need some tips here :)

Hi! After my experience with myfitnesspal I can tell you that for me the most important things that I do and you can do to make it works are these ones:

- calculate in the most accurate way the amount of calories that you need using a calories calculator (I used IIFYM calculator that gives you also the amount of protein, carbs and fat to reach everyday).
Once you have determined the start amount of calories you can adjust it week by week on the basis of the results.

- Reach every day your calories amount and minimum protein and fat amount (if you don't reach the amounts of carbs it's not a problem and if you exceed the amount of protein and fat it's not a problem too, don't exceed the calories amount)

- If you register the exercises don't eat back calories burned with exercises (in myfitnesspal calories burned with exercise are over extimated)

- Use a food scale to measure food (it's very important especially at the beginning to not understimate calories) and log accurately EVERYTHING you eat (there are some foods like olive oil, butter, penaut butter etc. that has a lot of calories per gram so an accurate log is very important)

- Pay attention to the food you choose to log in myfitnesspal, there are a lot of food that haven't right values, so try to choose the verified ones or control the nutrition label to verify that values are correct (it's important in the beginning, with the experience you'll recognize the wrong values)

- Take measurement of your neck, waist and hips with a tape scale at the beginning and then measure regularly, it's more motivational (especially at the beginning) than the scale.
In my case at the beginning my weight has increased due to the change of alimentation but the scale tape measurements are decreasing, I was burning fat and increasing muscles that are more heavy.

- Weigh yourself every day on the same time (before breakfast) but don't pay attention to the single day (I used trendweight.com that averages your results to eliminate water weight fluctuations that are normal and in some case very relevant especially if you eat something with high quantity of salt).

- If you exceed your calories in one day don't be desperate, you can adjust in the next days, it's important that you match your objectives on a week basis, so if you have for example a calories goal of 1600 and one day you eat 1800, you can adjust eating for example 1500 calories for the next two days.

- Exercise constantly, for me the best thing you can do is weight lifting (that i do three time a week) and cardio that i do 2 times a week.
Whatever you do, do it regularly and don't let the absence of results discourage you, the results are not immediate but with time you'll see them.

- When you stop to see changes in your weight or your measurements for a quite long time (at least 10 days or more) change your calories amount of 100-150 calories and check the results on the next week, if you don't notice changes adjust it more.

- The last but maybe the more important tip is DON'T GIVE UP!!!
In the beginning you may not see grat results but continue and you will see GREAT results!!
I was skeptical in the beginning and when I start I log what I eat and i discover that I have to increase my calories intake, eat more proteins and more fats.
I was thinking: "is it possible that to lose weight I have to eat more than I eat??"
I try and at the beginning I was increasing my weight, but decreasing measures, and eating more then I preaviously eat.
But I continue and don't give up and now after six months I've lose 13 Kg (about 28 lbs) and still loosing about 1 lbs a week that is the goal I've set at the beginning .

This is what I do until now and hope my experience can help, if you or someone else reading need some more suggestions don't hesitate to add me as a friend and ask anything you want and (if I can) I'll help you gladly.

P.S: Sorry if I do some mistake with english but it's not my native language.

emg711 wrote: »

that above comment makes it all sound so difficult........loosing lbs all it takes is healthy eating,portion control and exercise a few times a week..for months and months not just weeks...TRUE not giving up is a very important step.

What you wrote it's true it sounds so difficult but really it isn't.
Maybe the first week when you have to set the things up but then it's really simple these are only tips that help you to stay on track (at least for me).
The use of scale for food helps to control portions (now I can also not using it and my estimations are quite perfect but before I always understimate portions).
The measurements help you don't give up because you can see continuos results.
It' s also true that you need MONTHS and not weeks and thatn to lose lbs it's only questions of calories in/calories out but it's important to estimate correctly calories.

Yup, calories are what's important. Using a digital food scale lets you know how many calories you're taking in.

If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you take in you'll lose weight. Your body burns a certain amount of calories just keeping you alive. So the daily calories that myfitnesspal gives you are all you need to lose weight. You can add exersize calories on top of that to increases the calorie deficit. Because myfitnesspal calculates the number of calories you need to lose weight without exercise, it lets you eat excersize calories back. Excersize calories are commonly over estimated, so most people only eat back half, just in case.

Try to hit the protein, fat and fiber goals myfitnesspal gives you. As each is very important for you.

Try reading up on CICO (calories in vs calories out) and macros (protein/fat/carbs). And check out the stickied posts at the top of each forum section. They're full of great information and learning the basics will really help it in the long run.

Don't get disheartened. This stuff can take a while to learn and get the hang of, but once you do it becomes second nature. And it really does work