Tracking Food Question

jashmead

I need some opinions, if i were to just track my calorie intake each day rather then other things as well ex. carbs, proteins. and i stuck under my 1200 calories a day, do you think that would still work out in the long run for weight loss or do i need to make sure i dont go over in other parts as well. please help

Kath_21

My food diary shows a few things but calories are what I am most concerned with. I try to keep an eye on my carb, fat and sugar intake but I don't feel as bad going a little bit over on those as I do if I go a bit over on my calories. Maybe just have your food tracker display the fat, sugar and carbs as these tend to be most peoples weaknesses.After a while you may find that you are always eating within your fat, sugar and carb and may wish to focus only on calories. I think you would lose weight by just looking at calories but to be 'healthy' you need to look at other things too

penmosha

I try to keep it balanced. My carbs can be high, but that is due to the amount of fruit i will eat (or wine at weekend :blushing: ). I find that the weeks that I do not lose are the weeks when my protien has been low, so I try to keep that to the suggested level.

tracy1727

With me I watch it all but really only concerned with Calories & Sodium. I notice that if my sodium is high..I dont lose but gain. I cant eat frozen meals as I puff up like a puffer fish every single time....

jashmead

ive been just tracking calories the last two weeks and i seem to be losing, i have cut out most of the sodium (salt) out of my diet, if i use salt i use a very tiny bit and that seems to be helping out alot

tina219

Some days when I make a meal and I know what the total calories are, it is easier to just do a quick add of calories. So, I know that my chart for other nutrients may not be exact, but I can get a pretty good idea.

failnomore

I have only been tracking my calories and I am down 10lbs in 26 days , so seems to be working fine

skcornett

I would recommend watching cals, protein, fat, and sodium. Yes, you should watch your overall calories but your progress can be affected by the types of calories you eat. I watch sodium because I am borderline hypertensive, and I also know that more sodium means a crummy day on the scale.

Protein is very good to watch because it is such an important factor in your progress.

Just my two cents! Good luck!

samntha14

I focus on my calories too. My carbs tend to be higher because I'm hypoglycemic and mostly vegetarian. Still lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks

Drsmh

Hey, When you say you have cut out salt, does this mean you eat no processed foods? I am new and am going the route of counting calories. I was wondering about things like Lean Cuisine but I think those are high in calories?

samntha14

I'd rather be able to track simple sugars because they hurt me the most.

joan41

I think sodium has a lot to do with it too! I try to watch my sodium, and like everyone else said most days my fiber is high because I eat fruits and veggies. But I will say that you do need healthy fat and protein in your diet too!

jashmead

like i try overall not to eat too much carbs proteins etc, with the sodium i use to use salt when cooking and ive basically cut it out completely to try and cut out the amount of sodium i take in. like i use the ms dash seasonings that are salt and msg free. they are really good too!! no calories! ive lost 6 since i started on here about a month ago and about 20 since i moved to germany a year ago with my husband who is currently stationed over here

tracy1727

The Lean Cuisines and such are really high in sodium. I used to eat them and couldnt figure out why I was was always "swollen" and felt like crap....and it turns out that some of them are 1/2 my recommended sodium for the entire day.

christ4life63

YUP :bigsmile: I also only keep track of my calories. To be honest with you, How do you know how much protein, fiber, fat your suppose to take in one day? That's why I only try to stay in my calories goal.

chrisdavey

If you want to lose weight, cals is basically all that matters.

If you want to lose fat, you should be watching the macronutrients.




Under cals, over sugar = weight loss

Under cals, over sodium (higher than a "normal" day) = possible water retention but no hindrance to fat loss. Hence why weighing in every day is not a good idea.

Shellybzyb

Christ4life63....To see how much protein, fiber, etc you should have, click on the Nutrients tab (on the phone at least) and it gives you what your goal is for the day..... But, I kind of use that as a secondary gage. If I've gone over on my carbs, I try and make better choices.... Good luck!

BeckyAnneGreenGables

I've lost 20+ pounds so far (in two and a half months) just tracking calories. Occasionally I look at my carbs, protein, fats, and sodium but I know when I've had too much salt by the way my body feels (puffy, lips and mouth dry.)