Does MFP work for people long term?

Jovijovi86

Hi there,

I've used this app intermittently over the past 10 months but have only just joined the community.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any long term success with keeping the weight off/keeping fit using this app?

lx1x

1 year maintaining.. been working for me.

cwolfman13

That really comes down to you...MFP is just a tool...you get out what you put in.

I've been in maintenance for 7 years...I don't really credit MFP with my maintenance, as I haven't logged anything for 7 years. Unfortunately, only a small number of people keep the weight off long term regardless of what tool or diet they use...this is largely attributable to not making sustainable changes to lifestyle. I live my life quite a bit differently than I used to. I eat healthier and most of the time I eat reasonable quantities. In years past, I just ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and in whatever quantity I felt like...can't really do that and expect to maintain a healthy weight. I have days of indulgences...like yesterday we had people over for pool and BBQ and we ate a ton of food and drank all of the beer...but that's really a one off. For the most part I eat healthfully. I also exercise regularly...I found a passion for cycling while losing weight and I still ride most days and do strength training a couple days per week.

There are plenty of people here who are maintaining and still logging....I personally couldn't do that long term. I used MFP as a teaching tool and learned enough while logging to lose weight to not really have to do so in maintenance.

yirara

I lost the weight I wanted to lose in 2014/15, and then some because it was so much more easy than I thought. Kept it off mostly since then. Regained a bit in a period of depression and constantly being sick with something else, but lost it again and continue maintaining.

PAV8888

The app is not who has to discover how to manage her weight and the one who has to put in the work to do so.

Figuring out how to reasonably and persistently manage yourself and your interaction with food and activity will determine your long term success.

MFP is a tool.

I use a kitchen scale as one of my weight management tools. I also use a Fitbit. I also use MFP. And I use a bathroom scale. And I use what I have figured out about myself these past few years.

The list is in reverse order of importance to me in terms of continuing to meet my goals almost 6 years in.

janejellyroll

I lost about 40 pounds calorie counting with MFP in 2015 and have been maintaining that loss ever since. So yes, along with other tools like my scales (kitchen and body weight), it's been helpful to me.

cmriverside

I lost 80 pounds in 2007-08.

I still log food and exercise.

Still at my Goal weight.

But yeah, like said above there are many facets to maintaining weight. Some people don't log food. Some do.

You'll have to find your way, like we all did.

spiriteagle99

I lost a total of 55 lbs. and have kept it off for the past 6+ years. I still log what I eat and my exercise. A lifetime of yoyo dieting taught me that if I don't pay attention, I get back into old habits. Logging helps me pay attention.

whoami67

No weight loss method works long term for most people. Almost all weight loss methods work long term for some people.

feisty_bucket

Jovijovi86 wrote: »

long term success

Sure. I've been here for a bit over five years, and doing fine, mostly in maintenance. I rarely track my food these days, as I eat mostly the same stuff and know it well. But do track my exercises.

It's still helpful, and seeing my friends do their thing in the feed is a good reminder.

AnnPT77

I lost around 50 pounds back in 2015, obese to a healthy weight (after being obese for 30+ previous years, most of my adult life), and have stayed at a healthy weight since. I had been pretty active even while obese, but I didn't start doing that until I was in my mid-40s, and have pretty much kept that up since, too, though I'm a little less active during the "stay at home" orders than usual. (I'm now 64, by the way, so active for around 20 years at this point).

The weight loss/maintenance was with MFP. The fitness aspect was just finding active things I found so fun to do that I'd do them even if they weren't good for me . . . but they are.

Yeah, it can work. It can also not work. If you look carefully, you can find some threads here where people (who are long-ish term successful) talk about what finally made the whole thing work for them. The "success stories" or "maintaining weight" parts of the forums might be good sources. The US national weight control registry has some potential insights, too. (There are reseach studies on their web site, and member success stories. Some MFP-ers are participants in the research. Web site is http://www.nwcr.ws/ ).

How you approach your weight loss and fitness goals will have a lot to do with whether you're successful long-term. It's not just a matter of seeing how other succeeded, but also about giving some serious thought to your personal strengths, preferences, inclinations, potential obstacles or challenges, etc. and then considering how to custom-tailor your strategies to maximize your strengths, avoid obstacles, and generally make the whole thing as easy for you personally as it can possibly be. It's not "one size fits all". It's going to be a custom-tailored solution.

You can do it, if you commit to it. And it needn't be an ordeal, if you ask me.

Best wishes!

Lillymoo01

MFP and calorie counting isn't a tool that works for everyone but it has enabled me to lose around 80 pounds and to keep this weight off for just over 3 years. It hasn't just been MFP though. There has been a lot of learning, commitment and hard work within this process.

rheddmobile

It does for me! I just celebrated my 52nd birthday, which marks 3 birthdays in a row at a healthy BMI, following a 125 lbs weight loss. I am also diabetic and log every day in order to track not just my calories but my carbs and how my blood glucose reacts to different meals.

This past year is a good example of why MFP has been essential for me. Starting about September last year, I noticed my weight was climbing very gradually, about a couple of pounds a month. I also knew, because I was tracking everything, that I was not eating more or slacking off with my exercise. I tightened my logging, cut back calories but my weight continued to climb, more slowly, about a pound a month. So I went to the doctor and demanded they check my thyroid and my TSH had shot up to 22! (Should be under 4.) Once my meds were adjusted, my weight started slowly trending downwards and is now nearly back to what it was before I started gaining. The thing is, I had to really argue with my doctor to get what I needed, and having hard data to back me up helped a lot. If I wasn’t tracking, I would have thought, well, maybe you are eating a little more, maybe it’s water weight, a pound a month is no biggie. Having tracking enabled me to see there was a problem and correct it in a timely fashion.

Caecile84

I reached my goal weight about a year ago (lost 35lbs) and stopped logging after I maintained that weight for a month. I do weigh myself 2-3 times a week and as soon as the scales start to show I'm heading in the wrong direction (+2-4lbs as minor fluctuations are normal) I immediately start logging again. When I've reached my goal weight, I log for another week and then stop.
MFP is just a tool that may help you to keep on track, but you have to make the change!

callsitlikeiseeit

Lots of people, myself included. I have gained some weight back but that is my own fault for being lazy. I lost 130 4 years ago. Gained back 30 in past year and a half. So, tightening up the proverbial belt and getting back to old, successful habits to lose it again

staticsplit

I logged for about 6 months after the weight loss. Then I stopped. Some of it crept back, but considering I'm a lot more active and into weight lifting, I still fit into all my clothes despite being about 8 pounds heavier, and I'm at a weight that's pretty easy to maintain. I pop on here every few months and log for maybe 3 days just to remind myself what I'm eating when I listen to my appetite.

Ikeeptrying2

I originally joined in 2014. Lost 50+lbs (too much actually) in about 5-6 months. I have kept within my maintenance range since.

Since 2015 I come and go from here as I feel necessary or inspired to do so. I only come back to log for about a month if I feel I need to check in, so logging long-term has not been 'my thing'.

Does it work long term? There are plenty of success stories here that prove that answer is yes. I feel I am one of them. However, it's each person's determination, approach and commitment to themselves that will ultimately decide the answer to that question.

LivingtheLeanDream

Yep it works and is a great tool I'm 7 years in maintenance and still use the app.