MYFTINESSPAL NEWBIE!

Welcome ! Feel free to add me.

Welcome.....you CAN do this! Feel free to add me

@GraceyFreckles I am maxed out on Friends I can realistically support but as a MFP Newbie I offer up my Generic advice that I have Spammed to other Newbies.

This is a science experiment and you are the subject of the study.
Where you are right now is your Starting/Reference point. Establish your existing baseline of dietary consumption/caloric expenditure and move forward from that point to where you want to be.
So be brutally honest on your Food Diary entries.

Welcome to MFP and the Forums.

I recommend some good reads for you to start this journey as my "incredibly generic advice" when someone is new to MFP. Yes I have "spammed" this same write up to other MFP Newbies.

The-forum-survival-guide
http://fit101.org/the-step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-with-myfitnesspal/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-beginners-guide-to-myfitnesspal/

At the Top of most Forums you will see a Discussion with the Words Announcement underneath them. As an example go into the General Diet and Weight Loss Forum.
general-diet-and-weight-loss-help

You will see Announcement Posts ( Closed ) and a list of additional posts by members. If you open the Announcement Post you will see a list of Links to posts that are a great source of information.
most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads

Of all the "Stickied" Posts these are some of the ones that I keep referring back to all the time.
important-posts-to-read
youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
A-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

A 4 part Blog about the power of habits.
The-power-of-habit-part-1-why-habits-matter-688130

I recommend the link below to Logging Accurately as it has been one I constantly refer back to.
logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide . MFP has changed the way they display Food items since this was posted but the concepts are still valid.

Picking an item from the Food Database can be a challenge due to the huge number of Multiple entries with similar names.
Some of the Key things I look for is USDA in the name/description as this indicates that the person who entered it used the USDA Food search web site as a source. I will compare the MFP Nutrition Data to the USDA Data. If you look at the nutrition data and see multiple users have confirmed it then it's probably a good choice.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101

These are just a few of the many great posts that have been so helpful.

Seems like a lot of information - Take it in small steps and you will find that one or two of the posts will become your Go To references