New to site- need feedback on my goals!

amyhollar

Hi Everyone! I have used a notebook to count calories in the past but this site makes it so easy! I just discovered it tonight and I'm so excited to start using it! I particularly like how it has EVERY BRAND OF EVERY KIND OF FOOD I EAT just one click away- so easy to upload accurate info about what I'm eating! I love how it breaks it down so I know if I am really lacking something that day (i.e. protein, etc) I just wish it would log the fiber content of foods too, as that is very important.

I have been exercising and eating well for a month now. I try to do five 30-45 minute cardio sessions a week either on the elliptical trainer (intervals between levels 4-7 and 9-12) or walking hills on the treadmill (around 3.8-4.1 mph with an incline between 3.5-8) as well as strength training 2x a week. My strength training is very limited as I am very out of shape but I am trying to do 3 sets of 15 reps of lunges, squats, bicep curls, shoulder presses, and tricep extensions with 10-lb free weights. It is a struggle! I can't wait until I build more muscle and exercising isn't so painful! It is already getting better though as I have stuck with it for 5 weeks now.

As far as eating goes, I am a calorie counter but I am trying not to get too obsessive about it. I worry that when I obsess too much and eat too little that I slow my metabolism way down- I am shooting for 1200 calories a day but a lot of days I only eat 1000. I have a problem when I get into "weight-loss mode mania" that I obsess over everything and really limit my calories- and then I end up quitting after a month or two. I really want to maintain a healthy weight for an extended period of time, which means I shouldn't be trying to lose weight so quickly but it's so easy to get discouraged without fast results.

I am 5'4 and I started at 148 lbs. I currently weigh about 138 lbs so I've lost 10 lbs so far. I'd like to get down to 125 lbs, and maintain it by exercising 3x a week and eating around 1500 calories a day, does this seem reasonable to people? I just want a plan that I can stick with for more than a few months. My goal is to eat well all year long and make it to the gym 3x a week (I am going 5x a week now because I am trying to lose weight so the more I go the better). Any tips, suggestions, or feedback about my goals and plan and about using this site would be greatly greatly appreciated! THANKS!

kappyblu

It does log the fiber if you change your settings to monitor it. I monitor my protein, carbs, fat, fiber, and cholesterol.

It all sounds good, just remember to eat back your exercise calories.

katiefraay

You can make it monitor fiber. And hi! I'm new here too.

dragonbug300

1) You'll find out soon enough that they don't have everything. You can enter in the values of food products that they don't have in the database, too.
2) You can track fiber. I do--just edit your settings and goals. But the site sets the limit way too low, so try to aim higher than their recommendation.
3) Eating too few calories a day will deplete your body of nutrients and your brain of serotonin. It'll cause your brain to become inflexible--so you'll start to focus overly much on food, leading to something akin to an eating disorder.
4) Strength training 2X a week is enough to maintain muscle, but not build. You need 3 or more days of strengthening to see results. If you do 3 days, it'll have to be longer sessions (closer to 1 hour) but if you do it 4-6 times a week, you can have shorter sessions (20-30 minutes) and still see results.
5) As far as maintenance goes... I wouldn't know. 1500 seems on the low end. MFP will tell you how much you need in order to maintain.

amyhollar

thanks everyone! I changed it to monitor fiber, man it does shoot low! I will (and already do) aim for much more fiber than it is recommending.