need help counting calories.

youngmommy26

ok so I haven't officially started my diet yet, but I'm trying to figure out what to do here. since I weigh in a 256 pounds right now, I'm going to start off my daily calorie limit to 1,500 a day. I heard that I should eat most of my calories earlier in the day and eat less calories at night. my plan is breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. I was going to save my workout for the day until after I eat my dinner, is this a good plan? or should I exercise earlier in the day? my daily exercise is going to be an hour of zumba. also how should I figure my calories for my meals to where I stay in the 1,500 range but have them earlier in the day? I have been trying to find recipies for 300 calorie dinners, but I don't really have many options on that ..lol I'm getting a little frustrated, but I haven't even started yet..lol I feel like this is going to be a long stressful journey to lose this 100 pounds.

WinnerVictorious

ok so I haven't officially started my diet yet, but I'm trying to figure out what to do here. since I weigh in a 256 pounds right now, I'm going to start off my daily calorie limit to 1,500 a day. I heard that I should eat most of my calories earlier in the day and eat less calories at night. my plan is breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. I was going to save my workout for the day until after I eat my dinner, is this a good plan? or should I exercise earlier in the day? my daily exercise is going to be an hour of zumba. also how should I figure my calories for my meals to where I stay in the 1,500 range but have them earlier in the day? I have been trying to find recipies for 300 calorie dinners, but I don't really have many options on that ..lol I'm getting a little frustrated, but I haven't even started yet..lol I feel like this is going to be a long stressful journey to lose this 100 pounds.

you're not on a diet. forget that mindset. you're simply changing the way you make food choices from here on out.

you have started. you're here. it starts now. even if you haven't committed to meeting your daily goals yet, start logging now.

don't worry about meal timing or number of meals. that's all irrelevant. start with whatever is normal for you. for many people that is breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.

you don't have to split up your calories equally between meals. all that matters is the final number at the end of the day.

when you exercise is up to you. some prefer morning. some prefer evening. again, it doesn't matter.

to determine your daily goal, fill out the MFP profile for yourself accurately and it will give you a number. that's what you should shoot for. if MFP has given you 1500, then that's what you should shoot for. if MFP gives you 1700, then that's what you should shoot for. the point is that the number you're given is based off your stats and is not just a number pulled out of thin air.

if you start adding exercise on top of daily activities, log that and your calories will go up for the day. you are supposed to eat most or all of those extra calories.

as you get into this a little bit and get comfortable with your logging, then start trying to meet your protein, fat, and carb macros with your daily intake. you can ease into this process at your own speed, but the first thing is logging. you have to be honest and accurate. if not, then you're only cheating yourself.

carleighsmama

I eat like normal. My daily calories range between 1,390 and 1,500 a day, depending how much exercising I do. I do not eat most of my calories during the day. I have a 150 calorie breakfast (average). My lunch is normally around 300-350. Snacks come in around 100-150 for the entire day. And dinner could range from anywhere between 500-800 calories. Dinner is my biggest struggle.

If you are familiar with Pinterest, I find a lot of healthy, low calorie meal ideas on there. And they all taste really really good!

Good luck on your journey. You can do this!

Ready2Rock206

you're not on a diet. forget that mindset. you're simply changing the way you make food choices from here on out.

you have started. you're here. it starts now. even if you haven't committed to meeting your daily goals yet, start logging now.

don't worry about meal timing or number of meals. that's all irrelevant. start with whatever is normal for you. for many people that is breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.

you don't have to split up your calories equally between meals. all that matters is the final number at the end of the day.

when you exercise is up to you. some prefer morning. some prefer evening. again, it doesn't matter.

to determine your daily goal, fill out the MFP profile for yourself accurately and it will give you a number. that's what you should shoot for.

This! Keep it simple.

And you don't have to lose 100lbs - you only need to lose 10lbs 10 times - you can do that! Break it down into some smaller number blocks and aim for that so it is not so overwhelming.

quirkytizzy

And you don't have to lose 100lbs - you only need to lose 10lbs 10 times - you can do that! Break it down into some smaller number blocks and aim for that so it is not so overwhelming.

I LOVE that. So going to start thinking of it that way from now on!

LauritaS767

ok you're not on a diet. forget that mindset. you're simply changing the way you make food choices from here on out.

you have started. you're here. it starts now. even if you haven't committed to meeting your daily goals yet, start logging now.

don't worry about meal timing or number of meals. that's all irrelevant. start with whatever is normal for you. for many people that is breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.

you don't have to split up your calories equally between meals. all that matters is the final number at the end of the day.

when you exercise is up to you. some prefer morning. some prefer evening. again, it doesn't matter.

to determine your daily goal, fill out the MFP profile for yourself accurately and it will give you a number. that's what you should shoot for. depending on your weight loss needs, some weight loss rates may be too high. so if you only have 20 lbs to lose, don't choose 2lbs/week (for example).

^^^ this. It is about a lifestyle change, changing the way you relate to food. Fill out the MFP profile as accuately as possible. I'd set it to lose on avg 2 to 2.5 lbs per week (as by your post you mentioned that you wanted to lose 100). If you're not ready for that, just try logging your current diet to see where you're at. This will give you a good idea on what you have to improve on. Get in your water and move more. Just remember in whatever you choose, make sure the 'diet' strategy you choose is something that you can live with longterm, as this is something you'll want to do for the rest of your life to maintain the weight loss! Good luck!

sijomial

Far too complicated! Your wrist has a watch - your stomach doesn't.
Eat your calories whenever you choose, exercise whenever you choose, eat as many (or as few) meals as suits you as long as it fits in your calorie allowance.

Here's some tips:
Don't expect your weight loss to be linear.
Find exercise that you like. Strength training really helps preserve your lean tissue while you are losing weight.
Eat back your exercise calories to maintain a sensible deficit.
If you have a set back or plateau do not give up.
Track measurements as well as weight.
Log everything.
Eat things you like - just in smaller portions.

Lastly - good luck!

youngmommy26

thanks everyone, I have never really dieted before, and I guess I was jumping into this hoping for perfection and fast results. I shouldn't push myself like this. I'm just going to count my calories and exercise and drink lots of water. I'm not going to freak out if I have a higher calorie dinner, I'll just plan out my dinners everyday and make sure I increase or decrease calories for snacks or whatnot to stay in my count.

pholbert

thanks everyone, I have never really dieted before, and I guess I was jumping into this hoping for perfection and fast results. I shouldn't push myself like this. I'm just going to count my calories and exercise and drink lots of water. I'm not going to freak out if I have a higher calorie dinner, I'll just plan out my dinners everyday and make sure I increase or decrease calories for snacks or whatnot to stay in my count.

That's it calm down. Take small steps first and build up. You will do better if you change a few things at a time. Don't stress yourself.

alifer

Whether you exercise in the morning or evening doesn't really matter as much as that you are doing something. If you have a lot to lose you can always try breaking workouts into more frequent shorter sessions. (ex: 10 minutes in the morning, 10 in the evening). The main thing is that you are exercising. Finding a variety of activities you enjoy will help you stick with it long term.

As far as food. My meals are broken down into 6 categories similar to yours. I sometimes skip a meal, and I don't worry much about the timing of my calories, as long as I stay within my limits for the day. Although I do occasionally go over calories, it's not often, and not normally by very many.

The key is finding what works for you with the food, and exercise. Best wishes, you can do it!!!

Edited to include:
If it helps--when I started, I focused mainly on the number of calories, then started adding in the exercise. (Knowing that the more calories I burned, the more I could eat without guilt really worked as a incentive for me)

spaingirl2011

I totally agree with what others have said above.

Something that helped me when I came back to MFP (after falling off the wagon and rolling around in the dirt) was to make three goals for myself each month. I would drink at least 4 tall glasses of water a day, exercise 3 days a week and eat only one 100-200 calorie sweet thing a day. It made my life much more manageable when I started and then after a month, I was ready to add more goals.

Remember a habit takes about 4 weeks to build. So, consider this question: What are three good habits I want to learn this month?

ladyraven68

thanks everyone, I have never really dieted before, and I guess I was jumping into this hoping for perfection and fast results. I shouldn't push myself like this. I'm just going to count my calories and exercise and drink lots of water. I'm not going to freak out if I have a higher calorie dinner, I'll just plan out my dinners everyday and make sure I increase or decrease calories for snacks or whatnot to stay in my count.

Planning is the best plan

If you log in the morning, or the night before, you can then tweak it to make sure you meet your goals.

far too many people just jump in, thinking they have to eat as low calorie as possible for every meal, and then they get to the end of the day way under their calories, and post asking how they can meet their calorie target. It's because they are concentrating on the small stuff, not the bigger picture.

Good luck

alifer

Far too complicated! Your wrist has a watch - your stomach doesn't.
Eat your calories whenever you choose, exercise whenever you choose, eat as many (or as few) meals as suits you as long as it fits in your calorie allowance.

Here's some tips:
Don't expect your weight loss to be linear.
Find exercise that you like. Strength training really helps preserve your lean tissue while you are losing weight.
Eat back your exercise calories to maintain a sensible deficit.
If you have a set back or plateau do not give up.
Track measurements as well as weight.
Log everything.
Eat things you like - just in smaller portions.

Lastly - good luck!

^^ Exactly!

WinnerVictorious

thanks everyone, I have never really dieted before, and I guess I was jumping into this hoping for perfection and fast results. I shouldn't push myself like this. I'm just going to count my calories and exercise and drink lots of water. I'm not going to freak out if I have a higher calorie dinner, I'll just plan out my dinners everyday and make sure I increase or decrease calories for snacks or whatnot to stay in my count.

Planning is the best plan

If you log in the morning, or the night before, you can then tweak it to make sure you meet your goals.

far too many people just jump in, thinking they have to eat as low calorie as possible for every meal, and then they get to the end of the day way under their calories, and post asking how they can meet their calorie target. It's because they are concentrating on the small stuff, not the bigger picture.

Good luck

i am a proponent of pre-planning your meals for the day. it takes all of the guesswork and impulsive eating out of the equation. pre-plan the night before for the next day. then you simply follow the plan to meet your goal. pre-plan for the week if you can. i actually have a loose plan for my whole month written up on the 1st of each month. i don't fully stick to it of course, but it's really useful for seeing what sort of progress i can expect on the month and for planning what groceries i need to buy and when.

AZKristi

I prefer to workout before dinner. This way my body can focus on my workout (rather than expending blood flow on digestion). If you have to workout after dinner, just try to keep it light and healthy. Also, if you are eating after your workout, you can combine dinner and the last snack, and have a few more calories for dinner.

delilah47

If you haven't already, fill out your profile and goals. A lot of your questions will be answered just by using the tools here on MFP. I.e log what you eat and your calorie count will be automatic, etc. And.. it doesn't matter when you eat your calories. If you follow the MFP plan, you are using a calorie deficit. As long as you stick to that, no sweat; you will reach your goals. Good luck.

Thisisnotadiet

time of the day when you eat or when you exercise don't matter. They may or may not have a minor impact depending on which study you read.....

regarding calorie goal, this is the best link I was given. I am following the TDEE-15% rule and not eating back the calorie deficit because they are included in my activity level. Warning: if you are exercising definitely do NOT set you activity level to sedentary.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


My advice: to continue this for many days, don't plan times of meal/exercise, plan what to eat and how long you exercise.

youngmommy26

well it's kind of hard for me because I am on Foodstamps. I have to plan all my meals out for the entire month before I go shopping, as I don't have a vehicle right now and the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes a way by car. My mom comes to my house and takes me on the 9th when I get my stamps every month. and on top of that I don't have much money to work with either, with myself, my spouse and my 5 year old son, we only get 400 a month to spend on food. 133 dolars a week to feed 3 people. so it's hard for me to buy expensive organic food and stuff, fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive too, I buy frozen vegetables and I can afford like apples and grapes and oranges and stuff, but berries are little out of my price range. I have searched online for healthy meal plans for people on foodstamps, but can't seem to find anything, it seems like everything I find for low calorie meals are EXPENSIVE to make

terriejones

We all know there are times when we'll be put into situations where the food choices won't be good or we choose to indulge in too much. Ex. parties, Easter dinner, a movie and that tub of popcorn. If I know it's going to be one of those days, I try to make up for it the rest of the day by eating less. I may even cut back for a day or two, if I feel I need to. Perfection is not doable. Too many "cheats" may/will slow down your progress, but you're still better off than you were before you started.

WinnerVictorious

well it's kind of hard for me because I am on Foodstamps. I have to plan all my meals out for the entire month before I go shopping, as I don't have a vehicle right now and the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes a way by car. My mom comes to my house and takes me on the 9th when I get my stamps every month. and on top of that I don't have much money to work with either, with myself, my spouse and my 5 year old son, we only get 400 a month to spend on food. 133 dolars a week to feed 3 people. so it's hard for me to buy expensive organic food and stuff, fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive too, I buy frozen vegetables and I can afford like apples and grapes and oranges and stuff, but berries are little out of my price range. I have searched online for healthy meal plans for people on foodstamps, but can't seem to find anything, it seems like everything I find for low calorie meals are EXPENSIVE to make

controlling calories can be as simple as portion size.

rice, soup, inexpensive fruits/veggies, eggs, yogurt, chicken, beans, etc.

you can come up with plenty of meal options that fit within your macros buying just staples like these. bread is ok too, but its calorie dense, so you'll want to limit the amount of that you eat while losing weight.

DancingMoosie

You don't have to spend a lot on groceries. I can get by on 50-75 dollars worth of groceries a week for two people. I don't buy organic, it is too expensive. I focus more on produce and lean meat, buy what's on sale for the week. Also, brown rice and beans(any kind, even lentils) are a great buy. Try to buy fruit that lasts in the fridge a little longer, like apples, oranges, and grapefruit. Berries can be affordable when bought frozen. Carrots and potatoes also last a while in the fridge. Try to watch for adds and coupons.

alifer

I try to combine coupons with items from weekly sale flyers so I can stock up (especially on canned goods). We aren't on food stamps, but I try to stick to about $100 a week for 4 of us (including 2 teenage boys).