Has anyone lost weight using mfp and gained it back

SabrinaLily

I just posted about this today. I went to change my starting weight (because I'm starting over for the millionth time this year) and as I was scrolling, I saw I was 20 pounds lighter on 4/18/13. WOW! I had been tracking and losing and was down TWENTY pounds. But yes, I got lazy, stressed, whatever and stopped tracking and dieting and here I am, heavier than ever. I think MFP is an AMAZING tool but don't let progress go to your head and think you're "cured" and can eat whatever now (at least that was my mistake).

silentKayak

Not using MFP, but with other methods, yes.

Now I can see that monitoring weight is like balancing your checkbook. You have to do it forever. There's no magic moment when you can suddenly use your gut feeling to tell how much money you have in the bank. So I don't plan to gain back what I lose here.

Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes. Except for the days when I spend all day d-cking around on the boards...

ajnb88

Not using MFP, but with other methods, yes.

Now I can see that monitoring weight is like balancing your checkbook. You have to do it forever. There's no magic moment when you can suddenly use your gut feeling to tell how much money you have in the bank. So I don't plan to gain back what I lose here.

Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes. Except for the days when I spend all day d-cking around on the boards...

I stopped tracking for a good few months, and instead used the habits that I'd developed to just be more sensible day to day, and to be honest, it did work - I maintained my weight, and didn't feel stressed or hungry etc. Having said that, I did realise that I wasn't where I wanted to be quite yet, and decided to start tracking again - since then I've lost more fat, gained more muscle, and I'm happy with the direction I'm heading in

Sabine_Stroehm

I only have few pounds to lose until I reach my goal .It feels amazing being lighter and fit into my skinny jeans again. However, i am still going to track my calories when I reach my goal. Has anyone reach their goal and gained all back ? Was it because you stopped tracking and got too comfortable ?

Regardless of the approach to losing weight, the vast majority put the pounds back on. This is due in large part to talking a good talk about lifestyle change, but really, ultimately failing to implement such a change.

I'm not talking about logging and keeping a diary either...that's not the lifestyle change in my book. The lifestyle change comes from developing healthful habits while you are using that you ultimately take into maintenance...and this is where people go wrong. They lose the weight and then just fall back into old eating habits, stop exercising, etc...and then they are surprised that they gained all the weight back.

Proper, solid nutrition doesn't stop just because you lost the weight...really, the difference between maintaining weight and losing weight is only a handful of calories...that's it. I don't log and have maintained for going on around a year and a half as such...but I'm always mindful of what I'm eating...I don't mindlessly eat...I don't eat a whole lot of "junk"...I keep a rough tally in my head...and I make sure I exercise regularly. Failing to do any of that would likely cause me to start putting the pounds back on.

I would also add that I continue to monitor my weight...I am generally anywhere from 180 - 185 Lbs with natural weight fluctuations with my average being around 182ish. If I start to see a little uptick in the trend and start to see my average go up by a pound or two I evaluate what I'm doing and I can usually pinpoint something either in my diet or exercise that I'm doing differently...so I just cut that out and drop those couple pounds no big deal. But you have to keep on top of it.

SO MUCH THIS ^^^^^^^^

dazwan

I've been using MFP for several years now, I lost lots and thought it was the exercise and healthy eating, but it turned out to be an overactive thyroid. With treatment it then went underactive and I piled most of what I'd lost over a 12 month period back on and then an additional 10+ lbs within the space of about 2 months! Wonky thyroid is not a nice thing to have and makes a mockery of counting calories as your whole metabolism just refuses to adhere to the normal rules.

Since then I've struggled with weight management, if I lose sight of my calories or stop exercising for a week or two I can easily put on 7lbs without trying.

At the moment I'm on a downward trend (and my hyperthyroidism is in remission). My weight loss at the moment appears to be mainly due to a huge calorie deficit thanks to lots of cycling, plus avoiding stodgy meals and bread seems to help. On the days I don't cycle I just about remain constant. The hard parts are the holidays as I stop exercising and there are lots of unhealthy meals, my normal daily food routine goes out the window and I get lazy and sit around too much.

DawnieB1977

I gained some back...but I had a baby I continued to log all through pregnancy, and exercise, but unfortunately still gained.

soinfinite

At 19 I weighed in at around 320. I was able to get down to about 270, which is a 50 pound weight loss.
Unfortunately, when November came around, I got really lazy and stopped logging. Then with holidays, and nights out with my "friends", I quickly gained back not just 50 pounds, but 70 pounds. Now I'm 22, and starting again. I've lost 30 pounds so far, and definitely don't plan on quitting ever again.

I feel like some people can handle doing it on there own, but mfp is very motivational for me. It keeps me in line, so to speak.

Beckilovespizza

Congrats on your near goal!! I got thin and then got fat again!! This was pretty much due to getting to goal for a holiday to Italy and zero will power. Ding-ding round two and hopefully the weight will go and stay off as my clothes are too tight lol! I have learnt my lesson and will defo not regain this time round.

msf74

I only have few pounds to lose until I reach my goal .It feels amazing being lighter and fit into my skinny jeans again. However, i am still going to track my calories when I reach my goal. Has anyone reach their goal and gained all back ? Was it because you stopped tracking and got too comfortable ?

Regardless of the approach to losing weight, the vast majority put the pounds back on. This is due in large part to talking a good talk about lifestyle change, but really, ultimately failing to implement such a change.

I'm not talking about logging and keeping a diary either...that's not the lifestyle change in my book. The lifestyle change comes from developing healthful habits while you are using that you ultimately take into maintenance...and this is where people go wrong. They lose the weight and then just fall back into old eating habits, stop exercising, etc...and then they are surprised that they gained all the weight back.

Proper, solid nutrition doesn't stop just because you lost the weight...really, the difference between maintaining weight and losing weight is only a handful of calories...that's it. I don't log and have maintained for going on around a year and a half as such...but I'm always mindful of what I'm eating...I don't mindlessly eat...I don't eat a whole lot of "junk"...I keep a rough tally in my head...and I make sure I exercise regularly. Failing to do any of that would likely cause me to start putting the pounds back on.

I would also add that I continue to monitor my weight...I am generally anywhere from 180 - 185 Lbs with natural weight fluctuations with my average being around 182ish. If I start to see a little uptick in the trend and start to see my average go up by a pound or two I evaluate what I'm doing and I can usually pinpoint something either in my diet or exercise that I'm doing differently...so I just cut that out and drop those couple pounds no big deal. But you have to keep on top of it.

SO MUCH THIS ^^^^^^^^

All of the above.

Some people get it. Some people end up getting it eventually. Some people never end up getting it - don't be that person.

zeal26

I stopped tracking and weighing for a month and gained 7lb (some of that was water weight to be fair). I really seem to need the routine of MFP to keep on top of things. Otherwise I start telling myself the calories in x don't matter or ''just for today...'' and it just spirals.

NatalieLJ

Yeah, I lost about a stone this time last year, kept it off for a few months, then summer happened, I fell off the wagon, ate everything I wanted, stopped logging and exercising, and it all crept back on.
Back on the wagon again now and losing again. I expect even if/when I do hit my target weight I'll probably always have to log to maintain and not begin that downwards spiral again.

75in2013

I have lost weight several times and gained it back again. (Last time I lost ~25kg with MFP and gained 9kg back.)

I find losing weight much easier than maintaining.

Usually I reach my goal. But after a while bad habbits return.

I have no time how to stop this process. But at least the intervals that I maintain my weight get longer and I start a proper diet earlier.

emmacken

I lost about 25 lbs a few years ago and then stopped using MFP. I gained all of it back plus 10 lbs in about 3 years. As I gained weight, it was in places different from where I lost it, so while I could still fit into those smaller pants I had lusted after, my stomach started to grow. It wasn't until my pants felt snug that I hopped on the scale and saw what had happened. I'm planning on staying with MFP for the rest of my weight loss and eventual maintenance.

GatorDeb1

I've gone for stretches of time without using MFP and stayed at a normal weight. I haven't gone over 140 lbs and 145 is the overweight cutoff for me 5'4", 230 lbs to 117 lbs). I go through cycles of using it and not using it and have gained weight using it and lost weight not using it.

tl;dr For me there's no correlation between weight and MFP use :bigsmile:

colekath

Never stop tracking! I notice an immediate difference on the scale and in how I feel if I stop tracking for several days. The key to keeping it off is to stay accountable.

Mexicanbigfoot

I only have few pounds to lose until I reach my goal .It feels amazing being lighter and fit into my skinny jeans again. However, i am still going to track my calories when I reach my goal. Has anyone reach their goal and gained all back ? Was it because you stopped tracking and got too comfortable ?

Yes, I've lost weight using MFP.

Yes, I gained (most of) it back.

Yes, it was because I stopped tracking. Specifically, it was because I didn't retrain myself how to eat to maintain. When we lose weight, we learn to eat at a calorie deficit. When we hit our goal weight, we have to learn how to eat at maintenance. That's what I'm in the process of doing now - learning to eat at maintenance.

Me too. I lost a little over 40 pounds last go round with MFP and I got into a funk and quit logging and I gained most of it back. I know that I am not one of those people who is going to be able to reach a goal weight and stay there without serious work. So, I plan to keep using MFP long after I reach my goal weight.

Good luck with your journey and congrats on your progress!!

shelbikinz

I did lose several pounds by using MFP, as well as Runkeeper, and sadly, I did gain it all back. I stopped tracking, stopped running, and started munching.

I fell into a "who cares" attitude brought on by depression that I've fought since I was a pre-teen. I'm back on the wagon though, as they say.

Good luck to everyone here. Hope it all goes well for you.

-Shelbi

scrittrice

I only have few pounds to lose until I reach my goal .It feels amazing being lighter and fit into my skinny jeans again. However, i am still going to track my calories when I reach my goal. Has anyone reach their goal and gained all back ? Was it because you stopped tracking and got too comfortable ?

Regardless of the approach to losing weight, the vast majority put the pounds back on. This is due in large part to talking a good talk about lifestyle change, but really, ultimately failing to implement such a change.

I'm not talking about logging and keeping a diary either...that's not the lifestyle change in my book. The lifestyle change comes from developing healthful habits while you are using that you ultimately take into maintenance...and this is where people go wrong. They lose the weight and then just fall back into old eating habits, stop exercising, etc...and then they are surprised that they gained all the weight back.

Proper, solid nutrition doesn't stop just because you lost the weight...really, the difference between maintaining weight and losing weight is only a handful of calories...that's it. I don't log and have maintained for going on around a year and a half as such...but I'm always mindful of what I'm eating...I don't mindlessly eat...I don't eat a whole lot of "junk"...I keep a rough tally in my head...and I make sure I exercise regularly. Failing to do any of that would likely cause me to start putting the pounds back on.

I would also add that I continue to monitor my weight...I am generally anywhere from 180 - 185 Lbs with natural weight fluctuations with my average being around 182ish. If I start to see a little uptick in the trend and start to see my average go up by a pound or two I evaluate what I'm doing and I can usually pinpoint something either in my diet or exercise that I'm doing differently...so I just cut that out and drop those couple pounds no big deal. But you have to keep on top of it.

This, especially this part: "really, the difference between maintaining weight and losing weight is only a handful of calories." When I switched from a 500-calorie deficit to a 250-calorie deficit, I realized that the only difference between losing 1/2 pound a week and maintaining was a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream a day. And the difference between maintaining and slowly gaining is equally small. I plan to track on maintenance for a while, then taper off of tracking eventually, but I'm not in any hurry to stop.

jbse26

Yes, like many others i have lost and gained with MFP- i do not think it is true that in terms of maintenance teh method of weight loss makes a difference to the success rate of keeping it off. i lost 40lbs doing it slow and steady (3-4 lbs a month) then put back on 56! This time i have lost 40 since May 2014 - at 1kg a week loss and it feels much more manageable and i don't believe the hype over slow and steady any longer - as long as you do not drastically undereat which is totally a different issue.

For me, I did not fall off the wagon because i stopped logging, rather i stopped logging because everytime i checked in i was putting on weight and got despondent as it felt i was not in control. I am still trying to think that one through as i am worried it could happen again. So basically, good luck but for me logging, though necessary, will not keep me on track by itself..We can all lose weight, but the stats show that keeping it off is the real challenge and I think it's great you are thinking of how to manage that now.

oxnina

Yes, I lost 20 lbs, and then gained 40 back. It's heartbreaking

The one thing that I didn't do. Was realize that if you have a few bad days, to not give up, but to get back on track.

This time, I'm going to lose it all, and properly increase my calories to maintain, while still tracking

I don't think I'll be a life tracker, but I will be more aware that if I want something not so healthy, I need to burn it off, or reduce calories else where

Good luck!