie dense foods here for you to increase your calorie intake without needing to eat much.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods

Most importantly tho, dont feel discouraged, if you are having a bad day, the boards are here for community support, and have many people who can solve problems or put things into better perspective.