Calories... Are They Kidding?!!!

ChristineS_51 · June 2012

My weight has crept up over the last 20 years; I lost some weight once - took 18 months to lose 10 kgs, eating too little, exercising twice a day; when I relaxed the weight came back with interest. I thought I knew a fair bit about nutrition / values. Then I got to my THAT IS IT moment (just after Christmas) and started using MFP.

I was stunned to see the calorie value of some of the "Healthy" choices I thought I was making. At first I was way over in practically everything, but soon made better choices, and the weight just dropped off. It has slowed down at the moment due to a knee knjury which is getting better; a new job where there is always something amazing for morning tea (need to develop my will power) and visiting restaurants with family visitor. But they are just excuses, I know now, thanks to MFP, just what I am putting into my body and it has been a great experience - I can see me happily doing this for the rest of my life, and am aiming to get to a healthy and maintainable weight.

Processed foods are not something we should eat every day - eating fresh / home prepared / etc is a much better option.

Good luck to you all, especially those just starting - be honest with yourself and your diary; this is not a race / competition against others - it is for YOU, and what works best for you. Focus and dedication, some exercise, lots of education about what and how much to eat, and you will succeed.

PS get a set of digital scales (mine cost me $15AUS - best investment ever)

feistyhorsegal · June 2012

I was consuming about 3500 calories a day!! So going back to 1500 per day to lose weight was hard!! Now I'm on 2100 to maintain and that is pretty easy.

kornmaiden · June 2012

Yes I was surprised - after being on weight watchers with their free fruits and veggies and then logging on here, I realized I was eating 300-350 calories of "free" food. Well folks it ain't free to your body and now I know why I was not losing like I wanted to. After one week on MFP I lost a pound and a half. May not seem huge but it's great for me at this stage in my weight loss. 70# gone!

libraryldy · July 2012

My fitness Pal has those Welch's fruit snacks tallied wrong. I love those for my evening snack, but one 2.5 package is NOT one serving - it's 1.5 serving. So instead of the calorie count being 130 calories, the count is 195 calories. Now, 65 calories may not seem like a lot, but those are calories that people aren't counting. In one week that adds up to 455 calories! Do you know if Fitness Pal makes corrections like this?