Non-first timers -- what happened?
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In short I was going great, then my baby niece passed away and a lot of other really ****ty things followed, looking after myself was the last thing on my mind so I just didn't even think about it, my back went out twice in that time and tbh it was the last thing on my mind in that time.
in saying that, I am an all or nothing person which has always been my down fall, I lose the weight, then without even noticing(or maybe more like subconsciously blocking it out) I start treating myself more and stop weighing in and before I know it I am putting on weight, I then tell myself I oh well I will get back to it tomorrow/Monday etc so will eat what I want until then, which usually just turns to me binging on crap for weeks.
To be successful I think you need to find the balance between being healthy and still enjoying yourself and having things you love now and then, and that is the thing I need to learn.0 -
I lost about 30 pounds slowly using MFP to count calories and log exercise. I gained about 15 back after a year and I have since lost 5 and am on track to get back down. I just stopped logging and then started eating and drinking too much, too regularly. At first, it made no change in my body weight so I said HOORAY and didn't really get back on the horse. And slowly my habits got worse and worse until I found myself really not looking very good and feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I'm not a super thin person and I don't think it would be a good idea for me to try to be (I would just make myself crazy), but I do like keeping myself under 150 (I'm 5'6"). But yeah, that's what happened with me. Lazy and overconfident that my slip-ups wouldn't be a big deal.0
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I didn't really regain it, I've just had two pregnancies since I starts here and am continuing my weight loss.0
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I'm a first timer and I haven't missed logging one meal since I started 18 months ago. It's just a habit. I've been maintaining, I guess, since May, although I've lost another 5 pounds or so since then. I plan to log forever. I have never tried to lose weight before, have hit my goal, and oh my gosh I SO want to keep it off forever. I feel better than I have in years.
I always ate very healthy. I haven't changed much - mostly portion size and being more aware of a few things in my diet that were healthy but had a lot more calories than I thought they did.0 -
Where do I start?
I started a new job working 60-70 hour weeks, re-started an MBA program, bought a house, moved. so basically LIFE got in the way. I only gained 15 pounds but I've lost a lot of muscle.0 -
Thanks for sharing!Tips for pitfalls? Avoid 'em.
I Copy/paste this everywhere, but these tips might help:
1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.
pretty much that.
...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:
the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.
Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.
I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.
Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.
Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.0 -
My downfall, as a solo mother, is always when there are crises in life that I have to focus on, and I can't keep focus on the dieting. I have to focus to stay under calories. I have to be on top of things emotionally. I am naturally lazy and naturally a pig. So if I stop paying attention that's what I revert to.
I never seem to lose much weight on a diet before I fizzle. I admire those who have kept going for 20, 30, 40 kilos. I hope to god I can manage it this time, because I 'forget' or somehow get sidetracked by something else at around the 5kg mark every time.
I feel more in control of this diet this time however, and I'm hoping I can get past the 5kg psychological barrier and carry on trucking down to goal. I haven't seen the right side of 60kg in 20 years.0 -
For me, I didn't gain it all back. I simply got way too busy. First time I wasn't committed enough. I was really just experimenting and trying it out. The second time, I just got busy and made it less of a priority to track and less of a priority to eat well or exercise. Now on take 3 - I am super busy now too, but this time, I make it a priority to log every day no matter what. Sure, I am over stretched to the point where I actually have to choose between sleep or eating, work for money to survive or family time, and finish school or give it all up with less than 9 months left...
I stopped logging, lost motivation, lost the caring because of the need for quick eats due to convenience... It's kind of like stopping smoking, it's stopping an unhealthy lifestyle, and without the support here, I lose track, and can't remember how much I've eaten or not eaten. It keeps me on task, motivated, and like right now when I really can't find much time to exercise it helps me focus on diet. I have great support friends on here, and can avoid gluten like I couldn't when I first started this plan. I used a couple of other sites, but this one won out, it works for me, because 95% of the time I only use the phone app.0 -
Mollie - And sometimes that 1230 or so NET (not eaten) really is what old bodies with slow metabolisms need to lose slowly. As you say - everyone is different and we all change with age.
I love, love, love to eat and love to cook. I think another real key to success is finding foods you love that fit in what you can eat and stay thin and finding exercises you love that you can keep in your schedule when things fall apart. Then it can be a lifestyle, not a sacrifice. Life is too short for that.0 -
I lost over 60lbs on weight watchers. I watched portions mostly and didn't really put much thought into exercising, I did for a while while losing but got out of the habit. Then I lost my job and started down the road to depression, so the weight came back a little bit, I'd get it down a few then up a few for a few months, then I became pregnant and gained 50lbs (I blame my graduate statistics class and chocolate.) Well tried losing weight after my daughter was born, but every time I tried I'd binge and eat boxes of cookies and not be able to keep the weight down. My sister just gave me her fitbit and I'm using it and LOVING it. I now realize that months ago when I tried to get the weight down I was starving myself, eating only 1800 calories per day while breastfeeding. Most days with the amount of activity that I do (Not exercising, just normal daily stay at home mom activity) I can eat a minimum of 1800 calories and most days it averages 2200-2400 and that's WITH the calorie defecit. I'm losing slowly now, about a pound per week and that's perfect for me. I'm finding that I want to eat more and so I exercise more to get in the extra few calories for a treat or evening snack. I'm not stuck to one calorie number or one point number, it fluctuates daily. I see no reason why this time can't be the last time.0
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I've been a yo-yo dieter for most of my life. I was in school the first time I was taken to a dietician. 15months ago something in my brain clicked and said I can't do this to my body and my family anymore. I changed things slowly and made small changes every week. I no longer diet but live healthy. I still have food treats but in general I eat healthy and now I exercise to enjoy life not because I feel I have too. I've lost 21kg in the last 15months and some people would say that's not much for that time but for me it's fine. I have a goal weight but no time limit, because I'm not on a diet it's now my lifestyle. I'm now happy and this is how I intend to stay. To do this I know I have to log, I can't be lazy, I can't get complacent and most of all I enjoy my lifestyle.0
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I'm a MFP first timer, but not a first timer to losing weight. I can think of several periods in my life where I dropped 10-20 pounds, mainly by cutting out bad habits (eating out every day when I was a freshman in college, or exercise level dropping to 0 when my job/life situation changed). I lost the weight each time by fixing the problem that put on the weight in the first place.
I'm trying to build in exercise into my life this time for good, so that even though my job is completely sedentary (again) the pounds don't come back on.
I probably will log for awhile when I go into maintenance, but I feel like as long as I keep the regular exercise going, I hopefully won't have to track meals forever. We'll see how it goes. If stopping the logging doesn't work when I'm in maintenance, I'll just come right back.0 -
My excuse was school. I was juggling post partum depression & school. Just stopped logging. Gained everything I lost + 5 more pounds! Now a year later, I'm better mentally & ready to get healthy physically. I'm smaller than what I was last year! I think having more support this time around helped!0
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I gained about 30 pounds in a year (altho i had still lost in excess of 170 pounds)...in that year my mum passed away...a close friend passed away...and I broke my wrist. Sometimes life happens and when I was grieving in all honesty weight loss was far from my mind.0
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This is why I'll never quit logging. I have MFP set up as my homepage and it's on my phone, I have no excuses.0
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in...for the failure...0
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I didn't come back to MFP, this is my first time using it. But, I did lose and gain weight many times in my lfie. I think it boils down to 2 factors for me.
1) Stress- Life has ups and downs, at least mine. Sometimes the demands on my time and emotions seemed I needed to give in to other priorities.
2) Diet vs Healthy lifelong eating\ - I didn't realize how many foods are really not nutritious or satisfying beyond the mouth. There are lots of lower calorie foods that really have nothing of value for you and contribute to you wanting more food because you are not satisfied past the taste buds.
What is different for me now is I do understand much more about healthy eating. If I am under high stress again, I hope I recognize it and find a way to deal with it fast.0 -
I have been overweight since I was 10yo. Now 33. I have been up and down on the weight loss roller coaster all my life. Lose a little, gain a lot. This last 2 years though, is different. Through trial and error, I have really learned so much! I have especially learned that when I try to rush my weight loss by cutting too many calories, it makes me feel deprived and starved, and is very discouraging. I usually wind up eating like crazy, and not caring about what I eat, or how much of it. It's kind of like if you would think of a person who hasn't had enough food to eat, and has gone hungry for a while, and then when food is reintroduced to that person, they go nuts with it. That's what I felt like. MFP kept telling me that I should eat 1,300-1,400 cal's/day. I felt hungry most of the time. Even when I ate back my exercise calories, I was still hungry. So I got tired of all the guesswork, and decided to buy a bodymedia device. I don't remember where I heard about it, but I'm so glad I got it. I found out that I burn so much more than I thought. I do weights, so I have a good bit of muscle. Muscle burns calories, thus raising metabolism. If I lay around all day, not doing anything, I burn 1,900 cal's. If I do zumba, which I do 3-4 x's/week, I burn 2,700-3,100, (sometimes I do it twice in one day). So cut 500 cal's from that, and the very least I should eat, would be 1,400 cal's. BTW, I almost NEVER lay/sit around all day. I have a 2yo son, I'm a nurse, and if that doesn't keep be busy, then cooking and cleaning does. I'm usually always doing something, when I'm not staring at this stupid computer! Lol. So, I usually eat between 1,500-2,000 cal's/day. No wonder I was starving at 1,400 cal's! Or God forbid, 1,200 cal's, which I've also done before. Since I started using my bodymedia again, with MFP, I've been losing 1lb every weel. Up to 5llb's gone now, (I stopped logging and everything this summer and gained 10lb's
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I can say, of all the times I've lost weight, only to gain it back, and then some, I believe the main reason, is because I missed the foods I used to eat, because I had cut them out of my diet, which I no longer do, and because I was just soooooo tired of feeling hungry all of the time. I've lost 60lb's over the last 2 years, most of that was lost the first year, I've been really struggling with the last bit of weight, (before my bodymedia). I've lost a total of 100lb's, if you include the time I was in nursing school. Lots of ups and downs before and after that though. This time...it's for good! I will not allow myself to go back to the person I was before. I don't ever want to be that person again. Time to do it right!0 -
I lost 50 pounds (215 to 165) in 5 months. People close to me said, "You're too skinny!" And... I listened. I stopped tracking what I ate, and went back to my old, comfortable habits.
I've lost 30 pounds so far this time. I've had people start to say "skinny" again. I blatantly (and over-dramatically) plug my ears with my fingers and say "la la la la, I'm not listening!."
If you're going to listen... listen to your body.
This is one of the reasons why I quit logging this last time and gained 10lb's People telling me I don't need to lose anymore weight. Especially my step mother. She acted like she was really concerned for me. I realize now, that the people telling me I was getting too skinny, are just used to seeing me fat. When people see women who I consider to be skinny, nobody says, "oh they're too skinny" unless they're actually under weight. I'm just trying to get to 130. 135 is the highest healthy weight I should be for my height. Goal BF % is 23, which is also not under weight. I guess I let them get to me, but I know better than that. I'm definately not "too skinny." I have too much belly fat, and I know that it will be the last thing to go, 'cuz it's the first place that I gain. So if I just push a little more and get to goal, I will have the body I want! Nobody is stopping me this time!
)) 0 -
Life happens. I was eating healthy... I was a waitress. I walked at least 6 miles every day...... Then I got stressed, then pregnant with twins, lost my job, gained 100 pounds, and couldn't lose it.
Things have been diferent with MFP. I've had bad weeks, gotten sick or have been busy and don't feel like logging or working out, but you have to stick with it. I think the most dangerous thing to think is " I don't need this any more"0 -
I have MFP as my homepage too!This is why I'll never quit logging. I have MFP set up as my homepage and it's on my phone, I have no excuses.0 -
I had lost around 50 pounds because I was using myfitnesspal every single day during a 6 month period. One day, I was stressed and ate too much food and decided I didn't want to log it because I was ashamed. The next day, it took more to fill me up because I had stretched my stomach by eating too much the day before. Again, I felt ashamed and didn't want to log. I have an all or nothing mentality which I struggle with daily. I felt like I either had to do my diet/exercise program perfectly or else not do it at all. So, if I went over by 100 calories, I would throw in the towel for the day and say "Screw this. I'm gonna order pizza and stop and get an ice cream." I knew I was gaining weight but I was too ashamed to even step on the scale. I knew I was going to disappoint myself when I saw that number. It was like "If I don't see that number going up and up and up, then this really isn't happening." Anyway, one year later, I had gained 70 pounds. The only reason I started back was because my husband went to the doctor and he has high blood pressure and high blood glucose. So, I figured I would get back on track just to help him do the right thing. All in all, I didn't stop caring...I just felt too ashamed of myself to face the reality of what was going on....0
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I never quit working out, I just didn't workout as much and I ate lots of crap food. Personal problems took over and I lost my motivation. I started and quit MFP several times but it was because I failed in a relationship and we shared many of the same friends and I couldn't bear the thought of seeing her everyday on their pages.
But now I am back and this time I am not leaving no matter what.0 -
Personally, weight loss itself is a struggle, and even a more difficult struggle as logging food, counting calories and exercise isn't really part of a regular person's lifestyle. So firstly there is that habit-making issue. And even then, life throws you all sorts of curveballs from every direction that often, whatever it is becomes a priority and weightloss gets put back on the backburner.
Also, the first few months of being on MyFitnessPal is often fueled by a huge amount of motivation, often stemming from a bad experience or a bad comment regarding your current weight or (insert your reason why you decided to join MFP). The thing about motivation is, it is so tied with the progress we make that often times, we just lose the motivation over time since we don't see progress or just see too little of it.
It really boils down on the person's willpower, and very often, it is not even that, life just happens. But instead of looking into why someone suddenly drops off the way side, and comes back again for a fresh restart (and often times this is a repetitive cycle), think about what it must have taken for that person to come back again. It is alright to keep trying and trying, in my opinion anyway. Especially when you have learnt some lessons from the last time.
Weight loss is different for everyone, but one they all have in common is how much work it takes to even see some change, regardless what health goals they have. Therefore, it is okay to take a breather every now and then. After all it is better to have your heart fully into the whole journey, than to not have your whole heart in it about it all and feel obligated to do so.0 -
I am going to be brutally honest with myself here!
I was lazy and gave up!! I can make all the excuses in the world, started a new job that required 10 hour days, plus the kids had a new schedule, my husband and children refuse to eat healthy, I hate cooking, by the time I had a moment to work out I was too tired...etc!!
In all honesty, I stopped logging, stopped working out, and stopped putting health and fitness first. I turned a blind eye to my goals and in that gained weight again. I dropped the ball while juggling my life and did not pick it up! However, I decided to pick that ball back up! My eyes are open to my failure and i am ready to keep the momentum and sustain my changes! I need to break this vicious cycle of dropping my need for health and fitness! I want to show myself and my children that a healthy lifestyle is important and manageable.
I let myself down, gained a bunch of weight back, lost endurance and strength! However, the great thing here is that the majority of us go through this cycle, the challenge is to get off the cycle and stay on track! I know what I need to do to change and this time I am confident I will make the necessary changes. It will be a difficult and there will be days that I will want to quiet, much like I did before. But, the difference now is I want this and it will happen!
So, there you have it the reason why I dropped the ball and why I picking it back up! 0 -
Life.
A weekend away. A family birthday. A bender (what?). Something just comes up and you spend a day or 3 in that part enjoying yourself like it's a culinary holiday where you aren't giving yourself a headache thinking about calories and whining to people about how no, you can't have that glass of wine. And I'm not opposed to this, TBH. Dieting is like a job and if you went 6 weeks without a weekend, you'd be okay with playing hooky. Problem is, when you come home or sober up, you think "Well, one more day..." and after a week you're kind of ashamed to come back and find out you put your measly 6lb loss back on and you've gotten nowhere. So you don't! Until you're at a party and look around realizing that, huh, you're probably the biggest girl here.
... totally hypothetical.
For me, my usual specific catalyst to leave is also my motivator. I pick out an event or an occasion where looking my best would be optimal (last time - boyfriend's birthday where his ex would be there), and I'm a choir boy diet-wise until then. The event comes, I look great, the event goes, and I give myself a bit more breathing room since I don't have any standing commitments to fit into the oxygen-depriving $500 dress again. Breathing room turns into a weekend of pizza, then it kind of goes on.
It wasn't that I "stopped logging" - I'm not logging now because I don't want to disappoint myself, I'm just eating less and healthier while exercising a lot. I'm sort of hoping that not having that guideline of "RED FONT - YOU WENT OVER YOUR GOAL TODAY FATTY" will be less discouraging.0 -
I only put 15 pounds back on, but I'm back for a second round. I let myself stop logging over the "holidays," which apparently lasted from November to April for me. Then I spent some time in denial about how much I'd gained, some time complaining about how long it would take to lose again, and some time finding other reasons not to diet.
Fortunately, I did learn enough healthy habits my first go around that my rebound wasn't so back. I'm back to counting again and I intend to actually transition into maintenance this time instead of just falling off the wagon completely.
I had lost 13 pounds originally in my first few months, but then we ended up moving across the state and starting new jobs. It was so much change at once, and I simply stopped tracking calories and stopped almost all exercise. I gained back 10 pounds of what I had lost, and decided that was enough! Now I'm back and committed to track everything... and it's even easier the second time. I'm looking forward to getting to my goal weight, and tracking to maintain for a least a few months after that.0 -
Personal crap happen
160 to 115
Took me 2 years to gain up to 152.
No motivation
Feeling helpless
One day decided to put the past behind me and take care of ME!! Got me a breast aug. and that was the start of me again to become a "new" person! :-)
Dont lose motivation and you will be ok.0 -
We found out my mom had a brain tumor grade 4. So worked during the day and was at the hospital nights. Shes home but not doing very well. After she got settled in home I started back.0
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Burned out on 1200 - came back with 1600 and for the first time feel that I am not really 'dieting'. No starvation, no cravings (well, not as many!) and no sense of depriving myself!0
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