A little confused :@

AmrOnTop

Hey all!
So .. I just started using MFP not too long ago, just to log in my daily food intake and get a feel of the nutritional value of my diet and caloric intake.
The issue is, I am a bit confused! Idk how to structure a routine using MFP daily in a way to get the most out of the experience. I am not sure what exactly should I be focusing on tracking, improving and/or changing.

For the people who've been doing this for a while now, how do you go about using the site/forum?

FemWeight

I use MFP to track my calories to keep me low to lose the weight . I also use it to know how much calories I've burned since I'm using a workout dvd. Its nice to see how much your losing from a "dvd" as well as watching your intake of calories, carbs, fats sodium and sugar

vamaena

I've been tracking my food to get an idea of what how many calories I consume daily. I don't have a food scale yet so everything is just an estimate and I tend to estimate on the higher side than lower. I also track my cardio to see an estimate of what I burn.

When I first started I was just tracking. I wanted to see how much I was eating during the day. I ended up changing/improving my diet over a couple of months with small steps. I didn't want to do something too drastic because I wanted to maintain something that I could live with. Right now, I'm eating well, but I'm focusing more on how I feel after I eat something. (while still tracking everything)

IvyLuci

Start by just getting used to logging. You can do it as you go, or you can prepare, package and log your food in advance. It is important to weigh and measure your food so that your calorie counts are as close to accurate as possible (in the end it's all estimation however accurate you try to be).

After 2 weeks or a month go through your diary and notice which things can be improved on. The diary has a notes section so you could write down if, for instance, some days you are hungrier than others. Then you can take a look at the food you had and see if there is a trend (maybe you just don't eat enough on those days, or you eat too many carbs in one sitting or you have three meals instead of five, or something else).

If there are no medical reasons, it will be sufficient to start by just tracking calories. Once you get the hang of that you can start tracking your macros.

NessaReh85

I use MFP to log all the food I consume to keep me honest. I never really tracked my calories and didnt realize just how much I was consuming. I also log all my exercises to see how many calories I lose as well. I wasnt too sure at first but it is truly helping me on my journery to lose weight. Definitely find is useful.

MinnieInMaine

It depends on what your goals are.

If you're just looking to lose weight, calories are the most important bit. Set a reasonable weekly weight loss goal and try to come as close to your daily calorie goal as you can.

If you're into eating healthier or have a medical condition, you can choose from different nutritional goals (sodium, fiber, sugar, etc) to make sure you're eating the right balance of foods or not getting to much of certain things.

There's also an option to custom set your macro goals if you're trying to get a better balance or live a certain lifestyle (low carb, high protein for instance).

How you choose to use the tool is up to you...

I mostly focus on calories since I'm still trying to lose weight but also use it to make sure I'm getting enough protein on a regular basis to support my workouts.

jkal1979

I read the stickies on this forum and lurked around quite a bit. I picked up some pretty good information and made adjustments to my goals along the way.

AmrOnTop

Great input and ideas ... Thanks everybody!