MFP nutrition plans

vowl283
vowl283 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi!
Have any of you tried the nutrition plans provided by MFP? If so what did you think? Which ones did you like and which ones were not for you?
I’m trying to lose weight and am mostly sedentary. I can’t add much exercise due to some physical issues so I’m focusing on diet. I find I am often hungry and am struggling to stay below my calories though they are currently set quite high (about 200 below maintenance). Ultimately I want to be at 500 below to lose a pound a week. I’m curious if you liked any of the plans put forth and if they seem like they’d help with these goals.

Thanks!
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Answers

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,596 Member
    I didn't use an MFP plan. I did lose weight. I didn't materially increase exercise in order to do it (but I was similarly active for over a decade while staying obese), so I accomplished weight loss entirely on the eating side of the equation.

    I've also been hanging around here for a long time, a year of loss and 8 years of maintenance since. Reading many posts over that time, I've come to believe that feeling reasonably full on reduced calories is very, very individual. MFP plans would be a potential to try, certainly, and see if they help YOU.

    Here are some things I've read people say helped them (and I'm aware that no one can even theoretically do all of these at once!):

    1. Eating mostly or entirely whole foods
    2. Getting better overall nutrition (meeting fats, protein, and micronutrient goals, or at least getting close-ish)
    3. Eating more protein
    4. Eating more food volume (like lots of low calorie veggies, though there are other options)
    5. Eating more fats and fewer carbs
    6. Eating fewer fats and more carbs (usually nutrient-dense carbs in these cases, but not always)
    7. Eating all their calories in one meal a day (OMAD) or some time-limited window of 8 or 6 or 4 or 2 hours daily.
    8. Eating maintenance calories 5 days a week, and ultra-low calories (like 500) 2 other days a week (ideally non-consecutive days)
    9. Eating 3 meals, putting snacks off limits.
    10. Eating 3 meals, plus morning, afternoon, and evening snacks (or fewer but still some snacks)
    11. Drinking more water
    12. Getting better or more sleep (to affect fatigue therefore appetite)
    13. Taking GLP-1 drugs
    14. Doing mild exercise (don't know if you could do that, or not - I know you said you have limitations, I just don't know how limited)
    15. Not doing exercise (because they found it spiked appetite) - maybe some specific exercise, maybe all exercise
    16. Eating primarily meat and other animal-sourced foods (fish, eggs)
    17. Eating only plants, no animal-sourced foods
    18. I could go on, but I won't.

    I'm not making any of those up.

    Also, appetite can be triggered by things like fatigue, social cues, emotions, boredom, stress and more.

    Here's what I think: There's no universally filling, satisfying meal plan. It takes individual experimentation.

    What I'd suggest is to log your food (which I suspect you're already doing). Notice when you are relatively more hungry, or relatively less hungry. What was different about that day or time of day? Use what you learn to try the thing that maybe helped (or avoid the thing that hindered), for a couple of days. Better? Keep that change. Worse? Drop that strategy like it's hot.

    If any of the things on the list above - or that others here suggest - sound promising, maybe try one of those for 2-3 days or so. Better? Keep. Worse? Drop.

    Stick with the experimental process. Don't beat yourself up if something doesn't work out. It's a learning process, and ruling out things that don't work is nearly as important as finding things that do work. Just stick with it, and I'd place a heavy, heavy bet that you'll make progress.

    Of the things on the list, if you're not doing them already, based on reading posts here on MFP, I'd say the "eat mostly whole foods", "get overall good nutrition", and "get plenty of protein" ones have the widest commonness, maybe closely followed by "more food volume". Sometimes, for some people, it can be a combination. For some people, the eating timing things are useful, too.

    This isn't the question you asked. But it's the answer - sadly complicated answer? - that I think applies to the difficulty you're reporting.

    I'm cheering for you to succeed, sincerely!

    Just keep going. I'd bet pretty highly that you can find some improvements.

    Here's my point:

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