Help figuring calories

[silverknight7]

Hey all! I (m19) am trying to lose some weight. Based off of the MyFitnessPal app I should be getting 1580 calories a day and 79 G protein, but I’m having trouble tracking it. I’m on my college’s meal plan and while there is a menu online, it’s quite often inaccurate about what they have. For example, today for dinner there was teriyaki chicken, ribs, and rice. None of which were on the online menu! And even if it has the right items, there’s no way to know the serving size or if the person working is giving the right amount. I often don’t even know what exactly I’m eating other than some form of chicken. I also don’t get much exercise. It’s too cold out for me to walk outside and I’ve never been in a gym so that’s terrifying. Any tips on how to tell what I’m eating and figure out the calories would be super appreciated. Sorry if this is clunky or anything.

 

[dawn16]

@silverknight7 When I was on campus and trying to lose weight, I didn’t pay much attention to calories per say, but I knew that I needed to be eating more protein than carbs… And I made sure I learned the difference between healthy carbs and bad carbs.. for breakfast I stayed away from having pancakes, French toast or waffles. I may have one or two pancakes with little syrup, but I made sure that I had eggs, sausage or bacon for protein and yogurt with fruit and granola mixed in. Sometimes my cafeteria had chicken and waffles for breakfast and I just eat the chicken personal preference for carbs was always sweet potatoes or some sort of vegetable (mainly broccoli). Pretty boring pallet, but it got the job done. Don’t get so caught up on tracking, but make sure your plate has a variety of protein and some form healthy carbs and you should be able to reach your goal

 

[silverknight7]

@dawn16 I usually have the scrambled eggs for breakfast and then sausage if they have it! I’ll look into good vs bad carbs and try to make sure my plates good. Thank you!

 

[pouringvocals]

@silverknight7 Sausages are also very calorie dense, so be wary.

 

[ladydaffodil]

@silverknight7 Try cronometer. I found it better than MFP and when you send a correction theyre super quick. A small kitchen scale will go a long way and you can then estimate portions when youre in a rush. There shouldnt be much difference in any chicken breast, if you just choose any chicken breast. Close enough if better than nothing at all

 

[silverknight7]

@ladydaffodil I can’t really carry a scale to the cafeteria and measure what they give me but I will look into cronometer!!

 

[willb777]

@silverknight7 Sometimes these apps record stuff in cups. It's easier sometimes to gauge that by eye. Then you don't need a scale. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing.

 

[ladydaffodil]

@silverknight7 Guess i missed that part guess is still better than nothing. Im tired and missed that sentance sorry! What i do know though is chicken breasts and eggs will be your best friend. Protein heavy worked for me

 

[silverknight7]

@ladydaffodil All good!! Chicken and eggs, can do

 

[_dave_]

@silverknight7 If you can find out who supplies your college's cafeteria sometimes MyFitnessPal has a lot of those standard cafeteria meals already plugged in. For example Sodexo is a big one for colleges and hospitals, if you search ''sodexo teriyaki chicken'' it might already be there. Or you can look at all the teriyaki chicken in the database and pick one that seems kind of average-ish. You don't need to be super exact - I find that even just trying to keep track gets me a long way.