Success after 61 days

joran6

Sorry mods...new to the community so this is a re-post from the introduction section. It seems this is a more appropriate section.

Hi! I've never made a post here before but, after stepping on the scale this morning on Jan. 1st., I decided to share my results and experience so far using the app.

How I found this app and why I started: I saw a former co-worker I hadn't seen in a while and he had lost a ton of weight. I asked him how and he said he'd just been tracking his food with this app (LoseIt!). He did it every day and loved the data it produced. So I looked into it and, obviously, I ended up choosing My Fitness Pal instead. I think it's superior in key areas, but whatever....I decided to start tracking calories.

I'm a 39 year old male, 5'-10" tall. I started at 252 lbs. That was 61 days ago and this morning I weighed 227 lbs. 25 pounds lost in 2 months! Now...I realize my result not necessarily typical. But my wife is also using the app. In my opinion she really didn't need to lose any weight but to her delight she lost 10 pounds in the same time period. Awesome!

For the most part all we're doing is using the app and tracking everything. Everything. If I eat it or drink it, it goes into my diary. For myself, the app set a goal of 1800 calories per day in order to reach my goal of losing 50 pounds by July 2016 (waaayy ahead of schedule ). In 61 days I haven't missed a single meal. I won't guarantee I haven't missed a drink or a nibble on something on rare occasion, but we really have been excellent about the habit. I eat/drink it, I log it.

At first I was hungry a lot. I didn't feel like I was getting enough food. So I almost subconsciously started making healthier choices....so I could get more food for my calorie limit. I stated to figure out which things I love that are also very low calorie. And how to limit portions of less healthy things so I could occasionally have those too. After about 2 weeks I felt hungry a lot less often. My body adjusted to the new calorie intake.

I still eat spaghetti. I still will have a slice of bread and butter. I still have drinks in the evenings sometimes. But I track ALL of it. I use "recipes" in the app a lot to accurately build a label for my meal. I use the scanner. And when I can't find the exact item I sometimes I just find anything reasonably close to approximate my meal. SEAFOOD! Seafood has been my friend. Scallops on risotto. Steamed crab legs (with 2 tbsp melted butter!). Blackened/broiled/grilled fish of all kinds. Crab cakes!! It works with my plan.

Anyway....I'm way ahead of schedule. I assume it will come off slower in the second half of my goal. But i'm really happy with the technique. My phone is always on me so it's been easy for me. Very big results. That's why I wanted to share this. I guess I'm a short term success story and if my experience pushes anyone else to give it a serious go then this post was worth it! I've learned a ton using the app and will continue to do so. After I've reached my goal I plan to adjust my calorie intake and continue using the app to train myself how to *maintain* the weight. Using this is really easy for me so it's no bother and is really helping me make important adjustments in my diet.

Good luck everyone!

tspugh

Great work, thank you for the motivation!

joinn68

So I almost subconsciously started making healthier choices....so I could get more food for my calorie limit.

This is SO true. People will say they low carb, low fat, low something or another but in reality you just end up doing this and making better choices for yourself, making some trade offs.

Two months and 25lbs! Congratulations

lynder64

Good job!!! Wishing you continued success on your weight loss journey!

drdocument

Congrats, joran6! Thinking ahead, here is what worked for me.

I am a 66-year-old guy, 6'0", lost 40 pounds evenly over the last 3 years, and down from 30% to about 10% body fat, now at target weight (170), with 3 workouts per week burning about 275 calories on elliptical plus about 20 minutes of weight training (for conditioning more than muscle-building) in each workout.

It is important to get enough protein. To get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day I have MFP goals set at 40% of calories from protein, 45% from fat and 15% from carbs. And remembering that body does not store protein (some studies say can only process 10 grams of protein per hour), I have about six "mini-meals" throughout the day, often whey protein drinks (powder and RTD) and protein bars, and cheese sticks.

When I "feel fat," or have added a couple pounds (like now after holiday goodies), I limit myself to about 200 grams under MFP computed calorie allowance for a couple days.

As they say, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Keep up the great work!

joran6

Wow, thanks for the replies and advice everyone!

One more trick I'm using that I forgot to mention...may seem really obvious, but I tend to look at my calorie goal as dollars for the day. And I don't have ANY more "dollars." If I can't "afford" it, I can't "buy" it, or eat it.

Hope that helps as well.

rebeccaEsmith

Congrats keep up the good work

akern1987

congrats on your amazing loss! I have also been using the recipe section to get a more accurate reading on what I've been eating, and it's been so great! I've learned in the past few months that this app really does work (I've been on the site for so long, but it's only really clicked recently). Looking forward to reading about further success from you! Congrats