i cant do this anymore

AllonsYtotheTardis

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

^^^ an easy starting place - read it, try it, and try not to let all this process overwhelm you. You can do it.

Akimajuktuq

You've barely started and "can't do this anymore". I don't get it.

Maybe it would be helpful to switch your focus from weight loss to HEALTH. Also, do some research. MFP macro defaults suck. It is too low in fat and far too high for carbs. You can modify your macros.

Also, consider eating enough. 1200 is usually not enough and MFP usually sets a 1200 goal if you input a 2 pound loss goal per week. Depending on how much you have to lose put in 1 pound or half a pound goal.

Find a lifestyle that you can change to permanently. For me, that's a ketogenic (high fat, very low carb) lifestyle based on mostly unprocessed foods. For many people, WHAT we eat matters. Calories in and calories out was too simplistic for my health issues and that advice also destroyed my metabolism when I was young.

Try different things, focus on health and be patient. Is it a race? What happens when you reach your goal? Gain the weight back?

Quasita

Here's what I suggest: If you are really that undereducated and have difficulty finding direction, invest some time, and maybe some money, in seeing a medical nutritionist and have a physical done by your doctor. I would have felt hopeless my first few months if I hadn't had baseline work done and then a follow up 3 months later. I'd lost very little weight overall, but my cholesterol, BP, and general blood count was so much better that my doctor was nearly jumping up and down.

A lot of people on here don't realize that 1200 is the BARE MINIMUM net that you should have for the day. Most people need at least 1500. Remember, there is a reason why Daily Values on nutrition labels are based on a 2000 calorie diet. That's because the average person needs 2000 a day to cover for their basic needs and for the energy they use doing errands and things. The unfortunate thing about eating a low cal diet without medical supervision is that you risk developing metabolic disorders because your body may not have the energy or nutrients that it needs.

Seriously, talk to your doctor, get a recommendation for a nutritionist, and let them structure your plan to start. As you get into the habit and swing of things, you can vary what you do and eat to better suit your goals.

Alison12121

Sorry you're feeling down. *hugs* I've been there before. This is not easy, but you will get through it.

How many pounds did you set MFP to lose? If you haven't done so already, change your settings to lose 1 pound a week, or even lower. That way you can eat more and you won't feel so deprived. (Initially I tried setting MFP to 2 pounds a week, but I needed more calories, so I changed it back right away, and I stuck with 1 pound).

Also, don't worry about the sodium, protein and sugar for now. I think a lot of people go over their sodium, protein and sugar. At least, I do, but my sodium intake is a lot lower than it used to be because I'm keeping track of it with MFP, and I'm mostly concerned with sodium. To help with the calories, I've started exercising everyday. I see that you're working out, so that's great! It really helps a lot with daily calories.

Finally, everybody is different, so don't worry about what others are doing. Honestly, the first 2 weeks on MFP were the hardest for me. I really struggled to stay within my calories, but I got through it, and you can too. I think when you start losing, you'll feel better, and that will help to motivate you. Also, you need to give it time. We didn't gain a lot of weight in a week, so it will take more than a week to get rid of it. Try not to weigh yourself everyday, especially if it upsets you. Your weight fluctuates a lot everyday, and that's normal.

7opoundsin16weeks

dude. you're still new to this whole thing. you will learn by time

skinnyinnotime

Don't panic! You can learn alot from this site, I certainly have, I had no idea of what/why macros were so important etc. You've been given some good advice, keep reading threads on here it will come slowly and you will become more confident in what you're doing.....once you start seeing results your motivation will increase too.

Good luck!

Snatched614

Calm down u are way too hard on yourself. It's obvious your doing something rite cause u identified the problem. All u need is help, and support to work towards your goal. I sent u a friend request and plenty of folks have already started giving answers to most of your questions. Accept my request and good luck on your journey.

im so frustrated with this whole weight loss thing. i know nothing about eating right, calories, intake and outtake and whatever else slang is in the diet world. all i know is food and im not frustrated because i havent lost yet because its barely been a week. im frustrated because i seem to be doing everything all wrong. seems i cant do anything right. 1200 calories a day is what ive been doing but now i hear thats way too low for me. how am i supposed to know whats too low and whats not? i feel depressed because i see everyone else making progress and i feel like i cant or never will. maybe i dont want this the way i thought i did. maybe i need a stronger support system. i dont know but i really give up. everyday im over in sodium, protein and sugar even though im eating better than i ever have. id really like to hear what you all think before i throw in the towel. just feel like going in a hole and crying myself to sleep. so defeated:-(

WhaddoWino

tips: **these are the tips that worked for me, by all means they arent the ONLY way to weight loss. you can eat whatever you want in moderation, but i am saying this is what helped me out!


1. for the first week, stay off the scale. really! focus purely on eating clean and exercising.
2. eating clean means: vegetables, fruits, nuts, oats, oats, eggs, nothing from a package (like special k cereals, frozen tv dinners, granola bars, `lite` soups from cans, etc.) read food labels, make sure there isnt a lot of added oils and sugars
3. DEFINITELY keep an eye on sugars and sodium. too much sugar and sodium just bloats me!
4. EXERCISE for at least an hour a day. haf an hour, just park yourself on a cardio machine at the gym (treadmill, elliptical, arc trainer) and then just lift weights for the rest of the half hour (planet fitness has a great easy-to-use circuit thing with different machines!)
5. i started eating about 1500 cals a day. 1200 is a little too little for most people, but if you absolutely have to, if you eat lots of veggies and water it can really help.
6. DEFINITELY drink enough water. i drink about a gallon a day!

*7. you have to stick with it. three weeks of HARD *kitten* work and clean eating might yield no results on the scale, but you might FEEL better, have your clothes a little looser, or might have better skin because youre eating better. the SCALE should NOT be the primary method of results. PATIENCE is key!!!!!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: good luck!

^^GREAT advice here! Also, be sure to get enough sleep. Check this out...
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-source-healing/201010/sleep-more-burn-more-fat

Schlackity

You can do this! send me a friend request if you want. I'm pretty new to this site too, but I've been dieting for the last 38 years (and I'm only 46). We can work on it together!

I try to stay within my calories (1600 a day) and I don't worry too much about all the sugar/sodium stuff yet. Right now, as long as you are making the healthiest choices you can come up with, you're doing better than you were before, so don't beat yourself up so much.

When you start to feel really overwhelmed, take a step back and look at the big picture. Sometimes it's easier to pick one thing to work on and once you get that down, you can add on another thing to work on, etc. You can do it!

Afura

See above. All of it. It IS frustrating after a week, especially when you're just starting to transition into a healthy lifestyle and you've got ALL THIS STUFF being thrown at you. Phew, a humdinger.

Like others suggested, find out what your TDEE is, as 1200 is maybe the target for some people, but not a good many of us on MFP. That's Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which is how many calories you burn regularly, just day to day. Scooby's Workshop has a calculator (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) that will help you figure it out easily. There is also a section on there for your goal(Step #6), select -20%, and that will give you your calories to eat based on your goal, that's what you should be eating at. And make sure to recalculate every 5pds (think of it as a goal!), and take into account exercise.

Beyond that, exercise, make healthy choices, log them, see what you're eating, and go from there. Some things will surprise you with how little calories they are, some stuff will shock you with how many calories there are (not all salads are healthy or low calorie! ). There are plenty of people willing to help out, and lots of information available on MFP. Read read read, you are your best source for information!

And don't call it a diet! If you want to loose weight AND keep it off, remember this is just how you are going to eat and exercise. Diet's you can fall off of, you can quit, Your lifestyle is your lifestyle.

jordanduncan120

If you don't know about something, then learn. read a book about health and nutrition. read a women's health themed magazine. talk to your doctor. your best bet is your doctor, since he or she will already know your health history and what you need to focus on the most. make an appointment to simply discuss your health goals. he or she will likely recommend that you keep a diary of everything you eat for a week or so and then look over it and help you access weak points. keep a log of what times you eat as well, so you know when you are most likely to eat maybe from stress or from being bored.

if your sugar and sodium intake is high, try eating non-processed foods (if it comes in a box or a can or with instructions for a microwave, its probably a processed food) and using little to no seasonings or condiments. also don't drink your calories. try to stay away from sugary drinks like juice or soda, and drink water with lemon or lime juice, or black coffee, or tea. even those little flavor drink packs can be bad for you. its best to detox your body from these things. it will seem horrible at first but its actually really great once you get used to it. when i first did it food seemed bland, but then my body detoxed and now i can taste the flavors of fruits and veggies with no salt or sugar or whatever, and i love it! now when i eat something high in sodium or sugar, it feels like there is a nasty coating in my mouth and i immediately have to brush my teeth.

one good rule of thumb is to fill half your plate with fresh or lightly steamed vegetables, or fresh fruits. fill 1/4 of the plate with a protein such as lean meat, fish, eggs, etc. fill the remained 1/4 with a whole grain such as whole grain toast, brown rice, quinoa, etc. there are tons of delicious healthy food options out there. look at pinterest for ideas! i do that all the time when i am looking for something yummy but everything in the fridge seems boring. i have found a ton of great and super healthy recipes on there!

melindasuefritz

Slow down! You cant do everything all at once.

First, get your calories right. ignore all those other things, that's fine tuning that can be done later.

So. 1200 is quite low - what's your current weight and height?

lilpoindexter

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA...don't be so hard on yourself...deep breaths...baby steps...it's gonna be ok.
The first thing I would do, if I were you, Is track my calories. I wouldn't try to change my diet, just see where I'm at. Then after tracking for a week, I would start to see where I could make substitutions. As far as workouts, start slow. Even walking 30-60 minutes a day will make big drastic changes if you haven't been exercising. Try to make small, tiny, barely noticeable changes that you can maintain forever. All of us have setbacks and days where we eat too much...but don't dwell on them, try to learn where you went wrong, and stay in it to win it. Losing weight is all in your mind...you are stronger than bad habits, just stick with it.

jmadams111

Before I knew much of anything about this, or ever heard of MFP, I started based on 3 pieces of data:

1 - for every pound of your current body weight, its ROUGHLY 10 -15 calories per day to keep it, depending on how active you are. Couch potato = 10, Pro athlete = 15 The TDEE calculations came later for me, but I used those assumptions as a start.
2 - 3500 calories of excess = 1 lb of weight gain.
3 - 4000 calories of reduction = 1 lb of weight loss (No one said life was fair)

Based on that, I multiplied my starting weight by 10 and started cutting my meal/portions in half (I don't recommend that, now that I've learned better) but if you knock off 25% of everything you eat, its got to help!

Then you can go to all the recommended sites, do the REAL TDEE, BMR calculations and move forward.

GOOD LUCK

Syriene

Make sure to keep hydrated, get proper amounts of sleep and take it day by day. Also, set your scale aside for a while and opt for measuring instead. In time you will notice that clothing will start to fit better. Use that and how you feel overall as your guide. This site has loads of great info and people to help you. Don't give up.

Capt_Apollo

im so frustrated with this whole weight loss thing. i know nothing about eating right, calories, intake and outtake and whatever else slang is in the diet world. all i know is food and im not frustrated because i havent lost yet because its barely been a week. im frustrated because i seem to be doing everything all wrong. seems i cant do anything right. 1200 calories a day is what ive been doing but now i hear thats way too low for me. how am i supposed to know whats too low and whats not? i feel depressed because i see everyone else making progress and i feel like i cant or never will. maybe i dont want this the way i thought i did. maybe i need a stronger support system. i dont know but i really give up. everyday im over in sodium, protein and sugar even though im eating better than i ever have. id really like to hear what you all think before i throw in the towel. just feel like going in a hole and crying myself to sleep. so defeated:-(

this is where boys have the upper hand. why? because we watched G.I. Joe. what did they tell us at the end of every episode?? the knowing is half the battle.

you need to educate yourself. you need to read. you need to do research on exercise and eating right and keep a log of what you eat and how you feel.

good luck.

BrendaLee

Hey, you're not doing that badly. Just relax, and hang out for a while. You'll get better as you go.

littlebutnice

Must read later

wibutterflymagic

First off you need to calm down. You've just started and have a lot to learn. No need to panic just look for advice. 1200 is way to low. Anyone that wants to lose weight in a healthy sustainable way 1200 is not good. I see other's have posted links for calculating your tdee and bmr. I use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ with a 15% deficit for weight loss and my macros are set at 40 carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat.

Find out your numbers and go from there. Don't worry about your macros at this point. I still don't because I'm not body building or anything similar. If you don't incorporate your exercise into your calorie calulations then make sure you are eating back your calories. Your body needs fuel to workout and your calorie goal has a deficit built in so if you don't eat back your exercise calories you are creating an unhealthy deficit. Good luck!

morkiemama

Stop tracking sugar. It's ridiculous because if you eat a single piece of fruit, you're going to go over in sugar. For calories, I suggest checking this out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet Helloitsdan can answer questions on it for you, too.

The protein number they put on here is INSANELY LOW. You can manually change the numbers for those (I have mine as a 40%/30%/30% for carbs, protein and fat, respectively). Don't get too frustrated by it! You can do it!

This!

The full version is definitely worth a read IMO. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13