Calorie counting tips for newbies

[sunnyrae]

Hello we seem to have newbies join all the time looking for advice so i thought maybe we could have a thread where we can share all our best tips with each other. I'll start off.

Try a new food/recipe within ur calorie allowance each week. It keeps things varied and stops you from getting bored with the same food and is good for ur body to get something new.

 

[lucysmommy]

Log every thing you eat and also use myfitnesspal or something similar if u can

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[lucysmommy]

Also spread your cals over the day and plan. Your day ahead x

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[moonlights]

Plan ahead definitely. I find low cal vegetarian ready meals a lifesaver (vegetarian are often lower cal and I don't eat cheap meat). Experiment with different veg and ways of mixing them up. I find a bit of passata livens other veg up. Get some 100 cal -ish snacks so you know what you're taking in.

 

[sunnyrae]

Dont deprive urself of anything

 

[HellieCopter]

My tips would be:

-Drink plenty of water
-Don't go below 1200 per day.
-Don't just eat 1200 calories because it's as low as you should go. It may not make you lose faster. Work out your allowance and eat it.
-If you are going to exercise, try eating your exercise cals back at first and see if you still lose. If you don't only then try cutting back.
-Eat healthily. Eat fresh. Eat varied. Lots of fruit, veg, unprocessed food, low salt, less sugar.

 

[hannata]

Agreed with helliecopters points

- log EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth, even if you think there may not be many calories.
- estimation is dangerous - with things like mfp you really have no excuse to estimate 99% of the food you consume.
- check websites for food calories for chain restaurants


to me the most important tip.....

do not stress about calories. If you have your loss set to -1 a week, it takes a whole 3500 calories to maintain and 7000 to gain. So no, 100 calories over will not be the end of your diet!

 

[merlotgirl]

Can somebody please tell me if you count calories in salad, ie lettuce, tomatoes etc? And also things like tinned tomatoes? Such a mindfield! Any help gratefully received!

 

[lucysmommy]

Can somebody please tell me if you count calories in salad, ie lettuce, tomatoes etc? And also things like tinned tomatoes? Such a mindfield! Any help gratefully received!

I count everything that goes in my mouth - best way forward x

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[Bubblegum_87]

Can somebody please tell me if you count calories in salad, ie lettuce, tomatoes etc? And also things like tinned tomatoes? Such a mindfield! Any help gratefully received!

Yeah, like lucysmommy said, I count everything that goes in my mouth and log it all in my online food diary to keep track (loads of members here use MyFitnessPal, I'm using Foodfocus). If I didn't log everything in I'm sure I would probably be going over my calorie allowance - you wouldn't believe how a little mouthful of this or that can really add up.

My little bit of advice would be:

• If you're not already using one, I'd really recommend using a digital food scales, makes logging in your calories a lot easier and much more accurate then just guesstimating.
• Don't let a bad day turn into a bad week, month, etc.
• Look at inspirational before/after pics and read inspirational stories to help keep you motivated.
• If you feel like having a "treat" don't deprive yourself, just work it into your calorie allowance and don't go overboard.
• Keep visiting minimins for support and encouragement!

 

[emma_30]

I agree with everyone else.

I'd also like to highlight 'Don't let a bad day turn into a bad week/month' For me this is what has made this time different to all the other times I've tried. If you do have a bad day just forget about it and start afresh tomorrow. A bad day isn't going to undo all your hard work.