Hello - new this week to fit day!
 

Hi ladies! I have just started fit day and have been tracking for 7 days now. Scale says 1.2 lbs so I am right on track. (yeah) I want to loose 20 lbs by 12/16.

Does anyone have any beginner tips? I have a feeling it may be trail and error on the balance of exercise and eating (carb&protein&fat&alcohol mix).

I am noticing my nutrition does not meet % suggested - any good vitamin suggestions to help me? The current one I am using isn't doing the trick.

Thx!

Great job on the drop!!! For a beginner, I think you're doing great. One of the things that helped me fine tune my diet was to start paying attention to my pie chart and to be aware of how much of each group I was getting. Which lead me to up my proteins and drop my carbs.

When it comes to diet and vitamins, I can't really say what you need to eat to help your levels out, since you don't say what nutrients you're low on. If I have a vitamin level that is consistently low, I just google "Foods containing whatever" and then I try and find something that is low in fat and calories to add to my diet. Often I find the best sources of missing nutrients in my diet are things I don't eat very often like clams, oysters, Brazil nuts, etc. But the farther down the list I go, the more likely I am to find something already in the cupboards. And then I think, "mmm yes that would be good". It's just a matter of being aware of what you're low on. I take a multivitamin too, but I've read over and over again that your body can only absorb a small percentage of those nutrients, so I don't put it on my food log.

Hello and welcome! Congrats on the weight loss and on tracking for 7 days. That's great! 20 lbs by 12/16 is a great goal...not too much too fast. You can do it!

Here are a few tips that may help you:
- Try to meet your nutrition % by increasing the amounts of fruits, vegetables, and lean dairy products that you eat. There are some that still may need to be supplemented with a multi-vitamin, but eating more fruits and vegetables will help!
- When grocery shopping, stick to the perimeter of the store where you can find fruits, vegetables, lean protein and dairy products, and most of the un-processed foods.
- Do you work out? If not, try adding in a few days of walking or other cardio that you enjoy. It will help!
- As for the mix of carbs, protein, and fat, there is a bit of trial and error involved, and it seems to be different for everyone. I'm vegetarian, so I strive for 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat (I try for mostly healthy fats). I don't always make those percentages, but I can usually get fairly close. Mix it up and see what works for you!

Keep up the good work. Best of luck!

just wanted to say welcome. you got some great advice so i won't bog you down with more...lol.

Thx for all the advice!
 

Thanks for the welcome - and the great advice!

great idea - just googled how to get magnesium... ;) thx!

Hi there Kate! Welcome to FitDay, and to the forums. You're off to a super start and the best advice I could give you is to use the tools everyday. Post on the forums for support and live moment to moment in the 'present'. What you did yesterday is gone now, what you'll do tomorrow is an opportunity. Best of luck to you!

Smoosh

Welcome Kate!
 

So when I first started journaling, it didn't last very long, because I was trying to maintain a perfect balance of protein and carbs, with a smaller "pie" of fat AND I was trying to exercise, AND cut my calories, and remember to log food... etc Eventually I kind of got stressed out and would slack on journaling.

I heard a report that no matter what diet you choose - high protein, low fat, vegetarian, vegan, etc - you will lose weight if you restrict your calories and get movin! And it's true.

So, I guess what advice I would give is to journal your food (take the time to enter specific nutritional data as it can be a difference of 100-200 calories compared to FitDay's list), and if you eat more then your goal in calories for the day, make sure to subtract the difference that day or the next with exercise. Don't worry about the balance of protein and carbs... carbs are brain food, protein muscle food, and fat helps your body digest nutrients... just do everything in moderation you know?

Best of Luck!
Baltimoron

Starting Weight; 01 Aug '10 - 197 lbs
Current Weight; 02 Sept '10 - 182 lbs
Goal Weight; 02 Oct '10 - 170lbs

Weight Lost So Far; 15 lbs
Weight Still To Lose; 12 lbs

Mustard.

Thx! I was getting overwhelmed - I think just trying to write down everything is where I am at - and so far I have to say I am happy with the results - 2.8 lbs lost now - labor day and school starting for the kids have been tough to journal and keep on track so this week loss may not happen unless I get out on my bike more!! ;)

Thx everyone for the welcome.

K