Does mfp work ?

Tashanicole444 · February 2017

Good morning I was reaching out to see if mfp is accurate on calorie allotments it gives ? I am wondering if you have more success setting at sedentary and then adding in activity . I burn around. 400 calories in exercise. And I walk about 15000 steps a day ( I'm a stay at home mom ). Lol we move a lot thanks for the help !!!

motherofdragons84 · February 2017

Diets are 80% healthy diet and 20% exercise. Of course MFP works, if you follow the process, and don't stuff your face.

riceball · February 2017

Agree with motherofdragons. Honestly I don't exercise that often and I still lose weight because I don't eat like I used to.

BeeerRunner · February 2017

Although I work out 6 days a week, which includes running over 40 miles a week, I set mine to sedentary since I'm an office worker. It worked for me. I lost 42 lbs and have maintained that weight loss for close to a year. I would say if the calorie recommendations aren't producing weight loss results, then it wouldn't hurt to lower the activity level.

2011rocket3touring · February 2017

Down 44lbs because of MFP.

embeers · February 2017

Hi, I am new too. I have been here 45 days and in 6 weeks have lost 21 lbs.
I like that I can chart my past. It really makes me think of what I am eating.
Activity: I was a piece of furniture until I just decided to MOVE!
Tracking steps & a diet under 1500 calories a day, all I did.
I worked for every pound, of course it's not easy, but every day I feel stronger
and healthier! I'm a stay at home too.
This is an EXCELLENT tool!!

Mellykay88 · February 2017

Down 55lbs here! While I'm working on increasing exercise, it's nothing dramatic. MFP definitely works for me! For me, It's more about being accountable for what I put in my mouth than anything else. Before, I could mindlessly eat 1000 or more calories just snacking on junk. Now I pay attention to serving sizes. MFP has helped me to make lifestyle changes instead of dieting and quickly giving up.

ugofatcat · February 2017

Ok I have a question for you @Royce284:

If I set a budget for myself and then proceed to ignore it, buy whatever I want, whenever I want, as much as I want, not write down my purchases and then get my credit card bill at the end of the month and it was way higher then I anticipated, did the budget "not work"?

rsclause · February 2017

I had to go back and look and see I am "lightly active". At the time I was taking evening walks in addition to running 30 miles a week. I used activity to track general moving around or walking. I use my running app to log my runs so I ignore running when I think about my activity level. Does it work? MFP helped me lose 53 pounds, lower my cholesterol & blood pressure and an enormous beer gut. I have put a few (15) back on but if I step up my running I can get trim again.

SteveC_71 · February 2017

I have a desk job and although I walk during lunch and on commute to office I have mine set as sedentary and then track my long walks on my Apple Watch and they get added in as exercise.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · February 2017

Yes! I lost the same 10 pounds 4 times over 5 years using MFP. Works every time!

My goal this year is to keep tracking. I mean it: the whole dang year. I have a friend that has done it for more than a year and he has inspired me.

Spliner1969 · February 2017

Don't approach your weight loss as a diet, approach it as a new way of life controlling how your body reacts to food and you'll be successful long term. The estimates given for exercise cannot be accurate for everyone, you should assume they are not. The only way to tell how accurate they are is by trial and error over time. Use the estimates you're given for a while and eat those calories given. If your weight loss is slower than calculated then it's likely the estimates are over-inflated. If the weight loss is faster than calculated then they are under-estimated. You'll need to spend weeks likely watching to be sure before changing anything. That's why most people start with eating only 50% of their exercise calories, then a few weeks later they adjust if their weight loss is skewed one way or another too far.

scottbedmonds · February 2017

@Royce284 I prefer to set mine at sedentary and then add in exercise. If you're not as active on a given day, you know the baseline. It just means you have to be more active in logging your exercise each day and adjusting accordingly, but it helps me to know the baseline. Good luck

zingeber · February 2017

It's working for me without any extra thinking on my part - I set it "lightly active," getting 3-5K steps with my normal activities, and with the goal to lose .5 lb per week. Was surprised at how generous the calorie allotment was, yet I'm still losing weight, slow and steady. I could probably go faster, but I get quite cranky and feel I can't think clearly at lower calorie goals. Point being, you just have to commit and do it; MFP is a great tool to help. Patience and perseverance help a lot, too.

ETA: if you try something for a couple weeks and it isn't working, you can always go back and tweak your settings

bbell1985 · February 2017

It works. Just start logging. Once in awhile you might catch an entry that is wrong but you'll lose if you are eating in a deficit.

Is that 15k steps before exercise? I would not enter yourself at sedentary. That is active.

HeidiGrrrl · February 2017

MFP doesn't do anything but provide you the tools, so no, MFP does not work. YOU have to do the work. You absolutely must log everything you eat, however, otherwise you won't be aware how much you actually eat. I got lazy lately, and put myself into maintenance without realizing it because I had stopped logging. Didn't lose more than 2 pounds in 3 months. Just started logging again, and already I'm down 4 pounds. I'm on a high fat, low carb ketogenic diet, and even I have to log what I eat or I'll gain, or at least maintain, my weight. Since my Fitbit doesn't sync with MFP (MFP keeps setting up a scale I don't even own as my step counter?!) I don't count my exercise calories. I just consider them a bonus, and eat the calories MFP allows me for my weight without exercise.

laceyslabaugh · February 2017

I agree! Don't think of this as a diet , it's a way to change your lifestyle for good - because we can still eat/drink whatever we want as long as we are accountable for everything we put in our mouths. I am at 1200 calories a day and my job is literally 8 hours of sitting - I'm very busy at my job and review/type things all day. I get up to get water every 45 minutes and use the restroom. When the weather is nice, I'll be walking outside after work with my family. I have been on MFP for 4 weeks and have lost 5lbs. That's more than 1# / week. And I have splurge days once a week with my family (last night was dinner for my husbands bday). I passed on the cake, but eating out calories are crazy! My husband also lost 25 lbs in 3 mos and has kept it off for 2 years. It definitely works! Just remember: When you fall, brush yourself off and get back at it! Don't give up!