Any tips?

Aschive

Hi! Well I am new to this site and I need to lose a lot of weight to get into my healthy weight range. But anyway that is not why I am writing, I was wondering if anyone has any tips to get the most out of this site? Also any ideas/suggestions on how to make water taste better? I do not like drinking water, I have tried Mio (the liquid water flavoring) and also other types of water drink mixes but I feel like that isn't the same because of the sugar and other stuff in it. Any thoughts or things you have tried would be appreciated! Thanks!

Clowasa

Hey there,

As far as your issue with water I'm not really sure what you can do (sorry). In terms of getting the most out of this site I would say honesty is the best policy. If you have a day when you eat a bunch of junk or have huge portions don't try to hide it or not enter it in your diary. My first few days on MFP were pretty embarrassing food wise (tons of chicken fingers, chips, etc.) and the shock of just how many calories I was taking in was really helpful. It goes the other way too, I had couple days where I only had maybe a 1000 calories and that's equally bad. It's not about not eating or cutting out the food you love, it's about finding the right balance with your portions. I've also found that having a good kitchen scale is extremely helpful when it comes to getting my portion sizes right.

If you go to the apps section there are some helpful tools for figuring out you BMI and other stuff. I think one of the best things is being able to enter in your recipes and MFP will give you a nutritional chart for them.

Hope that helps and feel free to add me.
Good luck!

BehindBlueEyes988

All of that ^^

Perfect. Just be honest because something that seems healthy can be terrible. The site and app also really helps make decisions before hand, such as if you are considering eating an object. Add it to the journal and see how it effects everything.

Another thing I love is going and seeing people's success stories. It's inspiring and always gives me some hope and keeps me going.

And as for the water, the only thing I can suggest is just keep drinking it. Perhaps get a Pur filter or similar to make it taste crisper, while saving much more money than bottled water. I use to drink literally nothing but soda and now I can't touch the stuff. I hated water, and now I crave it when I'm thirsty. It'll just take time to adjust. Try flavored waters like Fruit2O as well. My father hates water and it's what he drinks. I don't believe it has any sugar and as far as flavored water goes, it's not bad

gvf3

Hey Everyone,

Water suggestions: http://www.damyhealth.com/2011/04/how-to-make-naturally-flavored-water/

My Favorite Natural Flavoured Water Recipes
Grapefruit/mandarin (fresh sliced and mulled)
Pomegranate/blueberry (frozen)
Cranberry/Orange (frozen cranberries and orange slices)
Lemon/ginger (grated ginger and fresh squeezed lemon)
Cucumber (sliced – This is really refreshing)
Pineapple slices/fresh Thai coconut water (this makes me feel like I am having a Pina Colda in the afternoon. With the added benefits of the electrolytes in the coconut water, it’s a must try)
Strawberries/vanilla extract/stevia (this is a really nice flavor and tastes so good!)
Apple (slices – So fresh tasting)
Mango/kiwi (a light tropical taste)
Blueberries (add frozen to your water bottle and let melt – You have yummy blueberry water)
Lime/mint leaf (mojito flavor! Again – tastes like a cocktail! crush the mint a bit to release the flavors)
Fruit herb teas (without caffeine – I love raspberry thriller)

* I enjoy fresh mint, yacon syrup and raspberries but there are so many options out there.
yacon syrup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacon_syrup

I also use a food scale and it makes a HUGE difference. No guessing. Really helps control portions.

Good luck!

ChangingAmanda

Hi,

First off, I'm not expert, I've only been at this two weeks but I'm doing much better this time around than any other time I've tried to lose weight.

For flavored water Google "water infusion recipes" and it'll give tons of sites for flavoring your own water with natural ingredients like fruits, veggies and herbs.

I agree with logging everything that you eat regardless of how "bad" it is. I've never been successful quitting my favorite things cold turkey and I have a terrible sweet tooth, especially chocolate. This time around I'm working on my portion sizes and still eating what I like. Like last night, I had 2 Oreos instead of 6. This was a normal serving and I still kept within my calorie budget. As I work through what I have in my pantry I'll start replacing it with healthier choices - like brown rice instead of white, or whole wheat pasta (if I like it) instead of normal pasta. A food scale and measuring spoons and cups are my best friends right now. I couldn't believe how much I was over eating. The only thing I've quit cold turkey is eating fast food. I've also cut down on my soda intake but if I'm seriously craving a Dr. Pepper, I'll wait at least an hour before I indulge (and will usually drink at least a 8oz of water). And if I do indulge, I work it in.

I've read this post and using the suggest tools to help me figure out my calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12.

I only weigh myself once a week because if I do more than that, I'll drive my self crazy.

Good luck with this!

Aschive

Thanks everyone the advice and "recipes" for water are really good ideas!