1st day & already frustrated

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

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.

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

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:

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.

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...

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.

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.

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!

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.

er Jbow, you should be far from frustrated, those foods you have decided on are superb in my opinion. No crap in there.

Just make sure you log everything though. Seriously, very, very good choices!!!

Learning how to eat right is not easy. We know all too well how to eat the wrong things. Do some research and try to find foods that you like, cut down on the quanity of your food intake. Relax, release, relate. But most importantly....HANG IN THERE!

I was thinking the same thing a couple of days ago...I also am new and when I spoke to someone they said to worry about calories first, then once I get that all under control worry about the other stuff as calories are the most important at the start.:) You will do fine friend me we can chat and keep each other motivated:)

When I first started a healthy eating regimen......I swear I was at the grocery store for about 4 hours just reading labels and such. I will tell you......your brain will retain alot of information and you will eventually just know what you can eat......just give it some time and try not to get discouraged. We ALL go over something during the course of a day......don't sweat it.........add me as a friend if you'd like:bigsmile:

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.

This^

What I noticed once I started counting the calories was I started to pay more attention to things that would fill me up. I could have 2 applies instead of a small handful of goldfish crackers, for instance. So far, it has been working. I'm down 35 pounds since mid-October. Once I am fitter and closer to my goal weight, I may have to re-evaluate though.

Don't get frustrated! You will find a very supportive community here.