Anyone ever use similar sites to MFP?

MissJay75
MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
I have a RL friend (we've been friends for 20 years) who recently decided to use the LoseIt website. She's been super anti-calorie counting for as long as I've known her, and I only wish I could have gotten her on MFP before she got started on Loseit. Now she's landed there, and is familiar with that site, and inputed a bunch of her recipes, and whatnot there. For the sake of her own very fragile journey I want to join there and help motivate, encourage and be accountability for her on LoseIt, but I am loathe to leave MFP. All my foods are inputed here, I have charts and graphs showing my stats for everything so far, and I am on a 107 day logging streak.

I don't think I have the time and energy to double log, and I don't want to lose the tracking from the past 4 months. But I really really want to support my friend. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    You can support her in other ways than joining the same site surely?!
  • greenmonstergirl
    greenmonstergirl Posts: 619 Member
    I used loseit but I only lost 26 pounds in a year and then gained some back and have lost that plus lots more in the year I've been on here.
  • rikracer61
    rikracer61 Posts: 208
    I used loseit also but the food database on MFP is WAY better
  • Becoming_A_Butterfly
    Becoming_A_Butterfly Posts: 2,534 Member
    I have used BuddySlim (the website is no longer maintained) and SparkPeople. MFP is my favorite, by far.

    I wouldn't make food logging a chore by trying to double-log to support your friend. If you prefer MFP, then keep using it.
  • Jerseygrrl
    Jerseygrrl Posts: 189 Member
    Maybe you could spend some time with her and make it a team effort to get her recipes and foods entered on MFP? It's terrific that you're supporting her. We all need that. Don't let that turn into inadvertently sabotaging yourself by trying to keep up with two sites.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    You can support her in other ways than joining the same site surely?!

    Yes, of course. But I was really hoping to friend her on LoseIt so I can easily see her progress every day, and know the best way to encourage without sounding like a nag.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    I used loseit also but the food database on MFP is WAY better

    Yeah I was messing around on LoseIt and noticed this. It would be a HUGE pain to try and transfer all my stuff there.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    I used loseit but I only lost 26 pounds in a year and then gained some back and have lost that plus lots more in the year I've been on here.

    Was it the website/community that made such a difference for you? What about MFP helped you to be more successful;?
  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
    can you be on loseit, but not log anything?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I use both MFP and LoseIt!, but I have a lot of down time to double log my foods. You could always join LI to support your friend and not bother logging food.
  • heavenridge
    heavenridge Posts: 13 Member
    I see no reason to use anything but MFP. Lol
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    Maybe you could spend some time with her and make it a team effort to get her recipes and foods entered on MFP? It's terrific that you're supporting her. We all need that. Don't let that turn into inadvertently sabotaging yourself by trying to keep up with two sites.

    I had originally thought about doing exactly that, but after talking with her, I realize what a tremendous emotional effort it was for her to join LoseIt. (She has a lot of anxiety around weight loss and calorie counting) I think it would be destroy the little confidence she has gained by switching her over. I know I'm in a stronger more stable place than she is, so I don't mind a little sacrifice for a friend, but you are absolutely right that I can't let it unintentionally ruin my own efforts. I am a little afraid of this.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    She will be able to make new friends on the other site who can keep her motivated - you could just be supportive friend offline? She may even prefer doing the whole logging and posting thing with people that don't know her in 'real life' I quite liked the anonymity at first. Ought you to feel the need to 'keep an eye on her'? - just compliment her on her success and share recipes, exercise ideas etc Offer to be an exercise buddy - that may be a fun way to support each other
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    I use both MFP and LoseIt!, but I have a lot of down time to double log my foods. You could always join LI to support your friend and not bother logging food.

    I like this idea! Do you think that could really work? Would it be weird to have a whole blank LI account? I think in some ways that might be good for my friend too, so she won't be comparing her success to mine and get discouraged.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    She will be able to make new friends on the other site who can keep her motivated - you could just be supportive friend offline? She may even prefer doing the whole logging and posting thing with people that don't know her in 'real life' I quite liked the anonymity at first. Ought you to feel the need to 'keep an eye on her'? - just compliment her on her success and share recipes, exercise ideas etc Offer to be an exercise buddy - that may be a fun way to support each other

    We talked for over an hour today about how I could help her best. Thank you for considering her privacy, I was thinking the same thing, maybe she wouldn't want someone sitting over her shoulder. But she said she would really like it if I joined LI.
  • lisavgagne
    lisavgagne Posts: 28 Member
    I used to use MyNetDiary and LOVED it. But I have a good friend who I am supporting (she asked me to join MFP) here and I have grown to really like MFP. If you have a friend who doesn't like MFP I would highly recomment MyNetDiary - but don't know much about other apps/websites.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    Thanks for all your ideas suggestions everyone. I decided to continue logging everything in detail here on MFP, and to just log things as quick calories on LI. I'll still log workouts and weigh ins on both sites.
  • mikegerber1
    mikegerber1 Posts: 38 Member
    I used weight watchers etools for a while... MFP has a more complete database for food and exercise. I got frustrated by not finding things and if you misspelled something, forget about it! I've been going to the meetings and preaching MFP. I still get the reason for their "power foods" which are really fruits, veggies, and the like but I still like the way MFP keeps those foods accountable. I've had success with both systems but was having some success on my own before. The biggest thing for me is just LOGGING. Log everything!