"A little overwhelmed"

Welcome MSGIRL9!

Everyone is different. I started out following the Spark menu plan - it was clear and easy to follow, and it was easy to create a grocery list based on the week's menu. You can change out the different meal options with a click of a button.

Now, several yeas in, I've learned enough to plan and enter foods on my own. It was important for me to learn what a balanced meal looked like, and what a real portion of food was. A serving of pasta is 1/2 cup, not the 2 cups I use to eat at a time!

Try it one way, then try it the other. Figure out what works best for ~you~. This is, after all, about YOU and no one else. Do it YOUR way and you'll be successful.

C~

I don't follow the meal plan, but I do track everything and eat within my range. I have a hubby and little one at home who would revolt if we ate according to the meal plan. If you do follow the meal plan, you can sub different fruit and veggies for ones listed if you don't like them. To get the most out of the website I recommend tracking, tracking, tracking, and using the message boards.

I actually do Weight Watchers as well so I just enter in what I eat. Its hard for me to do a meal plan because I have a family at home and I'm a huge bargain shopper so I won't buy anything that is not on sale so I buy healthy items that are on sale each week and I get a good variety that way. Hang in there you will find what works for you best!

Edited by: TIME2BLOOM4ME at: 2/21/2013 (09:29)

Welcome to SP. Hang tough and stay focused

I just started 6 weeks ago and I am still a little overwhelmed. My main focus to begin with was to track everything I ate and to track my exercise at the gym. I have gradually learned to use more things on the sparkpeople site. This is the first time I have posted to a message board. I am understanding things better as I get more involved. I read a lot of different articles and love to read the different blogs. There are so many things going on on this site that it is somewhat overwhelming, but that is what makes this site so great. I believe everyone has to see what works best for them. Good luck in your journey.

I prefer to just enter in the foods I eat rather than use the meal plans. You can try out both ways and see what works for you.

I am just getting started and there is so much stuff to look at and different things you can do to help the weightloss journey. Do you guys go by there meal plans or do you do them yourselves and just stay in the ranges that are recommended?