I failed my first day of dieting big time

Go to Carls' Jr, and go to BBQs just eat LESS of it. Portion control

Nobody is perfect at this, otherwise we wouldn't need it. The good news is that now that you have "screwed up" you can drop any perfectionist ideal of doing it "just right" and maybe start with the idea of doing better. Logging and trying to make some better choices is a good start. Those successes will build on themselves. Look at what you did right. You thought about what you could have done better, you worked out, and you came here for support!

In reference to the BBQ...my trick is to eat something healthy before i go. Then when i'm there i am not as hungry and not as likely to eat as much and watch my portions.

In reference to the BBQ...my trick is to eat something healthy before i go. Then when i'm there i am not as hungry and not as likely to eat as much and watch my portions.

Ive tried that but end up just eating twice as much lol!!

You can make healthier choices at carls jr! I know it's difficult but you can get a grilled chicken sandwich low carb style which means its wrapped in lettuce so no bun! Still a lot of sodium but it is a healthier choice nonetheless. Take it one day at a time!! Nobody's perfect!

I really think the first week or two on MFP should have no dietary goals. Just log and see what you eat now. Then once you have an idea of how much you are eating it is easier to make changes. It is easier to know you need to reduce every meal by 1/3 or 1/2 than it is to "run out" of calories by lunch. You might try to step back from the "diet" for a week to see what adjustments you need to make.

You don't have to be perfect to start losing weight/getting fit/whatever your goal may be. You just need to make the junk food a smaller part of your intake than your healthy food. Someone once told me to take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left write down everything you LOVE to eat that are just no good for you. On the right write down the things that are healthy that you kind of like enough to eat regularly. From that list just make sure the your diet is 80% the right and 20% the left and you're good to go

Secondly--think about your options when you're given not so healthy choices to make. When eating out, even at Carls Jr, there are choices that suck less than others-do some online snooping figure out a 'go-to' item at your favorite spots that fits within your calorie range so you're prepared the next time it comes up. At a bbq you can either eat beforehand or bring something healthy to share or opt for focusing on mainly protein and some manner of veg while avoiding mayo-laden salads and chips.

It's so hard to get started with this healthy eating business, but you're on the right track with exercise and just having the desire to eat better. You can do this!

I am just starting myself (again) and my personal experience has been the first 3 days are the hardest. Today I had a terrible craving for Chinese and I was only able to resist by refusing to leave my property. I would suggest if junk food is your weakness then stay away from where junk food is sold and make it your mission to eat healthy day by day. Lots of fruits and vegetables and lots of water. As others have mentioned, portion control and healthy snacks in moderation. You only fail when you give up. A single day's indulgence or weakness should only make you more determined.

I just don't know how to eat less junk food.

You do know how. It's very simple. Just eat less of it.
Now...just because I said simple, doesn't mean it's easy.

As others have said, go easy on yourself and don't worry about changing everything at once. Also realize you don't have to give things up, you just can't have as much as often. I used to have a bagel with cream cheese every day for breakfast, now I have that as a treat once a month. I used to order a pizza and wings and onion rings and bottle of soda, all for me, weekly. Now, once a month I order a small pizza and can of soda and I enjoy it without guilt. The rest of the time my diet consists mostly of lean protein, veggies, fruits, some dairy and whole grains. You just have to decide to do it, and try each day.

Tomorrow, fail a little less. The next day, fail a little less. And so on and so on. Taking an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for most people. Make gradual changes that you can live with for the rest of your life.

In reference to the BBQ...my trick is to eat something healthy before i go. Then when i'm there i am not as hungry and not as likely to eat as much and watch my portions.

^
I agree. I always eat some veggies before I go out to eat with my family because my family loves italian food. For that matter, i love it too, but it doesn't fit into my daily calories.

you can do this! Don't be hard on yourself. Change takes a long time. I only started eating healthy when i moved back in with my mom, and i had to eat healthy, because my mom only stocked the house with healthy unprocessed food. I went through sugar withdrawls and was majorly frustrated. But now (2 years later) i cannot conceive of eating a meal without fruits and vegitables.

But I also agree, track everything. Even the bad stuff. This will help you to see the area's where you want to improve.

Any day that involves Coldstone isn't a failure. Then again, I eat ice cream by the pint, and have managed to lose a pound or two.

The key to this is planning, not eliminating. Eliminating sucks, because then you'll be fighting temptation, you'll give in, you'll blow it all, then you'll feel like crap. So you try even harder to fight temptation, then you collapse and give in, then blow it, then feel like crap, etc... I've never given up a single food. I eat ice cream. I eat fast food. I eat out. I have barbecues. I bake cookies, cakes, and loaves of bread. There's no reason (except for a medical condition) to ever give up food, unless you don't want to eat it anymore.

Take a couple weeks to just log without trying to change anything. Then you can review those couple weeks, and formulate a plan.