Any help with how to log food please?

laura44444
laura44444 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I am discovering more about MFP since joining this site. I am currently just setting my daily calorie intake and then logging all i eat in thay day and obviously trying to stay within my calorie limit!

But i saw someone post saying they track how many carbs/fat/sodium (etc) that they intake in a day. Im not sure how to do this. Could someone tell me please?

Also if i dont do this will i still loose weight simply by logging my food and keeping it at my set calorie intake of 1500? Without limiting my carb/sodium intake for example?

Replies

  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    You can change what nutrients you are tracking under Settings: Diary Settings. Then, if, you want to tweak your goals, you do so under Goals. You CAN lose weight without tracking your nutrient balance, but in my experience and from what I have heard from others, you will feel better and lose more fat (versus lean) if you make sure you keep your balance right. I don't use the MFP default balance because if you do weight lifting it is low on protein, so I have mine set for 50% carbs, 25% protein and 25% fat. Sodium is definitely important to track; going too high on that can make you retain water, and a lot of pre-packaged "diet food" is really high on sodium, so be careful! I also track my fiber, but that's the one thing where it's better to go over than stay under your goal.
  • laura44444
    laura44444 Posts: 5
    For me its getting to complicated if i start trying to track nutrients :-/ lol but thank you for replying to me :) im finding out all this new stuff about MFP that i never knew existed!!!
  • regina2063
    regina2063 Posts: 203 Member
    im not a computer wizard...so i stick with the mfp calories count..im soo old school....ha ha
  • blynn2708
    blynn2708 Posts: 262 Member
    Just track your calories for now, until you get that under control. It can be very confusing! Then as you get used to tracking calories, you can add sodium to your diary, and so on. One step at a time! Good luck to you!
  • Revenga1980
    Revenga1980 Posts: 63
    I'm interested to know how to figure out the nutritional information for things you make yourself at home?
  • outdoorslife
    outdoorslife Posts: 28 Member
    Go to My Home --> Goals

    There you can change your goals, which should be what you entered to begin your account. You can go guided or custom.

    In your case, guided should be "right" to start. MFP defaults to Carbs/Fat/Protein, which is fine to start with tracking.
    Later you can go in as HannahOM mentioned and tweak what you track.
    I added in sugar so that I wouldn't crash or bounce with too much sugar intake.

    That way you can tweak what you eat so that you feel full and level headed all day long with no cravings… Does take some time, but its worth it!
  • outdoorslife
    outdoorslife Posts: 28 Member
    I'm interested to know how to figure out the nutritional information for things you make yourself at home?

    Under Food --> Recipes.
    Build up your food/recipe with the basic's and then note the serving portions, and serve away!
    If its a basic food thats not listed, you can add new foods, and foods sold in markets mostly have nutritional info on them. (exceptions usually are local made products, like natural energy bars, or pies etc, in smaller stores)
  • JoanKB54
    JoanKB54 Posts: 24 Member
    I have just been logging in my food too, since Jan. 23. I have lost 45.5 lbs. I have had some medical issues that I had to get clearance from my doctor to start exercising. The doctor was so happy with the weight I had lost that she took me off one of my BP meds. Unfortunately I still am on 3 other BP meds. She told me I could do anything that I wanted to as long as I took it slow and didn't over exert myself. I just started walking on the treadmill today. I walked a mile at 2 - 3 miles per hour. So I logged that in for the first time. My husband has diabetes so he watches the carbs. I don't log them in for him, but whenever I look up a food that we are both eating, I look up the carbs for him. His nutritionist told him to have about 60 carbs per day (15 carbs at each meal) He is losing weight too and best of all his sugar levels are way down. So you can log calories or carbs or sodium. Whatever you want to go with.
  • laura44444
    laura44444 Posts: 5
    Thank you everyone for your help, really appreciate it! and Joan well done on such a great weight loss!!! I hope to be as successful :) Its good to know that its working for people!

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