Calorie Issues!

Give it some more time to see results.

One suggestion would be less processed foods.

It might be - you have to eat to lose - sounds so contradictory doesn't it! What is your weight loss goal? I know what is really working for me is eating every couple of hours and eating a lot of fresh veggies, lean protein, healthy fats and fruit.

You might not see a lot of progress in two days, so don't get discouraged yet!

But, when I started with a goal of 1 lb/wk and 1200 cals per day, I didn't lose anything!

A friend of mine suggested upping my intake and upping my activity. Since I've done that, I've been slowly losing.

You might consider eating more, but taking a daily walk (or if you want to stay inside...jog in place), to start with, or invest in a good workout DVD for your fitness level.

Good luck to you!!

Welcome to MyFitnessPal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I love being active again. I love fitting into some of my old clothes. I love my my fitness pals!

A couple of things you might consider: You didn't mention your exercise. Are you exercising a lot more now? Have you dropped the junk foods and artificial sweeteners? Exercise and healthy, natural foods will help normalize your metabolism.

Stick with this, and you will be successful! Have fun!

I didn't lose the first week but once I lost the first pound the second week so far so good. I started Sept 1. I don't have any trouble eating my calories (haha) so that may be some of your problem. If you simply are not hungry, you can bump up your calories with something like peanut butter. It doesn't take much to add a lot of calories but you are getting a lot of protein and good fats. The same with eating nuts. It doesn't take many to make up your calories. Based on my experience so far, you need to eat as close to your calories as possible or your body will go into starvation mode and your metabolism will slow to a crawl.

Some of this will be repetitive of what others have said before and what you have already acknowledged, but...

In summary, less sodium, more water (aim for half of your body weight in ounces), and eat more healthy calories. It is important you eat as close to your caloric goal as you can while staying within your macros.

Welcome to MFP :-)

You've made the first step just by joining/deciding to make a change - and that is a HUGE start!

My few simple tips:
- Cut out soft drink. That was one of my HUGE downfalls (absolute coke addict). It can be hard cutting it out cold turkey - so ease off if you have to (I recommend not having diet drinks - I'm not a fan of aspartame, but that's a choice you can make). I used to have coke for an energy fix, and because I felt like that quenched my thirst. I have found since eating better I don't even need it for the energy, and, although it can be hard sometimes getting the right amount of water, that is far more refreshing than a coke!

- Cook your own meals rather than buying processed food. For breakfast for example, make an omelette. If you are short on time a healthy cereal is good with some fruit. I love muesli, but you could have porridge with stewed apple or some special k with bananas and strawberries.

- I recommend not using meal replacements. That bar you had is 420 calories - you would be better off having a large bowl of cereal, some fruit and a coffee in that amount of calories. Much more satisfying (thats my opinion of course.)

- Looking at your lunch with the sliced beans - you would be far better buying fresh beans and blanching them, maybeadd some grape tomatos dressing them in balsamic and seeded mustard. Yummy and fresh - and without that huge amount of sodium.

- Having a look at your calorie intake - you have roughly 2300 to play with. Here are a couple of sites that may help you out with meal planning:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/78646-calorie-meal-plan/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/192459-2300-calorie-diet/
http://www.bodyspex.com/Community.aspx?ArticleID=56 - This one is particularly good as it gives you the servings of each food group you should aim for.
http://www.realjock.com/nutrition/1075
You can also do a google search for "2300 calorie meal plan" that will give you some other ideas.

Some general advice:
- Use wholegrains, or wholewheat, where possible (brown rice, wholewheat flour, wholewheat bread)
- Use less refined, more natural products
- Shop around the outside of the supermarket - that is, buy the fresh food - fresh fruit and veges instead of canned
- prepare your own meals
- do big cookups on the weekend (or a spare day) and freeze meals in portion sizes - your own quick, ready meals
- make up a big container of salad to have in the fridge to use during the week
- plan meals in advance and write a shopping list! (and don't go shopping hungry!) This saves your budget as well as your waist
- Have a check up with your doctor, and have regular checkups - I would suggest 1 per month. They can also give you some more personalised health advice
- Start by increasing your incidental exercise - walk instead of drive, get off the bus a few stops earlier, take the stairs instead of the lift etc
- Walk 30mins per day most days of the week
- Drink a lot more water! To begin with you may be going to the toilet a every couple of minutes but persevere!

Feel free to add me as a friend on here if you need some extra support! I have only just started as well and have about 80lbs to lose

Have a good protein shake.

And, above all, don't try to incorporate 20 tips at once! This will be a lifestyle you live, not a quick fix. It will take time to implement all this good advice.

Every time I eat, I try to include a veggie, whole grain, and protein. I throw in about 2-4 fresh fruits a day, as well.

Even a walk around the block every day will yield significant results.

You have a great attitude and you will see success!!!