Holy crackers batman!!!!
 

so, i knew i was a carb addict. and that the carbs are most likely what got me in this problem in the first place. Im new and i have been logging my food for only 2 days now, and let me tell you, acourding to the little pie chart thingy, i eat only carbs and fat :eek:! i really dont know where to even start here :o any advise?

Welcome, mgonzales! I know what you mean, tracking can be a real wake up call. To get protein (and I'm lazy and don't love to cook) I go for things like string cheese, HB eggs, and turkey lunch meat. Gorton's has some pre-seasoned fish you can just toss in the oven - only 80 calories in a serving of tilapia, 100 calories in the salmon. Peanut butter is great too, although of course you still have to watch the fat content. But my number one go to protein thing is 0% Greek yogurt! I eat it every morning for breakfast with some sliced fruit - it's got no fat (obviously, 'cause it's 0%), very few grams of carbs, and lots of protein.

i have a problem with the peanut butter...*blushes* its one of my weaknesses. i start with one spoon then before u know it, i have the jar in front of me and who knows how many spoons are gone.lol. the greek yogurt is a good idea. i know people that swear by it. my usual breakfast is 2 packets of quaker instant oatmeal. i thought i was being good with the calorie count being so low (i was trying to go for a 500 500 500 calorie count for meals). i wasnt even thinking of the carb count. dangit... this is gonna be harder than i thought.

Yeah, there's a lot to learn, but I've found that I pick it up as I go along. When I first started, I didn't pay too much attention to the details of the pie chart and nutrition chart and whatnot, 'cause it was all I could do to limit my calories. Now that I'm getting the hang of that, I'm thinking more about balancing the chart and such. My big thing is that I didn't want to overwhelm myself so that I just ended up giving up 'cause I put to much pressure on myself. You'll figure out what works for you!

BTW, we have a 7-day motivational thread over in the women's only corner (it doesn't matter if you're a guy or girl, we accept all kinds :D) if you want to jump into a support group kind of thread - we all just keep each other going, help each other through the rough spots, etc.

thank you!! imma head over there now and check it out :)

Hi, mgonzales, and welcome to FitDay!

Yup, tracking foods is a real wakeup call. I think this is a universal fact here. :D

Anyway, you should be able to find some good tips here on how to increase your protein, along of course with the advice you've already gotten and will continue to get:

FitDay Discussion Boards - Threads Tagged with protein sources

Many of us do protein smoothies. You'll start to love them, I'm sure. :)

thank you Vito! i will look at the threads you suggested and will look into these protein smoothies. i have always been lead to believe that we shouldnt "drink our calories". does this pertain to these? and do you use them INSTEAD of a meal or WITH your meal? or as a "snack"? im very interested in learning :D

Great question. I don't consider a smoothie a meal substitute. It's more like an in between snack, a pre-meal, or a post workout recovery drink. I try to limit my smoothies to no more than 300 calories with the whey powder, banana, strawberries, and green tea combined.

It's true about not "drinking your calories" but I think that caveat is really for warning people about the pitfalls of exclusively juicing your way to weight loss.

nice. ok then, i will look into them. ive never had a protein shake/smoothie. i always shyed away from them because i thought they were for people who were trying to actually GAIN weight. but if the protein is helping with the rest of the cravings and the hunger factor im all in :) is there a place here that has good recipes for them?

Protein is protein and you're not going to bulk up unless you're doing weight lifting. Supplementing with protein (getting enough) as well as getting more fiber in your diet are the two best things you can do to keep hunger at bay as you cut your calories.

Here's a link with lots of good suggestions for shakes:

FitDay Discussion Boards - Threads Tagged with protein shake

[EDIT] Just don't overdo the amount of protein. Excess protein is stored as fat. You can safely do .5 grams per lean body mass. Find your lean body mass here:

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

thank you soooo much for all your help :D it is truely appreciated! and i am ALLLLLLL for cutting calories and curbing hunger! woot woot!

Read The New Atkins for a New You (NANY). You can get it for Kindle--I have both Kindle and a hard copy. My facebook page (Lo-Carb Fat Camp) has an 'event' in which many of us are reading/re-reading NANY and discussing it. Every time we read it, we learn new stuff.

After a week of high-fat (healthy ones--like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil) and moderate protein, you should stop craving carbs so badly.