Questions!!!! Help Please!!!

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nikki13088
nikki13088 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I just started my weight loss journey 2 weeks ago i lost 9lbs the first week but only 2lbs this week im feeling kinda bummed, i havent worked out an exercise routine yet for myself so that will definitely help but sometimes i dont know how to handle certain situations like for example, tonight we are going to my inlaws and there are having tacos so do i just have my breakfast and then dinner there later or should i still eat breakfast and lunch, like should i let up on a meal to supplement for like tacos for dinner? My other questions is there will be days when im way under for my calories and all my other intakes and have a lot left over for dinner so lets say i decided to get like fast food that night for dinner is that still ok because i will still be under my intake levels?
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Replies

  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Generally the first week a big loss is common (mostly water weight) 2 lbs in week two is awesome!

    Go to dinner - have a light breakfast and lunch - you can have tacos it's all about portions - search the data bank before you go for the cals in taco shells and the meat and know what you are going to eat before you go. The veggies won't be a lot of calories and salsa is low cal - have a bit of the sour cream and a bit of the cheese (a slice of cheese the size of your thumb is about an oz so keep that in mind so you don't over do it on that).

    Tacos can be perfectly okay - there is only so much you can fit in a taco shell.

    I like to make a taco salad and just pile the veg on my plate and put a sprinkling of the meat and cheese on top with a mixture of the sour cream and salsa for the dressing (I sub greek yogurt for the sour cream now) and crush up one of the taco shells for the crunch. But you can control the amount of the higher calorie ingredients doing it this way.

    edit - also it is okay to pretty much eat what you want - just stay within your cals - if you want a fast food burger this is okay as long as you are tracking and it fits. I wouldn't deprive myself of lunch in order to have a high cal dinner - I would end up over eating at dinner (I would be starving by then) I would just be aware that I plan a higher cal dinner and compensate with lower cal foods earlier in the day. :flowerforyou:
  • AbsolutelyAnnie
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
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    Hi! I want to congratulate you on making a start toward losing weight and having a healthy life. Well done you!

    You have asked a lot of questions and you are bound to get a lot of responses. It may be a bit overwhelming, but hang in there.

    The 9 lbs you lost the first week is very high and not something you will likely ever see again, unless you do something crazy like only eat 500 calories every day. Crazy. The 2 lbs you lost this week is much more the norm and much more healthy. Know that. Don't be bummed. There will be weeks when you lose less and even weeks when you don't lose anything. Don't be bummed. Hang in there.

    An exercise routine can look as simple as walking for 30 minutes everyday. Anything that causes you to move your body. Park in the furthest spot from the door. Take the stairs. If you have stairs in your house, walk up and down them a few times a day for no other reason than to move your body. You don't need equipment or a gym membership. Just move.

    COUNT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY, even the tacos at your in-laws. Have two, not four. Skip the sour cream and the cheese, but add more lettuce. Drink lots of water. Have a small snack at lunch so you aren't crazy hungry when you get to their house. Count the calories as best you can.

    I would hold off on trading a fast food meal for "unused" calories. You need to make sure you are accurately counting every last thing that goes into your mouth and seeing positive results of that accurate counting on the scale. It is amazing how easily a couple hundred calories can slip into your diet unless you are counting everything. If you are not counting right and don't have any free calories, that burger will just hold you back and you will wonder why. Give yourself a couple more weeks counting and moving and see how badly you want a fast food treat. You might, and that is perfectly okay.

    You look very pretty in pink. :-)
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    Hi! I want to congratulate you on making a start toward losing weight and having a healthy life. Well done you!

    You have asked a lot of questions and you are bound to get a lot of responses. It may be a bit overwhelming, but hang in there.

    The 9 lbs you lost the first week is very high and not something you will likely ever see again, unless you do something crazy like only eat 500 calories every day. Crazy. The 2 lbs you lost this week is much more the norm and much more healthy. Know that. Don't be bummed. There will be weeks when you lose less and even weeks when you don't lose anything. Don't be bummed. Hang in there.

    An exercise routine can look as simple as walking for 30 minutes everyday. Anything that causes you to move your body. Park in the furthest spot from the door. Take the stairs. If you have stairs in your house, walk up and down them a few times a day for no other reason than to move your body. You don't need equipment or a gym membership. Just move.

    COUNT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY, even the tacos at your in-laws. Have two, not four. Skip the sour cream and the cheese, but add more lettuce. Drink lots of water. Have a small snack at lunch so you aren't crazy hungry when you get to their house. Count the calories as best you can.

    I would hold off on trading a fast food meal for "unused" calories. You need to make sure you are accurately counting every last thing that goes into your mouth and seeing positive results of that accurate counting on the scale. It is amazing how easily a couple hundred calories can slip into your diet unless you are counting everything. If you are not counting right and don't have any free calories, that burger will just hold you back and you will wonder why. Give yourself a couple more weeks counting and moving and see how badly you want a fast food treat. You might, and that is perfectly okay.

    You look very pretty in pink. :-)

    This is it in a nutshell. You can eat what you want it's all about portion control. Especially in the beginning. I highly recommend investing in a food scale and weigh everything, at least at home, so that you get a better idea of portion size for when you eat out or at someone else's home.
  • MarisaShickel
    MarisaShickel Posts: 31 Member
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    You've gotten some really great advice so I won't repeat it but I have just one suggestion about your taco question.

    Do not skip breakfast or lunch. Skipping meals will only slow your metabolism and also make you hungrier later. If you're worried about calories at dinner, eat lighter meals earlier in the day.

    Also, if you're worried about the tacos you can always eat a light snack before you head to your in-laws.. An apple with almonds, greek yogurt, veggies with hummus, etc. This way you've gotten some nutrients in and you're not as hungry so you won't eat too many tacos, but you're still hungry enough to eat with your family.

    Good luck!
  • nikki13088
    nikki13088 Posts: 13
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    Thanks so much for the tips, i have bought a food scale, its sometimes difficult to find the nutritional info for certain foods im eating like ill often but meat from sams club but i split it up in ziplocs and freeze them so the nutrition info wasnt available, like if im having grilled chicken do i count the seasoning? like its all home made so i get unsure of how much is really going into the meal. Like yesterday we went to bob evans and i had a steak cuz i didnt think it would be to bad, with mashed potatoes and they had put gravy on the potatoes, i forgot to tell them not to, but anyway i had that but the steak had cheese on it and mushrooms and onions, i didnt eat the onions or the mushrooms but like was that a good decision to make? I feel like i cant make up my mind when we go out to eat cuz im not sure what i want and im also trying to watch what im having. My biggest problem before i started this weight loss journey was not eating all day and then pigging out at dinner and when i was working and i got home late i would be starving and then be tired from working and fall asleep and now im eating throughout the day and now my body is use to being hungry at breakfast and lunch time not just dinner so im trying though!!
  • nikki13088
    nikki13088 Posts: 13
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    thank you so much for your advice
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    Thanks so much for the tips, i have bought a food scale, its sometimes difficult to find the nutritional info for certain foods im eating like ill often but meat from sams club but i split it up in ziplocs and freeze them so the nutrition info wasnt available, like if im having grilled chicken do i count the seasoning? like its all home made so i get unsure of how much is really going into the meal. Like yesterday we went to bob evans and i had a steak cuz i didnt think it would be to bad, with mashed potatoes and they had put gravy on the potatoes, i forgot to tell them not to, but anyway i had that but the steak had cheese on it and mushrooms and onions, i didnt eat the onions or the mushrooms but like was that a good decision to make? I feel like i cant make up my mind when we go out to eat cuz im not sure what i want and im also trying to watch what im having. My biggest problem before i started this weight loss journey was not eating all day and then pigging out at dinner and when i was working and i got home late i would be starving and then be tired from working and fall asleep and now im eating throughout the day and now my body is use to being hungry at breakfast and lunch time not just dinner so im trying though!!

    I am like you, I rarely eat before noon although I am getting better about it. This is a long learning process and you should be proud of yourself for taking the steps you need to lead a healthier life.

    As for weighing your food. The internet is a good place for finding nutritional values. You can find accurate information for almost anything on the USDA website.

    Me personally, I don't weigh seasonings and spices but I do weigh condiments. Most of them have minuscule if any caloric content. If you are counting your macros (carbs, sodium, protein) then you may want to add them in. At this point in your journey, unless you have a health issue requiring you to, I don't think you really need to worry about those. Later when you've become accustomed to this new lifestyle you can take a look at them.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Pre-log your food before you eat out. That way you will know how much you can eat the rest of the day. Look at your nutrition for the past 7 days, not just today.

    Log everything you eat accurately & honestly—including condiments. Weigh everything. Use the recipe builder when cooking at home: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/box

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Thanks so much for the tips, i have bought a food scale, its sometimes difficult to find the nutritional info for certain foods im eating like ill often but meat from sams club but i split it up in ziplocs and freeze them so the nutrition info wasnt available, like if im having grilled chicken do i count the seasoning? like its all home made so i get unsure of how much is really going into the meal. Like yesterday we went to bob evans and i had a steak cuz i didnt think it would be to bad, with mashed potatoes and they had put gravy on the potatoes, i forgot to tell them not to, but anyway i had that but the steak had cheese on it and mushrooms and onions, i didnt eat the onions or the mushrooms but like was that a good decision to make? I feel like i cant make up my mind when we go out to eat cuz im not sure what i want and im also trying to watch what im having. My biggest problem before i started this weight loss journey was not eating all day and then pigging out at dinner and when i was working and i got home late i would be starving and then be tired from working and fall asleep and now im eating throughout the day and now my body is use to being hungry at breakfast and lunch time not just dinner so im trying though!!

    When I enter recipes I enter all the seaonings - Mrs. Dash seasonings end up as 0 across the board but other seasonings add to the cals, sodium etc.

    When eating out look for lean meat options like grilled chicken or steaks and try not to order the ones with sauces (sautee'd mushrooms and onions can be okay but add some calories for the oils or butters they might use - at least 100) mashed or baked potatoes would be good - when figuring out how much to eat a 4 oz portion is about the size of a deck of cards - a cup is basically pretty easy to eyeball for mashed potatoes - they probably use a big scoop and I would say one is about 3/4 of a cup - usually steamed veg is an option and I would guess that most portions for the veg are 100-150 g. You can usually find a 6 oz steak on the menu thats what I would eat and guilt free :flowerforyou:

    Most chain restaraunts have websites so you can actually find the calorie counts of their foods before going out.
  • AbsolutelyAnnie
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
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    Are you using the food diary here at this site? If so you can add just about any food imaginable by type and amount. Just because you are buying meat in bulk doesn't mean you can't measure it. If you are having chicken, cook it, take it off the bone and measure the amount you put on your plate. The food diary will tell you how many calories are in various quantities of chicken. If not this site, there are a number of others. Calorie King comes to mind.

    When you go to Bob Evans, look for their version of Lite Selections. Most every restaurant has a list of low calorie, low fat items. Choose from those. Next time I would not go for a steak even if you skip the gravy. Cut out the cheese and eat the mushrooms and onions instead, unless they are covered in gravy. Get a big salad that has grilled chicken. Or an omelette with grilled vegetables and skip the toast.

    You can do this. You really can. You know that your old pattern of skipping breakfast and lunch and then over eating at dinner did NOT work. You can still have a really decent sized dinner if you keep track of everything you eat all day. Someone above mentioned pre-logging in your foods for the day. (I do mine for two or three days in advance.) Then I check in to see what my next meal or snack will be and I don't have to spend a lot of time thinking and deciding. At minimum, do it first thing in the morning or the night before. Bottom line is to do this before you eat as much as possible not after. Even with restaurants. Most have their menus on line and if they are a chain you can bet that their food has been entered into the database here. Decide before you go what you are going to have.

    Hang in there! Keep practicing making good choices. :-)
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Hi and welcome. It takes awhile to figure things out and find your own rhythm here. Everyone makes mistakes in the beginning, so don't give up. When going to someone elses home to eat, research how much a taco would be with all the fxings and then decide if you can afford it calorie wise or need to cut back, as someone suggested, on cheese, sour cream etc. You will feel alot more confident going there and knowing that you can have 2 complete tacos, for instance. In my opinion you should never skip meals. When I know I'm going out to dinner, I may have a vegetable soup for lunch, or something else low cal, to save up calories for the evening. I will also have a light afternoon snack. You NEVER want to get to the point that you are starving and ready to eat a shoe. Good luck to you, and remember this all takes time and alot of patience--it's a gradual change, but you'll find yourself feeling better soon. Just follow MFP.
  • LTGPSA
    LTGPSA Posts: 633 Member
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    There's nothing wrong with your weight loss thus far - so please do not become discouraged. Your weight didn't arrive overnight and taking it off properly takes time and requires a great deal of patience and persistence. You can do this! On taco night at my house, I take a large bowl and put a great deal of lettuce, some chopped tomatoes, onions and then I lightly spread on taco meat, shredded cheese and generous salsa. Maybe you can take a bag of lettuce with you... Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • nikki13088
    nikki13088 Posts: 13
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    thanks guys these are all great tips, i noticed the that a lot of restaurants have all the nutrition info online but im trying to follow this website as far as how much of everything i can have and the other day i was gonna grab a salad from wendys for lunch like a grilled blt salad or something and when i checked the sodium in it it was like over 1,000 i mean the calories and all were good but the sodium was ridiculous but i wouldve thought i was making a good decision as far as what to eat for lunch, is sodium something i should really try and keep in check or is ok if i go over a little?
  • MYhealthyjourney70
    MYhealthyjourney70 Posts: 276 Member
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    congrats on beginning this new journey. try not to skip a meal. when I go out and know what is being served I look up the calories before going so I know what I am eating. tacos are not bad. everything in moderation. when I do tacos now I put more veges and salsa on them and if I make them myself at home I use ground turkey. when doing fast foot do the same thing look up the calories before you go in the database or go to the restaurant website (most of the big chains put nutritional info online) change up your sides instead of fries get salad or fruit. it's a learning experience and we all mess up sometimes. just keep moving forward.
  • nickpapagorgio
    nickpapagorgio Posts: 16
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    Eat whatever you want for now, just log it in. You will learn you can eat more of the healthy stuff and stay under your goal. (not fast food). It takes a while, 2 lbs. down is perfect, this site does work. Got to stick with it.
  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
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    thanks guys these are all great tips, i noticed the that a lot of restaurants have all the nutrition info online but im trying to follow this website as far as how much of everything i can have and the other day i was gonna grab a salad from wendys for lunch like a grilled blt salad or something and when i checked the sodium in it it was like over 1,000 i mean the calories and all were good but the sodium was ridiculous but i wouldve thought i was making a good decision as far as what to eat for lunch, is sodium something i should really try and keep in check or is ok if i go over a little?

    I didn't pay much mind to sodium for a while and my blood pressure was high. I started tracking sodium (it was really difficult at first) and my BP normalized. Don't try to change to many things are once because I feel like people tend to get overwhelmed and give up. Over the next month make sure you are sticking to your calorie goals and making healthier choices. Once you have that under control, focus on other things such as macros, sodium, ect.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Is sodium something i should really try and keep in check or is ok if i go over a little?
    Ultimately, you'll want to limit sodium, but you've still got a lot to learn. Don't try to do it all at once. Take it in stages:
    Start with learning to log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Weigh your food.
    Then meet your calorie goal.
    Then meet (or exceed) your protein & fiber goals.
    Then stay under your sodium goal.
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
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    Thanks so much for the tips, i have bought a food scale, its sometimes difficult to find the nutritional info for certain foods im eating like ill often but meat from sams club but i split it up in ziplocs and freeze them so the nutrition info wasnt available, like if im having grilled chicken do i count the seasoning? like its all home made so i get unsure of how much is really going into the meal. Like yesterday we went to bob evans and i had a steak cuz i didnt think it would be to bad, with mashed potatoes and they had put gravy on the potatoes, i forgot to tell them not to, but anyway i had that but the steak had cheese on it and mushrooms and onions, i didnt eat the onions or the mushrooms but like was that a good decision to make? I feel like i cant make up my mind when we go out to eat cuz im not sure what i want and im also trying to watch what im having. My biggest problem before i started this weight loss journey was not eating all day and then pigging out at dinner and when i was working and i got home late i would be starving and then be tired from working and fall asleep and now im eating throughout the day and now my body is use to being hungry at breakfast and lunch time not just dinner so im trying though!!

    Well you can spoon off some of the gravy and I would have scraped off the cheese.. mushrooms and onions are good for you... as for Sams or any other brand of food, you can google it and/or you can enter in the food search on food entry page.. someone most likely will have put in Sam's or Sam's club chicken breast or whatever... as for saving or eating lighter when you are going out, I highly advise trying to look up where you are going and decide what to have but like on my birthday I knew I was going out, I knew I was having cake also, so I ate a light breakfast/lunch combined about mid-morning (like salad) and ironically even with cake I didn't go over, but I planned on going over because it was a special event and you need to accept those and live life. I never save from all week though and eat those calories and I have never ate back any that I might have burned in exercise yet. If you can't get out and walk, then I use the Walk Away the Pounds DVD's again there are plenty of free youtubes even just google it. You are doing great and you can do this!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Is sodium something i should really try and keep in check or is ok if i go over a little?
    Ultimately, you'll want to limit sodium, but you've still got a lot to learn. Don't try to do it all at once. Take it in stages:
    Start with learning to log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Weigh your food.
    Then meet your calorie goal.
    Then meet (or exceed) your protein & fiber goals.
    Then stay under your sodium goal.

    +1
  • houhou101
    houhou101 Posts: 2
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