New Members

You’ll get there! The best way to start is create a reasonable meal plan for yourself!

Welcome! Good for you for taking the first step and setting up your MFP account. There are great people here and lot's of great info to really cut through all the BS a lot of us run into when we first begin. Here's a not-so-brief list to get you started.

1. Read the stickies (most helpful posts) at the top of the forums (really helped me hone in on what I was supposed to be doing, and realize how hard I was initially making it for myself): https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
   https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
2. Log everything you put in your mouth (solids and liquids, gummy vitamins, coffee creamer, etc.) Everything. Ev-uh-ree-thing. And be honest! There are tons of incorrect entries in the MFP food database. Do you really think that jelly donut only has 100 calories? No. So don’t select that option when you type “jelly donut” in the search bar.
3. That leads to… select the correct entries in the database (compare to the food label) or add your own entry so you know it’s accurate.
4. Weigh your food! Measuring cups and “eye-balling” can be way off (see helpful link above) and consider that packaged foods can be deceiving as well! I’m looking at you, Skinny Pop. The package might say 28g, but I’ve never had a bag with contents weighing nearly that little!
5. You won’t weigh the same every day, so don’t freak out if the number on the scale goes up. Read this too: http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
6. Be patient! No, but seriously, be patient… for real. Losing weight healthily (and, ideally, permanently) takes time. Some weeks will be better than others. The MOST you should aim to lose per week is 2lbs.
7. Don’t over restrict! Pick a calorie goal you can actually stick to day in and day out. There’s no point in being hungry all the damn time… you’ll eventually crack. Increase your chances for success and pick a way of eating that you can commit to. I’d be miserable on 1200 calories/day, so I set my goals accordingly (lose 0.5lb – 1lb per week) and eat more… because food is good and I’ll still lose weight, even with a smaller deficit.
8. Binges happen. Relax. You won’t gain 5lbs of fat after one day of stuffing yourself. Read this, and calm TF down: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope/p1

There are a lot of other things I could include, but start with the fundamentals. If that’s all you do, you’ll lose weight.

Good luck!