Is it possible to lose weight with out MFP
melto1989
Posts: 140 Member
I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
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Replies
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Used a stone and chiseled their calories into it20
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I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
Because it's only been 7 days.
One of the big problems that we see are people who get down and disappointed because they have unrealistic expectations of how fast the weight will come off...13 -
Back in the day, I kept a food diary that I wrote down everything I ate in. Compared to that, this is far more convenient and far less guess work.
If you don't keep some type of track of what you eat I don't see how you can lose weight because you'll probably unintentionally always be eating more than you think and never have any logs to look back on to identify the problem.7 -
Had more patience, hopefully.
9 days really is nothing..sometimes it can take a few weeks before the scale starts moving.
You didn't gain it in a day...it won't come off in a day, either..6 -
They did it on paper and usually would eat the same food day after day. I started out using a notepad and paper along with measuring my portions. It worked just fine, but was a lot more work than Myfitnesspal.
As to your own situation. Nine days, which are really not nine days since those two days of not logging could have completely destroyed your deficit, is not really enough time to say you are not losing. Some people lose a lot in the first week, some people take a couple of weeks before fat starts to come off. Weight loss is not liner, and that is true even from the start. Your logging could be tightened up a bit as well. I see homemades and generic entries and unless you made the entry or it is a recipe you made for the homemade, you have no idea if it matches up with what you ate it could the less calories, it could be the same, and it could be far more.2 -
Nobody needs to track their food. MFP just makes it easier and lets you know you're on the right track by having the numbers right there in front of you. Hence if you're not losing weight you can simply go back in your diary and try and find out what the problem may be.
If you weren't tracking, you would simply eat less if you weren't losing. Either, either
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I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
Of course it's possible to lose weight without MFP. I've lost ~73 lbs, approximately half of it before I got a scale. I've also lost significant amounts of weight in the past with no logging at all. MFP is just a tool to make life easier.
As to your circumstances - 9 days is not very long. Give yourself time.
As to "trying [your] best to log accurately," make sure you are measuring everything. Weighing is most accurate - but any consistent means of measuring (rather than guessing) will work, since it will allow you to reduce your current consumption if you aren't losing weight. But if you really believe you have reduced calories and your weigt isn't changing, you should consider getting a scale.3 -
My perspective is this: Caring for your body is like building a house. The best houses are built by skilled people, with a proper plan, using the right tools correctly. The healthiest / best bodies are "built" by those who educate themselves, have a plan and good quality tools to get the job done. I, along with many others have found that MFP is a great tool. Happy building! 5
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rileysowner wrote: »They did it on paper and usually would eat the same food day after day. I started out using a notepad and paper along with measuring my portions. It worked just fine, but was a lot more work than Myfitnesspal.
As to your own situation. Nine days, which are really not nine days since those two days of not logging could have completely destroyed your deficit, is not really enough time to say you are not losing. Some people lose a lot in the first week, some people take a couple of weeks before fat starts to come off. Weight loss is not liner, and that is true even from the start. Your logging could be tightened up a bit as well. I see homemades and generic entries and unless you made the entry or it is a recipe you made for the homemade, you have no idea if it matches up with what you ate it could the less calories, it could be the same, and it could be far more.
I don't expect to see any loss this early but I was hoping I would notice even something small just to keep me going. Those generic entrys are done quick but I have calculated and measured from what the pack says. The other things that I couldn't measure I over estimated.
I know I have greatly cut down as I used to have 2x as much breakfast and my lunch portion was huge and dinners we're probably close to 1000 calories. I've cut out all sodas and junk food so if I don't lose weight there's def something wrong0 -
I don't track calories. Lost 50lbs before I ever found out about MFP. I created an account while I was pregnant to try to slow down (not stop, just slow down) pregnancy weight gain to a more reasonable rate. I stopped logging once baby was born, and lost the baby weight without tracking.
How did I lose without tracking? I ate less. I know that's a vague probably unhelpful answer, but that's all there is to it. I did make some major changes to what I eat (a lot less carbs, a lot more fat), which helped me feel full on less (satiety is a subjective thing tho; what I did may not work for you), but at the end of the day, all you have to do to lose weight is eat less than you burn. Whether you count and track or not, that's all there is to it.
I stick around cuz I like the forums.
You're only nine days in. It took me seven months the lose the weight the first time around, and eight months to lose the "baby weight". Give it time. Even if you don't use a scale, just the act of logging makes you more concious of your choices. For more accuracy, at least measure, but weighing would be most accurate. You logged 7 out of the past 9 days? What was going on on the two days you didn't log? Two days of over eating can most definitely erase a deficit.4 -
dragon_girl26 wrote: »Had more patience, hopefully.
9 days really is nothing..sometimes it can take a few weeks before the scale starts moving.
You didn't gain it in a day...it won't come off in a day, either..
I've come to terms that I may not see anything till the end of the month. Not the biggest encouragement but it's better than months going by and realizing I could of lost heaps if I'd continued3 -
I did weight watchers and kept a food journal.1
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Yeah, watch Survivor... any calorie deficit (enforced or not) will cause you to drop weight.
Where MFP helps is that it allows you to ensure you're fulfilling the micro nutrients your body needs, and that you're adequately fuelling your body even while being in a deficit.0 -
tlflag1620 wrote: »I don't track calories. Lost 50lbs before I ever found out about MFP. I created an account while I was pregnant to try to slow down (not stop, just slow down) pregnancy weight gain to a more reasonable rate. I stopped logging once baby was born, and lost the baby weight without tracking.
How did I lose without tracking? I ate less. I know that's a vague probably unhelpful answer, but that's all there is to it. I did make some major changes to what I eat (a lot less carbs, a lot more fat), which helped me feel full on less (satiety is a subjective thing tho; what I did may not work for you), but at the end of the day, all you have to do to lose weight is eat less than you burn. Whether you count and track or not, that's all there is to it.
I stick around cuz I like the forums.
You're only nine days in. It took me seven months the lose the weight the first time around, and eight months to lose the "baby weight". Give it time. Even if you don't use a scale, just the act of logging makes you more concious of your choices. For more accuracy, at least measure, but weighing would be most accurate. You logged 7 out of the past 9 days? What was going on on the two days you didn't log? Two days of over eating can most definitely erase a deficit.
I cut down what I ate with sodas, ice cream and all that stuff I was a serious binge eater. So those 2 days I was eating healthy and small portions but I didn't think to get the app until after those days.
Good job on the weight loss it's very inspiring1 -
I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
Once upon a time nutritional labels were not required. So if you wanted to lose weight you purchased a book with calorie counts. Then you measured everything and wrote it down in a notebook. You then added everything up to see where you were at.
And yet people complain about what a pain it is to log calories here.................
There are methods to lose weight that make measuring & logging less of a requirement.
Elimination diets - low carb, Keto, Whole 30, etc. You eat less because somethings are off the table.
Replacement diets - SlimFast, NurtiSystem, etc. You lose weight because most of the work is done for you.
No-S Diet: No snacks, no sweets, no seconds, except "sometimes" on days that begin with "S" Saturday, Sunday, Special Days
But unless you take something from those diets with you to maintenance......you are VERY likely to gain all the weight back. Measuring & logging YOUR foods will help you learn portion control.5 -
I put on alot of weight my first pregnancy. There was no mfp back then and i doubt i even knew what a calorie was.
All i did to lose it was cut out the junk (chips, donuts etc) and used smaller plates for my meals. I think brutal honesty with oneself and a bit of common sense makes weight loss a hell of a lot easier.
MFP and weighing my food is like a security blanket that shows me I'm doing ok with my calories and macros.0 -
I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
My dh lost 30+ lbs without calorie counting or exercise. No apps. He just ate less.
I've lost weight before MFP type apps myself but using the food diary here has helped me to have the easiest and most consistent results.
It takes time to lose in a healthy way. 7 days is nothing. Don't worry about results in week one.
If you still aren't losing like you expect after 3-4 weeks look at your accuracy in logging (using incorrect entries can happen as well as underestimating CI), look at if your calorie goal is correct, look at if you are eating too many exercise calories (maybe your CO from exercise or activity level is overestimated).1 -
I am down 109 pounds and counting without using the app. I just do the same thing on my own and was doing so before I found out about MFP. The concept is very simple and absolutely works.
I have had quite a few people ask how I have lost the weight and when I explain it to them, I often mention the MFP app.2 -
I lost almost 30 pounds before MFP, I'd read a bunch of nonsense and ate too little. One thing I loved was eating more, feeling well, and still losing weight.1
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Nothing works if you go into it with the wrong attitude and expectations. On the flipside, anything can work if done correctly and consistently, and with a proper plan for maintenance after you reach your goal.1
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I lost over a third of my weight towards my goal before MFP and actually joined not for weight loss but because I needed to keep track of my micros better while transitioning to being vegetarian. In this time I just kept track of the calories I'd been eating in my head and tried to stick to the same sort of deficit as I still am now and exercised as and when I would if I felt like doing so.
Sometimes I didn't have the calorie information, in which case I just went by how I was feeling comparatively and estimated weights and volumes of substances (e.g. I'd only eat what felt like half the weight of stir fry I usually would, or take half a ladle of soup where I'd usually have a full one. Usually trying to lean towards overestimating how much I was eating to account for the fact it was a guesstimate).
As for your weight loss though give it more time - three weeks at least. Weight loss is not a linear process so you don't need to worry about it too much right now as long as you're sure you're keeping track in an accurate manner. MFP isn't exactly something magical it's just kind of the same sort of thing as having a diary or spreadsheet for this sort of thing.1 -
jennybearlv wrote: »I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
LOL, millennials are so cute. It may come as a shock to you but calorie counting is older than smartphones and even the internet. Back in the old days people had these things called books that listed calories of foods, restaurants had brochures with the calorie contents of their meals, and, as they do today, prepackaged foods had nutrition labels printed on the back. A calorie counter would keep a food diary, usually a notebook, and list every food they ate, look up the calorie count using one of the mentioned references, then do math to figure out how many calories were in their serving. Some of us were lucky enough to live in the age of calculators. Then, they would keep a tally of how many calories they had eaten.
Smartassedness aside, what people tell me around here is you need to weigh and log everything you eat and that weight loss is not linear, but often happens in fits and starts. They both seem accurate in my experience.
Wow, this level of condescension towards a group of people whose only crime is being younger than you amazes me.
We "millennials" know about books. We know about calculators. A lot of us, including OP if their username includes their birth year since I share it, went for half our lives without accessible internet and even longer without smartphones. I'm only 27, and I tracked calories by hand as a teen. Maybe OP never had to track calories before. Maybe they're completely new to this. They reached out looking for help, not your condescension.
You should go eat a snack or something, you must be hangry. At least, I hope that explains your attitude towards my age group, and that you don't treat others that way.
I am 27 - I was 60kg until I started having children and accumulated enough weight that I need to make a change so calorie counting is newish to me.
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jennybearlv wrote: »I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
LOL, millennials are so cute. It may come as a shock to you but calorie counting is older than smartphones and even the internet. Back in the old days people had these things called books that listed calories of foods, restaurants had brochures with the calorie contents of their meals, and, as they do today, prepackaged foods had nutrition labels printed on the back. A calorie counter would keep a food diary, usually a notebook, and list every food they ate, look up the calorie count using one of the mentioned references, then do math to figure out how many calories were in their serving. Some of us were lucky enough to live in the age of calculators. Then, they would keep a tally of how many calories they had eaten.
Smartassedness aside, what people tell me around here is you need to weigh and log everything you eat and that weight loss is not linear, but often happens in fits and starts. They both seem accurate in my experience.
Wow, this level of condescension towards a group of people whose only crime is being younger than you amazes me.
We "millennials" know about books. We know about calculators. A lot of us, including OP if their username includes their birth year since I share it, went for half our lives without accessible internet and even longer without smartphones. I'm only 27, and I tracked calories by hand as a teen. Maybe OP never had to track calories before. Maybe they're completely new to this. They reached out looking for help, not your condescension.
You should go eat a snack or something, you must be hangry. At least, I hope that explains your attitude towards my age group, and that you don't treat others that way.
I am 27 - I was 60kg until I started having children and accumulated enough weight that I need to make a change so calorie counting is newish to me.
There's nothing wrong with not knowing how to track calories. In my opinion, using this app is the easiest way. It's worked well for me. But others have given you a lot of feedback about other ways, so good luck however you do it.2 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Nobody needs to track their food. MFP just makes it easier and lets you know you're on the right track by having the numbers right there in front of you. Hence if you're not losing weight you can simply go back in your diary and try and find out what the problem may be.
If you weren't tracking, you would simply eat less if you weren't losing. Either, either
That's actually not true. I realize that I'm likely some weird freak of nature, but my body honest to goodness doesn't give me "that's enough; stop eating" signals. The only way I can lose weight (which I've done successfully twice now; once seven years ago and once post-pregnancy) is to only put the right amount of food on my plate in the first place and pay very close attention to what (and how much) I snack on. And that's *with* a fairly high activity level that gives me a fairly high calorie target.
Certainly, I can do that without MFP. Last time, I started off with a paper journal then migrated to a website with similar format to MFP.
Now, I suppose I *could* just have said "no snacks" (or only fruit/veggies for snacks). But I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't have been able to stick to it for long, and compliance is important. But all the other usual suggestions, I was already following. Smaller plates. Fill up with veggies. Eat at home (not restaurants). Low(ish) fat - yep; I have issues digesting it (for which reason I can't do low carb - and fat doesn't satiate me anyway).
So, successful sustainable weight loss for me personally requires tracking.1 -
I see everyones success with logging their intake and weighing etc it seems like there's no way to lose weight without tracking every single thing that goes in your mouth.
I've been going for 9 days logged 7 of them... No difference in weight and I try my best to log accurately...
What on earth did people do without an app to track calories in!
1) When I started, I logged meticulously every single day for 10 days ... with no weight loss. I figured I'd give it 3 weeks and then I'd quit. By 3 weeks, I had lost 3 kg, so I kept going. But I logged accurately and meticulously (using a food scale, of course) every single day, and stayed within my calorie limit every single day.
2) I've been tracking my calories since I was about 17 years old. 17 years old was 33 years ago. Back in those days, I had to go to this place called a "library", and look up calorie information in something called "books". On occasion, magazines and newspapers might publish some of that information too. I collected whatever I could find and created a paper spreadsheet of it all, and tracked my food intake using paper and pen.
Then along came computers and I started tracking using spreadsheets like Lotus123 and then Excel. Plus it started to be easier to locate calorie information. One of my grocery stores started publishing the calorie count of fruit in its fliers, so I would double check against the information I had and update my information as necessary.
At last online tracking sites showed up on the scene ... and finally, I came across My Fitness Pal. And I have to say that this is the simplest and easiest method of tracking my food that I've come across in 33 years.
3) Along with tracking as best I could or just generally having a pretty good idea what I should eat and how much ... I also exercised a whole lot. There were many years where I struggled to stay within my normal BMI range and not slide down into underweight simply because of the amount of exercise I was doing. It's when I back off the exercise a bit that I need to pay more attention to what I eat.
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Why wouldn't it be? People have been dieting for decades. Way before for bits and the internet. Eat less move more and you'll lose weight.2
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Accurate, quick calorie tracking like myfitnesspal has just made it easier to lose weight without having to eat repetitively or spend a long time tracking. I'm very thankful for it, personally - of course losing weight was and is possible without it, but for me at least it would be much harder.3
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Without this app people eat less, move more.2
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of course it is possible.however,mfp makes it so easy i wouldn't want to do it any other way.1
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