been a member for awhile and now..........

rhondaec

Like i said I have been a member for quite awhile but have never started counting calories. This is a little overwhelming to me. I have never just counted calories. Is there a board on here for sample menu's for a meal? Thanks

laserturkey

I recommend starting with what you normally would eat and logging that. Then you get an idea of what changes you need to make. Also, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet << this post will help you get started in the right direction.

Lifting_Knitter

There is a thread called show me your meals that you can get ideas from. You can also request for people who need to eat _____ calories to become your friend so you can view their diary.

joleenl

No sample menu. You just eat what you normally eat, just weigh (prefered method) or measure it out. Log everything you eat/drink as accurately as possible. There is a tab under the food tab to enter recipes. It might take a couple days to get the hang of it but it's pretty simple. You can either add me or look at my diary if you wish.

Some tips:

1. In general the healthier and more whole the food is... it will be more filling and usaully be less calories so you can eat more food for less calories although to lose weight you just need to eat a calorie deficit so you don't have cut out all your goodies if you don't want to.
2. If you are using MFP calorie goals eat back your exercise calories. Look up "In place of a road map" in the forums. It's a great source of info.

twinketta

Just log your diary each day, you can add things to it from the database and if it seems high in calories then you can delete it and add something else.

Personally I would not go with `menu`s` but decide the types of food that you normally like to eat and try to modify them.

If you are going to be in for the long haul (which means for life) then you need to make it around foods that you like to eat and make some adjustments...whether it be adding more fruit/veg

Learning what works for you is soooo much better than using what works for someone else

jeslaughter

What you should do is just start recording everything you eat and start your weight loss program after a week or so...that way you can see what you used to eat and trim it down a bit. Helps you to get used to recording your food and exercise and does not feel like a you are under and pressure to diet!!! I do not diet!!
I find there are a lot of recipes posted from time to time and if you check out the blogs and search for recipes you can find a lot of good ones. I use a lot of the posted foods on the lists here and if there is not what I am looking for you can find something that is really close or you can go from list and make it your own little the package meal. I post the calories and other nutrients for some new items I have not found on here as do a lot of other people it is just so easy. I do not eat processed foods much nor do I eat a lot of junk food, too high in calories for me...not enough to keep me filled up til my next meal.
I find this very easy, I do not count calories, I record what I eat and try to watch my calories. I keep under my calories set point of 1200 plus my exercise calories that I have earned for the day...it is soooo soooo easy, I never thought in a million years you would catch me taking control as I have.
I have done so many other programs, Sure Slim, Jenny just to mention two...that I paid for, others like the cabbage soup and stupid things like that.
Here I am taking control of me for me...good luck to you, once you get the hang of it and in the habit of writing down what you eat, you will love the control you have over this part of your life.

rhondaec

Thanks for all your tips and comments! It's gonna take me awhile to figure all this out.