problems with staying on track and eating the right foods ect

You're eating more than you're burning. This is not a question of "what" but of "how much."

shanunie wrote: »

well i will try this. Is there a "portion" size for how much meat, ect you should eat on a daily basis?

That is going to be up to your goals. Maybe you have room for 6 oz of meat, maybe only a "serving" which is often 4 oz. Maybe you went over on something you had for lunch, so whoops- you can only have 3 ounces for dinner tonight. If you've been trying to lose weight for a year, you're simply eating too much. Plug in your stats to my fitness pal, buy a food scale, weigh all your food, and eat the number it gives you.

Some people keep their diary closed, because they can. It's a personal choice. Mine is open, if you'r looking for ideas.

I don't share my diary because people won't criticize something they can't see. You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn.

Just eat a little bit less and see what happens. Make your usual plate, and then put 1/4 of it back and see how you feel when you're done. Likely you'll be satisfied, not stuffed (maybe not even full) but it'll be enough.

This is really how I started and some times I do it now when I'm about to over eat.

What's your calorie goal? Just try to meet it today. Don't think too far ahead just yet. Just try it today

shanunie wrote: »

Good morning/ afternoon everyone.
Ive been on my weight loss journey for 1 yr and im still the same weight or more when i started. I need help with portion sizes, foods to eat. Im in the Los Angeles area. I also try to walk but my back hurts so bad. going to see a P.T. thursday to see if they can help me. but anyway, I see alot of the people on here do not share their food diary. Why is that? we are here to help, even if we are eating bad or not. Guru's on here as well, dont say anything, dont share or even talk to some of us sometimes. I just want help! same food i eat, chicken, yams, brown rice, veggies. i want something new. any help?! thanks in advance

As already mentioned, to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you are putting in. There are 3,500 calories in a lb. So you have have a combination of eating less than you normally do and burn more (exercise) more than you normally do to the tune of 3,500 calories to lose a pound in a week. I find it helpful to think of it like a checkbook. I have 1,200 calories to work with in a day. There are online charts to find out how many calories to eat based on your weight and the amount of weight you want to lose.
A helpful trick I've found is to drink half a16 oz bottle of water before each meal so I am not as hungry when I do eat. Also, eat lots of green veggies/salad at each meal (up to half of your plate.) There are charts you can look up online to find out what portion sizes are, but you can't just look at it you have to weigh the food or be very accurate in your visualization. Your eyes really do envision a bigger portion. I'm always surprised at what a portion is when I weigh food. For example, when making a sandwich with cold cuts each slice of meat is roughly an ounce so if you are putting 4 slices of meat on a roll, it's about 4 oz. But, I've had it weigh up to 5oz for 4 slices. So it is important to weigh. I have started to use very little cheese because I consider it a calorie bomb. Only a little goes a long way! (Can you tell I'm writing this just after lunch!)
Another tip is when adding foods that you didn't normally eat, do it slowly. Add only one or two a week so you get used to it. Last week I made Quinoa for the first time. I never ate it before so I had to rely on my husband to tell me what to do with it. He had only had it as a salad when they order food in at the office, so my first attempt at it was a salad. We were walking all over the store looking for it when he tells me it has to be in the appetizing department because it is a salad. I knew it wasn't a salad but a grain. I'm trying to get him to understand and I tell him "Are potatoes a salad? Is pasta a salad? You've had them prepared as a salad but they are not salad." When relaying the story at a class someone said to me, "You put dressing on it? I have only made it hot!" So, everyone has a different take on foods. That's what makes this forum interesting. By the way the quinoa has no taste on its own. It's what you add to it that gives it flavor.
And, another tip, since you will be preparing foods with little to no fat and salt, you have to replace the flavor you lose by adding seasoning and herbs. Try experimenting with a new one a week to add to your pantry so the expense isn't too much all at once. I make seasoning blends that are no salt to make quick work of it. When I need it I grab it.
What have you been doing to lose weight?
Good luck on your journey. Try to keep the faith.

Hey my doc told me the size of one fist is the limit on how much you should eat at one time and should eat threw out the day. Like munch on nuts dried fruit ect.

I keep my diary private because I don't want to hear from people who think you should only eat "clean" telling me that I was wrong to eat a cookie, or to blast me because I eat chocolate every night.

That said, there are other ways to help people besides having an open diary. There are tons of knowledgeable people here who offer help every single day. I don't know why you feel that these "gurus" don't share or don't help.

Other than this one, I don't recall seeing any threads started by you asking for help, and you only have 7 posts to your name, so I don't know how you can possibly feel ignored.

My advice to you would be to get out of the "woe is me, nobody will help me" mindset and get started. Put your information into MFP and eat food to meet the calorie goal it gives you. Eat what you like, in portions that fit your goal. Get a food scale, weigh everything and log it faithfully. Of course, you may be doing that now, but I can't tell because--Oh, Sweet Irony!--your diary is closed.

Good luck!

ive never quite understood the infatuation with people wanting to see diaries. i have mine public, so people can see you can eat and drink "normal" food and still lose weight - and if someone is having problems losing weight, having an open diary helps those trying to assist simply by giving us an idea of if your logging is accurate (and 9/10 times it is NOT but thats neither here nor there)

but if you look at my diary, you can see what i eat, but since i use the recipe builder for so much stuff it doesnt really tell you how its prepared. so you see a cabbage casserole thing i had a few nights ago, but you cant see the amounts or ingredients, so... is not much use to anyone.

i think people a lot of times want to see RECIPES and in that case, the recipe forum is great or the 800,000 low calorie recipe websites on the web are useful