Advice needed: calorie tracking step-by-step

Options
Hujambo
Hujambo Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

(Ok first paragraph is the intro. You can skip that if you like)

I've been losing weight for 9 months already and in this time I lost 16 kg. In fact, it took me half this time. The last 4 months I've been the same weight, which is nice & I did plan to take a break but I wanted it to be only 1 month. During the same period I've increased my exercise routine (running+swimming+biking) a lot, not to lose weight (just because I enjoy it so much :)), but still I expected to see this in my weight. I think I did get some muscle mass because I did get thinner over the last 2 months and my muscles appear bigger. Now that holidays are approaching I see an opportunity to put some time/energy in trying a new approach to losing weight; tracking calories (yes I did not do this before ;)). I am not that good at tracking things, which is why I want to ask advice.

Ok so that's the intro. So, could you help me make a step-by-step guide to start tracking calories? This is what I have in mind, I am curious what you think of it:

1) Get a scale to weigh food
2) Get a notebook
3) Calculate how much calories I burn on a normal day
4) Make a table to calculate how much I burn during my exercise
5) Choose some easy to make meals (breakfast+lunch+dinner+snacks) and write in this notebook how much calories they are. First the meals that I eat commonly, then make some that are healthy.
6) Choose which days you eat which meals and follow this schedule for the first week as close as possible (so tracking is easy)
7) Make a weekly shopping list to get all required ingredients
8) Buy the food, eat this for week one and track it
9) Every weekend evaluate if the food is nice & healthy and if adjustments are necessary to the menu. Add more meals if necessary.

I think that would work. All feedback and suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Options
    Way too complicated. Why not just using an educated guess method?
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    Options
    food scale and weighing, YES!! Most important imo
    the notebook thing and writing things down I don't quite get. This is what mfp is for. Why don't you just do it on here?
    Doing it a week in advance it a good idea though, and a weekly shopping list even more so.
    You can do the weekly evaluation but I usually just do it daily... or never...
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Options
    Way too complicated. Why not just using an educated guess method?
    The word 'guess' is the clue.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    Options
    I'd agree with previous posters - food scales are important.

    You log your food amnd exercise on MFP - that's what you created an account for.

    There is a section at the top called REPORTS and you can select at the top of MFP and you can see your weight loss over a selected period, as well as net calories etc.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Options
    Way too complicated. Why not just using an educated guess method?
    The word 'guess' is the clue.

    There is 'guess' and 'educated guess' though, smart boy/girl....

    Whatever next. weighing a dollop of ketchup or mayonnaise everytime you want to stick it on your chips? Good grief.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    food scale and weighing, YES!! Most important imo
    the notebook thing and writing things down I don't quite get. This is what mfp is for. Why don't you just do it on here?
    Doing it a week in advance it a good idea though, and a weekly shopping list even more so.
    You can do the weekly evaluation but I usually just do it daily... or never...

    this!

Categories