So I started counting calories a week ago. SparkPeople said I should eat 1200-1550 calories a day, so that's been my daily goal. I have stuck within it (except for 1 day), and lost 6lbs in a week.AWESOME....but am I eating enough calories?

My pre-weight loss life consisted of VERY little day time eating, and mostly snacking late in the evening, with almost no exercise.

Now I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day (most days, some days, like today, I may nap and miss a meal), and walk about 2 miles a day (at a fast walk).

Is this enough? Am I doing it right? I have never done this before,and just kind of jumped in blind.

Also, do you allow yourselves to have things like, Thinsations for example? I realize they don't have a lot of nutrients, I just thought they may be an easy way to avoid a binge, especially if you're one of those gals (like me) who craves chocolate at TOM.


I would LOVE any help I can get here. I want to be successful, and I want to be sure I am making the right choices, and have very little, except this site, and my SparkPeople to go on.

I'm not a calorie counter - but it sounds like you are working in the right range - you are losing weight but not depriving yourself of valuable nutrients. I don't do things like Thinsations because I have zero willpower, and it would trigger a binge of magnificent proportions! Congratulations on the 6 pound weight loss - it sounds like you're off to agreat start!

As long as you aren't feeling famished you are probably okay though I would stick closer to the 1550 calories and never really go below 1500.

I mean at your weight you may be able to eat 2000 calories a day and still lose- but if this is working for you and you aren't feeling any negative affects like you are very hungry or feeling unwell than I'd stick to it.

If you are hungry try eating 1800-2000 calories a day and see how that goes.

IF you are sticking more around the 1200 calorie range, you need to get any empty calorie food, (anything that doesn't pack a lot of nutrients for it's calorie buck) OUT of your diet. 1200 is low, (I did it) but my doctor very firmly stated that if I went that route, no junk food of any kind, even if it is low calorie junk. If you go the higher calorie route, a treat here or there is okay I guess, as long as at least 1200 calories a day come from good vitamin rich food sources.

Welcome to 3FC,it's great to have you around. I wish you the very best on your weight loss journey.

Thanks so much for the replies...

So should I be watching carb/protien/fat intake as well? I have been trying to watch it all, which is a bit overwhelming at first. Granted, without "watching" them, I am not thinking of going on a bread only diet or anything, obviously all things within reason, but wonder if I should be concerning myself with those numbers still.


Lori tyvm for the warm welcome! I am loving being here. The support, information and different perspectives are really amazing, and success stories like yours make me realize I CAN do this. You look incredibly amazing by the way!

Still hoping someone might take a couple minutes out of their day to help me with this....

Hi, when I started this journey I downloaded a program called Mynetdiary to help me figure out everything.

27% fat 62% carb and 21% protein that is what my nutritionist recommended.

The fat must be like olive oil, Omega 3 and so on and staying away from saturated fat, I must say that I never reach that percentage.

The carbs are mostly vegetable (excluding potato) fruits and whole grain. I removed all white rice and pasta and replaced with whole wheat.


The protein mostly fish and chicken and an egg here and there.

I've been aiming for 1200 with good results. I decided the only way to deal with the warring diet experts is to ignore them all. I strive for one thirds each of protein, fat, carbs. But every thing that goes in my mouth is high-quality nutrition, no processed. Fats are avocados, greek yogurt, nuts, cheese; carbs are mostly veggies and fruits and my grains are seriously whole and high protein. Lots of lean meat and fish. I bring several little containers to work and munch all day long at my desk so I don't feel deprived or get obsessive. Dinner is a small portion of what everyone else is having. Water, daily exercise and a multivitamin round it out.

I am using SparkPeople right now, which helps me count everything, but it still seems very hard to keep everything in range.

I have removed white rice, white bread and white tortillas, and just eat whole wheat now, and am just not eating pasta at all (I'm not a fan of whole wheat pasta yet, so for now, just avoiding it).

I am working hard to eat fish (I am NOT a fan, and never have been, but am forcing some down my throat here and there).

So where do potatoes fit in? Or do they? I have been making mashed potatoes and just being very cautious about how much I have in a meal...should they be totally excluded?

Potatoes are a good source of potassium but turn into sugar quite fast, not the best carb to have. It is all about moderation, did you try mashed turnips and carrots quite tasty and lower calories and carbs.

Yeah, I'm not so much a mashed turnip fan, BUT...maybe if I mix them with potatoes for a while, and slowly increase the ratio of turnip to potato, maybe I'll get more accustomed to them. I WANT to eat healthy!!

So would potatoes be better to have for say lunch? When I have the afternoon free to walk them off? I am a stay at home mom, and both my kids are in school full time, so I have a lot of free time! lol

BTW Thank you for your responses. I am trying so hard to get this all figured out!

I'm a calorie counter... And the only thing I watch besides calories, is sodium. I tend to keep water forever if I dont watch it.

And as a note to the wheat pasta? Try boiling it for another min or 2 past aldente, my husband can't tell, and he thinks he's eating "regular"... LOL.

Hi, me again, potatoes are not bad but not the best for loosing because they transform into sugar. That is what my trainer explained to me how the body use sugar and fat as fuel. When you want to loose weight you want to loose fat. Let s say you take a Walk, your body will use the fuel that is easiest to get, it is sugar called glycogen, once the sugar is finished it will then
use fat. If the food you eat converts into sugar you will burn little fat compare to someone that limits the amount of sugar contained in carb.

OK, I get it, potatoes aren't the best


So what do you all use as a "carb" with supper then? In my house, we basically have rice (recently it's become whole grain brown rice) and potatoes...very occasionally bread and butter.

I have the world's pickiest kid (this is NOT an excuse), so I try to work around her, or make things she'll eat (she's a freaking beanpole!), BUT her pickiness does not rule the roost.

I just don't eat a carb with supper- my carbs are from vegetables. Cauliflower, broccoli, salads, green beans, zucchini, carrots, peas, etc. I don't do corn cuz it's not that good for you. Sweet potatoes are also good if you like regular potatoes- I adore sweet potatoes now I agree that regular potatoes are just not good- that should be a once in a while treat IMO. There are cauliflower recipes that are like mashed potatoes- I have never tried them but I love cauliflower.

Introduce the kids to sweet potato fries omg YUM Baked sweet potato fries- not fried.

Also when I make things like meatloaf I mix in ground up veggies (onion, tomato with the peel cut off, zucchini) and everyone eats it and loves it. My husband says I make the beat meatloaf, little does he know it's full of veggies along with ground turkey

My friend makes mac and cheese for her daughter with ground up broccoli so it can't be picked out.

Active lifestyle makes some great pastas- check those out- whole wheat pastas have come a long way from the disgusting crap they used to be (no offense to anyone lol).