Feeling discouraged

pieohpah0

Why do you only offer real help once I pay to unlock the premium membership? If I join that one what's the next level I have to pay to unlock? You are adding to my depression. I'd like to keep this app to stick to an 800 calorie diet for 14 days. I'd like to know how to balance those calories, but again, I'd have to upgrade. I hope others are honest about their experience. Anyone can do the math but you won't divulge the way forward. It feels cruel.
Regards,
Jessica

Leilaolivia2

Hi Jessica,
I'm sorry that you are feeling discouraged. That's a very easy way to feel on a journey like we are embarking. If you only need the extra features for 14 try the 30 day free trial and see what it's worth to you. Set a reminder in your phone to cancel before you are charged going forward. A good way to balance meals is to make sure you are covering your basis and eating lean proteins (fish, chicken, turkey), vegetables, complex carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, quinua, etc) and healthy fats (avocado, virgin olive oil, etc). With such a low calorie goal you'll need to load up on veggies and cook them without butters or oils or eat them raw.

I hope this helps.

Fell better and don't give up.

Leila

mtaratoot

Jessica,

You can set up your goals and log your food with the free version. You don't need the premium version.

What you can not do is set your goal to 800 calories. MFP does not allow very-low calorie diets because they are unhealthy. The minimum recommendation is at least 1200 calories for women and 1500 for men. It's actually not even likely that a 1200 calorie diet is enough even for two weeks.

Please consider setting a healthy goal and log your meals. You will lose weight. If you don't eat enough calories, your body will not only metabolize fat, it will metabolize muscle. Your heart is a muscle. There are a lot of bad outcomes related to underfeeding your body. Slow and steady is the way to lose weight. Pick foods high in nutrients and eat enough of them.

snowflake954

Please re-think your 800 cal diet. It can be devastating to your health. So many posts of people that regret it and wound up in the hospital with lasting effects for the rest of their lives--just not worth it. Get a healthy weight loss goal and be patient and persistent. That way you'll keep the weight off and not risk a diet-binge cycle, which is difficult to overcome.

Wishing you the best.

AnnPT77

I know that some authorities are now suggesting a 2-week 800 calorie diet as a sort of jump start, but I'm inclined to agree with others above: Yeah, most of us have a burst of "motivation" up front to stick with something really extreme, and the extreme start can motivate also by showing quick results. However, it can be a steep hill to climb even when "motivated", or a slippery slope toward risky habits

You should be able to do all you strictly need to do to lose weight with the free version of MFP, at any calorie level. Personally, I lost from class 1 obese to a healthy weight in less than a year, and maintained for several years after, using free MFP. (I'm still maintaining, but I have premium now.)

To answer your technical questions: To my knowledge, there is only one level of premium. There are some helpful features in it, but nothing that's truly essential. Look for help here in the Community or the free MFP blog instead: There's lots there. There's no magic in premium, just more details and a few forms of guidance that are highly advertised/touted. Good? Yes. Essential? No.

As an aside, when you post here, you're only talking to other MFP users just like you. The MFP staff don't read all the Community posts. There are many hundreds daily: It would be impossible. If you need to interact with MFP staff, use the Help function to contact them, or post in Feature Suggestions (MFP staff do read that, not always instantly).

You can succeed without premium. Many of us have done. I won't say none of us are special, because a few are . . . but I'm not, and free MFP worked for me. It could work for you, with patience and commitment.

Best wishes!