New to MFP and need help!

Things I use to help me:

Heart Rate Monitor – I only use this for cardio workouts, because they aren’t meant for much else. I own a cheap Pyle Sports Heart Rate Watch (with chest strap) that I got off of amazon for $26. Polar HRM seem to be highly recommended, but are higher in cost.

FitBit Zip – I was originally looking to get the One or Flex models, but my husband surprised me with a Zip. I wear it all day, to get a better idea of my total calorie burn for the day. I love that it syncs with MFP and will adjust my calorie goals based on how active I was for the day. It’s extremely tiny and I clip it to my bra (on the part between the two cups).

Kitchen Scale – I only recently got my kitchen scale, but it is pretty much a must have if you want to be accurate with your food logs.

Exercise:

Reasons to Exercise:
:drinker: Cardio – Is good for heart health, endurance, and will help burn some extra calories.
:drinker: Strength – Is good for body appearance, strength, and will help burn fat (helps maintain LBM)

Rest Days – Are important. You want to take at least 1 per week to allow your body time to repair and prevent injury.

Work out Length – You don’t need to spend hours working out each day. I work out anywhere from 20- 90 mins 5-6 days a week. It all depends on how I’m feeling and how busy I am. I recently started Stronglifts 5x5, which takes about 30 mins 3x a week. The rest of my workouts are cardio or circuit training.

Food:

“Good”/”Bad” Food - I don’t believe in this. To me it is utter nonsense. Food is Food. Some foods provide more nutrients for very little calories while others have a lot of calories and very little nutrients.

Calorie Goals – Should be reasonable and easy to maintain. Find what works for you. I think it’s probably easier to start with a higher calorie number and work your way down until you are losing at a rate that you are happy with (and that’s healthy). You might end up surprised by how many calories you can eat and still lose weight.

Metabolic Issues – For those who have medical conditions that affect their metabolism, I’d suggest discussing things like weight loss with a dietitian. That way you can come up with a plan that will work for you. All the online calculators and stuff in that category will probably be very inaccurate for you.

Vitamins – I take a multivitamin daily. I am actually going to switch from taking a GNC Multi to one I found at Walmart that is very similar to the GNC one, but only a quarter of the cost($5 vs $20). I take a multi because I found without it I was very lethargic. The one I’m going to start taking as soon as I run out of the ones from GNC is “One Source Multivitamin: Women’s.”

Net Goal - MFP is designed to give you a NET goal to eat at. This means you are supposed to eat your exercise calorie burn. Depending on your accuracy of calculating your calorie burn, you might only want to eat 50-75% back. Another way to look at is:

MFP estimated daily burn (no exercise) - 2500
lose 1lb per week - -500
MFP goal of - 2000 (no exercise)
exercise burn of - 500
MFP estimated daily burn (with exercise) - 3000
lose 1lb per week - -500
MFP goal of - 2500 (or net 2000)

Tracking Progress:

Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:
:drinker: Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
:drinker: Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
:drinker: 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
:drinker: Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
:drinker: Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
:drinker: Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
:drinker: Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
:drinker: Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
:drinker: Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
:drinker: Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
:drinker: Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
:drinker: TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.

Measurements – This is a great way to judge progress. I take measurements once a month. Even if your weight seems to go up, if your measurements are going down, then you are moving in the right direction. For accuracy you want to try and measure the same spots every time. Places I measure:
:drinker: Neck
:drinker: Upper Arm – largest part
:drinker: Forearm – largest part
:drinker: Wrist – smallest part
:drinker: Bust
:drinker: Ribs Under bust
:drinker: Waist – where you bend (usually the smallest area above belly button, but below rib cage)
:drinker: Abdomen @ Navel
:drinker: Hips – largest part
:drinker: Thigh – largest part
:drinker: Calf – largest part

Pictures – Progress pictures are great. I like to take them once a month and at the start/end of any workout programs I do. You may not see the difference in the mirror, but comparing pictures will show you what the mirror does not.

Body Fat % - This is another great weigh to track progress. The electronic devices that track it can actually be affected by how much water you did or did not drink. For this reason, I prefer body fat calipers. I got a cheap one off amazon.com ($4 w/free shipping). This is also another thing you only want to track once a month or so. Like measurements, if this number goes down (even if the scale stays the same or goes up) than you are making progress.

Non-food items (seriously there is a medical condition that causes people to want to eat non-food items)

Start here. It's a lot of reading, but these threads are packed with really good information that will get you going in the right direction.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide