Switching things up!

LynneT44

Hi, my name is Lynne, I'm a 46 yr old Mom of 2 wonderful girls 20 and 11, and the Girlfriend (hate that word for some reason.. lol)of a great guy and trying to drop a little bit so i can fit into my size 10 clothes and look a bit healthier..oh and did i meantion that i am going on a cruise in 2 weeks! I am a fairly active person who loves to walk my dog and do some Trubo Jam when i have time! I have come to the realization after a year on WW (and only a 10 lb drop) that i am entirely focused on food in an unhealthy way.. my focus is always on points and I am really sick of the whole, how many points is this thing.. everything is based on calories vs points in this world and its making me have to do more work to track it.. so that being said, i have decided to try MFP and see if that will make things easier for me and hopefully the whole tracking thing wont feel like a total PIA to me. I want to eat healthy while still being able to enjoy my life and not feel like i am depriving myself on special occasions and have my whole word revolve around food! Also, i love the fact that you dont have to pay for this site and service! So here we go and i am of course looking for all the support i can get out there! Have a great weekend!!

socioseguro

Welcome to My Fitness Pal (MFP)

MFP has been very useful to me in my journey to health. I hope it helps you too

Read the message boards. Use the "Search" option for any particular issue. I suggest to read post about TDEE and MBR. Those has been quite informative.

Also, there are some MFP groups are based around certain themes ( look in the blue banner under "Groups"). If you like CrossFit,book reading or Lifting weights, you will find a MFP group for that. Search for your interest.

Buy yourself a kitchen scale ( a simpler one is sufficient), cups and spoon measurements set. Those are indispensable for my calorie intake accuracy.
Buy yourself a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). The type with chest strap works better. HRM will give you your calories burned while performing your physical activity, whatever it is.
Finally, I will quote somebody here: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Good luck in your journey

sweetpea03b

Although I know many people that have lost weight using WW I don't think it gives you the tools you need to succeed. You're so focused on "points" and not how healthy the stuff is that you put in your mouth.

The calories isn't the most important thing - its making sure you're giving your body fuel and vitamins! Try to eat clean and hit your macros everyday (all of them - not just cals) and you will be on your way! Good luck!

tlblood

Hi, my name is Lynne, I'm a 46 yr old Mom of 2 wonderful girls 20 and 11, and the Girlfriend (hate that word for some reason.. lol)of a great guy and trying to drop a little bit so i can fit into my size 10 clothes and look a bit healthier..oh and did i meantion that i am going on a cruise in 2 weeks! I am a fairly active person who loves to walk my dog and do some Trubo Jam when i have time! I have come to the realization after a year on WW (and only a 10 lb drop) that i am entirely focused on food in an unhealthy way.. my focus is always on points and I am really sick of the whole, how many points is this thing.. everything is based on calories vs points in this world and its making me have to do more work to track it.. so that being said, i have decided to try MFP and see if that will make things easier for me and hopefully the whole tracking thing wont feel like a total PIA to me. I want to eat healthy while still being able to enjoy my life and not feel like i am depriving myself on special occasions and have my whole word revolve around food! Also, i love the fact that you dont have to pay for this site and service! So here we go and i am of course looking for all the support i can get out there! Have a great weekend!!

I did WW, too for a year and a half the first time, and on and off for the past 4 years. I agree that it makes you think about food constantly, but honestly, I think any program that has you track does that. While I thought I was becoming obsessed with food because of WW, I realized that it made me aware of what I was eating. Before WW, I would sit down with an entire box of crackers and halfway through, I'd look down and wonder when I got up to get those. For me, it was less obsession than awareness, which turned out to be a good thing for me.

That being said, what I LOVE about MFP vs. WW is that you can select which nutrients to track. Rather than just calories (or points), I also track my sugar and sodium and can see where I need to lay off...it's not just about calories here.

jakesfitness

You have been so focused on the diet that you forgot to enjoy what you eat... i LOVE food! and i eat really clean and healthy food, when i walk into a grocery store im instantly in a better mood because food excites me. You have been doing this for so long that i bet you have a lot of knowledge about food that you dont even know you have... a lot of these kind of diets give strict guidlines, but at the same time you are learning what is good and what is bad. make healthy choices, find a variety of healthy fresh food that you like and dont let your diet doesnt get boring.

LynneT44

Thanksto all of you for the advice, Im excited about eating a cleaner diet and not turning this into a chore! I totally agree that eating should be more enjoyable!