Summary/Key Learnings:
As always, if you only want the key points from this post, here they are:
- I don’t consider counting calories a healthy long-term lifestyle choice, BUT I think there’s a lot to learn about your food choices from counting calories when you’re first getting started with weight loss.
- MyFitnessPal – it’s an excellent tool for educating yourself about food choices. If you’re completely honest it’ll give an excellent picture of where you need change.
- When the numbers are in, don’t let them freak you out. Look for an easy win and either cut back or remove it from your diet. Like I’ve said before, start slow. I got started by removing the 2nd sugar from my coffee.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
MyFitnessPal. It’s an app. You may have heard about it. It’s not a secret, but it has changed how much I eat and what I know, or thought I knew about food.
Let’s just get something out of the way. I hate the idea of counting calories! I don’t consider it a long-term solution, or a healthy way to live your life. However, the few months I spent counting calories taught me a HUGE amount about what I was eating and it’s an education that’ll serve me well for the rest of my life. Was that a pun? I think it was a pun.
When you first get started with MyFitnessPal you enter your height and weight and set a goal. My first goal was to lose 10kg. At this point MyFitnessPal will crunch some numbers and tell you what a sensible daily calorie intake is to reach your goal. Sweet. After entering my deets, the app set me an initial target of 1850 calories per day. I had no idea what that meant.
The first day was a revelation! And not a good one. It was the type of day I’ve come to know as a blowout. 1250 calories on coffee alone! I knew from my first attempt to lose weight that making drastic changes to my diet was never going to stick. It’s just not sustainable. As I’ve said before, I’m NOT a fan of diets, or anything that calls itself a ‘detox’ or ‘cleanse’. This is the stuff that people try to sell you online.
Want to know what I am a fan of? Making small changes that will eventually produce big results. With this in mind, the most obvious starting point for me was to cut back on the amount of sugar I was putting in my coffee.
Halving the amount of sugar in my coffee’s slashed 150 calories from my daily intake. A small win, but a win is a win when you’re just starting out trying to lose weight and get healthy. Feel good about the wins!
I encourage you to do the same! Start tracking your calorie intake and start building a picture of what you’re consuming. I say consuming because those drinks count too. Soft drinks and juices can be a killer! And when I say track everything, I mean EVERYTHING!
Analyse your food (and drink) consumption, look for the easy wins and make a small, permanent change that you can live with. Keep it up until it becomes a habit. Then pick another small change and make that a habit. Don’t feel guilty if you drop the ball every once in a while. It happens. Just pick it back up right where you left off.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for this blog- I too am using myfitnesspal, and may well use it long term- it gives me a great guide as to the ‘cost’ of a treat if I want one, and then I can make an informed decision about whether I really want it or not.
Also discovering things like sushi are perhaps not the ‘healthy’ option that I thought they were!
Thanks again
Hi Tanja, thanks for your comment.
MyFitnessPal was huge for me, a real eye-opener. Who knew those flat whites were doing so much damage?!
Oh shit, I called you Jamie- sorry Shane
Lol! No worries, I always liked the name Jamie anyway.
Wow Shane, after reading about your journey, I’m inspired, I was feeling a little bit lost as I knew I needed to start reclaiming my life, but not entirely sure how to do it, after seeing an article and finding your blog, I’m feeling like I have a plan that I can start, so thank you!!
Hi Melissa. I’m stoked that you feel like you have a plan and can get started. Big thanks for taking the time to comment. I really want this website to help people, so comments like yours mean a lot to me! Stay in touch, I’d love to hear how things go for you!
Wow, thanks for sharing. I will be spending a bit of time on here. I am currently suffering through a low carb diet that just isn’t working. I need to loose half my body weight :(. As of today, I’m dropping the low carb and starting smAll, realistic changes. As a mum of two, studying fulltime and working, the cooking two seperate meals has been a huge problem. Congrats on your acheivements
Hi Liz, thanks for getting in touch. I know a lot of people have success going low carb, but it always felt too extreme for me. A lot of people think carbs are the enemy, but I think we just need to understand that not all carbs are bad. Start small and just take on one change at a time and you’ll get there! And hey, it takes as long as it takes right! Stay in touch and hit me up anytime you want, I’d love to keep up with how you’re doing.
Day 1 for me today. I went for a short walk, and have gone down to 1 sugar in my coffee. Was happy to eat cereal for breakfast and not feel guilty. I have the my fitness pal app too. Thanks for the reply! Had to walk up a hill as part of my class yesterday….. Felt horrific as I couldn’t keep up with anyone. Thankful for my tutor telling me there was no rush and hanging back with me.
Hey Liz, well done on making some changes, and keep it up! It does get better.
Just a couple of months ago I just about died walking up a small hill, but with regular exercising in the last three months I am now able to walk, and ENJOY 7-10kms! I am planning on tramping the Tongariro crossing at Anzac weekend, so that is the goal I am working towards.
I have found that setting myself small goals to achieve, along with using the Map My Walk ap have made my exercising easier, and more enjoyable. Like going from walking 10min kms to walking 9min kms.
Keep up the good work!
Tanja
Hi Shane, you’re website is amazing! At last, someone REAL, who speaks the truth, and just wants to encourage people to lose weight. When you’re around 60kgs overweight, it’s really hard to find sensible advice on where to start – like walking, taking it slowly, etc. I’m beginning to think I might be able to DO this!!!
Keep up the great work, and I’m looking forward to the journey, starting from today.
Hi Barb, thanks for the feedback & congrats on making a start! Thinking you might actually be able to do it is an important step I reckon. I spent years not wanting to try because I thought I’d never be able to do it. But it turns out we are all more capable than we give ourselves credit for. Good luck Barb & stay in touch, I’d love to stay up to date with how your mission is going!
This is great. I am just under 127kgs, and have started using MFP, but had entered my overall goal weight in. Breaking it down to smaller amounts will help me with the whole ‘small win’ thing, and a higher sense of achievement. Simple but so important – thanks for the suggestion 🙂
No worries Candi. Glad I could help!
Hi Shane I have just found and read yr website, it’s fab to find someone that is not all about buying the crap out there, and using what we have. I am struggling to get motivated and after reading yr site I must say Bring It One. Thanks so much.
Cheers Suzanne
Hi Shane I’ve struggled with my weight for years but in the last 12 months having became a taxi driver from a dull overweight 100 kgs that I always maintained I am now almost sitting at 120kgs I’ve had health issues in the last 12 months my unusual shift patterns create bad eating habits. I know I need to lose weight before something serious happens
I was always sport active when I was younger but like you hate so much as a walk these days. I hope reading your blog will give me the nudge I need. my snoring is so bad I have to sleep in a separate room to my partner. we are planning a big lifestyle change in the next 6 months that involves a caravan and it could only before unbearable for my partner in a smaller confined space.