Hello Calorie Counters!

So I'm a sorta newbie. And by that I mean I've been hanging around some areas for two weeks and haven't looked anywhere else.

I've decided to start cracking down on my eating this month. I exercise great (it's pretty much a part of my lifestyle) but my eating is terrible. I thought about what I wanted to get out of a diet... and decided on simple(ish) calorie counting.

I know the only way you lose weight is by cutting calories. Plus I'd like to include all my favorite foods in every once in a while.

I really have to work on my portion sizes. And my snacking. I tend to just eat for an hour straight. I need to start some eating habits that I can live with the rest of my life.
So I have some questions for everyone here...
a) What's your favorite on-line tracking (food diary kind of thing) sight? Know any good free ones?
b) Any good resources for calories in foods? I've found some sights, but sometimes it just get confusing and they have just the food's weight/ or it's organized weird....
c) Any recommendations for how to go about doing this? I was thinking about trying to keep my calories between 1500-1800 a day (going too low leads me to binge). Does that sound good?
d) Any tricks to stick to it? Or methods to keep track?

Even if you have no answers to my questions... Just say hi!

a) Ooh, I get to say Fitday! Go first replies. Free and least confusing of online trackers that I've seen.

b) I don't go to any regularly. Nutritiondata.com is one; calorie-count.com is another. Fitday does track your calories and has counts too. The sites can be confusing because they use the government food info which is sometimes oddly described or sized.

c) Sounds good. Try just tracking what you are currently eating for a few days to begin with, to begin getting ideas of how you can improve your diet. Fitday (and loads of other sites) will estimate your metabolic needs too, and you can try using that as a baseline. It worked perfectly for me, but for many people it does not.

d) I totally identify with the all day snacking thing. I used to get hungry within 3 hours of eating a comfortable amount, and then beat myself up for wanting to eat again "so soon." And with the beating up was the "screw it" mentality and snacking all day.

The "trick" for me was deciding to trust my body and my plan. I had to make a leap of faith at the beginning that I was just going to eat another nutritious meal whenever I was hungry, even if it was only 2 hours after my last meal. Turns out, eating 5 or 6 times a day is an AMAZING way to remain satisfied and lose weight. I still have trust issues with food and my body at times, especially if I eat quickly and my body hasn't sent my brain the "full now" sensation yet. FYI, the other part of trust is trusting yourself to be able to change things if your first plan doesn't work (too little calories, too many calories, which kind of exercise, too much or too little exercise, etc.).

Mind you, I'm no big success yet, but these things are working so far!

a) What's your favorite on-line tracking (food diary kind of thing) sight? Know any good free ones?

A lot of people here use Fitday, but I just buy a small sized notebook/notepad, and use a page for each day. I go out of town a lot, and I have no computer access when I go-so it works best for me this way. I write in my food/calories each day, and my exercise.

b) Any good resources for calories in foods? I've found some sights, but sometimes it just get confusing and they have just the food's weight/ or it's organized weird....
I have a book that is called "Fat & Fiber" or something like that, I got it in the health section of a bookstore. It lists the calories, fat, and fiber of lots of foods. When visiting a restaurant, I check its online website beforehand, and make a decision about what to eat before I go, based on the calories and nutritional information.

c) Any recommendations for how to go about doing this? I was thinking about trying to keep my calories between 1500-1800 a day (going too low leads me to binge). Does that sound good?
That sounds like a great start. You want to weigh in about once a week-not every day. Your aim is about 1/2-2 pounds each week. I also find that if I go too low, I binge. Just try and keep your calories even through the day-don't eat a 100 calorie snack for breakfast, and save the rest for a huge dinner...doing that can lead to binging because you are starving. Small meals and snacks throughout the day works well. Also, healthier foods help you to keep the binge monster at bay as well.


d) Any tricks to stick to it? Or methods to keep track?
My tricks are using foods that have a lot of "bulk" for the calories. You can have a tiny 100 calorie pack of cookies/crackers...but they don't really satisfy you if you are HUNGRY. (Having something like that now and then for an evening snack/sweet tooth is fine-but they are not a good choice if you are "hungry", because there isn't much there. Fruit, veggies, oatmeal, chicken breast-these things are more filling (bigger) for the calories.
Another trick is to have protein at each meal, so I stay fuller longer. It might be milk/yogurt/peanut butter/lean chicken or fish/an egg or what have you, but each meal contains a protein source.
Another trick-get active. You want to burn more calories than you take in, and part of that is by reducing the calories that you eat, but the other part is burning more calories by being more active. It is a 2 part system.
Find something that you enjoy doing-so that you will stick with it. Do dvds, join the gym, walk outdoors, take a martial arts class-whatever YOU will enjoy doing. That is the big key-if you hate running, then it won't do you any good to force yourself to run, because you won't be motivated to keep doing it.

Welcome-if you have any more questions, please ask!

Good Morning.
a) What's your favorite on-line tracking (food diary kind of thing) sight? Know any good free ones?
I use fitday. It may drive you nutty at first but once I got used to it, I'm addicted.
b) Any good resources for calories in foods? I've found some sights, but sometimes it just get confusing and they have just the food's weight/ or it's organized weird....
Again fitday ... calorieking.com is my back-up and nothing beats the labels on the food itself.
c) Any recommendations for how to go about doing this? I was thinking about trying to keep my calories between 1500-1800 a day (going too low leads me to binge). Does that sound good?
1500 cals is a safe healthy place to start, easy to get all your nutrients in (I'm sorry, I can't off hand remember how much you weigh) I'll back whatever Aphil said For binging? ... clear out the crap. If it's not available, you can't eat it.
d) Any tricks to stick to it? Or methods to keep track?
Keep coming to 3FC ... before you eat, before you cook, if you don't wanna exercise ....

from one newbie to another!

I have been counting calories off and on for almost a year but I am new to this site. I have found posting has made it easier to stay on track, it has made me accountable.

a) What's your favorite on-line tracking (food diary kind of thing) sight? Know any good free ones?
I have been using fitday for about 2 weeks now, it was a little tricky at first but once I figured it out it has been easy. I love all the graphs that it provides.
b) Any good resources for calories in foods? I've found some sights, but sometimes it just get confusing and they have just the food's weight/ or it's organized weird....
Again fitday; also I read the label on everything, the foods that I eat all the time I have just entered the nutritional info from the label onto fitday as a custom food. I also purchased a few low fat cookbooks; I have also entered the nutritional info for each recipe onto fitday. It took a bit of time but now it is so easy to keep track of what I am eating.
c) Any recommendations for how to go about doing this? I was thinking about trying to keep my calories between 1500-1800 a day (going too low leads me to binge). Does that sound good?
I would suggest starting at 1500 see how you feel and make an adjustment if needed.
d) Any tricks to stick to it? Or methods to keep track?
As I mentioned before 3FC has been a great tool, check in every day, ppl here will motivate you and give you a if you need it.
I also allow myself a free day (usually on the weekend). I eat whatever I want on that day but I still try to make healthy choices but if I want a treat I have one and I don't beat myself up over it.

I hope I have been some help!

Hi, Here's what works for me:

a) What's your favorite on-line tracking (food diary kind of thing) sight? Know any good free ones? I don't use the online tracking, but I have heard that Fitday is great. I have developed my own food diary template that I print out and fill in. I typically sit down the night before and write down all that I plan to eat the next day, making sure that I fill up the protein, fruits, and veggies areas first, then I fill in with the extras as needed. If you would like a copy of my sheet, it's in a Word document and I would be happy to send it to you. Just send me a private message.

b) Any good resources for calories in foods? I've found some sights, but sometimes it just get confusing and they have just the food's weight/ or it's organized weird....I purchased a Calorie King book (about $8 at major book stores) and I have used that as a starting point. I have found that a majority of the foods that I eat are the same from week to week, and since I keep a written log of what I have eaten, I just use my previous food diaries as a reference.
c) Any recommendations for how to go about doing this? I was thinking about trying to keep my calories between 1500-1800 a day (going too low leads me to binge). Does that sound good? I have lost 65 pounds and have maintained it for 2 1/2 months, and I am eating 1600-1800 calories/day to maintain. I workout 6 days/week and am 5"6" with a weight of 132. That being said, you are going to have to experiment with calories until you find what works for you based on your activity level, current weight and body frame. I stayed around 1200 calories/day when I was losing weight and I don't think that you would want to go lower than that.
d) Any tricks to stick to it? Or methods to keep track? The biggest tips that I can offer to you are to:
1. keep a food diary of some sort (either online or on paper to really track what you are eating)
2. Drink lots of water, elimate as many "junk" or empty calories as possible. I try to avoid even the sugar free puddings, cookies, etc., because there is no nutrition in them. Fill up on protein, veggies, fruits, whole grain breads and low fat dairy products.
3. Stay positive and envision yourself as the thin person that you are becoming. Don't get discouraged if the scale doesn't drop as quickly as you hope. Measure yourself around your arms, legs, bust, waist, hips, and thighs and recheck every few weeks to see how those numbers are coming down too. If you are working out, remember that muscle weighs more than fat.
4. Ask for help from others around you and from resources online like this one. This is the beginning of your journey and so much of it is figuring out what works for you and what doesn't (for example, I can only have 2 servings of fruit/day and I have to eat it before early afternoon or my weight is up on the scale the next morning).
5. Don't expect perfection, none of us are perfect and life is meant for living, so cut yourself some slack when you ooops.

Keep in touch and best wishes

Thanks everyone! I'll definitly take a look at the websites, and maybe look for some books.

I've been recording my food intake for about a month now... Just not the calories, which I will start doing. I do want to try and plan out meals ahead of time, but that can be tricky being a student and all.

And I definitly exercise plenty. This past week I was sick and I couldn't do anything! I just got out for my first run in a week yesterday, and even though I was breathing raspy and full of phlem and couldn't quite finish, it felt great. It's my eating that is terrible!

But thanks to all of you guys and your advice, I think I can do this. And I do love 3FC, it's such a helpfull and friendly place, and it does keep me accountable.