Congratulations on beginning the journey! Getting in tune with your body might be difficult at first, but as you start changing habits you'll start to figure out what it means to be actually hungry and how much until you're actually full.

Cutting out mindless eating is the hardest part, if you're anything like me and will eat simply because food is there. Eating purposefully and with a plan (and saying no to unhealthy foods) is really annoying at first, but it'll eventually become a habit and you'll start to just know how many calories are in certain foods, without having to look up every single food.

I use fitday in order to get calorie counts and to get an idea of how much carb/fat/protein I'm getting. At first, EVERYTHING seemed to be so full of carbs and it looked impossible to even things out, but it DOES happen.

Good luck, and be sure to stick close to 3 Fat Chicks for inspiration and support.

For calorie counting, I strongly recommend using nutritional software. Fitday and Daily Planet are vey popular here. I am a member of CalorieKing which has similar software but I use DietPower software myself.

Any of these will help you determine the number of calories you should start with based on your current weight etc. I strongly prefer using software because they provide graphs and reports that immediately give you feed back and help build behavior modification.

My number one advice is to not to try and be perfect on day one. Set small goals to start like meeting your calorie target, eating regularly, portion control etc. As you tackle one goal you can fold in another.

Before you know it you will be able to juggle both maintain various nutrient targets and calorie targets.

One more tip. To start, some people find it easier to eat a very regiminated menu. Not the exact same thing every day but something like always have 4oz protein and 2 veggies for dinner etc. Once you get comfortable then you can start mixing and matching your meals.

Lori

Have you checked out the advice here?

For me the key has been logging my food (I use Fitday.com) and exercise. But a simple notebook would do it as well if you don't have easy access to a computer all the time.

lorilove is right - keep it simple at first - you'll tweek it as you find things you like. I have gone to more whole foods as they seem to keep me full longer...less carbs, more protein...but it's a work in progress.

The software (I use the PC version of Fitday) will help you set a calorie restriction goal and the link that Gina posted will give you all that you need to get started. Logging everything really does help. The graphs and charts in the software help to make tweaks as you go and keep yourself on track nutritionally.

I also take a multi-vitamin since I am restricting my calories. Although all foods are acceptable when you calorie count, I think it really helps to eat "clean". Lots of veggies, fiber-rich foods, non-processed foods.

I also find that eating 6 small meals each day keeps me from getting too hungry in-between meals. This is a personal preference, but you might want to give it a try. I also try to make sure that I get carbs and protein in every meal - it keeps me satisfied longer and helps me stay on track.

You can do this - it isn't hard once you get started. If you have questions, just post - someone is usually quick to provide assistance - 3FC is a great place

I just started calorie counting as well. I am about 5 days in and I'm really proud of myself so far and I really enjoy it! What I did was read a bunch of books about whole foods and nutrition and I learned A LOT about which foods are the best for each category of a diet and what they can do for your health. I think knowledge and education and even enthusiasm on what you're eating is very important. I have eating three meals and two snacks every day and I feel full all the time! I eat a ton of veggies and whole grains and really pay attention to fiber. I hope you find something that works for you and keep us posted on how you're doing!

Thanks everyone for your support and your advice!

If you aren't high tech, you don't need to use any software. You can get a calorie count book from any bookstore, and write your daily calories down in a small sized notebook. Just wanted to throw that out there.

I've been using the diet power software (free 15 day download) and it's OK. Hasn't taught me anything I didn't know already and I'm unsure if I'd pay $50 for it. I can figure out my own calories from packages, a scale and calorie king and I already know I'm eating balanced. I lost 2.4 lbs this past week before using the software.

My advice, be prepared to weigh and log everything. I do this on a white erase board on the fridge. At the end of the day, I just erase it and start over. I plan my meals in advance so there's no guesswork involved and I pre-weigh and package foods like nuts so I can just grab and go in the morning or if I have the munchies I just choose the treat I want.

To lose weight, you need to find you basal metabolic rate, and then add to it the Harris Benedict Formula. Just google those words. That will tell you how many calories your body burns each day. To lose 1 pound a week you need to eat 500 cals less each day (or excercise off 500 cals) Aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

I've tried a few diets, and calorie counting is by far the simplest and most convenient and most accountable. I lost 30 lbs on Atkins (and since gained back 24), but my experience with diets that restrcit WHAT you can eat is that they won't work long term. The first time someone asked me to go for sushi, it was all over. Calorie counting is about HOW MUCH you can eat - nothing is forbidden. Yup, you could blow your days calories in potato chips, but you're gonna be hungry so why not spend those calories on lean meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. I've never been able to eat as much as I'm suppossed to - I always end up with at least 100 cals in the "bank".

Good luck.

Finding your calorie range is still going to be a little bit of trial and error, though-even using one of the calculators that tells you how much you are supposed to eat per day.

Most are guestimates-and then the individual will need to adjust that some, either up or down, to find what works for them.

I use calorie king book and the good old pen and paper. it takes me about 5 minutes to plan my meals, I log everything. I can do it anywhere, anytime without needing to be online.It is not much of a job to do it this way, many members prefer to log there meals online, it is a matter of personal preferance.The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD and keep a food diary . after all , it was not planning that caused us to be overweight.

I'm not using any sort of computer program or tracking website myself, but I hear that they are wonderful. I just keep an old-fashioned notebook in my purse. The night before, I'll write down what I plan on eating for meals and snacks the next day. I keep the notebook with me at all times so I can log if I change something at the last minute. Usually, I try to stick with my meal plan.

As for how many calories I eat - I went to a website like this one and asked it to calculate an estimate of how many calories I need to maintain my current weight. Right now I need about 2700 calories a day to maintain my weight. If you want to lose a pound, you need to eat 3500 less than what it takes to maintain. So, if you cut back your calories by 500 each day, you'll lose one pound that week. So, if I ate 2200 calories a day, I should lose 1 pound a week. 1700 calories should give me a weight loss of two pounds a week. However, you have to take exercise into account, too. If ate 2000 calories and burned 300 of those by exercise, then I'd still lose 2 pounds a week.

However, like I think has been mentioned before, it isn't exact. Everyone's body is different and will lose differently. I've been eating between 1700 and 1800 calories a day, and exercising for about 30 minutes each day (alternating cardio videos, walking, weight-lifting). I lost three pounds this past week. However, that won't be consistent. Next week, I might lose one or two pounds, or I might not lose anything. It goes up and down. Usually, I drop about two pounds a week, but I don't count on that. And I don't get depressed about it if I don't.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully once you sort out how your body responds to your new nutrition plan. Good luck!

Just like COUNTING I use fit day. I put all my own foods in and the calories and such off the backs of their packages. I find fit day isn't always accurate. I also take a good multi vitamin. The great thing about fit day, for me, is that I an see at a glance how much I still need to eat to get the required amounts of the four basic food groups in. Haven't been feeling to well since the first so while I have been getting those food groups in. I haven't been getting the required amounts of them in. I can already see the difference in my weight loss because of this.

Eating 6 meals a day instead of three ( just like counting said lol ) is one way I am never hungry. It really does help to spread things out. You might want to try it.

Coming up with the amount of calories, fat and carbs you want to allow yourself can be a bit tricky. I happen to be allowing myself between 1200 and 1400 calories, 30 and 35 fat and 180 and 210 carbs. Another thing I really like about fit day is I can see right away how much I have already taken in. When you are trying to get those required amounts of the four basic food groups in. You don't have a lot of room to have junk in your diet. It takes all you have to eat healthy but there is always room for a snack each day.

One thing you may want to check out is Jillian Michaels website, one of the trainers from the biggest loser. There is a free analysis you can do and it gives you a suggestion on what percent carbs, fat, and protein is good for you. I tried it and it came out almost exactly the same as what my nutrition coach at the gym has me on.

The episode of the Biggest Loser last night freaked me out. One woman gained a pound. I know that bodies fluctuate etc, particularly women's bodies, but I was totally shocked.