Do you consume more calories than you think?

[MacMadame 81]

I tried them all. I like My Fitness Pal the best, then The Daily Plate. The others were too hard to find foods with and didn't have half the foods I eat on a regular basis.

[*susan* 1,709]

I forgot about My Fitness Pal. I like Daily Plate because they have an iPhone app that syncs with the online app. I know a lot of people that have also started using Weight Watchers Online because they also have a new iPhone app that is included in the WW online price. I haven't checked it out though, as I am pretty happy with what I have.

[Bornagainbabe 4]

I'm going to try doing that as I haven't managed to quit the habit of grazing in the evenings. I'm ok throughout the day and don't particularly think about food but as soon as the evening arrives I can't stop craving and nibbling on stuff I shouldn't.

[Chancie 65]

I've been half heartedly using several, but I started fresh with Myfitnesspal.... it's really pretty good, you can even make your own exercises to do... in my case I just logged Knee replacement exercises- so I can keep up that I'm doing them!

So it's gonna be the only one I use from now on!

[Malaika 50]

Thanks Chancie for the compliment - I intend to continue working on and losing my last 50 -- I don't think I'll make it to onederland by Susan's birthday-hopefully soon therafter though!

Thanks all for the suggestions of tracking -- I think I will check them out and see which one I like the best -- I don't have an iPhone and don't intend to get one, so I need something I can pull up at work and at home. I'm sure posting everything will help -- I haven't done it before because I just felt that I wasn't eating enough that I needed to track - however, I think now that I'm at a stall I need to start keeping track and staying honest! Stalls SUCK

[DownInSocal 12]

Thanks Chancie for the compliment - I intend to continue working on and losing my last 50 -- I don't think I'll make it to onederland by Susan's birthday-hopefully soon therafter though!

Thanks all for the suggestions of tracking -- I think I will check them out and see which one I like the best -- I don't have an iPhone and don't intend to get one, so I need something I can pull up at work and at home. I'm sure posting everything will help -- I haven't done it before because I just felt that I wasn't eating enough that I needed to track - however, I think now that I'm at a stall I need to start keeping track and staying honest! Stalls SUCK

I don't have an iphone either but I do have an iTouch. I use a program called Lose It. Simple, quick, will track Protein easily. I love it.

[Malaika 50]

Okay, I went to My Fitness Pal yesterday and plugged in all the information for my height, weight, etc. According to them, if I want to lose 2 lbs. a week I should be eating the following per day:

1200 calories

165 carbs

40 fat

45 Protein

Does this sound right???

I ate yesterday, tracking EVERYTHING I put in my mouth - I was totally satisfied and I only got in the following:

807 Calories

106 carbs

31 fats

40 protein

I know I need to up my Protein - but should I keep it at 45 or strive for the 70-80 gms recommended by Dr. Aceves? Or was that just the first few months post-op?

Whenever I've dieted, I've always counted either carbs or fats, so counting everything is new -- Plus, I don't want this to be a diet - I want it to be a new way of life - suggestions, comments, help, PLEASE!

[MacMadame 81]

Okay, I went to My Fitness Pal yesterday and plugged in all the information for my height, weight, etc. According to them, if I want to lose 2 lbs. a week I should be eating the following per day:

1200 calories

165 carbs

40 fat

45 Protein

Does this sound right???

No. You can't listen to the formulas online. Anyone who has ever dieted in their life has a slower metabolism than someone who hasn't dieted. The formulas do not take that into account. I have never lost weight as fast as the formulas say I should because of all my dieting. (This was true even before surgery.)

Also, My Fitness Pal sets your Protein requirements WAY too low. Most experts recommend anywhere from 55 to 65 g of protein per day for a menstruating woman. And that's for people who are unaltered and eating to maintain their weight. If you are getting less calories, particularly if you are on a very low calorie diet, you need to have more than the minimum or you risk losing lean tissue (i.e., muscle) instead of fat.

My program (and many others) recommends the following:

<800 calories a day

70-90 g of protein a day

<40 g of carbs

<30 g of fat

This is for the weight loss phase. As you get farther out and more active, however, most people gradually end up eating more and by 1 year out most people are at 1000-1200 calories a day.

Of course, this is also why most people see their weight loss slow down after 6 months so you don't *have* to up your calories, if you don't want to. But for most people, it's a natural progression to do so.

The way I worked it was that I kept an eye on my calories and I made a concerted effort to get in a minimum amount of protein and to not go over a certain amount of carbs. I kind of let the sodium, sugars and fat all fall where they may, because keeping the calories and carbs under a ceiling and the protein above a floor kept everything else in line without a lot of work. But some people find other nutrients are their problems areas and concentrate on others. For me, I tend to keep my sodium and fat low anyway and it's hard to have high sugars if you have low carbs, so it was three more things not to worry about. :confused:

I never thought of it as a diet either. I thought of it as retraining myself on how to eat in a healthy manner. I was very careful about what I added into my diet as I progressed so that I didn't introduce bad habits and get used to eating a lot of my trigger foods. I never told myself that I *deserved* certain foods or that life was meaningless without them. I told myself that food was fuel and my body deserved the highest quality fuel available.

This is not to say I never eat junk, but I keep it very limited and there just isn't a lot of room for it once I get in my required healthy stuff.

[cajun 46]

Okay, I went to My Fitness Pal yesterday and plugged in all the information for my height, weight, etc. According to them, if I want to lose 2 lbs. a week I should be eating the following per day:

1200 calories

165 carbs

40 fat

45 Protein

Does this sound right???

I ate yesterday, tracking EVERYTHING I put in my mouth - I was totally satisfied and I only got in the following:

807 Calories

106 carbs

31 fats

40 protein

I know I need to up my Protein - but should I keep it at 45 or strive for the 70-80 gms recommended by Dr. Aceves? Or was that just the first few months post-op?

Whenever I've dieted, I've always counted either carbs or fats, so counting everything is new -- Plus, I don't want this to be a diet - I want it to be a new way of life - suggestions, comments, help, PLEASE!

NOPE. Follow Dr Aceves plan!

We sleevers are a special case and we need this special plan for optimum wt loss!

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

The nutritionist that comes to my support group who is a registered dietitian says you have to go by your height to determine how much Protein you need. She said for me at 5'2" I need 60 grams per day. That is pretty easy to get and I am sure that I get more than that.

[Malaika 50]

So do you need less if you're taller then? My fitness pal says 40 gms and I don't know that that is quite enough.

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

No, the taller you are the more you need is what I was told.

[Malaika 50]

Guess I'll go back to the <800 calories and 70 gms of Protein and <30 net carbs

I hate tracking - makes me feel like I'm back on yet another diet :001_smile:

[MacMadame 81]

You have to change how you think about it. For me, it's more like homework. I find it interesting to see how different foods stack up and how different combinations can make or break a day. Also, I have one week a month where I'm just going nuts eating things and then it's over. By tracking, I have learned that this week doesn't make or break me and not to panic when it happens.

I use tracking to help me get a healthy relationship with food.

[ash 5]

I'm 6'2" and I'm supposed to be getting between 80-100 grams of Protein a day. I have never made it to 80 grams in a day yet.