Is it time?

wannakimmy

When I started this journey a few months ago, I was told not to make too many changes at once. I concentrated just on calories in vs calories out. I was going for a loss of 1 lb a week, and was doing well. I recently changed it to 1.5 lbs a week, as a trial time I guess to see if I can do it with the lesser amount of calories.

ANYWAY, what I want to know is, how long do I wait to start paying more attention to what I am eating, not just the amount of calories I am taking in. I have made subtle changes from the beginning. Bringing cottage cheese and fruit for a snack at work instead of the chips and candy bar I used to grab daily. BUT, I know I am still eating things I don't need, and am missing out on nutrients that I do.

Any advice is welcomed. Thanks!

SezxyStef

I made all my changes at once...well most..I have learned lots while here.

It's all about what you can do. I started counting calories and exercising the day I started here.

With the amount of weight you want to lose per your ticker...2lbs is reasonable.

What I wish I had done on my first day was had a food scale, started lifting weights, and watched my protien/fat/carb macros.

I have from the start tho not cut foods out I just make room for them.

I often prelog for days and make sure I get my treats and work my food around so I am getting enough protien etc while staying in my calorie goals.

ell_v131

Just keep making small changes that you are comfortable with. You are trying to find a sustainable plan for a lifetime, not a temporary fix. There is no one perfect diet plan of what is good or bad. In my book there are no bad foods, just moderation on certain stuff.

As long as you're losing and happy with progress, take it slow. Have a look at your protein intake, if you want to end up lean and fit, exceeding the MFP protein and resistance training are the way to go.

wannakimmy

Any other thoughts?

cuinboston2014

A big thing for me when I am successful is to find lower calorie/fat versions of my favorite meals. Or even substitutes for them and just have the "real" thing. The best part about lower calorie meals is if I eat a little bit more it doesn't kill me. I have been going onto Skinnytaste.com a lot for recipe ideas and have been enjoying the things I made on there so far.

Once you start subbing out more of your meals for better options, you will not crave the junk nearly as much anymore. I can tell that when I eat cleaner I'm not tempted by the donuts, cakes, or pizza that people bring into work. When I eat the junk, I want more junk.

I also found ways to make vegetables taste like I want. I put hot sauce on cucumbers or baked green beans with a pinch of olive oil and seasoned with whatever I wanted. I put cinnamon on apples or bake an apple for a treat.

if you are ready to make more changes - which is great - don't feel like you have to overhaul things all at once.

WBB55

With so much to lose (and congratulations on your loss) your biggest risks are different than others. You have to make big lifestyle changes. But it's more about making them consistent habits. Good habits snowball, I find. You do a couple, then you do a couple more. Were I you, here's what I would focus on:

-eating a level calorie amount every day (trains your brain to recognize good portions/sizes)
-getting at least ~100g of protein every day (more is fine, helps minimize muscle loss. protein supplements are ok, too)
-walking a bit every day (helps maintain bone density while you lose weight)
-lift weights (helps minimize muscle loss)
-take a multivitamin (make sure it has D, calcium, B12, and iron)
-get 30g of good fats every day (more is fine, fish oil supplements are ok, too)
-get 20g of fiber every day (more is fine, fiber supplements are ok, too)
-eat 75 calories of vegetables every day
-eat 120 calories of fruit every day

^^do all that, and you'll be on your way. But just make one or two changes at once, if it seems overwhelming

Other things to consider:
-cutting out refined sugar (white sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
-eliminating trans fats
-eating more whole grains
-eating fewer things that come prepackaged with labels
-finding a fitness goal (maybe jogging a 5K, for instance) and working towards it
-have a meat-free day once a week

jim9097

Yea don't be afraid to try new things. You might find that the plan you like is one you would have never thought of.

bethlaf

food scale food scale food scale - i found that i was eating way more calories than i thought i had been once i invested in a food scale, since getting that and using it like religion i have been more on track and more in control of my intake .

focusing on eliminating as much processed foods that you can helps an awful lot as well-
the more natural state the food the better it is
but as with all things , advocate moderation , while raw food or primal diets may work for some people, many people cannot thrive like that

eldamiano

My diet is not great. However, I do make sure I eat 3-4 portions of raw fruit during the week at work so if all else fails nutritionally, its not all bad.

During the evening I tend to have a mix of unhealthyish meals and some slightly nutritional but by no means angelic, although I do my best to stick to my calorie goal.

eldamiano

food scale food scale food scale - i found that i was eating way more calories than i thought i had been once i invested in a food scale, since getting that and using it like religion i have been more on track and more in control of my intake .

focusing on eliminating as much processed foods that you can helps an awful lot as well-
the more natural state the food the better it is
but as with all things , advocate moderation , while raw food or primal diets may work for some people, many people cannot thrive like that

I am not knocking this post but I would find weighing just too time consuming and demotivational. If in doubt, overestimate. Even someone who measures like in this post wont get it 100% right as different variations of the same food can easily have calorie differences.

You should have an idea from a packet or from the person you bought the food from on how much it weighs.

jdb3388

food scale food scale food scale - i found that i was eating way more calories than i thought i had been once i invested in a food scale, since getting that and using it like religion i have been more on track and more in control of my intake .

focusing on eliminating as much processed foods that you can helps an awful lot as well-
the more natural state the food the better it is
but as with all things , advocate moderation , while raw food or primal diets may work for some people, many people cannot thrive like that

I am not knocking this post but I would find weighing just too time consuming and demotivational. If in doubt, overestimate. Even someone who measures like in this post wont get it 100% right as different variations of the same food can easily have calorie differences.

You should have an idea from a packet or from the person you bought the food from on how much it weighs.

You should always take the time to weigh your food. I would be willing to bet that almost every single person on this site who is following the MFP process and logging everything and complain of not losing weight, are not losing weight because they are improperly logging and eating way more than they think they are.

Lleldiranne

My diet is not great. However, I do make sure I eat 3-4 portions of raw fruit during the week at work so if all else fails nutritionally, its not all bad.

During the evening I tend to have a mix of unhealthyish meals and some slightly nutritional but by no means angelic, although I do my best to stick to my calorie goal.

Buy the steamable bags of frozen vegetables (they have as much nutrition as fresh, sometimes more depending on shipping time etc of the fresh). Pop a bag in the microwave to add to your dinner, and you've got at least one serving of veggies covered, too. That can help your evening meals There are a lot of varieties, so you can have different kinds over the week.

Lleldiranne

food scale food scale food scale - i found that i was eating way more calories than i thought i had been once i invested in a food scale, since getting that and using it like religion i have been more on track and more in control of my intake .

focusing on eliminating as much processed foods that you can helps an awful lot as well-
the more natural state the food the better it is
but as with all things , advocate moderation , while raw food or primal diets may work for some people, many people cannot thrive like that

I am not knocking this post but I would find weighing just too time consuming and demotivational. If in doubt, overestimate. Even someone who measures like in this post wont get it 100% right as different variations of the same food can easily have calorie differences.

You should have an idea from a packet or from the person you bought the food from on how much it weighs.

You should always take the time to weigh your food. I would be willing to bet that almost every single person on this site who is following the MFP process and logging everything and complain of not losing weight, are not losing weight because they are improperly logging and eating way more than they think they are.

If estimating is working, there's no need to change it. I don't weigh my food, but I accept that I'm probably eating more than I think (though I try to overestimate too, and when I do measure I'm often surprised by how much dressing/syrup/etc is in a serving). If I get stuck on a plateau I would consider weighing/measuring more carefully.

To the OP, you might find a scale helpful (and that's always my first advice to someone who is stuck and not losing). But if, like the other poster, it makes it too much effort to stay on track, it's something that could wait while you make the other lifestyle adjustments. If what you're doing right now for portion sizes is helping you lose weight and you're happy with the results, then you're ok. But if you like the security of knowing exactly how much you're eating, go for the scale

wannakimmy

Thanks everyone, I do have a scale and use it daily. I was amazed how much more I was eating than I thought.

From what I am gathering here I should just keep changing my diet as I go. (And by diet, I mean the types of foods I am eating) I am always looking for new ways to make healthier foods.

I have also been swimming 4-6 days a week for an hour or so. Been really missing that with the pool being down. It is amazing how much better I feel when I exercise! I'm told it will be back in working order next week. It is the only exercise I can do without pain.

eldamiano

food scale food scale food scale - i found that i was eating way more calories than i thought i had been once i invested in a food scale, since getting that and using it like religion i have been more on track and more in control of my intake .

focusing on eliminating as much processed foods that you can helps an awful lot as well-
the more natural state the food the better it is
but as with all things , advocate moderation , while raw food or primal diets may work for some people, many people cannot thrive like that

I am not knocking this post but I would find weighing just too time consuming and demotivational. If in doubt, overestimate. Even someone who measures like in this post wont get it 100% right as different variations of the same food can easily have calorie differences.

You should have an idea from a packet or from the person you bought the food from on how much it weighs.

You should always take the time to weigh your food. I would be willing to bet that almost every single person on this site who is following the MFP process and logging everything and complain of not losing weight, are not losing weight because they are improperly logging and eating way more than they think they are.

Wrong. I never weighed my food once and lost 2.5 stone in 4-6 months. I am not trying to make myself out to be a hero, but it isnt necessary. In fact it can be beneficial not to, especially if you have a knack of overestimating well.

MeanderingMammal

ANYWAY, what I want to know is, how long do I wait to start paying more attention to what I am eating, not just the amount of calories I am taking in.

Really depends on what your objectives are and what training your doing to complement the intake control. I note that you say you swim, but is that fairly gentle breast stroke for 45 minutes or is it a mix of speeds and strokes to try to increase your strength as well as aerobic capacity?

There is nothing inherently wrong with the carb/ protein/ fat balance in MFP but if you are training then increasing protein can become significant in terms of retention of lean mass,, particularly if you're already in deficit. Lots of people evangelise about low carb, but again unless you're actually training then the value is limited, similar with most faddy diets.

I'm not particularly worried about weighting and measuring stuff, but my objectives are more about running performance than purely scale weight. I consume so many calories when I'm training the prospect of being a bit out on intake really isn't an issue to me.

DancingJester

I first began just looking at calories I began at 1300/1400 but then went to 1200/1300 calories. However looking back I was probably only eating about 800/1000 calories (bare in mind this was accidental) I started eating healthy (getting rid of biscuits, fatty pizza and cutting carbs) once I'd started eating a bit more. I don't count how many carbs I eat or the amount of fat I take in, I just count calories and eat clean.
My plan is pretty much:
-Bread a maximum of 3 times a week
-pasta once a week or less (unless its whole grain) I did begin twice a week but found I didn't miss it as much as I thought.
-used only skimmed milk
-only had sweet things if I was out for a meal and even then I would pick puddings that were slightly healthier (like sorbet or apple crumble as opposed to a massive chocolate cake)
-if I wasn't going out I give myself one treat a week (a packet of mentos sweets are good as they are only 10 calories a sweet)
-got a low fat cook book which has a lot of low calorie foods and a lot of them rice based, so if I need carbs I tent to go for rice.
-i try to only have potatoes 2-3 times a week or less.
-Always have your five a day! Its not as hard as you think.
-don't drink juice (or if you have to limit it a lot)
- I still love sweet things but I don't eat processed sugar, if I want sweet things I have low fat yogurt and honey, or fruit

And you're right for a lot of people making a gradual change is the answer. I definitely didn't begin doing this straight away that's for sure.
So good luck (just know that you should do what works for you) xx