New to the group, not to the app
KyleDavid0313
Posts: 7 Member
Been on MFP on and off for a little bit....I get motivated and track everything, then I get tired of the tediousness of it all and quit logging....I work out regularly, 4 to 6 times a week....I love cycling, outdoor and spin, I lift weights, and throw in some elliptical and stair stepper for variety.... I usually don't weigh myself because I'm trying to loose fat but build and maintain muscle as I get older, so actual weight doesn't really matter to me..Its how I look to myself in the mirror, how my clothes fit, etc.....I only weigh myself for reference....Looking in the mirror, I feel like I'm plateaued.... working out to maintain my eating habits....With that said, I know I need to get back to tracking......I'm thinking I now have to pay for the premium version of this app.....I think if I'm paying, I will be more motivated to actually do it... The main reason I stopped tracking is its tedious....a pain in the *kitten* to find "put together meals" that were close to what I thought were the proper nutrition numbers...we eat a lot of "mixed" meals in my house....stews, soups, meats and veggies mixed and cooked together, etc....so......I was trying to input each ingredient as I cooked and that is what killed it for me...especially if I wasn't the one cooking that day....standing over my girlfriend asking "what are you putting in there now and how much of it are you putting in, I need to log it" Its quite the task, in my opinion....took too much time, was a pain in the *kitten*, or so I thought....but, I know if I want to do this and reach my fat loss goals, I need to start tracking again....Anyway, I was scrolling the site today while having my coffee, reading the forums and read that being active in the forums and groups is really helpful. Having like minded people and discussions and support....In all the time I've been on the site, I've never been active in groups and discussions so I figured why not....I'll give it a try....I'll start here. I hope this is an active or semi active group...if not, maybe we can make it active? Anyone still here? I'm up for friend requests also...I visit the feed daily and I'll like and comment on your stuff if that is what you are looking for....we all need motivation.....
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KyleDavid0313 wrote: ».....I'm thinking I now have to pay for the premium version of this app....
@KyleDavid0313
Hey Kyle,
This group is semiactive but generally doesn't hit on weight loss subjects. A good group for that is Lose a pound a week and keep it off. It's a very active private group but open to new members year-round.
ETA: Almost forgot the mention the bold text above. If paying works for you, great. It's never worked for me, so I now have a rule... Never pay for anything weight loss related.
MFP just announced they are moving the scan tool over to premium members only starting Oct 1 for existing members. Too bad. If they can get 1 paying customer at the cost of losing 100 free users, I see how that would be a win-win for Francisco Partners (the new owner of MFP). More revenue coming in while lowering the load on the servers.
Maybe I'll leave, but then maybe I'll stay on as a free user just to spite the "man". Haven't decided yet.2 -
Hi, Kyle!
Agree with @d_thomas02 about this group. It seems to be difficult to keep groups/threads going in our demographic. I don't know whether that's because we're not social networking natives as a generation, or whether there are few enough of us who start that normal all-ages attrition rates make the participation wither away in our sub-group, or something else.
I did find there was value for me, in logging. I started by rough-estimating calories, but after a few months, having lost only about half the weight I needed to lose, I was kind of stalling out, fat loss getting unpredictable, etc. Joining MFP and logging really helped.
I'm torn about what to say to you: On the one hand, logging accurately was very valuable to me (but it's easy logistically as I live alone). From experience, I know that the first few weeks can seem very effortful, but that as one gets most foods into the recent/frequent foods list, adds meals and recipes, plus generally develops some tricks and skills, it gets easier and less time consuming. I'd be surprised if it takes me as much as 10 minutes a day now, and that's more than worth it to me for the quality of life improvement that comes from that investment.
On the other hand, I can see that in your scenario, with someone else doing the cooking - when it would be a bad plan interpersonally to maybe annoy them - logging more approximately might be enough to do the trick, and it would be easier.
From the nutrition standpoint, a few observations: Yes, nutrition is important for health and to support fitness, and that's clearly important to you. (It's not directly important for weight management, though.) But humans are adaptive omnivores: We don't need to be perfect on every nutrient every single day, being good overall, on average, should be fine. Bodies can juggle some nutrients for short to long time periods - depending on which nutrient - to balance things out biochemically. If you're pretty sure you're getting adequate protein (meat eaters usually do), some health fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, etc.), and lots of varied, colorful veggies/fruits routinely, you're probably fine nutritionally.
My favored activities are outdoor things (on-water rowing, some lesser-role cycling on a hybrid). I used to spin (pre-pandemic) but got an indoor bike so Winter is rowing machine, stationary bike, and usually some strength training. (I'm bad about strength training: I don't love doing it, and I'm too hedonistic for my own best benefit.)
I've found participating in the Community really helpful, and haven't found it especially important to stick with people in my demographic (I'm F, 66). It seems like the whole range of people of all ages here have many of the same challenges, and can offer good suggestions/ideas.
In that sense, I think d_thomas's suggestion of one of the challenge or motivation groups is a good one. I tend to spend too much time in the Community (subjectively speaking), but do get a lot of out of recurring participation in one general exercise thread** (especially in the more-challenging Winter off season), and a couple of ongoing food/cooking threads***. I think different ones would work for different people.
** https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10705619/what-was-your-work-out-today#latest
*** https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10726786/for-the-love-of-produce#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10854349/cheese-admiration-and-celebration#latest
I'm not saying those specific threads would be right for you, just explaining as an example, from my personal perspective.
There are also some great tips/tricks and such in the "Most Helpful Posts" section of each Community topic area.
I don't have an opinion about paying/not paying as a motivator . . . I think that's one of those things that helps some people, but not others. If it helps you, that's great. Personalization of tactics in all aspects of fitness/weight management/health is key to success, I think.
As background, I'm pretty active athletically (especially in non-Winter), used MFP to lose from just over the line into class 1 obese back in 2015-16, have been at a healthy weight since, though with a few pounds of up and down in that healthy range from time to time. I have to admit, I'm a sub-par MFP friend - more of a Community forum kind of gal, I guess.
Wishing you much success!0 -
Thank you for the replies and advice. Its been a while since I've been back into the forums since I posted this...every 3 or 4 weeks I have time to actually sit and scroll through here...I wish it was more....1
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Stick to it!0
