First Time Calorie Counting

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azrael240
azrael240 Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all, I am a 34 y/o female who has never counted calories before, but since I hit 30, my weight has gone up 10lbs. 5 of those was just in the last year (I moved and started a new job, so stress is a thing). As someone who stayed a consistent weight for possibly 10 years, this has been upsetting. The worst part is that I'm not even sure if I'm really eating more, my cortisol levels are crazy due to stress, or my metabolism has decreased with age. It's likely a mix of all three. Since this site is free, I thought I'd give it a try! I'm a bit shocked how many calories are in stuff, and worried I'll be hungry all the time, but I've got to do something or I'm just going to keep getting fatter.

Just wanted to throw this out there to all those other folks who might be doing this for the first time! It's intimidating, but the idea of going up another pant size is worse.

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    Counting is easy, but make sure you are counting correctly - using correct entries (no homemade or generic), weighing your food in grams or oz and log everything you consume. If you are amazed by how many calories are in foods you would be even more amazed at how eyeballing/guesstimating are completely off.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2017
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    5 pounds gain in a year means that you have, on average, eaten 43 calories per day above maintenance - a difference which is impossible to notice; it's the equivalent of a medium plum. You can lose faster than that without being hungry all the time - in fact, being hungry all the time is just a sign you're doing it wrong. Every 24 hours your body switches between storing and using energy several times. Healthy weightloss is just letting the using periods be a little longer and the storing periods a little shorter. So you won't notice weightloss, either, if you do it correctly.

    Just stick to the calorie goal MFP gives you when you pick 0.5 pounds per week as your goal - you need to choose the lowest weight loss rate because you don't have much to lose; trying to speed up the process is what will make you hungry, because you will be allotted too few calories - and that is not going to work.
  • shannonwaters2395
    shannonwaters2395 Posts: 44 Member
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    I thought I'd be hungry too, but I found I kept full if I chose healthy, fibre-rich, natural foods (beans, wholegrain breads, vegetabes). If I 'waste' my kj budget on processed and often sweet food, I got quite hungry. It's a learning process for sure!

    As above, try to log correctly. Digtal scales will be your best friend!

    Best of luck! !
  • shimmer_glo
    shimmer_glo Posts: 103 Member
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    I've tried unsuccessfully to count calories many times, and I've found that trying to include a small amount of whole grains, protein and fat at each meal or "mini meal" helps me stay satisfied. Also, some people swear by snacking throughout the day while others eat only within a certain window or skip meals when they're not hungry. Experiment and find what works well for you. Good luck!
  • azrael240
    azrael240 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks all for the great insight! I think I've been too aggressive in the past as far as trying to cut back on food, so I will try to focus on what I'm eating and obsess less on how much.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    azrael240 wrote: »
    Thanks all for the great insight! I think I've been too aggressive in the past as far as trying to cut back on food, so I will try to focus on what I'm eating and obsess less on how much.
    But you can't do that. You can eat anything you want. Make sure you're eating enough calories, but not too many.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    the best part about this website/calorie counting method is that you have a good guideline of how many calories to eat. I don't know about you, OP, but in my life prior to finding and using MFP, I didn't fully grasp the concept and just thought to diet or eat less, you should consume as few calories as possible. I didn't understand that going crazy low was actually dangerous (unless a person was essentially not eating at all).
  • Silent_Angst
    Silent_Angst Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi there, I think Its all been said but if you are struggling with hunger, I always found more regular smaller portions throughout the day helped ...

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