is thiseasy to do this calorie counting??

jackie1982
jackie1982 Posts: 14 Member
in Introduce Yourself
What tips have you got for me to get started.

Replies

  • bkandisjj29
    bkandisjj29 Posts: 172
    It's addicting, actually! It depends on two things, 1) how much access you have to the internet 2) how dedicated you are to logging. Some days, if I know I will be away from the computer, I will log my day the night before. I think it is very simple, definitely not rocket science, and it has been a very effective tool for me.
  • killinme
    killinme Posts: 73 Member
    Keep track of everything, and remember one bad choice is not a reason to blow the whole day or week.

    Be confident!

    You will be awesome!
  • sdav1997
    sdav1997 Posts: 19 Member
    I just started myself. First step is to get your target calories. I used the guidelines set on MFP. Then plan out what you are going to eat today and tomorrow. I stick to egg and toast for breakfast, a veggie and a meat for lunch, a veggie and seafood for dinner. I calculate the size of my portions and logged everything...even the small bite of cake I sampled the other day!
    Consistency is key. Do not stop planning and stay honest with what goes in your mouth. I just started 2 wks ago and I am down 5 lbs. I was not good with staying under the calories the first week because I was not planning what I was going to eat.
  • Missi3601
    Missi3601 Posts: 264
    It's addicting, actually! It depends on two things, 1) how much access you have to the internet 2) how dedicated you are to logging. Some days, if I know I will be away from the computer, I will log my day the night before. I think it is very simple, definitely not rocket science, and it has been a very effective tool for me.

    LOL-it really is addicting! If you have a smart phone it's ten times easier! Just scan what you eat! The people on this site will also keep you positive! Anytime you have a rough day they will make you feel so much better! Buy 100 calorie snack packs for snacks if you like to munch on not so good stuff through out the day, best of luck to you!
  • SimplyShanRunning
    SimplyShanRunning Posts: 885 Member
    really just log everything you put in your mouth its that simple
  • Brandongood
    Brandongood Posts: 311 Member
    its totally easy. MFP does the counting for you!
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    I think the hardest thing at first is worrying about getting it exact. You can't and you wont get it exactly right, even if you weigh every single ingredient.

    Once I realised that the occasional guesstimated meal (based on ingredient contents or a similar database entry) was ok, I found it a lot easier.

    It becomes a habit. The app makes it a lot easier.

    Planning helps - especially if you have a big calorie burn late in a day.

    Good luck!
  • kassied09
    kassied09 Posts: 397
    Welcome, and I think as soon as you get the hang of it you will love it. MFP makes it pretty simple, and as soon as you start to see the results you will love it even more. Just remember to track everything. The biggest thing to get used to is seeing the numbers BESIDES the calories, in my opinion. Noticing how much sugar/sodium I take in everday can be shocking, sometimes. Good luck!
  • jackie1982
    jackie1982 Posts: 14 Member
    i am on my iphone and i have the app. I measure 500ml of either skimmed or semi skimmed in a jug for cereals should i add this to brekkie as we during the day i am on 1200 cals per day.
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
    Quitting is easy. If you look for "easy", it suggests you avoid "hard". Weight loss is hard.

    Its the best advice I can give, forget about hard and easy, just decide if you will or will not do it, then commit to it for life. 10 years I did the "temporary" thing, and the net result was no movement. If that's what you will do, save yourself the trouble and don't bother.

    Once you commit to it for life, and do the right things, the rest is easy (lol), you just wait for the time to pass.
  • 46irish
    46irish Posts: 1
    Hi, less than a week, lost 4 lbs. This is working for me. Trust low carb food and eat protein. I use hummus and wasa cracker for a snack (2 oz), at least 3 fruits a day, low carb ones, you can check them in your cal counter and delete if you plan right. Salad, lots of vegs and keep the carbs out of the way. This is the key to my small success this week. I have knee problems and am addressing them right now. Still wearing a pedometer and try to log in at least 5,000 steps (sometimes this is impossible), but I put it on every day. When I return from work, I try to step it up w/the steps, Hope this helps your success! Oh, I also joined teambeachbody and have purchased their shakeology, most delicious meal of the day. www.teambeachbody.com Have a great holiday weekend.
  • s00sh
    s00sh Posts: 91
    ...remember one bad choice is not a reason to blow the whole day or week.


    truth.

    use this: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm to figure out a calorie goal per day. multiply that by 7 for your weekly goal. if you go over one day, don't stress. just subtract the excess off the next day, or the next two days, or whatever makes it the easiest for you. it's a marathon, not a sprint. as long as you come in under overall, you don't need to sweat the small stuff.

    other people have said it, but i'll reiterate: count EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. you'd be surprised how a couple pieces of gum, a hard candy, "just a bite" of something all adds up. don't cheat yourself, do things right and you'll see success in no time.
  • terri0527
    terri0527 Posts: 678 Member
    If it goes past your lips...LOG IT! There's no way I could have lost what I have so far without MFP. I am brutally honest in my logging and when I overshoot my calories the red #s def give me a kick in the butt. The friends I have on here totally rock also...support and motivation gets the job done! Best of luck to you!!:smile:
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    1. Make sure you are eating proper sized portions, because that will trip you up easily.
    2. TRACK SODIUM..its not an MFP default setting, but it can be a troublemaker!
    3. If you're thinking about eating something "not so good". look it up on here beforehand and use that information to determine how bad you want to eat it!

    Other than that...just do it...and keep at it, because it does work!
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    Some additional tips

    - dont worry too much about the balance of calories to start with, start fine tuning them as you get better at the counting and the calorie target (though the healthier you eat, the fuller you will feel sticking to cals!)
    - dont worry about going over on proteins, it's probably a good thing, and many say mfp has it's protein amount set too low
    - dont worry too much about going over on sugar IF that sugar is from fruits etc, not from sweets/cake or other processed sources (there are different kinds of sugar)
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
    Hi, less than a week, lost 4 lbs. This is working for me. Trust low carb food and eat protein. I use hummus and wasa cracker for a snack (2 oz), at least 3 fruits a day, low carb ones, you can check them in your cal counter and delete if you plan right. Salad, lots of vegs and keep the carbs out of the way. This is the key to my small success this week. I have knee problems and am addressing them right now. Still wearing a pedometer and try to log in at least 5,000 steps (sometimes this is impossible), but I put it on every day. When I return from work, I try to step it up w/the steps, Hope this helps your success! Oh, I also joined teambeachbody and have purchased their shakeology, most delicious meal of the day. www.teambeachbody.com Have a great holiday weekend.

    Did you have a daily deficit of 2000 calories for 7 days? (Deficit being BMR + exercise burned cals - eaten cals?) That's what you need to lose 4 pounds in a week, as 1 pound is 3500 calories. If not, your loss is water (less sodium = less water retained). Not trying to burst your bubble, just helping, it always happens that way the first week... Big loss, but its false hope. Keep up the good nutrition/exercise work though, and be proud of your monthly number (not daily or weekly).
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Once I realised that the occasional guesstimated meal (based on ingredient contents or a similar database entry) was ok, I found it a lot easier.

    Precisely! We're talking about thousands of calories a week. It's important to get it approximately correct, but obsessing over getting each calorie correct cuts into exercise time. :)
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    your loss is water (less sodium = less water retained). Not trying to burst your bubble, just helping, it always happens that way the first week... Big loss, but its false hope. Keep up the good nutrition/exercise work though, and be proud of your monthly number (not daily or weekly).

    That's a very key point. When you shift to a healthier diet and increase your water intake, your body naturally drops a lot of weight in the beginning because it doesn't need to deal with as much sodium nor will it retain as much water to stave off dehydration. Water weight loss can set unrealistic expectations for the new dieter as to their prospects for long-term weight loss, and many give up when they hit their first plateau (a period when, no matter what you do, the weight loss temporarily stops).

    A sustained average weight loss of 2 pounds in a week is a very healthy but aggressive goal. But that doesn't mean you'll lose 2 pounds each week. And as you lose weight, you'll be burning fewer calories in a given day (you're carrying around less weight!), so you'll have to up your exercise or lower your calories slightly to compensate.

    It's a long-term commitment to living longer, and it's so worth it (says the guy who used to weigh 280 and took a year to get to 230)!

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