Figuring out a balance

cjladyrider

Hello, I am new to this sight. I am struggling in figuring out how to fill the percentages of all the nutrients and calorie goals. Seems if I choose recipes for 2 or 3 meals from the app they don't always balance. How did you all figure that out??? Help please!

Corina1143

Patience. It's hard at first. Give it a little time. You'll see patterns. Build on those.
Don't let the need for perfection or excellence cloud your view of improvements you're making.
You'll get there.
Good luck and welcome to MFP!

yirara

Why not simply log your own food for a week or two, and see how many calories you're eating, what you really like, and what you can do without because it has a lot of calories but little satiety. Then work from there. Replace a thing or two, observe how you feel and if it doesn't work do something else. There's just no one size fits all here.

AnnPT77

I'm with Yirara: Take your time.

It doesn't all have to be perfect right away and all at once . . . unless you've already been diagnosed with some very serious nutrition-related health condition, in which case your medical team should be willing to give you a meal plan or refer you to a registered dietitian for help.

Even long run, for a generally healthy person a reasonable goal is "pretty good on average over a few days to a week". Humans are adaptive omnivores: There's wiggle room. Nutrition isn't a magic spell in which every syllable (nutrient) needs to be precise every moment, or bad things happen.

If weight loss is the only or very highest priority goal, that's about calories. Nutrition maybe matters indirectly because it may affect feeling full or energetic, and those can make it easier or harder to stick with a calorie goal.

Those - fullness and energy - are things you can notice if you pay attention, and then adjust your eating to improve.

Long run, I'd suggest you want to find a good balance of factors: Calories, nutrition, feeling full most of the time, having enough energy, enjoying what you eat, having foods that are affordable and practical, etc.

You can work that out, but you can take your time doing it. You're trying to find new, positive habits that can last for life, right?

Best wishes!

SurferGirl1982

cjladyrider wrote: »

Hello, I am new to this sight. I am struggling in figuring out how to fill the percentages of all the nutrients and calorie goals. Seems if I choose recipes for 2 or 3 meals from the app they don't always balance. How did you all figure that out??? Help please!

Boy, that's a tough question. Generally, if you enter your height, weight, age, activity level, etc, MFP will suggest how many calories, carbs, protein, fats that you should consume. It's a good start. I actually eat fewer carbs, higher protein and healthy fats than MFP and other sites recommend because of medical issues. But, basically, you just have to figure out what works for you.

The main thing to keep in mind is that not all carbs are bad. For breakfast, you can eat a donut or a cup of blueberries. They both contain carbs. But, it's pretty obvious which choice is more healthy. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are carbs. But, they contain lots of nutrients that are healthy for us.

Personally, I pretty much go with the calories they suggest (and some days they're less and somedays they're more). I'm not a doctor or nutritionist. But, I think if you just avoid sugar, refined carbs, and highly processed foods you will be fine. And, if you have any medical issues, it's best to speak to your doctor.