Hello and help!!

Carley1985

Hey all!

I'm a newbie - Carley and from the UK

I've just canceled my weight watchers subscription (lost 1stone) because we can no longer afford to pay out for a diet database when we could be spending the money on more fruit and veg. The problem is I'm now only used to weight watchers rules, when I'm not sticking to them I go on an eating spree - I'm a big foodie and do have the tendency to associate food with fun and happiness rather than fuel.

I've found this website and thought it looked good, logging what I eat will keep me on track. I've tried it for a few days but find that even though I'm sticking to my calories (1200) my fat or sugar is too high and I'm not using all of my calcium, iron etc values up, how do I eat more of these things without going over my daily calorie allowance?

'Normal' eating tips would be greatly appreciated!!

ferrari420

very interesting predicament . I ran into this quite a bit myself . What i found mixing nuts and fruits ( like beans , oranges , bananas, etc ) have a lot of the nutrional values that we don't normally find .

One of the features of this site it allows to search for the nutrional value for foods that you consider eating . What I did was put into the search engine a food like Kidney beans, and i found out that beans have an extremely good amount of iron .

I hope this helps.

Best of luck !! and stick with it !

MaysMom

Not sure about what advice to give really, since I haven't looked at your food diary, but I think you may be doing the same thing I did for a while. I had to learn to eat smarter. Most of the time, I try to make sure my foods are nutrient-rich, not just low calorie. Ex: I stopped buying iceburg lettuce, and replaced it with raw spinach. I use it for everything. Salads, on burgers, in wraps, on tacos. Same low-cal, grean leafy-ness, more nutritional value.

vwbug86

I am also a foodie. What I have found that works for me is not taking out a lot of the foods I love but just eating less of them. Also I found a great website written by a foodie.

400caloriesorless.com

kathott

Hi Carley...I am from Canada...welcome to MFP...just remember that if you do any exercise or just walking to & from work etc, that you log it in your daily diary. This way you receive extra calories which you can use for the foods you find you are missing. I have been doing MFP since early January and it has helped me immensely to change my habits. I, too, am an emotional eater. Now that i know what I am putting into my body, that has changed.
Good luck on your adventure - I can`t wait for my visit to the UK in 4 weeks!
Kathleen

susancelli928

I have seen on here that a lot of people were once members of WW and did the switch. As with anything, you will learn to adapt. As far as your dairy, low fat or no fat yogurt and icecream are a great way of getting what you need. Various nuts, almonds, pistachios, etc. are also a great source of protiens. You could also buy some supplements for the things you are missing. Me personally ca not stand plain white milk (Chocolate all the way) so I try to have at least 3 glasses a week. Good luck and you will adjust soon enough.

veganjeanie

Eat more dark green leafy veggies for iron and calcium, like spinach.


Getting back those extra calories for exercising has really encouraged me to work out. I've been working out 5 or 6 times a week to have my cocktail and a snack at night.


-Jeanie

Iampierre

first of all take another look at the amount of calories your trying to stay at. Go into the goals section of this fitness pal and fill it out it will tell you how many calories for multiple situations : maintain current weight, lose 1-2lbs per week, etc. Believe it when they say you lose any more than 1-2lbs a week that it gets put right back on when ever you stop what your doing, and trust me I say this from experience more weight joins it!!!!
Remember that eating protein is what kills your hunger pains even if you are dying for something sweet eat protein 1st (and no protein is not just from meat - peanut butter and beans are good sources too). Preplanning is the best course of action not just your daily meals but your what if's too. When on the computer with time to surf check out all the fast food and major restaurant chains nutrition websites and give yourself ideas what you would eat there if you were to go, be prepared to be shocked and to realize what they say is healthy is not and remember altering some things makes it ok to eat, like a hamburger - remove bun and mayo sauces it's good to eat and doesn't kill your calorie count.
Another good tip that I try to remember is if God made it (like meat & vegetables) it's always good for you, if man made it thats where problems arise and it puts on pounds really fast (like desserts, soft drinks and even those protein(supposedly healthy for you Bars!!!). Portion sizes you really need to watch, and it's true when they say in America a portion size is the size of the plate or bowl it's in. pull out those luncheon plates and I even use the plates that are meant to put the coffee cups on and have even picked up on smaller forks and spoons. You may laugh but it's true and always leave the food in the kitchen don't put it on the table, make yourself get up and walk back to the food for more.
Last tip - IT TAKES 40 DAYS TO CHANGE A HABIT. Lots of luck this will probably be the hardest journey you will make in your life but the most rewarding, stay focused on the goal - the end process and the happiness you'll feel

Carley1985

Thank you for all of your comments, I know it's going to be hard but I need to shift this weight! I want to go back to the pre-children confident me, not a skinny stick, but not overweight either like now.

I walk everyday to take my son to and from school (not unless it's raining hard) so a total of 4miles-ish walking a day, other than that i potter around the house and amuse my nearly 2 year old daughter - it's easy to eat out of boredom and this is where I'm going to really struggle!

I love to cook so making healthy meals isn't really a problem for me, it's the not eating the cupcakes and brownies I make lots of!!

Today I have made a root vegetable soup (one of my WW recipes) and through the recipe tool it comes out as 63cals per serving!! Fantastic!

I think as long as I track I will be ok, be prepared to see a lot of me and get lots of annoying (and dumb!) questions!

Question 2! - On my daily activity bit of the profile do I select doing nothing all day and log my walking or the 2nd more active (examples given as a nurse and something else) and not log my walking? Some days are more active than others depending what chores i'm doing or if my daughter is having a clingy day and i sit and play for most of it.