Why I no longer use MFP

getfitaye

I've obviously done more trouble than good here. I'm just gonna sign off and leave it be.
Sigh, have a good night everyone. Sorry for posting.
(Just a thought though, why is it that when I said I was happy that I found a new way that I like better, everyone seemed so tense? MFP is great. It was a crutch for *me, not necessarily you, don't get my words twisted* and now I can be just as effective without it. )

pds06

I joined back in 2009 and loss 30 pounds. My husband got sick and I was so busy taking care of him I had no Time for it. So I cancelled it. I'm sorry I did.
He passed the day before Thanksgiving now I have only time.
I think logging even after you reach your goal is a good idea. It's too easy to fall back into bad habits and the people are wonderful.

EvgeniZyntx

I don't get upset at the odometer in my car.

You discovered that you had an emotional response to calorie counting and that it affected your reason, choice and enjoyment of exercise.

So you got rid of the calorie counting. That's one way.
Perhaps for others the path is not to be emotional about the odometer?

I'm glad you found enjoyment in exercise. That's a big win.

mockchoc

I joined back in 2009 and loss 30 pounds. My husband got sick and I was so busy taking care of him I had no Time for it. So I cancelled it. I'm sorry I did.
He passed the day before Thanksgiving now I have only time.
I think logging even after you reach your goal is a good idea. It's too easy to fall back into bad habits and the people are wonderful.

So sad to hear you lost your husband. :flowerforyou:

XTSH

Do you ever find yourself heartbroken because the little calculator tells you you're 100 calories over goal?

Nope. If I go over, I go over big. Eat to my heart's desire and over by 1k at least, which I'm totally fine with. I look at the weekly net calories and the loss is still steady.

Have you left MFP, only to return because without it you gained weight?
First time attempting to lose weight. I may give up login in the future but I still be lurking in the forum.

Snow__White

I've obviously done more trouble than good here. I'm just gonna sign off and leave it be.
Sigh, have a good night everyone. Sorry for posting.

By sign off you mean post the same topic on another board?

supplemama

I've obviously done more trouble than good here. I'm just gonna sign off and leave it be.
Sigh, have a good night everyone. Sorry for posting.

By sign off you mean post the same topic on another board?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

JeninBelgium

I am so happy you found a way which works for you. I, for one, will always need MFP, weight watchers or some other way to keep myself accountable- it is extremely easy for me to over eat (a little cheese here, some salad dressing there- ooh piece of candy!) these things all add up in my day and on my backside!

Having just read the meta study "Long-term Effects of Dieting: Is Weight Loss Related to Health? " (Tomiyama, Ahlstrom and Mann http://dishlab.org/pubs/2013 Compass.pdf) I can tell you that your exercising is probably doing more for your health than any dieting does- but for me, I need both and, if I am not accountable I will not continue to lose nor will I be able to maintain in the long run (average weight loss of the studiies' subjects from start of diet to follow-up two years later was only 0.94 KG! I am like these people- if I am not accountable I will regain my weight!

supplemama

OP deactivated.

I don't get the post in the first place, what was the point :noway:

I like MFP, and I'm going to use it to hit my goal weight, then for at least 5 solid years of maintenance. I was OBESE. I need to be in obesity recovery for a long, long time. :drinker:

supplemama

I don't get upset at the odometer in my car.

You discovered that you had an emotional response to calorie counting and that it affected your reason, choice and enjoyment of exercise.

So you got rid of the calorie counting. That's one way.
Perhaps for others the path is not to be emotional about the odometer?

Very well said!

GiGiBeans

I sometimes feel a sense of stress and anxiety around weighing and logging all my food, hitting my macros, doing enough exercise, not doing "it" right. It would free up time and just be liberating to eat intuitively again. I've been on the fence about stopping because I guess I just don't have the confidence not to and yeah, the only way to know is to try.

efardell

I really wish people understood what I was trying to say.
Once again, for the record, I would never tell anyone to quit MFP. Like I said, it changed my life. All I said was that sometimes you can branch out and find something different that works for you. I'm not ecouraging people to quit. I was one of those people who gained when I left. This post was pretty much me saying it doesn't have to be that way, and I'm proof of it!
I applaud all of you for being here and you should be very proud of what you did! Please don't think I'm trying to make any of you quit.

I think you're just trying to advise people that aren't looking to track calories for the rest of your life. That was your audience. Just making a point to say that if this is the avenue you take to lose weight (tracking calories and whatnot), this is a lifestyle change, as any diet should be. You were just trying to get people to think if that future is for them before they become reliant on it.

Roaringgael

A while back, under a different account, I lost 30 pounds. My Fitness Pal gave me the tools I needed to succeed and when anyone asks how I did it, I proudly tell them about this website. Shortly after meeting my goal, my phone broke and I no longer had access to the precious app that helped so much. I realized that without it, I had really no idea what I was doing. Sure, I knew my almond milk was 30 calories and my cereal was 120, but crunching all of these other numbers made my head spin. I was so sure that I would be able to maintain on my own, but I couldn't.
Fast forward a year later and the same ten yoyo'd pounds, I didn't feel healthy anymore. Nothing smacked me as hard as trying on my dress blues and feeling them tighter than ever.
I considered returning to MFP for a third time when it hit me. I've started and stopped twice in a year and a half; I certainly couldn't keep this up for the rest of my life.
At mealtime I eat my fill of veggies and soups and have a smaller portion of meat. Twice a day I go to the gym and sweat like the best of 'em. I've never been happier. Hungry for a snack? Apple slices. I'm not obsessing on being under my 1200 cal goal or knowing the calories down to the 10 for a Crystal Lite. I'm happy for once, feeling like *I* can do this, and not so dependant on this website.
The point of this isn't to tell you to leave MFP. I don't regret a single day of counting calories because I wouldn't be able to serve my beautiful country if I hadn't found it.
I just have a few questions to ask you:
Do you ever find yourself heartbroken because the little calculator tells you you're 100 calories over goal?
Have you left MFP, only to return because without it you gained weight?
Do you count down to the last raisin, because that 3 calories is important to you?

Maybe if you answered yes, you should test the waters outside of MFP. Live a little and see if you can take the skills you learned and apply them to your meal planning.

I can finally say I'm no longer a slave to calories. I'm just a girl who found out that she can do more on her own than she thought.

FUNNY kind of left when you're still here.::bigsmile:

fitmusiclifeviola

One of my highest goals is to be able to leave MFP tracking behind. I lost weight, and seem to maintain better with it. I don't stress about every last number (I never weighed food, just estimated as best I could, and after trying to track the # of calories I burn, using estimations from heart rate monitors for instance, I let a lot of that go, and just keep estimating as best I can). On a side-note, after tracking my weight I have upped the daily calories allotted actually. (which MFP doesn't really account for in it's 'you'd weigh X in 5 weeks'...it ALWAYS thinks I'm going to gain weight at this point, but I have been maintaining for 3 months+).

I have tried to learn what the feeling is, what are the habits that I need, and more, to reach roughly the same amount of caloric input as when I track. I've decided on a plan of taking a week or so off of tracking my food, but keeping up my weight input. I know I need to add a measurement of waist to this as well, as I know that will more quickly show my fitness level change, rather than weight. It's hard, but I know that biology is against me so to speak. My feelings, unaided/unrelated to anything, will yield overeating. I believe it's possible, somehow, to overcome that. But such a sweet prize as freedom from tracking is surely worth working for, as anything truly worthwhile is worth working for.

So, if I knew you personally, I would challenge you to actually go for what you want. And since you're here, I presume that includes some aspect related to a weight goal, either to lose or maintain, or gain muscle/etc. So, I would challenge you to do what works. Don't give up because it's easy to not track. If keeping your weight in a particular range helps you feel better, then find a way to make it happen. Plenty of my family members have regained the weight after a diet. They proclaim it inevitable that regain will happen. I know that if I control what I can control, and make choices to not regain, then I don't see how it is inevitable. I look forward to working more towards maintaining weight without daily tracking!

Also, you asked if we had left mfp & returned due to gained weight, I've stayed w/ MFP for the last 7-8 months or so, unless leaving for a week counts, in which case I did that near xmas as a test of my non-tracking prowess. I'll edit if I forgot a question. I don't count 3 calories for a raisin (is it that much!?), and will even eat if I'm hungry if my # says I'm over. Moreso I try to recognize whether I am feeding my body enough of what it needs. Proteins, fats, vitamins, fiber, water, exercise, & total energy needs, particularly related to exercise and body repair post exercise.

Thanks for reading.

jennifer_417

To be honest, I sort of think of MFP like an alcoholic thinks of AA. If I have to do it the rest of my life...but I don't get Diabetes, or heart disease, and I don't cut my life short due to obesity and the complications that come with it...then I'm ok with that.

capperboy

I use MFP for accountability, I match food intake with my exercise regime.
i have also noticed that over time extra calories creep back into the diet, this way I know my calorie intake.

_Zardoz_

Good for you, said with no ill-will.

However, I'm a little confused by the purpose of this post.

To start an argument?

andit001

MFP is a tool to help you count your calories easier. Treat it as such and don't get emotionally involved with a computer program. Everyone who can count their calories on here could do it on paper or in excel, too. At least after you learned it on here for a while. No reason to use MFP for more than convenience.

As long as I have access to MFP, why should I not use it? Guess what? I use a lot of tools to improve my life. Including screw drivers.

So, I don't understand why one should worry about this.

cakebatter07

1) Do you ever find yourself heartbroken because the little calculator tells you you're 100 calories over goal?

2) Have you left MFP, only to return because without it you gained weight?

3) Do you count down to the last raisin, because that 3 calories is important to you?

1) Not really.

2) Yup.

3) I don't like raisins.

MuseofSong

Do you ever find yourself heartbroken because the little calculator tells you you're 100 calories over goal? Nor really. But, I will admit I worried a bit, but found out the worry was for naught.

Have you left MFP, only to return because without it you gained weight? No. This is the first time I've used it.

Do you count down to the last raisin, because that 3 calories is important to you? Nope. Most of the time I am slightly under calorie goal, sometimes I eat more, and once in a while I am way over. The end week calorie count is what matters most to me.

I will count calories and log them for the rest of my life if that's what it takes to keep my weight off.

^This

And if going over your daily calorie goal on MFP makes you sad, try linking your MFP to Fitbit which will tell you pre-planners out there, like me, that you're overeating ALL DAY LONG. I like my fitbit, but that dashboard is freaking brutal.