2nd day on MyFitnessPal....does it get easier?

mmimibeth

YES.... definitely gets better! I was in complete shock in the first couple days. Then one day I was with my friend who's also doing this, and we just sat there putting in things we used to love... for instance:

on a daily shopping trip-
biscuit from Jacks= 300+ cals
Lg Sweet tea from McD's= 270
so that was breakfast= 570 cals

Lunch:
double cheese burger- 300+
Lg Fries= 500
(another Mcd's) sweet tea=270
FOr lunch 1070 cals

on the way home we would have a hot fudge sundae with nuts and chocolate chip cookies..... about another 500+ cals...

And then Lord, we would rush home to fix supper for our families... and I can't even begin to calculate those... but just in a shopping trip I would eat up over 2000 calories and not think twice... so tipping the scale at 222 I had to do something... It's scary when you start loggin some of your NORMAL stuff and makes you think about your choices....

Sorry this was so long, but thought might suggest you just log a typical day and see what you WERE eating...

That's funny that you say that.....I logged in one typical MEAL and I was appalled. I was pretty afraid of that supper, and it wasn't an uncommon thing. After seeing that, it's really hard to believe I'm not larger than I am.

MinMin97

Hi, all! I'm Mary, gonna be 41 in a few weeks, would love to lose 45 pounds, and am living in Missouri. I started this two days ago and have not been within my calories yet, but I figure I will have to get used to the idea of eating less, right??

How long did it take you to get on board with the program and start staying within your calorie range the majority of the time? Any advice?

Thanks.

Hello,
I began beginning of May. I did not lose much at first, but I was looking and feeling better with each passing week. That got me hooked. It takes a bit to adjust to all the newness. Your body and hormones adjust to the proper amount of calories, especially if you'd been eating too much, as I was, and too many carbs/sugar.

Everything is new....don't get frustrated or anxious. Just do the best you know to do, and keep adjusting until you get the results you seek. EVERYBODY learns as they go, and you reap all kinds of benefits...NSV's as we like to call them (Non Scale Victories). When you have questions, there are the forums and the friends you make along the way. It is totally fun and hard work.

I was just realizing that I have finally found my own weight loss zone. I have been trying to lose a pound per week, and I have been doing that!!! In the last 4 weeks, I have lost at least 5 pounds! I love the friends I have made, the feeling of self control and fitness i've gained, and more. Bottom line, have fun, get fit!

:)MinMin

Tiabean86

Yes! Once you get into the habit of logging (and after a bit it really does become second nature thanks to the phone app lol) and be honest it get easier. If you are not being honest due to embarrassment then put your diary to private while you work on gaining control of your eating. I don't believe in "stomach shrinking" or such crap. If you are hungry drink a huge glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Still hungry? Eat a handful of almonds. You do not need to be hungry to lose weight. That is why you want to give yourself a little wiggle room with the calories. So you really need that extra slab of butter? If not save the calories for when hunger strikes you at weird moments. But always remember to drink a huge glass of water and wait 10 minutes if your hungry at a time you know your are not suppose to be. Thirst can show up in hunger so sometime when you are hungry and you shouldn't be it's just your bodies way of getting liquid in it. Good luck and add me if you want, I love supporting and being supported!!!

Tiabean86

Oh and I know my ticker says "0" but I gained about 20 lbs from when I first made this to when I actually started to use it (a 4 month difference). Since I started back up with this three weeks about I have lost about 8 lbs so far. It won't show up on my ticker until I get back to my previous weight- grrr lol.

snowball69

it is hard but after a few days it does get easier an give yourself little goals wot u know u can stick to for instance try an get an idea of how much u used to eat an just drop it slowly dont eat too little calories at the beginnin because u will always feel hungry it worked for me i just passing it on

vjrose

Best to take the first week to just look at what you are eating now, then start planning for changes, look at other diaries, read a bit, start planning some exercise time (a walk is absolutely a good start if you have been pretty sedentary). Don't try to "kill it" right off, seems to me most folks I've see really get frustrated hit it hard, didn't get instant results and got angry. Patience is the key, you didn't get fat overnight it isn't going ot "melt off". Hard work, patience, and finding what works for you will get it done. If you already lead a busy life then be sure you have a grip on BMR, TDEE, and where you want to fall in that area. Also, measure, I think that was my biggest mistake, I didn't measure back at the beginning, if I had I think I would have been happier when I hit plateaus since that was usually when I would drop a size. Surround yourself with friends on the same track at first. Later you can add folks on other trains of thought and not get distracted by them, just support their journeys. Research nutrition, no fad diets, just eating healthy, watch the junk food, restaurant food, and sodium, I think extreme sodium is one of the biggest hidden pitfalls I've seen.
Anyway there's some ideas.

Helloitsdan

i really struggled the first weel on a 1700 calorie a day goal-but after gthe first week I was able to regularly keep under 1300 calories
now i stay around 950 to 1200 calories a day-thius lifestyle change works but you have to be dedicated and be truthful when writing down your food-good luck

Dont listen to this person.

They dont know what they are doing.

Hi, all! I'm Mary, gonna be 41 in a few weeks, would love to lose 45 pounds, and am living in Missouri. I started this two days ago and have not been within my calories yet, but I figure I will have to get used to the idea of eating less, right??

How long did it take you to get on board with the program and start staying within your calorie range the majority of the time? Any advice?

Thanks.

OP please be sure you read ALL stickies at the tops of the forums so you understand how this tool works.

Youll probably "TRY" to work out everyday and be met with resistance to weight loss.
You probably "WONT" eat back calories and consequently not lose any weight.

So consider working out 3-4x a week.

Eat back "ALL" calories burned.
Youll probably net closer to 2k this way and the fat will pretty much fall off.

Chances are at some point youll be upping calories because the lower settings dont work for most.

EmilyT1994

I hit about the third day after staying under 1200 calories, and then I just didn't feel compelled to eat.
The first three, I couldn't even keep my mind off food.
But now after a week I'm kind of not bothered.
I look forward to my dinner and try not to eat at all before it.
So then I can have a little munchy in the evening at about 10 or 11pm because I'll only have eaten 2/3rds of the days calories by then.
There's something about daylight, makes me feel like crap.

TheVimFuego

Eating less implies deprivation and hunger. And malnutrition.

Look, seriously, concentrate more on eating whole, filling, unprocessed food, keep the sugars way low and likely you will make progress.

Eat as much as you want to satisfy hunger but eat the right stuff. Quality over quantity.

If you just fixate on the calories then you are doomed long term.

Really, you are.

mainelymama

1. Yes it gets easier. The first few days of eating under calories stink. I was hungry all day. But now only a week later I am rarely hungry because my body is used to the new intake.

2. When I started couting calories and watching what I ate, before MFP, I went WEEKS, maybe even a couple months, of ONLY tracking. Noticing my habits. Considering what I could cut out. I did a lot of learning in that time. Eventually decided to jump in with both feet to under 2000 calories and thats where my first point happend.

dawnp1833

It gets so much easier!

I am 45 and want to lose about 45 lbs. When I began in May I loved junk food and fast food and hated exercise. (really all of that still applies now). I was always hungry and tired and sore and miserable.

After a couple of weeks determination takes over and it becomes a habit to exercise and count calories and make better choices. Eventually you figure out which exercises are more tolerable than others, which ones your body responds to best and what foods you like that fit into your allotted numbers. Sugar free fudgesicles are my new friends. Once you get it figured out, it's a breeze.

I found that it helps a lot to look at other people's diaries. When I see what someone who is having success is eating, it gives me ideas about what I should eat. And the healthier the food, the more you get. You can have all the good stuff, just in moderation.

And water - I hated drinking water and was a diet coke junkie. But I made myself drink the water and now it's what I reach for first, and the diet coke tastes a little bit bad to me now.

You can do it. There are plenty of people here to support you, answer your questions and give you advice. Stick to it and you'll be glad you did.

mmimibeth

i really struggled the first weel on a 1700 calorie a day goal-but after gthe first week I was able to regularly keep under 1300 calories
now i stay around 950 to 1200 calories a day-thius lifestyle change works but you have to be dedicated and be truthful when writing down your food-good luck

Dont listen to this person.

They dont know what they are doing.

Hi, all! I'm Mary, gonna be 41 in a few weeks, would love to lose 45 pounds, and am living in Missouri. I started this two days ago and have not been within my calories yet, but I figure I will have to get used to the idea of eating less, right??

How long did it take you to get on board with the program and start staying within your calorie range the majority of the time? Any advice?

Thanks.

OP please be sure you read ALL stickies at the tops of the forums so you understand how this tool works.

Youll probably "TRY" to work out everyday and be met with resistance to weight loss.
You probably "WONT" eat back calories and consequently not lose any weight.

So consider working out 3-4x a week.

Eat back "ALL" calories burned.
Youll probably net closer to 2k this way and the fat will pretty much fall off.

Chances are at some point youll be upping calories because the lower settings dont work for most.

I like your way!

mmimibeth

TO: ALL who have responded to my initial post "2nd day on MyFitnessPal...does it get easier:"



Thanks for ALL of your responses. I've read them all over and over, soaking up the encouragement and advice. I was expecting to download this app to have the advantage of having a place to log my food intake more easily. I did not know that there was the added benefit of support. I am very inspired now after reading some of your stories and reading the advice and encouragement. Thank you for the vote of confidence!

Mary:flowerforyou: