MFP's most common user pitfall to avoid

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  • lisa_lotte
    lisa_lotte Posts: 216
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    GREAT post!!! Thank you!!!
  • atomdraco
    atomdraco Posts: 1,083 Member
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    True. I put down a number because MFP asking for. But I'm more targeted on body fat %, and being healthy. If I don't get to my "goal" number, but I build up all good muscle mass (lean, toned), I'll be very satisfied. Wish they have a choice for you to use fat % as a goal.
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
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    Bump. Awesome info. Thanks for taking the time to share.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    Great thread!

    I don't have much to lose so lb a week (or half a lb a week as I get closer is fine with me!)

    I picked my goal weight to be exactly in the middle of my happy range 112 - 122lbs is a good range for me so I picked 117lb which was the median average :-)
  • NotAllWhoWanderAreLost
    NotAllWhoWanderAreLost Posts: 615 Member
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    unless you're 18.5 years old, you have no place trying to strive for being like you "were like in high school", IMO :noway:

    secondly, i was just having a similar convo with my husband the other day (he recently joined MFP but is not fully committed to logging yet and is keeping everything private). He said he was way over on his calories and i asked him what his daily target (cals) was and he said it was 12__something and i was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?! What do you have your weight loss goal set as?! And he said 2 pounds a week. Yep. Thats problem #1: don't set your goal to 2lbs a week for the first week or two. You want some time to learn accurate logging, measuring and weighing foods. You want to see how your numbers are working out at the end of the day. How many calories are you typically eating? How big is a serving size? Have you been faithfully reading labels? Are you waaaaay too high in sodium? Are your carbs/protein/fats ratios way out of skew? How are you doing on water consumption? With a goal set to MAINTAIN or LOSS of just 0.5lbs/wk initially, you can take the time to learn all these things without getting frustrated with an attempt to eat too little, be damned what it is, then going over on a 'to hell with it binge' or worse yet: falling off the wagon completely.

    So if you are brand-spanking-new here, first of all, congratulations on taking an important first step. Second, take time to have patience with yourself and the process :)

    thanks for the post!
  • adamstc88
    adamstc88 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for the post. I really started counting my calories and exercising in january and I am only down 3lbs but I know I have lost inches and I feel so much better. I am fitting in clothes that I have not worn in 2 years. My husband keeps telling me to stop looking at the scale.
  • get_it_gone2012
    get_it_gone2012 Posts: 214
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    bump - thanks!

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  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Happy to see all the positive responses, glad I could help guys. Keep it coming, I love hearing the good stories.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    unless you're 18.5 years old, you have no place trying to strive for being like you "were like in high school", IMO :noway:

    I am back to my high school weight and have been here for over 2 years now. Up and down within 10 pounds but at the high end is what I weighed in grade 12, and I turn 32 in march, graduated 14 years ago.
  • usmcpatience
    usmcpatience Posts: 168
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    Amen!
  • live2smyle
    live2smyle Posts: 592 Member
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    fyi, here's a simple height to weight ratio chart for most people (adults).

    not for use with teens and children.

    Please note, this is NOT age adjusted. This is super super super generic. But it's ok if you understand this going in. And know that this is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast law. Some people can be perfectly fine outside this chart!



    height-weight-chart.gif
    Thank you so much for posting this! I am 5'5 but have always been curvy...HS I weighed 145, so like all others I figured I would shoot for that since it was in the "healthy" range. My husband just recently wigged out about it though, saying he thinks 150-155 is good and anything less I would be to skinny for my bone structure...Figuring all this out quite frankly is a bit of torture :/
  • TK266
    TK266 Posts: 3,689 Member
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    My highest high school weight was 163 lbs. I would never want to be that weight again. I like my 190 lbs on my frame now.

    Great post as usual!!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    unless you're 18.5 years old, you have no place trying to strive for being like you "were like in high school", IMO :noway:

    I am back to my high school weight and have been here for over 2 years now. Up and down within 10 pounds but at the high end is what I weighed in grade 12, and I turn 32 in march, graduated 14 years ago.

    I think the point wasn't that someone CAN get to that weight, the point (and I'm making an educated guess here, correct me if I'm wrong) is that, for most people, that weight is probably not going to be the correct weight for them. Maybe you are the exception that proves the rule, or maybe you had more fat in high school but now have less fat but more lean tissue. Dunno. heck, we could all get down to that weight if we wanted and had the right set of conditions, the idea is to be the right weight for you now, not what your "happy weight" was as some far off distant past. In other words, base your goals off realistic, proven concepts, not unsubstantiated ideas and memories.
  • wynencheese
    wynencheese Posts: 1
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    Thanks for the advise. Wrords of encouragement is what keeps us all going.
  • laurenk182004
    laurenk182004 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    I always enjoy your educated advice! Good readin' :heart:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Thank you so much for posting this! I am 5'5 but have always been curvy...HS I weighed 145, so like all others I figured I would shoot for that since it was in the "healthy" range. My husband just recently wigged out about it though, saying he thinks 150-155 is good and anything less I would be to skinny for my bone structure...Figuring all this out quite frankly is a bit of torture :/

    this is why I like ranges. besides giving you some breathing room, it can avoid fights. :cry:

    incidentally I think both of you are wrong, and right. I think you COULD be that weight if you really wanted to (probably, I'm guessing), then again, you could be 155 to. A lot of that depends on muscle mass. You could be 2 dress sizes smaller yet weight 10 lbs more than you do now (theoretically) because the same amount of muscle is about 1/5th the size as fat. In other words, drop 10 lbs of fat of your mid-section (randomly chosen amount) and add 10 lbs of muscle mass and you would probably lose at least a few inches off your waist, yet not lose a pound of body weight.
  • kludwig04
    kludwig04 Posts: 13 Member
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    bump
  • autumn5gabby
    autumn5gabby Posts: 48
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    Thank you for the information. I havent heard this on here. My main focus is being healthy and setting a better example for my kids. Its easy to get caught up in the numbers.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    I picked my weight goal to be around 140 because that is the weight I needed to reach for healthy BMI given my height.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I picked my weight goal to be around 140 because that is the weight I needed to reach for healthy BMI given my height.

    it's a better choice than many I see on here. I'm not a huge BMI fan as it's really not a great measure for individual weight, but as a top end for goals, I'm cool with that. As long as you're aware that it does not factor in muscle mass and once you get close you may need to adjust.

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