Only tracking calories? carbs? etc?

Mollymmb84

Hey everyone!! I've been with MFP for 2 weeks now. Just curious what everyone pays the most attention to for tracking purposes. I know everyone looks at calories but do you try to stay within your ranges for carbs, fat, protien, etc as well? I do great with the calories but seem to be going over in other categories (especially sugar). Please let me know what has been successful for you.

Thanks and good luck to everyone!!!!

Crystals422

Sodium!!! Try to stay under or around 1500.

pinkchick2006

I try to stay below for calories fat and sugars! Sugars tend to store the fat aroung your midsection (or at least it does for me) so I have seen that get smaller since I gave that up!

arissasmommy

Great question!!
I have only been with MFP for a few weeks and am wondering the same thing! I have been pretty successful but I too go over quite often in sugar and sodium! I have a friend who lospt 80 LBS using this program and he said he paid attention but did tend to goover in sugar and sodium as well!!! If anyone out there has a better answer I would love to hear it as well
Good luck to you!!!

kbanzhaf

When I began my weight loss journey 4 1/2 years and 60+ pounds ago, the dietician I met with basically told me to keep track of carbs. 15 grams of carbohydrate = "1 carb." Her suggestion was to keep my total carb intake to 15 carbs or under a day (or 225 g or under). When I was losing the weight, I did the following....wrote down EVERYTHING I ate.....and estimated the carb content of each. I tried to stay at the 15 carbs or less and it worked for me.

Truth be told, however, I thought the lady was a quack when we first met. Little did I know how much she would be able to help me. I lost about 70 pounds in 15 months....and have done a pretty good job of keeping it off. I did gain back about 20, but have lost 8-10 of that, and am keeping it off easily. I would like to lose five or so more pounds of what I gained back, but in all honestly, if the scale says under 140 each morning, I am pretty satisfied.

I hadn't weighed under 140 since I was in junior high.....proof that it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks

I walk, religiously...did it to take off the weight, do it to keep off the weight. Try to do 15-20 miles each week if possible.

Good luck!
Kaye

Barelmy

I aim to go over my fat and protein; I rarely get enough fat, and my protein is set to 10% (which fully covers my RDA of 0.8g per pound of bodyweight, thank you very much). I figure it won't hurt to go over either occasionally.

I also aim to hit fibre, since it makes life so much more pleasant, and stay under carbs, because I know those are set a bit high.

MoonGurl1985

I pay closer attention to my iron than anything else as I am anemic so I like to go over on my iron when possible.

audjrey

Eat according to your health needs and issues.

For example:

If you have high blood pressure, measure sodium.
If you have high cholesterol, measure fat.
If you have diabetes or do more than 1 hour of cardio 6-days a week, measure sugar and carbs.
If you vigorously weight train or train with heavy weights, measure protein.

Mollymmb84

Thank you everyone so much!! Everyone on here knows so much and it is a huge help!!

Suzeesmu

I was pretty much tracking calories (1200) and sodium (1500) only at first, but have gone back to watching the carbs which worked well for me in the past. We'll see how well I do for it now! I really don't worry about the fat or protein (just making sure I have at least 60 per day.

gp79

I've been using MFP since January. My goals are to drop weight between 1 and 1.5lbs per week. My number one goal is to stay at or under my calorie allowances set by MFP per week. Secondly I make sure I'm getting at least 1g of Protein for ever kilo of body weight, so for me that's about 110g of protein per day. Thirdly I monitor my sodium and TRY to keep it under 2500. I've had the most trouble with Sodium.

All of that being said, this is what works for me. My diet is fairly clean and I'm comfortable with it. Obviously if you have issues with sweets or saturated fat, than those are some things you should keep your eye on. By no means am I an expert but if your goal is to lose weight, and you've got plenty to lose, then focus on calories and ensuring you get enough protein and don't worry so much about the rest right now until your ready to start toning up etc. The reason for the protein is because you want to try and preserve as much of your lean tissue as possible while losing weight. It's inevitable that you will loose some lean tissue but why lose more than you need too, right?

missdeehere

Eat according to your health needs and issues.

For example:

If you have high blood pressure, measure sodium.
If you have high cholesterol, measure fat.
If you have diabetes or do more than 1 hour of cardio 6-days a week, measure sugar and carbs.
If you vigorously weight train or train with heavy weights, measure protein.

EXCELLENT!!



I like to up my fiber! Sugar is the hardest for me with all the natural sugars.

teasha43

I track calories, carbs, protein, fat, and sodium. It is important to try to stay within limits to keep a balance. Too much sodium is said to contribute to holding water...thus weight. I also read about the importance of drinking water for fat metabolism. I read alot, never drank much water...but have learned of its major importance. All said, a calorie is a calorie not matter its source. I would def aim to try to eat a healthy, balanced proportion of calories. You can certainly eat more food for the calories this way. I have my percentages set for 20% carbs, 50% protein, and 30% fat....1200 cal a day. This is what Jillian Michaels advised. Previously, a trainer friend of mine suggested 30, 40, 30. I found I tend to feel better and less hungry with more protein so I went with it. I hope this helps you a bit:)............................

wmubuffettfan

Calories and Sodium are my first priority, but I also stay under my carbs and fat. I try to stay above my protein if possible. I quite following my sugar because my fruit was putting me over.

butterflyinamber78

I started with fiber, the nutrition class I went to empasised it for health and feeling full. After a week or so, I noticed that there are things I really don't get enough of viatmin wise. Importiant things, like calcium and iron, so now I'm watching those and considering a multi vitaman in the morning. I just try to change little things to be healthier as I see them.

pmarti5

It really depends on your health concerns. Example: if u are diabetic or in danger of diabetes, watching ur sugar is most important. i was pre-diabetic before my weight loss so i always watch my sugar intake and check my sugar a few times a week. also for me, protein is very important because i'm hungry if i do not get 50 or above in proteins. And most important for me is the calorie range because portion control and counting calories works!