Trouble even understanding the app

jswycliffe

none of my kids are home to help me figure it out. I want to be in on this!
im not sure if I am logging and eating the right amounts of protein I feel so stupid but I have to ask so that I can do it right

AnnPT77

If weight loss (or gain) is your main goal, the direct determinant of that is the calories.

Nutrition - including protein is important for health. But when it comes to body weight, nutrition's effect is indirect. Sub-par nutrition can cause fatigue: If we're fatigued, we drag through the day, burning fewer calories than expected. Sub-par nutrition can spike appetite: If that happens, it's hard to eat the right number of calories. The direct influence on bodyweight is still calories.

For health, unless diagnosed with a diet-relevant health condition or pre-existing nutritional deficiency, it's OK to gradually work your way toward better nutrition. It needn't be perfect instantly, and even in the long run "pretty good on average over a few days" is fine for nutrition goals, versus needing to be exactly perfect every single day. Our bodies are somewhat adaptable, within reason.

If you do have a diet-relevant health condition or diagnosed nutritional deficiency, consider asking your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian or hiring one privately.

When we work at improving nutrition gradually on our own, the MFP default goals are a reasonable starting point for most people. The only exception would be people who try to lose weight aggressively fast: There's no way to get even minimally adequate nutrition on too-few calories.

A reasonable weight loss rate is usually something in the range of 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that unless so severely obese that weight itself is a health threat and under close medical monitoring for new nutritional deficiencies or health complications.

To work on your nutrition, log what you eat. Every couple of days, look at your total for protein and fats as compared to your MFP goals for those. If you're persistently low on either of those, look for foods you're eating that have a lot of calories but no or very little of the needed nutrient. Consider reducing portion size or frequency of those foods to free up calories, then use those calories to eat foods that increase the needed nutrient.

Keep chipping away at improving your routine eating habits in that way, and you'll gradually dial in getting enough protein and fats. Carbs are more flexible, so no need to focus on those unless you find they have an influence over your energy level or how full you feel.

That's about it. Do you have more questions? Need clarification or more details on any of that?

Best wishes!