About 2 weeks ago, I began using http://www.myfittnesspal.com/ to help me track my calorie, fat, protein and carb intake. Also, I use this website to track the amount of calories I burn when I exercise.
First, I set up my profile account by entering my age, height, current weight and how many pounds I want to loose. The website has a feature that calculates what a healthy, yet minimum, calorie, fat, protein and carb intake for each day would be for a person of my age and height. Each day I plug in what I'm eating and any exercising I do.
It calculates the nutritional info (calories, fat, etc...) that I've had for the day and also how much more I can have for the day OR if I've exceeded what I'm allowed in order to loose weight.
Once I plug in the exercising for the day, it then tells me how many calories I burned that day. If I have not exceeded my calorie intake for the day, I can have those extra calories that I "earned" through exercising that day.
I had been trying to loose weight, but have had SO much trouble loosing more than 4-6lbs. over the past *decade*. My best friend and hubby began using the My Fittness Pal website and encouraged me to give it a try after I had a VERY discouraging 2 week start to my new diet and exercising plan.
I was keeping a loose track of calories in my head while I was dieting, but my dh thought I might be eating to many carbs. My Fittness Pal helped me see that this WAS the case! Once I was able to monitor my carbs, I begn dropping lbs. like crazy!
It's been 3 weeks and 5 days since I first started my dieting and exercising program. I've lost a total of 9.5 lbs.!!!!! I can't remember the last time I lost more than 6lbs.
Yesterday, I decided to set up an account for my 11th grade son. We set his profile information (had to fudge on his age...the website technically allows only 18 and older:) I helped him plug in everything he ate yesterday and the exercising he did. He was floored at the amount of calories and carbs in some things, like the sweet tea he loves and the big ole bowl of sugar free applesauce he has EVERY SINGLE day of his life (3 CUPS!!!).
He goes to a PE class 2 times a week for 2 hours each day. Those classes get in some vigorous exercises for him. On the other 3 days of the week and also one weekend day, I've been requiring him to take a 30 minute BRISK walk. Well, his idea of brisk is really pretty slow (his pace at EVERYTHING in life is wayyyyy slower than everybody else's pace:).
I used the following website to help him see how many more calories he'd burn if he picked up his walking pace just a teeny-tiny bit! He got it! Finally.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned_list.asp
One of the big things I am learning (and my son will also) from using My Fittness Pal, is what a real "serving" looks like for many foods. We are measuring everything (or as much as possible) for a while until we get to the point where we think we can "eyeball" a *real* ONE serving of all the regular foods we eat.
Most of what we have to eat for meals and snacks at our house are good, healthy choices. We are now seeing that it's not so much the foods we are eating that's causing us to gain weight or not be able to loose. It's actually the AMOUNT of these healthy choices and lack of truly *vigorous* exercising.
If you or your teen happen to have a smart phone, My Fittness Pal has a *free* downloadable app! This has been a great help to my hubby, who travels and has to eat out a LOT and my best friend who works full time and eats on the go for dinner more often than I do.
My son and I do not have smart phones, so we just use the website.
One other thing I've been doing (and will have my son do also) that has helped me, is to plan ahead for what I'm going to eat for the day. Most nights before going to bed, I go ahead and plug in my breakfast and midmorning and mid-afternoon snack (fruit) for the next day, which is easy since I eat the same exact thing every day (and so does my ds).
Then, I think about what I want to make for dinner the next night. I do this *before* choosing my lunch foods (I have about 4 different lunch options that I usually choose from...kinda have always done this). If I decide on a dinner that is higher in carbs (like gluten free spaghetti with meat sauce), I choose one of my "regular" lunches that is lower in carbs.
Usually, the night before I have already plugged in what I *plan* to eat the next day. I also go ahead and plug in the exercising I *plan* to do. If any of this changes the next day, I just go in an make the changes.
If you or your student likes to have a "to do" list and is *motivated* by checking things off the to do list, then this system I'm using to plan ahead might be a big motivator. I like checking things off my planned to do list, so this suits me well:)
I'm seeing (and think my son will also) that I need to PLAN for my diet and exercising or else it just doesn't get done *properly*. Kinda reminds me of homeschooling and housework!
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