Newbie here

Posts: 342
1/7/13 9:32 A

I think after you've been tracking all your food and exercise activity for a week or two you will be able to better see where your issues and struggles are, and adjust accordingly. Once you are able to see that you struggle to meet or stay under specific areas, like carbs or fat, or that you are falling short of your planned calorie burn etc, you will be better able to adjust your daily regiment accordingly.

It takes a net loss of 3500 calories to lose a pound, so keep that in mind. If you are only seeing a net loss of 650 calories in a week you won't lose but a few ounces. This is why nobody advises you to step on a scale every day. Some days you won't have hardly any net loss in calories and others a larger gap so it evens out.

The meal plan here in my opinion is not very viable. The Sparkpeople cookbook, however, has some excellent meal ideas. You may spend a bit on groceries from the start if you are having to convert your pantry from high fat high calorie foods into a more healthy and lean pantry but it will even out over time. I also plan my menu for the whole month and I stick with my grocery list when shopping for only the staple items and specific items I need for those meals. It helps alot in keeping impulse buys out of my shopping cart.

Pounds lost: 13.0

0 12.75 25.5 38.25

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Posts: 10,781
1/7/13 9:17 A

the program only knows what you tell it. if you just enter that you want to work out 30 min a day, five times a week, it uses a generic sort of average calories burned per activity to get the number of actual calories burned. which is great if you happen to average out. but if you're walking 30 minute miles for those 30 minutes everyday, that number that it spit out for calories burned is going to be higher than what you actually burn in a week. if you run 8 minute miles for those 30 minutes a day, that number is going to be far lower than what you're actually burning in a week.
so you have to pay attention to what your actual numbers are. if you're 50 cals off for the whole week it's not a big deal. but if you're hundreds off that is enough to affect your ranges and you need to adjust it. it's something that you do have to pay attention to and as you increase your fitness level you need to make sure that you adjust your calories burned so that it is reflecting what you do in a week. it's more of a pay attention to make sure it matches as you go along thing, because it not matching can hinder you.

SparkPoints: (847)
Fitness Minutes: (820)
Posts: 29
1/7/13 9:08 A

im not sure I get what you are saying. The program told me I have to burn 650 per week. Tahts what Im planning on doing. is the calorie burn set by te program not accurate?

Pounds lost: 7.9

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Posts: 10,781
1/7/13 8:58 A

don't let the cart drive the horse. the calories burned number should reflect how many calories you are burning per week, now whatever got set however. if what you originally told the program and what you're actually burning are two different things, then you need to head to your start page, go down to the calories burned goal and adjust it so that it reflects what you burn on a weekly basis.
that number is very important and one of the few things actually used to calculate your ranges. so if it is off, then your ranges may be as well.

SparkPoints: (847)
Fitness Minutes: (820)
Posts: 29
1/7/13 8:47 A

Im going to stick to their plan for the first week. This will give me a better understanding of portions and exactly what I can eat. Im going to burn the 650 calories it recommends for this week and see what happens. The hardest part of a diet for me is getting the numbers right. The ratios of fat protein and carbs. The calorie counting is not as tough.

Pounds lost: 7.9

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Posts: 10,781
1/7/13 8:38 A

well, for starters, the primary definition of the word diet is what one eats. so by that definition anything you choose to eat fits into your diet.
most people don't follow the meal plan given, just the ranges. the purpose of following the ranges is to teach you how to fit what you like into the caloric area where you need to be. which means if you love potato chips learning how to work them into the ranges that you need to be eating at.
the purpose here isn't to lose weight, it's to lose weight and keep it off. which is one of those things that fad diets [you know, the ones that don't let you eat anything during them, make you drop weight too quickly and then put it all right back on plus about 5% more] don't do. the purpose of this is to relearn how to eat for the rest of your life. which means a slow and steady progress.

SparkPoints: (30,718)
Fitness Minutes: (20,495)
Posts: 285
1/7/13 8:28 A

Welcome!!! I tried to stick to their meal plan, like you, I though it was weird and costly. So, once I figured out my numbers and how many cal sp said I should eat, I went with that alone. So I eat a 300 cal breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then 2-3, 100-200 cal snacks throughout the day. Look at your food tracking page and see the amounts that it wants you to eat and stick in those limits. Does that help?

current weight: 139.0

180 167.5 155 142.5

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SparkPoints: (70,818)
Fitness Minutes: (30,690)
Posts: 5,036
1/7/13 8:28 A

You don't HAVE TO follow the meal plan. I never did. I used it more for ideas of what I should be eating when I started out. If you don't want to follow the meal plan, try to have a few servings or fruits or vegetables, healthy fats (think olive oil, avocado, nuts) and lean protein in each meal. Stay within your calorie range and macronutrient ranges (carbs, fats, proteins).

Also, eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. I've found it's cheaper than almost any form of junk food. Maybe it can get expensive when you're buying a bottle of olive oil and various herbs and spices, but those two things can last awhile in your pantry and you don't have to buy them on a weekly basis.

Another thing: You may not see any results in the first week, so don't let that discourage you. Think of this as a healthy lifestyle where you make permanent changes, not just as a way to lose weight.

Edited by: KRISTEN_SAYS at: 1/7/2013 (08:30)

current weight: 110.0

160 147.5 135 122.5

110

SparkPoints: (847)
Fitness Minutes: (820)
Posts: 29
1/7/13 8:20 A

I discovered this site last week and decided to give it a whirl. Im following the meal plan given. I must say it was very expensive for my first week of shopping. Also, i find the food choices dont really seem to be "diet" Who eats 3T of cream cheese for lunch? Believe me, it doesnt make me unhappy to be able to have potato chips, but Im questioning that there are going to be results. Im going to stick to the plan and I am praying for results at the end of the week. Can someone clarify and explain or reassure me??

Pounds lost: 7.9

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