ANYBODY PLEASE HELP VERY CONFUSED HERE!!!!

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jenluvspancho
jenluvspancho Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a question to everyone please... These may be stupid questions but I'm new to this whole calorie counting thing. Well I guess it's a few questions... 1. How can you reach your daily calorie goal? Used to I could eat I don't know how many calories a day...I might would gab a can of Pringles and eat the whole can (900 calories) now I'm not even reaching my daily goal. 2. Am I supposed to be striving to reach that goal or do I need to stay under (suggestions please ... Goals set up to lose 1.5 lbs per week) 3. When do you weigh yourself for most accurate results? ( I was so excited for my weight loss I had to weigh myself this morning just to see the numbers down this morning it shoed 235.8 when yesterday I weighed and I was 240.5...which one do I trust?) PLEASE HELP!!!! I am totally confused!!! Thanks in advance!!!! Please add me also as a friend!!!! I really appreciate all the support I am getting from all of my friends on this site that I am not getting in from my personal friends!!!

Replies

  • MeanieD
    MeanieD Posts: 79
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    Hi Jen,

    I know it's overwhelming, but I find that there have been some very helpful people on this site with TONS of resources on hand. I personally love Jillian Michaels' books and was able to pick them up at the library (broke teacher here!). Her information seemed to match up with the Mayo Clinic (www.mayo.com), which is a highly esteemed medical resource.

    Regarding the calorie goal, yes, you are supposed to be striving for that number. The calorie number already takes into account your weight loss goals. However, if you don't hit it exactly or go over, don't beat yourself up about it. My former nutritionist said a +/-100 calories is still pretty dang good.

    I have had difficulty doing this as well since I'm transitioning to a vegan diet and the foods are lower calories. I believe the trick is to add healthy fats such as avocados and nuts to your diet. Did you have a sandwich for lunch? Awesome. Do you still need more calories? Add avocado to the sandwich or eat an apple with peanut butter. It seems counter-intuitive to be eating more rather than less to lose weight, but it's about eating nutritionally dense foods frequently to avoid going on a binge later when you're all stressed out.

    I like to weight myself once a week in the morning. I like to do this on Fridays so I can spend a bit more time trying to figure out what went wrong over the weekend (Did I not get enough greens in this week? Was I stress eating? Did I "treat" myself to something and it started a downward spiral? etc.). Your weight actually fluctuates throughout the day due to water intake and your muscles expanding, so it's best for your mental health to do it in the morning; when your body weight is at its lowest.

    I hope this helps and good luck on your transformation!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    I have a question to everyone please... These may be stupid questions but I'm new to this whole calorie counting thing. Well I guess it's a few questions... 1. How can you reach your daily calorie goal? Used to I could eat I don't know how many calories a day...I might would gab a can of Pringles and eat the whole can (900 calories) now I'm not even reaching my daily goal. 2. Am I supposed to be striving to reach that goal or do I need to stay under (suggestions please ... Goals set up to lose 1.5 lbs per week) 3. When do you weigh yourself for most accurate results? ( I was so excited for my weight loss I had to weigh myself this morning just to see the numbers down this morning it shoed 235.8 when yesterday I weighed and I was 240.5...which one do I trust?) PLEASE HELP!!!! I am totally confused!!! Thanks in advance!!!! Please add me also as a friend!!!! I really appreciate all the support I am getting from all of my friends on this site that I am not getting in from my personal friends!!!

    If you aren't reaching your goal, try planning your meals the day before.

    Work out what you are having for your main meal, then add in the rest and tweak as necessary until you have hit your calories.

    When you need to add more calories, try not to just add a number of calories, look at your macros, and see what you are low on - if it's fats, eat some nuts, if it's protein, have some greek yogurt, cottage cheese etc, if it's carbs, have some chocolate if you fancy it and it fits your macros.

    As for weighing, your weight can fluctuate daily for many reasons, not just fat loss, so try to weigh just once a week, on the same day first thing in the morning, but more importantly, take measurements. the weight on the scale isn't as important as how you look in the mirror.

    Good Luck.
  • MeanieD
    MeanieD Posts: 79
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    Very true! Meal planning is essential! I try to make 3-4 meals on Sundays to have ready throughout the week. I tend to make large batches and freeze half.
  • blumenL
    blumenL Posts: 12 Member
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    Weight loss is based on working with a calorie deficit. Essentially, you burn fat when you take in less calories during the day than you burned. There's different opinions about whether or not you should eat all of your calories in a day or work on a constant deficit. I personally choose to eat all of my calories and then some if I have earned more by working out. This could give you slower results but you also won't be tempted to binge as much. MFP is set up to give you a calorie limit based on how much weight you told it you want to lose. If you're working towards a loss of 1.5 pounds a week then you need to be at a overall deficit of around 4500 calories per week, (one pound = 3000 calories). As to when to weigh-in. You are usually at your lightest in the morning. Your stomach is empty and you haven't had a chance to bloat from food or the environment. I usually weigh-in first thing out of bed in my panties. That way I know I'm getting as accurate a weight as possible. If you choose to weigh-in at a different time that's fine just make sure it's around the same time of day every time. Your body weight can fluctuate by up to 2 pounds during the day so it's important to be consistent. Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck!
  • collingmommy
    collingmommy Posts: 456 Member
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    Of mfp said you have a goal of 1500 calories, u want to eat that many calories. Don't fill up on "pringles" and say that is your 900, then eat 600 in meals and junk. Stagger your meals do where your eating healthy 400/500 calorie meals. And you will see results. . Your body runs off of 1200 just in sleep mode. So you need to eat those and a bout 400 more on top of it. That's how i do it. I'm set to 1700 a day. As for the weighing in part, i weigh myself completely naked in the morning after i pee. That's what is known as your true weight. I, only weigh in 3 to 4 times a week. I'm trying to build muscle, not actually lose weight, but drop fat. Ps. Alot of you're weight at night is from water weight. Your weight is said to fluctuate 2 lbs during the day due to small changes taking place in your body.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    1. How can you reach your daily calorie goal? Used to I could eat I don't know how many calories a day...I might would gab a can of Pringles and eat the whole can (900 calories) now I'm not even reaching my daily goal.

    2. Am I supposed to be striving to reach that goal or do I need to stay under (suggestions please ... Goals set up to lose 1.5 lbs per week)

    3. When do you weigh yourself for most accurate results? ( I was so excited for my weight loss I had to weigh myself this morning just to see the numbers down this morning it showed 235.8 when yesterday I weighed and I was 240.5...which one do I trust?)

    1. Eat the calories that you are given. If you eat the number MFP suggests, you should, in theory, lose the 1.5 pounds/week that MFP says you should. Some days you may be a bit over, some days less. If you can't reach your goal on average over the course of the week, then it may be because MFP has given you a lot of calories because you are quite overweight.

    2. You want to be close to your calorie goal so you don't lose to fast (which means you'll probably put on fast). At the beginning, especially if you're very overweight, you will probably lose very fast. A lot of that is water. The longer you go on, the more fat you lose proportional to weight you lose.

    3. The key thing about 'accuracy' is control - you want conditions as similar as possible. I find my weight is most stable first thing in the morning, naked, after I've gone to the bathroom. I can easily be within a tenth of a pound the same from day to day like that. By the end of each day I've gained more than a pound. I lose about a pound every night between going to bed and getting up. Many people recommend weighing every week or even once a month. Personally, that would make me feel stressed, as each 'weigh in' would seem important when it does, as you saw, bounce around a lot. I weigh every morning and just accept that sometimes I go up, even though over time I've gone down steadily.

    Good luck!
  • jenluvspancho
    jenluvspancho Posts: 10
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    So would my accurate weight be 235.8? And I am trying to plan my Mel's out the night before eating lots of fruit and veggies and snacks through out the day. I bought 100 cal packs of cookies and a ritz snack mix trying to reach calorie intake goal... Problem is by eating 3 meals & three snack throughout the day I don't find my self very hungry to re-eat the calories I burned through exercise. I completely cut soda and tea out of my diet and drink only water... That's extremely unusual for me and I think my body is still adjusting. I must admit I don't cook and do eat A LOT of prepared tv dinners that just need to be warmed up is this bad for me?
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    I'm a terrible planner, so I basically go one meal at a time. But my goal is always to come in just under my calorie limit. If I exercise and earn extra calories, I try to only eat back about half of the extra amount so that there's a margin for error in the calculations.

    As for weighing, it is most important that you do it at the same time every weigh-in. I favor first thing in the morning after I empty my bladder, before I eat or drink anything. And I only weigh myself about once per month. There was too much up and down variation when I did it once per week. My graph looked like this WWW. I'm hoping with once per month, I'll see loss more consistently. It has worked out that way so far.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    So would my accurate weight be 235.8? And I am trying to plan my Mel's out the night before eating lots of fruit and veggies and snacks through out the day. I bought 100 cal packs of cookies and a ritz snack mix trying to reach calorie intake goal... Problem is by eating 3 meals & three snack throughout the day I don't find my self very hungry to re-eat the calories I burned through exercise. I completely cut soda and tea out of my diet and drink only water... That's extremely unusual for me and I think my body is still adjusting. I must admit I don't cook and do eat A LOT of prepared tv dinners that just need to be warmed up is this bad for me?

    Cookies and crackers have lots of calories but lousy nutrition, feed cravings, and give you insulin spikes that undermine your weight loss.

    Try things like whole milk or cheese - protein and fat. Very satisfying and more calories than I can normally eat. Eat some brown rice or good whole wheat bread. Have a fig or two.

    Some toast with butter and a glass of orange juice is 500 calories. It isn't hard to add calories to a diet - or we wouldn't be here. Make them count.

    Learning to cook is a such a wonderful investment in your health and also your pocketbook. I highly recommend Cook With Jamie - http://www.jamieoliver.com/tv-books/cook-with-jamie

    Great yummy recipes (though lots of calories). It's made for people who love to eat and don't know how to cook.

    Or try the cookbook I bought for my 12 year old son: The Around the World Cookbook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2686950300520?cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Book-_-Q000000633-_-2686950300520&cm_mmca2=pla&r=1)

    Every single recipe has fewer than 5 ingredients, made for kids to make, and is delicious. I haven't found a bad recipe in it.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Why have you cut out tea? Unless you add lots of sugar it's a great drink.

    The scale will fluctuate up to 3 pounds each day. Do not get bogged down trying to figure out the Exact Number, because it doesn't exist.

    Ready meals are OK in a pinch, but they are very high in sodium and additives, so if you were able to start making some meals for yourself that would be a huge bonus.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    Yep, I usually plan my meals a day ahead. Also, cooking your own meals is a plus because you can eat healthier that way and avoid processed foods which are usually laden with salt and other undesirable chemicals and preservatives. Good luck, just stick with it and you'll get the hang of it!
  • btracy01
    btracy01 Posts: 49
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    Believe it or not, your weight changes through out the day. To be the most accurate, try weighing yourself at the same time each day. Instead of eating one big meal, try eating small meals. I've been doing protein shakes/salad for 2 meals, snacking on fruits and veggies, and having one normal meal just so I don't feel deprived. So far I've lost 10 pounds! Eating healthy snacks through out the day helps you feel like you aren't starving yourself. If you feel really deprived, have a tablespoon of peanut butter. Everyone loves peanut butter :D
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    I have a question to everyone please... These may be stupid questions but I'm new to this whole calorie counting thing. Well I guess it's a few questions... 1. How can you reach your daily calorie goal? Used to I could eat I don't know how many calories a day...I might would gab a can of Pringles and eat the whole can (900 calories) now I'm not even reaching my daily goal. 2. Am I supposed to be striving to reach that goal or do I need to stay under (suggestions please ... Goals set up to lose 1.5 lbs per week) 3. When do you weigh yourself for most accurate results? ( I was so excited for my weight loss I had to weigh myself this morning just to see the numbers down this morning it shoed 235.8 when yesterday I weighed and I was 240.5...which one do I trust?) PLEASE HELP!!!! I am totally confused!!! Thanks in advance!!!! Please add me also as a friend!!!! I really appreciate all the support I am getting from all of my friends on this site that I am not getting in from my personal friends!!!

    1. Discipline, log everything, dont snack

    2. Hit the goal dont go under it or over it

    3. Same time of day consistantly... morning you are at your lightest
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    The snack packs you are eating have a ton of sodium in them, and that may be what is causing your weight fluctuation day to day. Make sure you are drinking extra water whenever you eat pre-packaged or canned foods to flush out the extra sodium.

    Since this is a big change for you, it will take some time for your body to adjust to your new food choices. You may not be feeling hungry because you are adding in extra fiber with the fruits and veggies, but your body will adjust, and you may find yourself feeling famished in a week or two and wondering what happened.

    For now, just track what the scale says for informational purposes on a day to day basis. Log your daily weight here, and you can track it through the progress link to see where you have spikes and dips in your progress. The graphs are an excellent tool for showing short and long term weight progress. I love looking at the line declining over the last six months, it keeps me motivated to keep going even when I'm up a few pounds.
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
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    There are no stupid questions...it takes a little while to get the hang of things! =)

    You don't have to eat "diet" food and "low fat" everything. I had a hard time at first eating all of my calories because lean meat and veggies are low cal which means you are eating a lot. After a while, I relaxed a bit and added "regular" food back in to my diet. So I added some butter to my broccoli, cheese on my salad, sour cream on my potato, etc. I found it helpful to enter my meal before eating it, then I could see if I had room for the "extras".

    You don't have to eat exercise calories if you don't want to. That's a much debated topic in here. I don't generally eat them but it's nice to have them in case there is something you really want or if you are hungry.

    TV dinners aren't the most nutritious meals, but I eat them occasionally because they are so convenient. Perhaps trying to make some meals in advance and freeze them would be a good option for you. I like to do up a big batch of chicken breasts in the slow cooker and freeze them individually. Then I can haul them out to add to a salad or have one with steamed veggies. You end up with a bigger more filling meal for less calories!

    You should try to get as close to your calories without going over... Kinda like the Price is Right! LOL

    I weigh daily, but only record it once a week. I chose Friday for my official weigh in because I tend to be pretty healthy through the week and a little more lax on the weekend. So Friday is my "low" day after being good all week. I weigh first thing in the morning, after using the washroom and before I eat or drink anything (want that number as low as possible!).

    This is how I do things, but you need to figure out what works for you. Take all the advise in, toss any you don't want, keep the stuff that you think will fit you. There isn't a right and wrong way to go about this. The most important part is finding something that fits your life so you can maintain it for the long haul. Good luck on your journey!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Weight loss isn't linear, and weighing every day will probably just confuse and frustrate you. Try weighing only once a week. That can give you a clearer picture. And I totally agree with those who are suggesting meal planning. It will really help you understand the nuts and bolts of healthier eating. You really can eat nearly anything you want if you plan carefully, and learn to make healthy choices most of the time. Good luck....you CAN DO THIS!!!. Add me if you like!
  • ronwmiller
    ronwmiller Posts: 7
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    Jen,

    A few recommendations:
    - Set your goal for the week, not by the day. As others have pointed out your weight changes daily and things that you've eaten the day before will impact your weight for that day.
    - Weigh yourself daily as it's important to collect information everyday on where you're at in relationship to your goal. By doing this you'll likely discover patterns in your habits that are affecting your weight.
    - Getting started is often the hardest part and you've already done that; the next hardest part is having realistic expectations about how quickly the weight will come off. If you're committed for the long term it will come off. Remember, you didn't gain all of this weight in the last week so you won't lose it in the next week either.
    - Counting calories can be challenging due to the need to collect everything that goes into your body. Often nutritional understanding and portion control is more important that simply just counting calories. The calories that you put into your body have a complex effect on your weight. Plan a healthy meal with the right foods and use portion control to ensure weight loss.
    - Last but not least. Friends and Family can be your best support network. Tell them about your goals, talk to them when you're feeling challenged and try to stay away from people who don't understand or care about your weight loss goals.

    Remember, it all starts with what you do today.
  • jenluvspancho
    jenluvspancho Posts: 10
    Options
    There are no stupid questions...it takes a little while to get the hang of things! =)

    You don't have to eat "diet" food and "low fat" everything. I had a hard time at first eating all of my calories because lean meat and veggies are low cal which means you are eating a lot. After a while, I relaxed a bit and added "regular" food back in to my diet. So I added some butter to my broccoli, cheese on my salad, sour cream on my potato, etc. I found it helpful to enter my meal before eating it, then I could see if I had room for the "extras".

    You don't have to eat exercise calories if you don't want to. That's a much debated topic in here. I don't generally eat them but it's nice to have them in case there is something you really want or if you are hungry.

    TV dinners aren't the most nutritious meals, but I eat them occasionally because they are so convenient. Perhaps trying to make some meals in advance and freeze them would be a good option for you. I like to do up a big batch of chicken breasts in the slow cooker and freeze them individually. Then I can haul them out to add to a salad or have one with steamed veggies. You end up with a bigger more filling meal for less calories!

    You should try to get as close to your calories without going over... Kinda like the Price is Right! LOL

    I weigh daily, but only record it once a week. I chose Friday for my official weigh in because I tend to be pretty healthy through the week and a little more lax on the weekend. So Friday is my "low" day after being good all week. I weigh first thing in the morning, after using the washroom and before I eat or drink anything (want that number as low as possible!).

    This is how I do things, but you need to figure out what works for you. Take all the advise in, toss any you don't want, keep the stuff that you think will fit you. There isn't a right and wrong way to go about this. The most important part is finding something that fits your life so you can maintain it for the long haul. Good luck on your journey!

    Thank you so much fo all of the wonderful advice!!! :wink:
  • jenluvspancho
    jenluvspancho Posts: 10
    Options
    Jen,

    A few recommendations:
    - Set your goal for the week, not by the day. As others have pointed out your weight changes daily and things that you've eaten the day before will impact your weight for that day.
    - Weigh yourself daily as it's important to collect information everyday on where you're at in relationship to your goal. By doing this you'll likely discover patterns in your habits that are affecting your weight.
    - Getting started is often the hardest part and you've already done that; the next hardest part is having realistic expectations about how quickly the weight will come off. If you're committed for the long term it will come off. Remember, you didn't gain all of this weight in the last week so you won't lose it in the next week either.
    - Counting calories can be challenging due to the need to collect everything that goes into your body. Often nutritional understanding and portion control is more important that simply just counting calories. The calories that you put into your body have a complex effect on your weight. Plan a healthy meal with the right foods and use portion control to ensure weight loss.
    - Last but not least. Friends and Family can be your best support network. Tell them about your goals, talk to them when you're feeling challenged and try to stay away from people who don't understand or care about your weight loss goals.

    Remember, it all starts with what you do today.


    Thank you !!! You give great advice that I will defiantly take to heat and use on my journey:happy:

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