Weight loss

You're new at this, so take a gander at this thread when you have a minute:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

Since you're new, you may have expectations that your weight will drop in a predictable way. It does not. You will save yourself some anguish if you understand how the process works.

After that, review some of the other "must reads" at the top of this message board.

Hey, OP, congrats on getting started. First, you do not need to exercise to lose weight--maintaining a deficit of calories in to calories out is the single most important thing for losing fat. Exercise -- intentional, repeated, and progressively more over time--will help you feel better and might, if you do enough, give you a few more calories to eat (but it can also make you hungrier, if you progress to doing enough). But the health benefits of exercise are very significant and will also make you feel better. Desk jobs are hard on your body in a way, so adding some purposeful walking or strength training after work most days would offset some of the risks of being too sedentary. Good luck in your adventure.

Edited to add: you could look into getting a desk cycle--a device you pedal under your desk--as a step toward adding activity during your work day. But true walking is better. Start with a few minutes after work--is there a nice park on your way home, for example? Don't push it--build up very slowly if you've been mostly sedentary for a long time. Look online for "beginner walking" programs if you want more info.

The macros matter less than you think. Prioritize protein to eat at least as much as MFP says. Think of MFP as a minimum

Eat enough good fats (keeping saturated fats low while increasing fish fat and mono and poly unsaturated). Eat enough to be satiated and add taste where necessary. Total fats CAN be (but don't HAVE to be) much lower than MFP suggests, so think of MFP as a suggested maximum. Don't eat consistently less than ~0.35g per lb of bodyweight at a target weight within the normal range. Think BMI 24.9 for your initial target (so about 0.8g of fat per kg of target weight)

Make sure you get enough fiber on a regular basis... aim for 38+ grams of fiber a day as a male.

Eat the rest of your calories whichever way you want to. Generally if you meet the above the rest will tend to be carbs.

And all of the above is irrelevant.

First of all make sure you're hitting your calorie targets.

THAT is what will determine your weight results.

The macros may help you fine tune your satiety.

Eating wholesome foods may provide you with nutrients and health benefits but will not magically make you lose weight.

Eating "5 a day" (3 * ~85g portions of vegetables and 2 of fruit with measurable benefits still found when increasing to 7 a day, or even 10 a day), won't help you lose weight if not done in the context of reduced calories.

And, other than adding water weight due to sodium, eating 300 Cal of McDonald's fries won't increase your body fat in the context of eating at a level of calories below TDEE.

Your exercise is also not a condition for weight loss.

It helps and makes you healthier. But is not a show stopper.

You may want to look into squats, lunges, push ups near your desk. Pacing when on the phone. Checking your building security at a quick pace. Walking very fast to the bathroom. Walking before or after work or to work or during your breaks. Running even!

Do you ever watch tv? You don't HAVE to! You can go for a walk instead !

There is a discussion thread somewhere about things you can do to improve NEAT, i.e. increase your activity

Chose a reasonable goal. Are you sure that 1800 is set at 0.5kg a week loss and not at 1kg a week? 1kg a week would be trying to go too fast.

That said: measure carefully and account for everything. By overwhelming preference weigh your food. It is easier to keep track and you will have less surprises if you log before you eat! Don't forget condiments or cooking oil or butter!

Don't be afraid to try new things and don't try to give up things you really like. Remember that you can have anything and everything. Just not all at the same time and not all the time.

And don't wait even a minute to start using a trending weight application. Libra for Android, happy scale for iPhone, trendweight.com (using a free, without a device, Fitbit.com account for data entry or a supported scale of you have one), weightgrapher.com for manual entry (lie and tell it you want to maintain your weight to avoid getting annoying comments)

There are several you-tube and similar resources for body weight exercises if you feel the desire. I hear about things such as fitness blender, Leslie Sansone, yoga with Adrienne, or nerd fitness, convict conditioning if you want to hit things harder!

Remember than on MFP you actually eat more calories to compensate for the extra you burn when more active because your deficit is already included in your goal calories!

Exercise for health and strength (and to eat a bit more !), not to create larger deficits than you've carefully chosen!

ultimately remember that the only way you're going to succeed is by doing whatever you're doing long term.

So try to make choices that build on each other and make life better, not miserable!

I found that an easy way to excercise without it feeling like a chore, is to put on a good audiobook, and go for a walk. I have made an agreement with myself only to listen to the books while walking (or running, or riding my bike) and since I really love the books, it's a nice incentive to get moving