Wondering about myfitnesspal success plan

KRiesterer

I am wondering if counting calories via myfitnesspal will really get me to my goal weight along with exercise? Or, wondering if you can give me some advice of what new diet lifestyle to obtain? (Advice from a nutritionist, weight watchers, etc)?

Ninkyou

Calories in, Calories out. Proven by science. MFP just makes it easier to count your calorie intake. No special diets or plans are needed. Just log your normal foods and fit them into your calorie goal.

strong_curves

Yes it can. Check out the Success Stories forum.

kk_inprogress

There are a lot of people who have had excellent success with MFP, myself included. With that said, no one can give you advice without knowing your body composition, goals, activity level, lifestyle, etc.

ndj1979

this is my standard advice:

1. Enter stats into MFP and set for x amount of weight loss.
2. Eat to the number that MFP gives you.
3. get a food scale and weigh all solid foods, and as many liquids as possible.
4. log everything
5. make sure that you are using correct MFP database entries
6. realize that there are no bad foods and that while the majority of foods should come from nutrient dense sources, there is nothing wrong with having pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc, as long as ones micro and macro needs are met.
7. macro setting are typically .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight; fill in rest with carbs.
8. find a form of exercise that you like and do it < not necessary for weight loss, but is for overall health and body comp.

check out the below sticky:

sidesteels guide:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

JordisTSM

ndj1979 wrote: »

this is my standard advice:

1. Enter stats into MFP and set for x amount of weight loss.
2. Eat to the number that MFP gives you.
3. get a food scale and weigh all solid foods, and as many liquids as possible.
4. log everything
5. make sure that you are using correct MFP database entries
6. realize that there are no bad foods and that while the majority of foods should come from nutrient dense sources, there is nothing wrong with having pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc, as long as ones micro and macro needs are met.
7. macro setting are typically .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight; fill in rest with carbs.
8. find a form of exercise that you like and do it < not necessary for weight loss, but is for overall health and body comp.

check out the below sticky:

sidesteels guide:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

/thread

BWBTrish

ndj1979 wrote: »

this is my standard advice:

1. Enter stats into MFP and set for x amount of weight loss.
2. Eat to the number that MFP gives you.
3. get a food scale and weigh all solid foods, and as many liquids as possible.
4. log everything
5. make sure that you are using correct MFP database entries
6. realize that there are no bad foods and that while the majority of foods should come from nutrient dense sources, there is nothing wrong with having pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc, as long as ones micro and macro needs are met.
7. macro setting are typically .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight; fill in rest with carbs.
8. find a form of exercise that you like and do it < not necessary for weight loss, but is for overall health and body comp.

check out the below sticky:

sidesteels guide:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

this is how i lost almost 100 pounds

so the answer it yes

Diana_GettingFit

I've lost 20 lbs so far on it. It works. End of.

Also you mentioned Weight Watchers. WW operates on a similar principle to MFP except you count points instead of calories. But WW costs money. Why would you want to go with something that costs when you can achieve the same (or arguably better) results with this program at no cost?

KRiesterer

Thank you to all! Best to you!

daniwilford

MFP works for me as well. My best diet and fitness investments were my electronic food scale and my Fitbit. My worst were special diet foods, supplements, and paying people to weigh me.

Kalikel

I think it's an EXCELLENT idea to have a care team. Doctor, dietitian and even a therapist if you have emotional eating issues. You want good advice, from experts who know exactly what YOU need. When you have that, you can then move forward doing whatever works within their guidelines and know that you're doing it right. No second-guessing and no wondering.

But Yes, the mfp plan will work for an average, healthy person, if they stick with it.

The only money I spent other than for expert guidance was on:

Gym membership, which I dropped (if there were a Lifetime Fitness here, I'd pay for that.)
Better tennis shoes (good investment)
New clothes (so expensive!)

That's it!

Merkavar

KRiest76 wrote: »

I am wondering if counting calories via myfitnesspal will really get me to my goal weight along with exercise? Or, wondering if you can give me some advice of what new diet lifestyle to obtain? (Advice from a nutritionist, weight watchers, etc)?

I have lost like 115 pounds using mfp. Eat less than you burn and you lose weight.

I didn't follow any diet like low carb, low fat etc. I just tried to make sure I got enough protein etc.

I started kickboxing at the same time as mfp so that's probably part of it, I think it helped me stick with it.

barbecuesauce

-64 by tracking intake and deliberate exercise only in MFP.

SLLRunner

Ninkyou wrote: »

Calories in, Calories out. Proven by science. MFP just makes it easier to count your calorie intake. No special diets or plans are needed. Just log your normal foods and fit them into your calorie goal.

Quoted for truth!

Mr_Knight

KRiest76 wrote: »

I am wondering if counting calories via myfitnesspal will really get me to my goal weight along with exercise?

It can, if you work the program. Which isn't easy, for most people.

tomatoey

Some people do well by just eating less of what they already like, no other changes.

Other people find they need to make tweaks to their diet in order to feel full on fewer calories - usually by paying attention to macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein). There are recommendations on how to set these for different goals (usually, it's to have a good amount of protein, which helps keep you full and help you hang on to muscle mass as you lose). But it'll come down to experimentation, in the end, it'll just take a lot of trial and error to see what works for you.**

Having a good amount of fiber helps many people control their appetite (at least 20-25 grams a day - can get from vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.)

List of foods with lots of fiber

The link someone posted to above is good. From within that link, I'd like to highlight these links, which point to discussions on how to make helpful tweaks.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/817188/iifym/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/925464

** And, I want to encourage you to look at your first month or three as experimentation. You'll have days where you go over. Don't get emotional about it. IT's all about learning. Your food logs can usually tell you why you went over, when you analyze them for macronutrients. Think of your diary as a source of information, not judgement. Same for the scale.

markdvsmo

MFP is a helpful tool, but what will really determine whether you lose weight or not is what's inside your head. No software or web site can strip pounds from your body; the weight comes off because you have the determination and self-control to stick with it.