1st day & already frustrated

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Crazy_House
Crazy_House Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
I just saw a dietitian for the 1st time yesterday & she got me all set up with this website for tracking my food & I thought I was doing great until I sat down to calculate a snack & realized that I have hardly any protein or fat left & A TON of Carbs & a pretty good amount of calories left. This is what I have left after Breakfast & Lunch & before any snacks or Dinner...

Totals 1,185 87 51 58
Your Daily Goal 2,220 305 74 83
Remaining 1,035 218 23 25

I'm having a really hard time figuring out what in the world I'm going to eat for dinner that won't go over my protein or fat allowance but would use up the rest of my carbs & calories!!
Please help, I've emailed the dietitian I saw but I have a feeling I won't hear from her as it's already later in the afternoon on a Friday :(
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Replies

  • mkcressotti
    mkcressotti Posts: 5 Member
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    These numbers are crazy. I suggest you look at the labels for the calories and enter the food you into the data base this will help you in the area that you need help with
  • RoboLikes
    RoboLikes Posts: 519 Member
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    Can I ask what your breakfast and lunch were?

    Also, don't be frustrated, this is actually good. You are seeing what you are eating contains too much fat, carbs, etc and now you know to read labels before you eat.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Don't worry if you go over protein allowance - MFP sets the bar very low there. If you're aiming to lose weight, don't worry too much if you do go over on fat or carbs and just try to refine it in future - calories are the killer factor here.

    Take your time, this is just the beginning. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
  • bkbabe99
    bkbabe99 Posts: 96 Member
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    Please don't get frustrated. As you said it's only your first day. For today just concentrate on getting your goal of calories in. Tomorrow is another day.
  • raylenebrooks
    raylenebrooks Posts: 137 Member
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    I always go way over protein as I drink 2 protein shakes a day. But fats are easy to avoid look at where they are coming from I have no idea what you are eating. Fruits and vegies have no fat or protein :)
  • leansandra
    leansandra Posts: 8 Member
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    My problem is different the program calculates that I'm always over on protein but meet/exceeds my goals in other nutrients. I think the fiber goals set are set too low. Recommended fiber 25-35g/day....
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I just saw a dietitian for the 1st time yesterday & she got me all set up with this website for tracking my food & I thought I was doing great until I sat down to calculate a snack & realized that I have hardly any protein or fat left & A TON of Carbs & a pretty good amount of calories left. This is what I have left after Breakfast & Lunch & before any snacks or Dinner...

    Totals 1,185 87 51 58
    Your Daily Goal 2,220 305 74 83
    Remaining 1,035 218 23 25

    I'm having a really hard time figuring out what in the world I'm going to eat for dinner that won't go over my protein or fat allowance but would use up the rest of my carbs & calories!!
    Please help, I've emailed the dietitian I saw but I have a feeling I won't hear from her as it's already later in the afternoon on a Friday :(

    You will send yourself mad if you carry on like that :flowerforyou:

    Tomorrow, get up, have your breakfast, input the info, see how many calories you have left, do the same for lunch and then dinner. Add in any snacks you have and don't forget stuff like milk you might stick in tea or coffee. At the end of the day, click on the "complete this entry" button and then you are ready for the next day to start again.

    First off, the protein on MFP is set a little low, many people go over their protein all the time on here, especially those who weight-train. Many people even change their total daily goal for protein, by upping it.

    Don't worry too much about equaling all the totals, it would be bloody hard to succeed in that.

    Just stick to your daily calorie allotment and go day-by-day. Gradually you will know EXACTLY what you can and can't have and what will take you over or keep you under.

    You'll be fine, seriously. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,453 Member
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    Don't worry!! The protein and fat settings are pretty low on here. I've manually changed mine to be higher. My protein goal (for only 1480 calories total) is something like 110g. For fat it's 41g but I always go higher and it hasn't hurt me!!
  • mamapaints
    mamapaints Posts: 206 Member
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    I agree w/ another poster, don't worry too much about going over on fat and protein right now. To be honest, I've been using MFP since September and my main goal is still just staying under my calories. If I go over on one thing or another but I'm still under my cals, I don't sweat it.
  • Fififantastic
    Fififantastic Posts: 54
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    Im new to this site too. Maybe you could try cooking a hearty vegetable soup to fill you up, with lots of carrots, beans, capsicum, chilli, celery etc. I cook up a big pot and then put it in the blender. When I need some carbs I mix in some pasta or rice. YUM!
  • leansandra
    leansandra Posts: 8 Member
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    the program appears to track all protein sources animal and plant protein..so I would not worry too much going over some on protein...work first on meeting your calorie goals then slowly star incorporating healthier low fat choices. Fat is essential but we eat too much and of all the wrong kinds...
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    Day one. Relax!!!
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
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    My first days were so hard, and they were also quite the eye opener! Maybe for dinner you can have a small portion of lean meat (4-6 oz) and a side salad with veggies. Make sure you look at the dressing, as it's very easy to overdo it. I found that measuring things really helped, as guessing at serving amounts is difficult and rarely accurate in the beginning. Once you start getting used to it, it's easier to eyeball it. It's a pain to do, I know, but your health and weight loss will be worth it.
  • the_other_kitkat
    the_other_kitkat Posts: 31
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    As others have said, the default protein target here is really low, but you can change yours manually under goals.
  • GuruOnAMountain
    GuruOnAMountain Posts: 489 Member
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    It takes a while to get used to it. A lot of the time we end up just eating things without thinking about what they contain so coming on here is a learning curve where you have to actually start realising how bad some foods can be and some of those foods might even be foods that you think would be relatively healthy.

    The more time you spend on here, the more you learn and then work out what is good and what is bad to eat and can control these things better.
  • Horskrzy
    Horskrzy Posts: 71 Member
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    Short of eating Crisco for meals don't worry about the rest. I think you'll find the vast majority of us count the calories and leave the rest up to our bodies to "figure out".

    Now if you "have" to go on a low sodium or fat diet for health ISSUES, then it gets a bit harder.
  • Crazy_House
    Crazy_House Posts: 3
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    Thanks for the feedback so far! I don't know if my parameters are what is normally given b/c my dietitian set it all up for me. I did talk to my Mom (my calming voice of reason!) so I feel a bit better now & have decided on a 4oz grilled chicken breast, sauteed swiss chard & a yam for dinner. It will still put me over slightly in the protein category but I will still have a lot of calories & carbs left over. So I'm still kinda stumped.

    For breakfast I had 1 whole egg & 2 egg whites scrambled with some salsa, 2 slices of Trader Joe's Sprouted multi-grain bread & a 1/2 tbsp of earth balance spread.
    Lunch was a big salad with a serving of blue cheese dressing, a turkey sandwich (3 slices) on the TJ's bread with a slice of havarti, tomato slices & alfafa sprouts & a tsp of Spicy brown mustard.
  • LisaMariaCallow
    LisaMariaCallow Posts: 170
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    First off, don't get frustrated!! It's only day 1...I have a friend who always used to say "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!!" This is a journey that you'll hopefully be on for a long time. Make your journal viewable (is that a word? :huh: ) and friend me...I can take a look and see where your obstacles are. As for eating too much protein, that is an area that you can go over in; you want to keep the fats lower, and carbs as well. I tend to only really count calories, but I do watch fats and carbs more than proteins.

    I hope this helps you...again, friend me if you want someone to motivate you!!

    Good luck! :smile:
  • EMarvie
    EMarvie Posts: 335 Member
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    just remember you're just starting out. You cant be perfect. try staying within your cal's for the first few days- see how you feel and then adjust to healthier options.. might even just try using the diary for a few days - see where you're going wrong.
    This is the first step - that's a great thing that you're here and you're making that step.

    You'll see results - use this site to it's full potenital - it's fantastic.

    If you need any motivating - add me as a freind if you like - friends are super helpful here -

    dont get fustrated - be happy and proud of yourself for taking the steps to get healthy!
  • EMarvie
    EMarvie Posts: 335 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback so far! I don't know if my parameters are what is normally given b/c my dietitian set it all up for me. I did talk to my Mom (my calming voice of reason!) so I feel a bit better now & have decided on a 4oz grilled chicken breast, sauteed swiss chard & a yam for dinner. It will still put me over slightly in the protein category but I will still have a lot of calories & carbs left over. So I'm still kinda stumped.

    For breakfast I had 1 whole egg & 2 egg whites scrambled with some salsa, 2 slices of Trader Joe's Sprouted multi-grain bread & a 1/2 tbsp of earth balance spread.
    Lunch was a big salad with a serving of blue cheese dressing, a turkey sandwich (3 slices) on the TJ's bread with a slice of havarti, tomato slices & alfafa sprouts & a tsp of Spicy brown mustard.

    your meals for today are wonderful.. just make sure you eat enough to get in all the nutrients that you'll need! keep up the great work!

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