Should I Quit MyFitnessPal? Please Help!

DYELB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUoAPpOkInQ

lorrpb

If your mind is going to explode, then don't do it!

daveline

Not sure what your goals are, but I do think it is important to track progress (at least weight) to help remind myself of my goals and help keep myself on track. I have been a vegan/nutritarian for a while now & have lost 60ish pounds in a pretty short time. I still use myfitnesspal for tracking weight, but I don't really track calories anymore. I don't really need to track calories. I can eat as much as I want, and still lose weight.

My simple plan is eating a pound of vegetables (Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Peas, Green Beans, etc. ) before I eat anything else. No added oil, sugar, and very little added salt. Do your best to crowd out the "bad" stuff with good stuff and you will eat significantly fewer calories & be more nutritious.

checkout Joel Fuhrman's books "The End of Dieting" & "Eat to Live"

scolaris

I think your description of 'all or nothing' catastrophizing thinking has a lot of affinities with anxiety disordered thinking, and one of the best paths through that morass is desensitization. So rather than quitting I think you need to continue and build imperfection into your practice in small preplanned, manageable doses. It is a proven way to help ease this monkey off your back once and for all. Life will never be perfect. You and I will never be perfect. Endeavors in which we participate can be 'thorough' or 'lengthy' or 'diligent' but will NEVER be perfect. Why not make 2016 the year you grapple with a bullying way of thinking that robs you of your joy in your real & tangible accomplishments? xo

saveapei

I get it, I do. I have been using MyFitnessPal for probably three years. I've seen limited to no results in my weight loss and was pretty doggone depressed about it. I too obsessed about going over on anything and also got upset when I didn't go over and yet still saw no results. I went from being obsessive to being complacent to being obsessive - you get the picture. Three months ago I went under a doctor's care for my weight loss and the first thing he told me was to change my defaults in my settings to turn my protein and my carbs around - more protein than carbs. Since that time as I've seen some progress I've become so much more reasonable with myself. So what if I go over on calories today? So what if my carbs are over tomorrow? Uh oh, my protein is low today. I make note of it, and I go on. I don't know what your default settings should be but what I'm saying is, start out, see how things are going for a few weeks, if you don't like the results, make a change, but think about how you would encourage a friend and be that kind of friend to yourself. Don't you deserve the kind of friend you are to others?

LoriGarside

I understand - I have trouble with sticking with things, too. However, this community has been wholly supportive of my successes and cheered me up through my failures. I do try to stick to my calorie goals, but don't beat myself up about failures. Treat yourself every once in a a while, then walk the dog, cat, yourself, 10 minutes longer. Quit if you'd like, but don't see calories as your enemy - see them as an obstacle you want to conquer! You are only really accountable to yourself, so I wish you the best of luck on your journey whether you stay or go.

lemurcat12

kshama2001 wrote: »

idoltrainee wrote: »

... So if at one point during 2016, I've decided that I just can't handle counting my calories anymore, my mind is going to explode with thoughts of failure and I'm going to end up hating myself more than I already do, which is saying something...

I think you may find that if you address this, the rest will fall into place.

This.

Lourdesong

We all have irrational thoughts from time to time. You seem to recognize that what you term "obsessive" thoughts aren't coming from a rational place so why even entertain them at all as if irrationality should be in charge of you and define you?

If you're having thoughts that are stupid or silly or depressing and neurotic or whatever else which doesn't serve you, then reject them as such, e.g. "That thought is dumb." "I'd hate myself? Hmm, that doesn't necessarily follow" and move on.

Not every thought we have is meaningful, insightful, or worthy of our time. Neither does every thought we have define who we are simply because we hatched that thought. Be discerning.

Ninkyou

I recommend ditching the all or nothing mentality. I used to be the same way, but I lowered my expectations and just let what happens happen and it was like the heavens opening up. Address the obsessive compulsions and thoughts. Whether you log or not is up to you, but realize that clean eating/vegan/vegetarian/whatever does not necessarily equal weightloss.

tracie_minus100

Ninkyou wrote: »

I recommend ditching the all or nothing mentality. I used to be the same way, but I lowered my expectations and just let what happens happen and it was like the heavens opening up. Address the obsessive compulsions and thoughts. Whether you log or not is up to you, but realize that clean eating/vegan/vegetarian/whatever does not necessarily equal weightloss.

I agree with this 100%.

ilex70

So if you are on the fence, but think there may be some benefit for you in continuing with MFP, try just committing to one month.

There is nothing magical about a year. Sometimes I have to commit to just one day, or one week.

Think of it like a science project...you are changing up the inputs for your body. Tracking the data about that will help you see if what you are doing is getting you what you want. Just record it...no need to judge it immediately.

Sometimes I add all my data for the week and then divide by 7 to get an average, because some days calories are lower/higher, or protein is higher/lower. The trend is the thing.

grinning_chick

But after finding out about carbohydrate, sugar, sodium, and fat limits on here, and realizing that it wasn't all about the number of calories you put in your body, I've been feeling a lot more at ease.

No, it really is all about the number of calories you put in your body. Granted there are some medical exceptions to the rule, but they're not represented in the population as much the average overweight or obese person would like to tell themselves they are. The ratios of carb/protein/fat/etceteras of that number can be important if you are heavily into exercise, sports, or trying to manipulate your "body comp" (e.g., % body fat/muscle/etceteras). Otherwise, not so much.

WaterBunnie

If you're finding it helpful to learn about balancing out macros then why not just set your deficit to maintenance and just use the nutritional information rather than count the calories, just whilst you transition away from meat/dairy. You may find it saves you from nutritional deficiencies.

SLLRunner

idoltrainee wrote: »

I'm not a fan of calorie counting, at least, I wasn't in the past. But after finding out about carbohydrate, sugar, sodium, and fat limits on here, and realizing that it wasn't all about the number of calories you put in your body, I've been feeling a lot more at ease. The thing is though, I have this strange obsessive thing where if I start something at the beginning of a new year, my mind literally forbids me from not seeing it through to the end. So if at one point during 2016, I've decided that I just can't handle counting my calories anymore, my mind is going to explode with thoughts of failure and I'm going to end up hating myself more than I already do, which is saying something. I don't want to risk that. I want this upcoming year to be a new me, new lifestyle, new everything. I was actually considering just keeping a notepad diary, and writing down what I ate everyday and planned to eat every night, and I wouldn't count the calories. I've chosen to go a lot more clean this year. I've had EXTREMELY limited experiences as a vegan, and I always hoped I would return to that lifestyle when I can finally move out and away from the people I live with now, so I was hoping that this year, I would go - as I call it - 99.9% vegan. I would eat vegan, but I would also have seafood and certain types of chicken, but not all. No red meat, no more dairy (because I know what they do to cows to get that stuff). That way I'd not only be eating cleaner, and more healthy, low calorie food, but I'd also be preparing myself to go full on vegan in the future. But even if that was the case, do you still think I should keep this account and continue logging in my food? I also want to reset my streak back to the 1st day on January 1st if I end up staying. Any thoughts on everything above? Your feedback is HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!! ❤️❤️❤️

The only requirement to lose weight is to eat less calories than you expend. The path you choose to get that deficit is one hundred percent in your control.

I find it easier to keep an online diary, weigh my food, and count calories because it provides an easy structure to keep my calories in control. However, you need to find the way that works best for you. And, from the tone of your posting, you sound very determined, and that's a good thing.

ReeseG4350

idoltrainee, there are so many excellent comments here. Read carefully, take what you can use and leave the rest. Also, bear in mind, putting a clock on something like weight loss or setting an absolute dictum on what might constitute 'success' or 'failure' is potentially setting yourself up for 'failure'.

Since you already know your habit of throwing in the towel, perhaps changing your 'stinking thinking' might be the best first step. To do that, start by understanding that weight loss (or gain, for that matter) should be something more about health and fitness than the number on the bathroom scales.

Secondly, bear in mind that New Year's Resolutions don't always begin and/or end on January first. Every day can be the start of a new year! (People screaming about the end of the world don't seem to ever stop and think that, everyday, the world comes to an end... for somebody.) Your "new year" can begin on December 30th, 2015. Or, maybe even on January 15th, or 30th, or even April 1st! Make your goals and targets too rigid and you already know your mind will resist. So... don't.

And, about moving out of the place where you live with others before you change your lifestyle? That, too, is an artificial target. Yes, it's easy, too easy, to fall into the habits of eating whatever is in front of you. But, take a step back and stop to think about why you really want to go vegan. What is your ultimate motivating factor? Is there some spiritual, emotional trigger crying out to you? Or is it 'the IN thing" and you want to jump on the bandwagon? My guess is, it's somewhere in-between. Regardless, don't let your housemates define your life. Just because they are chowing down on burgers, if that's not what you want in your diet, cook yourself a soyburger. If you share the cooking, cook a vegetarian dinner when it's your turn - lasagna or spaghetti or any number of other non-meat based foods can be just as good as dead cow. And, as someone already pointed out, just because it says vegetarian does not necessarily mean it is good food. weigh your options and make your choices base one what YOU want. Don't be persuaded by anyone else's ideas and concepts. It's YOUR life, choose your own path.