My thoughts after 7 days of using myfitnesspal

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1 - My intake of drinking hot drinks by the gallons was far too high. I had no idea how many calories there are in a cup of Yorkshire Gold tea (40). I'm now drinking green tea with lemon, still having coffee now and a rare cup of Yorkshire Gold.

2 - Looking at people diaries is brilliant! especially the difference what people eat here in the U.K.. compared to all my friends around the world. A diary is an essential part of keeping myself on track and great to look back over for inspiration for following weeks ahead I should imagine. I'm sure I will have some bad days and I'm gonna be true to myself and stick to the diary and list everything.

3 - Exercise a bit each day. To be honest I was using my gym but strictly for cardio only. I would like to proceed with using weights but I just don't see the point while I'm trying to shake off some pounds. I was even surprised at the amount I've burnt from a 30 minute walk around the park with the dog.

4 - Calorie counting everything is a really pain in the *kitten* but I've gained so much knowledge from doing it. I'm 39 and never ever in my life have I counted calories before. I'm finding my portion sizes are decreasing because of this.

5 - I need more friends!! Its a real blast of encouragement to look at peoples progress and be inspired at what they are doing/eating.

Replies

  • emilyc85
    emilyc85 Posts: 450 Member
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    This is so true! The logging calories is what woke my *kitten* up too :p

    My favorite dessert is a brownie made in a mug and I have had up to two in a day, it is almost 600 PER brownie!

    Keep up the super work and if you would like to friend me, go right on ahead!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    I have to question that Yorkshire Gold figure - black tea has very few calories itself (say 5 for a mug), so its only the milk and sugar that you add which will bump up the cals.

    Remember that the database is largely populated by users, so unfortunately there's a lot of errors in it. If something looks odd, question it.

    Oh, and so glad you're finding benefits of being here with this fantastic community!
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    Hey there, glad you like it here!

    I was already familiar with calorie content in most things but was terrible about keeping a pen and paper diary. The phone app makes it sooo easy and I'm finally in the habit of logging everything and actually kind of find it fun. I love the thing that pops up after you complete your diary that says how much I'll weight in 5 weeks if I keep it up. Very motivational. The whole thing was just very well thought out.
  • EmilyWest1919
    EmilyWest1919 Posts: 25 Member
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    Agreed! LOVE this app! It has seriously changed my life, as in 38 lbs in 6 months. I log daily and plan to for a looooong time (even after goals are met). Feel free to add me as a supportive friend.
  • LesCalvert
    LesCalvert Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you for the advice, I'm going to look that up now.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    I run on tea - there's no way I'm giving it up!

    I log it as black tea, and then separately log the amount of milk I use over the whole day.
  • Showmm
    Showmm Posts: 406 Member
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    I do sort of what Melanie does too. I don't actually count the tea, as it's never that much, but I'll log the milk. In fact, if I'm at home all day, I'll measure the milk out in the morning into a jug, then log the whole amount and use it over the course of the day in my tea. Feel free to add me as well, I'm in the UK too.
  • AshS1050
    AshS1050 Posts: 43 Member
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    great post, and so true. i'm all about my tea as well. most of mine are zero cal though. i use truvia instead of sugar (so it's still zero cal) and then IF i wish for cream, i put a little bit of light soy milk.

    keep up the great work!
  • LesCalvert
    LesCalvert Posts: 29 Member
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    After looking in to my Yorkshire Tea dilema in a bit more detail I can see it has ZERO calories in it YIPPEEEEE!

    I'm still new to this and learning along the way.

    Thank you everybody for your great feedback and advice to this post.

    I'm now off for a brew or 2.
  • Cherylllyn
    Cherylllyn Posts: 114 Member
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    Having a site that helps keep track of everything makes it a whole lot easier. Feel free to add me a friend.
  • cali08
    cali08 Posts: 12 Member
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    I agree with you. I logged a normal diet of what Id eat and I had to do a few double takes on the diary. It was kinda sad at how many calories I was eating and not even thinking twice about it. Keep up the good work!