Calorie Counting 101

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  • BethLiam1
    BethLiam1 Posts: 15 Member
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    Great post.. I have been using cups for some and eyeballing others.. I have now ordered a scale and get it Saturday so as I do my meal prepping Sunday for the week everything will be packaged and weighed...

    I'm torn on the eating back calories from workouts.. And get conflicting ideas on this is there anywhere I can read up on the eating back topic?
  • Barbara0853
    Barbara0853 Posts: 4 Member
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    I am doing weight watchers and today I ate exactly my 26 points plus but yet in calories I only had 1001 missing the 1200 mark all together. Any help or advice good or bad. I am going to ask at my meeting tomorrow also.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
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    kissmyabs2015 wrote: »
    I am new to MFP and I must admit I am struggling with the calorie count at the moment. How are you meant to calorie count seasoning? I hate bland foods and I tend to season everything I eat but don't know how to account for it. Great post by the way very useful.

    Kissmyabs,

    Good question! Most of the spices and seasonings do not have significant calories, so you do not have to count them. However, you may want to be careful with salt and items that are salty. They often make your body hold on to water and affect your weight loss.

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  • ryanbrowning115
    ryanbrowning115 Posts: 69 Member
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    So helpful, thank you so much!
  • ryanbrowning115
    ryanbrowning115 Posts: 69 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Geez, you must have a never-ending supply of self-control and motivation to do something like this (weighing to the gram, always overestimating calorie amount, etc.).
    Time to start absorbing some of that self control and motivation.

    I agree, I thought I was doing a pretty good job until I read this!
  • Sherriediva1
    Sherriediva1 Posts: 345 Member
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    bump .... for later
  • top_mom
    top_mom Posts: 59 Member
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    MFP has also set 1200 as calories for the day. Some days, not a problem.. other days, especially if I've been working out, I consume about 200 more than than but I make sure the calories come from a healthy source.
  • martpl81
    martpl81 Posts: 3 Member
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    Great post mate. Thanks!
  • mamaomefo
    mamaomefo Posts: 418 Member
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    Thank you for the information. I learn something new every day!
  • kfunder68
    kfunder68 Posts: 7
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    Great tips. It's not easy losing weight but with motivation, dedication and the my fitness app along with some encourage will get you through it. I have been using this app for 2 weeks and have lost 5 pounds. It definitely helps to keep track of what you eat daily. Good luck to everyone
  • Mulfey36
    Mulfey36 Posts: 5
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    I am new to all this (my first diet, god help me) and I am a bit confused about it all. I understand that if you burn off more calories than you eat you will loose weight (obviously) but is this the only way to loose weight? Surely if you eat the right things then the weight will drop off right? Even fruit and veggies have calories so if I had 1500 calories of fruit and veg but did no exercise then I should still loose weight. Please correct me if I am wrong
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Mulfey36 wrote: »
    I am new to all this (my first diet, god help me) and I am a bit confused about it all. I understand that if you burn off more calories than you eat you will loose weight (obviously) but is this the only way to loose weight? Surely if you eat the right things then the weight will drop off right? Even fruit and veggies have calories so if I had 1500 calories of fruit and veg but did no exercise then I should still loose weight. Please correct me if I am wrong

    You can have 1500 calories of McDonalds and lose weight. The calorie deficit is all that matters; what you consume to get there matters for your health.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Mulfey36 wrote: »
    I am new to all this (my first diet, god help me) and I am a bit confused about it all. I understand that if you burn off more calories than you eat you will loose weight (obviously) but is this the only way to loose weight? Surely if you eat the right things then the weight will drop off right? Even fruit and veggies have calories so if I had 1500 calories of fruit and veg but did no exercise then I should still loose weight. Please correct me if I am wrong
    If you burn 2000 calories each day, and you eat 2000 calories per day, no matter what you eat, you won't lose weight in the long run. You must create a calorie deficit. There is no way around that fact. Most people advocate eating mostly minimally processed, whole foods while enjoying more processed foods in moderation. Whether you eat 100 processed foods or none at all, you must eat less then you burn per day to lose weight.

  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    19juanita72 wrote: »
    I started this app 20 days ago and only lost 5lbs. Am I doing something wrong. It says I'm not eating enough, but I don't feel like I'm starving myself. I work nights so it's hard to eat 3 regular meals a day. I feel like I nibble on food throughout the day. Any advice?

    "Only" ...

    Unrealistic expectations always lead to disappointment, right.

    That's more than a pound-and-a-half a week.

    You're doing fine.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    kalynbreann357 wrote: »
    I know that a lot of places say it is unhealthy for the average person to consume less than 2,000 calories a day and could cause weight gain

    Lolwut ?!?!!

  • Mulfey36
    Mulfey36 Posts: 5
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    vismal wrote: »
    Mulfey36 wrote: »
    I am new to all this (my first diet, god help me) and I am a bit confused about it all. I understand that if you burn off more calories than you eat you will loose weight (obviously) but is this the only way to loose weight? Surely if you eat the right things then the weight will drop off right? Even fruit and veggies have calories so if I had 1500 calories of fruit and veg but did no exercise then I should still loose weight. Please correct me if I am wrong
    If you burn 2000 calories each day, and you eat 2000 calories per day, no matter what you eat, you won't lose weight in the long run. You must create a calorie deficit. There is no way around that fact. Most people advocate eating mostly minimally processed, whole foods while enjoying more processed foods in moderation. Whether you eat 100 processed foods or none at all, you must eat less then you burn per day to lose weight.

    Thanks for the advice, I understand it a bit better now. So in theory if I should be consuming 2500 calories a day but only consume 1500 I am creating a calorie deficit of 500 right? or is a calorie deficit when I consume 1500 calories but burn off 2000? Sorry I must sound a bit stupid but if I understand it better I should have a better chance in the long run. :lol:
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Mulfey36 wrote: »
    vismal wrote: »
    Mulfey36 wrote: »
    I am new to all this (my first diet, god help me) and I am a bit confused about it all. I understand that if you burn off more calories than you eat you will loose weight (obviously) but is this the only way to loose weight? Surely if you eat the right things then the weight will drop off right? Even fruit and veggies have calories so if I had 1500 calories of fruit and veg but did no exercise then I should still loose weight. Please correct me if I am wrong
    If you burn 2000 calories each day, and you eat 2000 calories per day, no matter what you eat, you won't lose weight in the long run. You must create a calorie deficit. There is no way around that fact. Most people advocate eating mostly minimally processed, whole foods while enjoying more processed foods in moderation. Whether you eat 100 processed foods or none at all, you must eat less then you burn per day to lose weight.

    Thanks for the advice, I understand it a bit better now. So in theory if I should be consuming 2500 calories a day but only consume 1500 I am creating a calorie deficit of 500 right? or is a calorie deficit when I consume 1500 calories but burn off 2000? Sorry I must sound a bit stupid but if I understand it better I should have a better chance in the long run. :lol:
    If you burn 2500 calories a day, and consume 1500 that would be a 1000 calorie deficit. The deficit is the difference between what you eat and what you burn.

  • crocky64
    crocky64 Posts: 93 Member
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    I have been using scales since starting on MFP and its best ting I have done I also weigh liquid on the scales as 1g = 1 ml. For example 250 ml of water will = 200g no mater what the density wasn't sure at first but checked on line and seems to work well. I also have high blood pressure so keep an eye on my salt intake also cook almost everything from scratch so I know what's in my food. Chemicals in commercial food a labeled with different names so you can't be sure what's what hidden sugars are prob the worst.
  • crocky64
    crocky64 Posts: 93 Member
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    Great topic btw thanks
  • hard4u2c
    hard4u2c Posts: 1 Member
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    Thank you for your help it opened my eyes even more.

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