Starting out - get calories under control first?

'Quality' of calories rarely means much and most people seem to have an arbritary definition that doesn't directly relate to their health.

People have lost weight AND increased important health markers purely eating McDonalds and so on.

To meet your health goals...
Look at calories.
Then look macros (Protein, Fat, Carbs).
Look at exercise.

Then, especially if you like micro managing stuff, start looking at micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Hey OP! I started with food, too. I have some medical issues that required a radical lifestyle change but I would have started in the kitchen regardless. Too much change all at once can sometimes be overwhelming/frustrating, you know? Spend a few weeks logging your food and trying to stay under your daily goal - see how they align with your macros over time and then, if you want, begin to tweak what you eat. Most people (myself not included) do not need to give up any foods or food groups in order to be successful in weight loss; moderation is key to longterm sustainability. Good luck! MFP offers a lot of great support in the community.

Hi,

Today is Day 1 for me. When you've just started out logging foods, do you first look at keeping within your calories per day before looking at the quality of calories?

Obviously I'm here because I eat too much, move too little, do I aim to change food habits to be within the calories and, once thats under control, then look at the nutritional value of what I'm eating?

Thanks

Quality is a rather vague term.

Your ability to lose weight will primarily revolve around calories in vs calories out. In that sense, saying "just focus on calories" could appear to be good advice to promote weight loss.

Your ability to adhere to a calorie deficit in the long term will primarily revolve around you forming better habits around food and lifestyle and promoting satiety/blunting hunger to the best of your ability. In that sense, saying "focus on building better habits" and "yes your food quality matters a great deal" could appear to be good advice to promote weight loss.

If I were in your position I would track your calories and gradually work towards making better choices as far as food selection goes. Whole and minimally refined foods will TEND to be less energy dense, more nutrient dense, and promote satiety at a lower calorie cost when compared to heavily refined and hyper-palatable foods. This doesn't mean you need to eliminate all things enjoyable from your diet (moderation is great when you can learn it), but it's a good point to consider when you are deciding what to eat.

I started with food. You'll learn quickly that you get more food for less calories out of fruits and veggies and other "good" foods than you will out of a bag of potato chips. Don't worry, everything will fall into place, just stick it out.

You'll also learn pretty quickly that the more you exercise the more food you'll get in a day. It's a great feature. Yesterday I was over my calories so I went for an hour long brisk walk and bam, I'm under my calorie goal. It's awesome.