First day and over my calorie/fat goal :(

MercurialScribes
MercurialScribes Posts: 22
in Motivation and Support
It's my first day on this site... well, yesterday technically... I have odd hours of "awakeness," but anyway, I am already discouraged. I am not that far over, but I thought that today was a "good" day as far as eating... well, for me. I really need to make some big changes!!! :(

Replies

  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Were you over the calorie goal that the site sets for you (i.e. the one that includes your deficit)?

    Or, were you over the calorie goal + deficit?

    If it's the first, then you're still actually under your calories, don't worry about it!

    If it's the second, it's only one day. You've already learned something from it by being narked enough about it to post on here, rather than burying your head in the sand.

    It's only the first day. Use it as a learning experience, move towards the future with what you've learned!
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    It's a good idea to spend the first few days just using the diary to see how you're using your calories and where you need to cut back.

    Don't get discouraged after only 1 day.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    If you have set in our goals to lose 1 pound a week, for example, and you are over your daily calories by 250, lets say, then you are still making progress, cos you calorie deficit would be 500, which means you have a 250 deficit now, still progress. If it's more than 500 aka over your maintenance then yea... well... =/

    But still, it's better to et familiar with website and calorie counting firs, like somebody above me said. Like that you will get to know what you ate and where you need to fix some things. Don't jump into serious counting from first day, prepare first... ^^
  • MercurialScribes
    MercurialScribes Posts: 22
    I'm not sure what you guys are meaning by the "deficit"... where is this information? I was just going by the 1500 calorie allotment I was given, and I was over it, by a LOT, on my first day... mostly due to the drinks I had tonight as a "last hurrah." I'm just looking at these first days as a "what not to do" as I continue on... these are my habits that I need to break, and seeing them staring back at me in number form is sobering and motivational... at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself right now... :(
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    When you first start, the main thing is that you log everything accurately. It's pretty common for people to start out and be over their goal. You can now look at your food diary and see where you could tweak it to make easy changes to save a few calories here and there. It's so easy to underestimate how much you've consumed. (It's also easy to overestimate, and you might find that out further down the line.) Don't be discouraged, honestly it takes time to make lifestyle changes. You're here, you're prepared to make big changes, and that's the main thing.

    What jimmmer said is also true. The calorie goal that MFP gives you has a built-in deficit, so you could probably go over a by a few hundred calories (depending on your actual numbers) and still be in a deficit and able to lose weight. Also, remember that you will be at a deficit all the days in the week, so if you reach your calorie goal 5 days out of 7, chances are you will lose weight that week. So don't panic! :smile:
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    There is a certain number of calories that your body needs to stay alive, and to do whatever activities you do in a day. This is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and might also be called "maintenance". If you eat that number of calories you will maintain weight. If you eat more, over time you'll gain. If you eat less, over time you'll lose. That number depends on your age, height, weight and how active you are.

    When you eat less than your TDEE, that is eating at a "deficit". MFP gives you a goal with a deficit built into it, how big it is depends on how much you tell it you want to lose. It takes 3,500 calories to gain (or lose) 1 lb of fat. So for example, if your TDEE is 2,000 calories a day, and you want to lose 1 lb a week, you'd need a deficit of 3,500 calories for the week, which would be 500 calories a day. So you would need to eat 1,500 calories a day.

    MFP works slightly differently from other TDEE calculators because when it works out your goal, it does not include any planned exercise that you are going to do. It gives you a calorie goal that will allow you to lose a certain amount of weight each week, even if you never do any exercise. So, when you exercise, you can log that, and MFP will increase your calorie goal for the day. You can eat back those calories and still lose weight. Not everyone likes to eat those calories back, for fear of overestimating their calorie burn. With 175lb to lose, you don't need to worry too much about that. Eat them back if you want, but you can "get away with" having a larger calorie deficit with the amount you have to lose. As you get closer to your goal, it is generally suggested that you have a smaller calorie deficit (eg. set MFP to lose 1 lb a week, then 0.5 lb a week, and eat back most of your exercise calories.)

    I hope that makes some sense. It can be very confusing. The main point is that because the goal that MFP gives you means you are eating less than you burn in a normal day, you will probably lose weight even if you go a little bit over that goal. These are some links that might help: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    Thanks JesterMFP. That was also very helpful to me.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    First off, I wouldn't worry too much about going over fat specifically - it's the total figure that really matters.

    As for going over by a fair bit - don't be discouraged, but rather use it as an educational tool to plan you future success.

    Have a look in the success stories section to see what people can, have and are doing to show that you can do it too!
  • pixtotts
    pixtotts Posts: 552 Member
    its your first day, you have to start somewhere, and now you know where youve been going wrong :)

    i think very few of us actually realise how many calories are actually in something till we start logging it
    it gets easier to make the right choices i promise (or to know when your making the wrong ones...)
    x
  • MercurialScribes
    MercurialScribes Posts: 22
    Thanks Jester, and everyone. I hadn't actually calculated that I have 175 pounds to lose, I just plugged in the numbers, and actually "guesstimated" my current weight, as I don't have a scale... I have more than a "person" to lose. Wow.

    Yes, I went over by a lot today, and I didn't exercise. I actually planned on joining next week, but told myself that I need to quit putting it off and just START, even if I start terribly. Well, this was about as horrible a start as I could have imagined, so it can only get better, right? :o/
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I too am great at doing the whole "just one more bad day/week" then I'll start/get back on it/etc.
    MFP has been pretty good so far at teaching me the 'value' of calories and making be better at not doing that.
    For my Birthday earlier in the week I wanted to have some nice food etc. Ended up eating 5000 calories or so that day.
    However, thanks to it being a nice day I got out and did a fair bit of exercise, so overall burnt 6000 calories that day to meet my target of -1000 calories. I get fitter and get to eat more :D.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I hadn't actually calculated that I have 175 pounds to lose, I just plugged in the numbers, and actually "guesstimated" my current weight, as I don't have a scale... I have more than a "person" to lose. Wow.

    Sorry, was just going off your profile ticker. :ohwell: Remember, every journey starts with a single step. :happy:

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