to 3FC!
It's okay to feel unsure. Many of us started off that way, and continue to learn as we go.
For me, the easiest way to ration myself was to calorie-count. How?
- Figure out how often a day you want to eat (some people choose 3 meals, others choose 6, some have snacks, others don't) and how many calories will you eat per day
- Decide on a starting calorie range (often depends on your starting weight)
- Keep your calories balanced per meal. For me, an easy way to do this was to eat 3 meals a day with about 500 calories per meal (under was fine, but I was wary of going over).
- Have some snacks in mind for when you get hungry between meals. High protein, low calorie snacks tend to keep us full longer, but I've eaten fruit as snacks as well if my mealtime was approaching. Keep snacks below 150 cals.
There are websites you can use to keep track of your daily meals and calorie intake. The two I've heard of are My Plate and Fit Day (and I imagine there are others if you ask around at the calorie counting threads
). It's not necessary but can be helpful.
Also,
- Use measuring spoons (not cutlery) to measure anything you add to your food - ketchup, oils, dressings, honey, sugar, jam, peanut/nut butters, cream, milk, etc. The reason is that some of these can have a deceptively high amount of calories. Consider the two dressings in my fridge. One has 25 calories per tablespoon, the other has 90!
- Drink plenty of water
- Sleep well if possible
- Keep yourself mentally committed... Coming here helps keep me on track! It's a mental reminder that really helps solidify the commitment. Whether it's posting on daily chat threads where others check in regularly, scrolling through old posts to learn what others have done or asked about, the goal photo album area, etc. This website is a HUGE source of information at your fingertips and people are more than willing to offer support, advice, or a friendly nod.
- Commitment is key. You don't have to stay on plan 100% of the time. In fact, most of us slip up. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING (I cannot stress this enough) is to not give up if that happens. Extra calories one day mean
absolutely nothing in the long run. Extra calories every day over time is what leads to weight gain.
So be consistent with your commitment, but don't demand perfection. Accept what happens and choose to move forward using the tools you have to lose weight.
- You can absolutely do this!
And it only gets easier and more rewarding as you go.