Wanting to change my lifestyle.

davidad91
davidad91 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Getting Started
I'm 24 years old I weigh 189 And I want to be in the best shape of my life. I don't know how to get there, I would like to be really cut with at least a 4 or 6 packs if possible. I don't really know the portions of food that I should intake everyday or how much to snack on or what I should have for all my meals like breakfast or lunch and dinner. Plus the snacks in the middle. I'm hoping to find some help cause I would really love to change my life around and get away from the bad foods.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,889 Member
    Give MFP your stats here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
    This will give you a number of calories, which corresponds to the amount of food you are supposed to eat every day. Weigh and log everything you eat.
    Go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings and set your diary to display fat, protein and carbohydrate. Try to eat so that you come close to these numbers as well. You can tweak amounts and replace foods before you hit Complete. If you stick with this, you'll likely be eating very well.
    You can eat anything you like, but to feel full and energized, it's smart to eat some fruit and vegetables, whole grain, meat, fish and eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds, every day. Not too much of anything, but not cutting anything out either. If you can cook, do that, if not, now is a good time to learn. Cooking will make it easier for you to hit your goals.

    Then do some exercise. Strenght and cardio. Others will have to hone in on the details.
  • davidad91
    davidad91 Posts: 2 Member
    Awesome thank you, I do know how to cook so that won't be a problem. What I don't know is the portions.
  • davidmartinez66
    davidmartinez66 Posts: 92 Member
    Portion control is a big issue for many people. Me included. When you enter the food you each it will tell you the size for a serving, try and stay with it. I eat meals and snack often so the body doesn't spike want something
    like chocolate. I eat tons of vegetables with each meal along with meat, eating more chicken and pork and trying to eat red meat once a week, fish once a week as well. I am considering using the local farms that sell grass fed beef, just haven't got there yet. (My wife is sad to eat the beef from the local Dairy Farm) I would have no problem with it, gentlemen farming I guess they call it.

    Follow the advice above, enter your details and use MFP to get a handle on the food, portions, exercise and friend
    some folks on the site who can help keep you motivated. I log all meals and exercise, it has given me a better handle on my health.

    Good Luck!
    David
  • nineteentwenty
    nineteentwenty Posts: 469 Member
    davidad91 wrote: »
    Awesome thank you, I do know how to cook so that won't be a problem. What I don't know is the portions.

    I cook like a demon! Add me if you need help or wanna see another person's diary. Or if you want an active friend, I'm on a lot.

    I recommend taking you total calorie goal and breaking it up into 4 or more small meals throughout the day between 200-400 calories, with room for snacks. This keeps me feeling pleasantly full without feeling bloated. It requires a lot of prep and planning, but it pays off.

    For example, if your budget is 2000 calories, I'd do something like this:

    9am: 300 calories
    Noon: 400 calories
    2pm: 200 calories
    5pm: 300 calories
    7pm: 500 calories

    This would leave 300 calories for one or two random snacks whenever you want, or a whole new small meal if you're up late that night and feeling hungry. I also recommend choosing home-cooked filling foods so that you don't lose a ton of calories to prepackaged stuff that's sprayed down with extra sugars. For example, a 300 calorie snack cake will not keep you full for as long as 300 calories from a bowl of strawberries, a cup of yogurt, and some granola This will keep you feeling energized, you'll be getting way more out of your food this way.

    I also really recommend buying a food scale. it seems dorky and weird, but they're so cheap and they make home-cooked food way easier to track. When you cook, weigh out how much of each ingredient you're using, then do some math and figure out how many calories are in the lasagna you just pulled out of the oven (delicious). based on how many calories are in the dosh total, you can then decide on portion sizes that will fit your diet (example: one 1000 calorie dish could make 5 portions of 200 calories, 2 portions of 500, 4 portions of 250, etc).

    You can store recipes that you commonly use on MFP for easy logging in the future.

    Tip: if you wanna get cut, as stated in your OP, you'll want to make sure your food choices are high in protien. baked chicken dishes, turkey bacon, peanut butter, a handful of almonds, etc.
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