Not Using MyFitnessPal.com

keengkong

I have had much success in since starting MyFitnessPal. However, I hope I won't have to calorie count for the rest of my life. Has anyone had experience in transitioning from MyFitnessPal to eating normally without MyFitnessPal. Did you gain the weight back?

Crystalchaos72

Haven't got there yet, but I will keep tracking for life! It is what works, for me it seems crazy to do something "until".....then not keep track of what is consumed daily.....good luck on whatever you decide, but I am keeping up with it when I get there

candistyx

I guess once you have learned what portion sizes are meant to be and how often you can get away with "bad" foods, you can maintain that without micromanaging calories. But you should keep and eye on your weight and reajust if you see upward trending.

CountryGrrrrl

Last time I lost weight (4 yrs ago) I was counting calories in a handwritten journal. When I stopped.... I gained it all back within a year. Counting again, this time on MFP, and I'm smaller than I was last time - 25 lbs down, 25 to go. I think counting and logging is just something I personally will have to do for the rest of my life..... just like I will always have to use a budget book or I overspend.

fitzie63

I can tell you that, as soon as you return to your former lifestyle that you will gain that lost weight back, again and again, then over again. Been there~~~done that X 55 years of it. Each time you gain it back, you will add additional FAT CELLS to your body and more weight than you took off the previous time. That being said, you place yourself into a high risk category of heart disease and/or major strokes. Staying on track and keeping a daily food diary will keep me on track and, YES~~~I will definitely be on here, daily logging, for the rest of my life. No chest cutter will ever mess up my body with open heart surgery.

davidrt

being healthy isnt a 6 week commitment it has to be a way of life, mfp is just a tool, with practice you learn what to eat and how much , but its here why not use it

countrydarling1

MFP WILL BE PART OF THE REST OF MY LIFE!

NikkisNewStart

I'll always count... it only takes a few seconds of my day and having more information to guide my behaviors is better than not having that information in my opinion.

significance

Another option once you're at goal is to track not calories, but servings. E.g. the CSIRO total wellbeing diet (http://www.csiro.au/resources/TWD-checklist.html) has recommendations for how many serves of vegetables per day, how many serves of meat, fish, milk, etc, you should be eating. Or their is the CSIRO healthy heart diet http://www.csiro.au/org/Healthy-Heart-Program.html, which has the option of more carbs and less protein. Neither is necessarily designed for weight loss (you can tailor it for maintenance), both are scientifically backed, and you don't need to buy the books or log everything religiously.

I haven't tried it, but I think I might when I reach my goal. I've lost weight and gained it again too many times in the past.

The other option that I'm considering is just continuing to weigh myself every week. If I go over my goal weight in any one week, I go back to counting calories until I'm under again. That way, I won't be able to gain more than a pound (if I stick to it).

daddyratty

Like CountryGrrrrl and others said, I have resigned myself to using some sort of calorie tracking the rest of my life. It's not invasive, and it's not hard to realize the trade-off.

I weigh and log food for a total of under 10 minutes per day. I'll use 10 minutes.
That's 5 hours per month.
That's 2-1/2 days per year.
That's 25 days every 10 years.
At age 34, I would be happy to have another 50 years of life, 125 DAYS of which will have been spent logging and weighing food.

I'm pretty sure my healthy lifestyle will add far more than a third of a year to my life.

Deal!

Pebble321

Good question, I'm starting to believe that I will reach my goal weight and will have to learn to maintain - I expect that is going to be almost as hard as (if not harder than) losing weight.
My plan, when I get there, is to log for one week on and one week off and see how I go. I admire people who say they will log cals for the rest of their life, but honestly I don't think I will do that.
What I'd like to be able to do is to learn enough about how much nutrition and exercise my body needs and to make that a habit without needing to use MFP every single day. In practice I suspect that I will stop for a while and then come back if I need to. Ask me in 12 months time and I'll tell you how it goes

12by311

I used weight watchers to lose my college weight. I stopped counting pts and kept the weight off for years. Now I'm losing "vanity weight" (didn't gain since college, maintained). Once I get to goal, I won't use a calorie counter. I have full confidence I can keep myself in check.

angela828

I am never going to stop tracking on MFP... I do not think I would have lost 30 (and counting!) pounds without MFP... Whenever I have kids, I'm sure I'll have to lose the weight AGAIN so I would just go back to this anyway even if I did stop.

I'm never stopping because I know I will need this to lose and stay at a healthy weight for the rest of my life. It is not that much of a hassle to me to just plug everything in on my phone app. it's the same as checking my gmail or my facebook daily... just another app to check!

I wish I could say I'd have the will power to maintain my goal weight w/o counting calories but I know I don't.. it's just so easy for me to go back to my old ways. MFP is going to be here until the day I die!!!

RNewton4269

I am hooked on tracking my calories....this is a lifestyle change..and if I have to keep doing it to keep on track. I WILL!

AngieM76

I think I will always use MFP as long as its around. When I reach my goal weight, I dont see myself being as strict about logging but I think I will always log.

msarro

Eventually you get a feeling of where foods are nutritionally - its especially easy if you start eating lots of whole foods. Once you do that it becomes less important to log everything (your mileage may vary).

bluebird321

My opinion is that eating and what you put into your body should always be monitored and regulated. Nutrition is serious business and should never be taken for granted.

keiraev

I would like to think that I will be able to judge what is healthy and unhealthy and remember how many calories certain amounts of exercise burns.

Once I get to maintaining I will try to see how I go without - and then use MFP after I may have put on a couple of spare pounds after a holiday or Christmas for example to get myself back on track.

I think I will miss it though its kind of become part of my daily routine even after 7 wks!

BernieMBurke

I have been in maintenance since the end of November 2010. Since then I've lost an additional 10 lbs. I did track for awhile, but have stopped recently (last couple of weeks). I still weigh myself weekly and my plan is if I jump up too much, I'll start tracking again.

A few things that have really helped me is drinking enough water (usually drink at least 12 glasses), getting lots of exercise (at least 5, usually 6 times a week), and sleep (try to get at least 7 hours every night. Since my initial focus was on losing weight (lost 80 lbs in nine months), I also tracked sodium closely.

bcattoes

I lost more weight before using MFP than after. But I logging my food. I've tried it several times in the past on paper but always gave up because I'd forget to take my log to work, or bring it home from work, then I had to try and remember what I'd eaten. The online thing is great. I don't know how long I'll keep it up but I enjoy it for now and I really enjoy reading these boards.

I wonder how many people would use it if it weren't free.

jpburcham

I find that tracking is necessary for me. Tracking here (for me) is much easier than tracking the new WW Points Plus. Calories are printed on almost everything, and I don't need a calculator.

Remember - Your mileage may vary. !!

kklindsey

I took 3 years to lose my weight and kept it off for 3.5 years, with this bump of a 20lbs gain and I have journalled food for the entire time. I will always journal my food or I will be fat again.

froglegjack

I plan on logging forever. It is easy for me to think I am ok if I don't log. Especially if I just have a bad day and decide that none of those calories counted. The act of logging it even if it is in a hand written journal reminds me of what my goal is. And at maintainance it is to put healthy nutritious food/energy into my body well it is now too but not to lose pounds at maintainance. If I am making any sense with those last two thoughts

dls06

I tried to stop once I reached my goal and gained. There is something about logging foods in everyday that makes you stay on track. I will keep logging on just to maintain. I can't trust myself.
If you meet your goal, stop for a month or so and see if you are able to do it for yourself. If not you can always come back.

Mcctin65

I think I will continue to track. It doesn't take much time and I enjoy the blogs and the friends I have made on MFP. I'm not willing to give that part of sharing up yet if ever!

HeyLisa

I had lost over 100lbs about 8 years ago and kept it off until gaining about 30 back in the past couple of years. It was a slow creep and I allowed it. And here I am...

My plan this time is to keep accountability. When I get to maintenance, I plan to continue to weigh weekly (lol daily is really my compulsion which I do hope to change) and log calories at least every other week to make sure i'm on track and not doing the slide my body has done historically.

This is a really good question!

chrissyh

Yep - that's why I'm logging again!

dothompson

I think this is a tool I will have in my toolbox for the rest of my life. I hope to get to the point that I don't have to log in everyday. That being said, I need to keep myself in check. When my pants start to get tight or I see the scale up 10 pounds, I need to get right back on here and not let things get so out of hand that I need to lose 100 pounds again.

janeosu

I know what you mean, I think about that sometimes too. It's definitely going to be different for each person, for me I think I will need to track what I eat forever. I stopped keeping track for awhile and went way off base! I try to look at it like I can either track the food going into my body or end up having to track blood sugar/insulin later on if I don't. So if I have to pick one, I'll go for doing this