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New to fitday and to tracking eating habits

Old 09-11-2010, 01:52 PM
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Smile New to fitday and to tracking eating habits

Hello all! I am new to this site and I have never tried tracking my eating habits or my activities. I'll admit at first glance this site has me rather confused. I am a born snacker so I know I am going to have a bit of trouble keeping track of what I eat. It does not help that I work in a grocery store and am surrounded by food all day!

Hoping I can find some friends, advice and support!
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Old 09-11-2010, 11:04 PM
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Hi there and a big welcome to fitday. Its the best support group ive ever come across as nobody judges and the members here give the best advice,so we are all here to help you along the way.
I just wanted to say that i used to be a big snacker and to some extent i still am. I learnt that the reason i snack is because i wasnt eating as much at meal times and that id be stressed or bored. My downfall was evenings when my kids were asleep and im sat watching tv but now im in the habit of just having a few grapes or raw carrot sticks. I had to sort out my portion sizes,even if it was a salad or stir fry i was having too much and id have pains in my stomach all night. Now i just make sure i prepare enough that will satisfy but not bloat me. I also have a little treat about an hour after my evening meal maybe a low fat yogurt or a weightwatchers 3point dessert (oh yeah i didnt mention that i am following the weightwatchers plan). The treat helps me not feel deprived and stops me reaching for the biscuits later.
I can totally get how it must feel being surrounded with food all day i love my cooking shows and as soon as they are on i feel peckish. I think its about willpower and self discipline. I dont even look at the cakes and treats when i shop now and i can happily leave them alone-it did take practice though in changing my mindset. Try and picture how you will look when you are at goal weight and how much better you will feel when you get there.
I probably havent been much help but i wanted to just say hi and a big welcome. It does get easier so stick with it. Tracking foods will help you stay focused throughout the day and encourage you to make better choices.
Good Luck
Tracey

Start weight- 16stone 10lb (235lb)
Current weight- 12stone 6lb (174lb)
Goal weight- 10 stone (140lb)
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Old 09-12-2010, 12:39 AM
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Hello and welcome to the forum. I agree with traceymc that this site is very helpful, and supportive. I'm not so much a snacker, but I live with lots of little people that snack constantly and sometimes shove food in my mouth, so I feel your pain. I've never worked in a grocery store, so I don't really have any tried and true advice on that front, but what helps me is to steer clear of anything in a sealed package and/or inside a box, no matter what the label says. If you stick to fresh veggies and fruit for snacks, that's a great start. The other thing I used to do at work to keep myself away from the vending machine is to leave my wallet in the trunk of my car. That way I didn't have money handy to buy snacks with.
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Old 09-12-2010, 12:42 AM
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Hi Coose and Tracy. Like you, Coose I am new and I think tracking online will help me be accountable. I always tend to not count the food I eat. Tracy, I am really impressed with your weight loss. You are an inspiration. I joined two days ago and have already lost 2 pounds. I don't have that much weight to lose but I have trouble maintaining my weight loss. This is why I figured if I log in every day and record my calories in and out, it will help me see where I am slipping. I hope we can encourage each other in our weight loss and maintenance endeavors.

Last edited by 2bslmagn; 09-12-2010 at 12:43 AM. Reason: mispelled word
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:20 AM
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Welcome coosecoose (and 2bslmagn as well!)!

Just ask if there's anything on the site that you need help with. There are lots of friendly people who have been here a long time who are willing to help out!

Best of luck to you!
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Old 09-13-2010, 04:32 PM
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Hi! *waves to the other newbie* I just joined today myself and am officially starting my new nutrition program tomorrow after meeting with a nutritionist today that my doctor sent me to. I posted a LENGTHY new member message detailing my background/medical and why I'm here etc. Probably a bit too much reading for most but needed to say it.

I can tell you what my nutritionist did today for me though. She worked up my resting metabolic rate and worked out how many calories I should have a day and discussed my soft drink addiction. (It came VERY close to matching the totals on FitDay once I did all my entires.

The horrible thing I learned today is that I have been consuming almost half my daily calories in Dr. Pepper rather than food. I never really realized HOW badly addicted I was to them or paid any attention to how many I drank! Once I saw what my non-"diet" totals of food were today I was shocked and thought wow...this isn't even going to be hard to do once I kick the soda habit. I can eat SO much more than I thought I could. She has me on 2300 calories a day...I'm pretty heavy...358 pounds.

Snacks were a BIG part of what she included in my plan and she said that I should eat most of my calories prior to 6 p.m. and that breakfast should be my "big" meal of the day. I can have 3 snacks a day, 2 of them more than 200 calories and my evening snack around 110 calories. Other 3 meals should range be around 575 calories. Not sure if this helps you at all but she also offered the advice that "a calorie is a calorie" so if you are just DYING for a candy bar, have it, but be sure to count it and think of it as a treat.

Since I have so much to lose, she wants me to have smaller mini-goals, first 35 pounds, then we'll set another goal. My ultimate goal is to lose 210 pounds.

So here's wishing us both luck!
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Old 09-14-2010, 12:16 AM
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Welcome, Tam! Sounds like you got a lot of good advice from your nutritionist. Best of luck to you on your journey! Keep us posted!

(Oh, and about soda - try cutting it out cold turkey! Get it out of the house and replace it with water. I did this with diet soda, missed it for a few days, then before I knew it I had gone weeks and weeks without soda without even realizing it!

Coffee, on the other hand, is still a problem, lol)
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Old 09-14-2010, 03:22 AM
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Wink New to fitday

Hello All. I'm new to fitday and glad I found it. I'm a new Atkins person. I am losing very slowly. I am a 68 yr old female, my starting weight was 223 lbs in June, 2010 I am now 214 lbs, but have been bouncing from 211 to 214 for about 4 wks now, I just don't seem to stablize. I take blood pressure and type 2 diab meds. I have to admit that I am seeing my Dr in 2 days because my blood pressure and glucose reading have been going low and we will prob make some changes. I have gone down 1 size and some of my measurments have changed, but not all. I am determined to continue on this, even if only for health reasons. I have not been good at tracking, so fitday is certainly going to help me. I enjoy reading all the posts and they have helped me very much. Thanks to all of you, and keep up the good work. I keep looking for my numbers to start dropping. I'm jealous ! ! ! LOL
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Old 09-14-2010, 03:31 AM
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Wink Snacks ahoy!

Throw them overboard matey! I work as a cashier surrounded by candies, chips and chocolate. Everytime I look at them I visualize 'a skull & crossbones' It works for me everytime! You all will find your way. Carren
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Old 09-14-2010, 05:49 AM
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Thank you all for the tips and support! So far I haven't given in to any sweets at work, but pop is my downfall. I can't stand paying for water but the small town water I have here tastes gross to me so I keep giving in. I am thinking I need to get a water filtration system.

Current weight: 129.1 Kinda down a little I guess
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