Staying or Going?

RaspberryTickleChicken

As I've peruse the 'Intro' & 'Get Started' forums I see a lot of folks returning to MFP.

Some just stopped logging while others stopped once they achieved their goals but has returned due to regaining weight.

SO I'm wondering:

• Do you plan to continue to use MFP & why? And how active do you think you will be? ie forums MFP friend status 'likes' & comments etc.
• OR if you plan on discontinuing MFP, do you plan for nature to take it's course & just gradually stop logging or an abrupt conscious decision not to continue to log? Why? ie. not getting anything out of MFP any more etc.

... Just my morbid curiosity

brenn24179

I plan on continuing logging, hope I can get good habits and not have to do it every day, but I think I will still use it a lot, I have seen too many people come back and gained a bunch of weight, that is too scary. I like to take a weekend off once in a while but I cant do vacation without logging, I don't mind going over some but it does keep me accountable. I have gained as much as 7-8 lbs over vacation so I know I need it, sad but the truth. Maintaining couple of years now.

LeonCX

I use MFP quite frequently. Except the Food Diary. It just has too many glitches. I log my food at "another" website, and copy/paste the url to my news feed here so that my friends can view it. But the forums here are good for suggestions and inspiration.

hrtunstall

I plan on continuing also. I need a means of monitoring & I actually like having daily knowledge of what I ate, how many calories I took in and how many I expended by which exercises. I see it as another life discipline now; one that has finally shown me how to lose weight (& eventually maintain it) and still enjoy life. Why wouldn't I want that? Also, just from lurking on the forums here & at reddit/loseit, I see many people who are back because they stopped & now have to lose again. I don't want to be that person. BTW, I don't think it is morbid curiosity. I am interested as well.

blc1971

I plan to stay with MFP. It's too simple and easy to log now, and it's part of my daily routine. I know from past experience that if I am not vigilant I will regain all I've lost and then some. I don't want to be that person anymore. I hit my goal weight in April and I've been trying to find my maintenance point since then. I've lost an additional 10 lbs since that time, but I've been holding steady scale-wise for the past month, so I'm feeling good about what I'm doing. I don't post a lot, but I do reply to my MFPeeps and "like" their posts daily. I got a lot of support during this journey and I want to give that back.

dlbredesen

I log on several times a day. I no longer log my food but use the food database to research foods. I read the message boards and learn lots of great stuff. I'm pretty sure I will be a lifer.

erockem

When I open my browser, my first tab loads FB, and my second loads MFP. After logging calories on various websites and apps over the last 3+ years I can't imagine not doing it ever again.

So, if you see a 'returning to mfp' thread from me, it's because I went to another service for a while, however, I like mfp better than livestrong or calorie count.

ianthy

I plan to continue on MFP. logging daily and checking in on certain groups. Having reached GW I find that different groups are now of interest - overtime I have moved away from some groups and joined others more relevant maintenance.

postrockandcats

I came here in a "well, why not?" mindset, but realized I had to stay when I came to terms with my addictive relationship with food. Keeping track of what I eat, even when I go over my daily goal, keeps me honest with myself and forces me to look at why I'm eating. This has been the most freeing experience of my life; I cannot imagine not doing this!

Winterlover123

I came to stay. I love the people on here, the support on here and just the blogs and posts are always entertaining, informational or you can give advice.
I'm not at where I want to be yet but if I get there, I'm going to stay on here

5stringjeff

Well, I've met my weight goals and left MFP twice, and each time I ended up putting weight back on. So I'll be around as long as it takes for me to learn how to eat at a healthy caloric intake.

JustAnotherGirlSuzanne

I plan to keep logging. Not sure how active I'll be - likely not very - but I'll still be coming by to make sure I'm eating well. Eventually I might only log Mon-Fri or a couple days a week just to make sure that everything is on track. Maybe if I find that it's relatively easy for me to keep at maintenance I'll log off entirely and only log in if my weight is on the higher end of my ideal range. Logging isn't difficult, even when weighing everything.

jessicapk

I plan on continuing THIS TIME. I lost 40 lbs last year and gained it back and then some. The crazy holidays messed me up and I figured a day wouldn't hurt me not to log and then that turned into a few days and then they had Cokes at a family gathering and I said, what the heck, it's Christmas... It was a gradual decline for me. I didn't get the kick in the butt that I needed to get back moving again until I gained the weight back. I watched myself grow back again and was angry but did nothing until I weighed more than when I started last time. It's insane. If I'd taken a month or two off, I would be fine. I think I'll continue for a long time after I hit my goals even. It's too easy to mess up and gain the weight back. And maybe I'll learn better discipline this time.

nvpixie

Today I met my goal weight, but I'm definitely hanging around for awhile. I'll continue to log my food daily until I've maintained my weight without any set backs for at least a few months.

For me, it was mostly about breaking bad habits, and I'm still working on some of them. I know if I quit logging, I'll gain again.

dopeysmelly

I intend to stay. I use the food diary not only to make sure I eat enough protein, fat and fiber, but I also use it to plan my family's meals, so I can prepare food from scratch in a rush. I also like having my food and exercise in one place, and that it coordinates so well with Garmin Connect. I have a great group of friends on here, and I like "liking" their activities and seeing how they've progressed from losing to maintaining to competing in races. That's just so cool!

I peruse the forums, but don't contribute so much. I get tired to seeing people posting quite silly questions that they could have answered themselves with a quick Google.

RaspberryTickleChicken

nvpixie wrote: »

Today I met my goal weight, but I'm definitely hanging around for awhile. I'll continue to log my food daily until I've maintained my weight without any set backs for at least a few months.

For me, it was mostly about breaking bad habits, and I'm still working on some of them. I know if I quit logging, I'll gain again.

Congrats!

juliafromrf

I stopped logging a few weeks ago. The reason is college. I can't really weigh my food there without coming across as a super-weirdo and that's not what college students want, lol. Plus, I'm already very skinny so I don't "need" to track anymore.
I've always been quite disciplined, never a binger, so I know that I can control my weight even if I do not track every my food. MFP is a very useful tool to uncover your weaknesses when it comes to food, now I know them and won't give in to them again.

So i planned not to return, but I will be kind of bedridden for the next few weeks and I'm going to track my intake again so I won't gain too much weight not doing any exercise. After that, I'll completely leave MFP I think ...

nvpixie

sushi549 wrote: »

nvpixie wrote: »

Today I met my goal weight, but I'm definitely hanging around for awhile. I'll continue to log my food daily until I've maintained my weight without any set backs for at least a few months.

For me, it was mostly about breaking bad habits, and I'm still working on some of them. I know if I quit logging, I'll gain again.

Congrats!

Thank you

BChanFit

Been logging every day for almost 2 and a half years now. Don't plan to stop - ever. It's become too much of a habit.

PinkyPan1

I am here to stay. I can not imagine not logging my meals or keeping in daily touch with those that have helped me meet my goals. I have support here and have friends that understand the struggles of weight loss unlike those at home that mock and wait for my failure. This site keeps honest, accountable and motivated.

nxd10

I used to log to lose weight and then to keep myself honest so I didn't drift back into bad habits. Now I find more often that I'm not eating ENOUGH and use logging to make sure I don't go under too much.

I like logging and do it out of habit. I've logged every day for 3.5 years and so am usually on the site 3-5 times a day. I've maintained for 1.5-2.4 years, depending on when you count 'hitting goal'. I stopped checking the forums as frequently in the last two months as part of my plan to waste less time on the internet. But I have been relapsing the last few days. I expect to slow down soon as I've said anything useful I've had to say on the forums - probably two or three times over.

MacMadame

My original goal was to get to a point in my life where I was a "normal" person and that included the ability to maintain my weight without having to track every morsel of food. It took years to get to that point but it eventually happened and I stopped logging. That was about 2 years ago after over 4 years of logging.

I came back because I have a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon and in order to do that, I need a better handle on my nutrition. I need to know how much protein I'm eating (I tend to have a protein deficiency and have to watch that) and how much sugar and things like that and it's way easier to know that if you log your food in an online diary. So that's what I'm doing.

themedalist

It's a great question! I have no intention of leaving MFP, but at the same time, having lost the weight I needed to lose and maintained it for 2 years now, I feel as if I have "graduated". Most of us don't continue to keep going to our old college or high school once we've graduated. We move on.

Of course my friends still losing weight or those just starting out in maintenance are a huge draw. I want them to succeed and I want to cheer them on. I don't fear putting the weight back if I were to leave MFP. That isn't going to happen as I've changed the uderlying habits that led to my weight gain and I have a solid maintainence that I'm adhering to faithfully (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/themedalist/view/what-s-your-maintenance-plan-624676). But I do enjoy the daily check-ins with my MFP pals.

What has changed is the amount of time I spend on MFP each day and how I use it. I no longer look at food diaries or comment on exercise posts that are automatically generated by MFP. I'd much rather respond to a post someone took the time to write than one auto-generated by MFP. I spend a lot less time on MFP than I once did, and that's a good fit for me.

paperpudding

Ive been in maitenance nearly a year and Im still logging - albeit less precisely now - ie I accept guestimating a lot more.
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and I still enjoy the forums so I keep posting here too

lisab64mfp

3 1/2 years at goal and still log my food every day (except when on vacation).

jane837

I am definitely staying. Logging is an easy way to keep msyelf on the right track.

girlnamedsarah

Staying. Mostly I am afraid of becoming one of the people that has to "return". It's great that they come back..but I did not work this hard to have to start over. I'm not sure I could do it all over again. That being said...I felt like I had a ton of support in my life and through MFP to lose, but need some MFP friends who intend to stay and maintain. Everyone seems to think that after you lose the weight the journey is over, but it's really just beginning a different path on the same journey.

Iwishyouwell

I don't calorie count so I don't use the MFP tracking tools.

I discovered MFP via the forums. I like to read and discuss weight and fitness related topics, so I imagine I'll continue to come here even after I (finally!) hit maintenance.

jenilla1

I've been here maintaining at goal for well over three years now. It's easy and it's become a regular habit, like brushing my teeth. It only takes a few minutes out of my day to do it. I have no reason to stop using MFP. It gets the job done for me. I'm not a fan of working hard to achieve a goal and then letting myself go and having to start all over again. I'd rather just stay awesome! (*)

pkw58

I plan to log as long as MFP exists. It's like brushing my teeth = just a daily part of my life. I do believe that MFP will evolve to become much more "fitness" than just a place to log food calories to lose weight. Like adding Maintenance forums, more software advances to get rid of spammers, adding the blog from MFP , etc. It is comforting to me.

LivingtheLeanDream

I plan on always using MFP, I've made some fantastic friends over the past 2 1/2 yrs who continue to inspire me..I would like to think I also inspire them :-D ....and its good being accountable