Ack! First day logging!

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jonesyx6
jonesyx6 Posts: 46 Member
in Food and Nutrition
First day logging and I've only got 350 calories left for the rest of the day (it's 4pm). I thought I ate pretty healthily today.

Belvita for breakfast & coffee (with cream & agave)

Black bean burger with ketchup and a light swipe of mayonnaise
homemade fruit salad (apple, grape, strawberry, blueberry)

small celery stalk with 1 Tsp peanut butter

Where do I learn better choices? or is it hit and miss?! Please help!

Replies

  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
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    How many calories is your daily allowance set to? If you need more you can always do some exercise to get an extra few hundred. I tend to log BEFORE I eat so I can see how much a meal is going to work out at.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,058 Member
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    You made good choices. It's just tough to make the change. Try getting more Protein, you'll feel more satiated. But this whole process takes some time and you'll have some set backs.

    It sounds like you have you calories set to 1200. That's probably not enough for you. If you have a job, go to school, or care for children, you are not Sedentary, so don't set your activity level to Sedentary.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    Set your "Goals" realistically and don't try to cheat the system by cutting calories too low.
  • karylee44
    karylee44 Posts: 892
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    open your food diary.. its easier to see what is going on..
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Welcome! You'll learn quickly. Take the first week or so and consider it a learning experience.

    I was *shocked* when I first started logging at how many calories many of the foods I ate contained. You'll learn quickly to make adjustments (for example, if your black bean burger had a bun on it, that's probably 200 calories for the bun alone).

    The longer you log, the more you'll get a feel for what's really healthy and what's not. Don't beat yourself up over it.

    Also, I can't see your diary, but if you've got a lot to lose, MFP may have you eating too little. Do lots of reading on the forums and you'll start to learn how to determine the right amount of calories for YOU.

    Sending you a friend request in case I can be of further assistance!
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
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    Yes, MFP sets it's daily calories to 1200 which was way too low for me. I'm eating around 1600-1700 a day now. When I first started I was at 1200 and was hungry and tired.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Definitely consider setting your weight loss goal a bit lower at first (1 pound/week instead of 2). Think about how many calories you were taking in before you started and how much of a HUGE change it is to go from say 2500 calories a day (just guessing) to 1200. That's like 2 meals worth of calories!

    Exercise definitely helps - I can't make my goals without it. In fact, some days, I can't even make my goals with it! But slow and steady wins the race. Don't be in such a rush to lose the weight that you set yourself up for failure with high unreachable goals.

    You can do this! One day at a time!
  • DrewMaxwell
    DrewMaxwell Posts: 269 Member
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    As far as making better food choices, find a few folks that have lost a decent amount of weight and look at their food diaries for ideas.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I set my goal to lose .5 lbs/week, and I'm actually losing an average of 1.7 lbs/week. My net goal is 1640 and I eat just about all of my exercise calories on top of that.

    Aim for a smaller loss goal... until you get used to eating at a calorie deficit at all (not to mention tracking EVERYTHING). My best advice would be to make sure you have measuring cups/spoons and a food scale.
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
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    Break your calorie allowance up into a separate allowance for each meal. For example, if you get 1500 calories, you could aim for:

    Breakfast 300
    Snack 100
    Lunch 400
    Snack 100
    Dinner 500
    Snack 100

    This will keep you on track so you don't wind up eating all your calories too early. Try to log your meals before you eat them! Then you can change your plan if it turns out the meal exceeds that meal's allowance.

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