Using fitness pal for a lifestyle change?

laurenalison

Does anyone have any advice on using fp and not becoming too obsessed with food and weight? I have found that fp has been a great too for me, but now all I can think about are the amount of calories in everything. If you don' t allow yourself a small treat from time to time or just eat in moderation the diet will fail. So has anyone had success with using fp for a lifestyle change without depriving yourself of everything? If so how did you keep that mindset?

Dootzy1

I have to accept this fact of life. Because of my body's true needs, I can eat anything I want. But I can't eat "as much as I want" whenever I want it. It has to be in balance, because the more nutritious choices are higher quality fuel that provide me with more energy . So I tell myself!!! We can only take it one day at a time. Rather overused phrase, but true.

gloryrest

I'm on here as a tool first and support second. Unfortunately, here on the message board I've learned that some folks are not very friendly or sound. I am using mfp as a tool/aid in a healthier lifestyle not an obsession. Basically I don't do too much reading on mfp and I all out ignore some of my friends that are higher achievers and have way distant goals than mine. I eat and do as I please with moderation and recording. I'm leaning more toward eating from the earth (fruits/veggies/nuts, etc.) without being harshly critical or obsessed. You just have to do it for you and know what you want and need for you. Everything else is extra- mfp

1a1a

In fully understanding what impact different foods will have on my over all energy intake, I have found myself confident to eat just about anything just some things now get eaten in small quantities or very rarely (for example, I limit the cheese on my pasta to one serve instead of half the block, mmm cheese, for another example, if I get to the end of dinner and half a spare 150 calories and a bit of a craving, I may treat myself to some dark chocolate where as in the past, I would have avoided it). You're welcome to gawk at my diary to see one way of approaching weight loss (I ended up deciding I was happy to lose slooooow and willing to exercise lots to eat more)

I also am picking up on the notion of more vegetables with everything and cooking at home yields much better meals.

Natalie43

I tend to focus on the exercise/fitness side of things and diarise that more than food.
However i have achieved most of my weight loss goal so maybe that is why i dont obsess so much on the food side of things...

LATeagno

If you really don't want to focus on calories but want to focus more on your macros and fiber (as well as exercise), maybe you could just remove calories from your counter?

adamsonam

I have only been here 30 days but I have had pretty decent success and I refuse to deprive myself. Just yesterday I had 2 regular reese's cups with my lunch. Just gotta do everything in moderation. I have changed my eatting habits alot since starting this and for the better. I haven't allowed myself to become obsessed with it although I am conscious about it. I try to just plan my day ahead which allows me to see how much wiggle room I will have for a treat.

Good luck and feel free to add me if you'd like.

missikay1970

well i haven't been doing this very long, my new lifestyle healthy-choices change only began august 1. so just wanted to say that my advice is working so far, and hopefully will continue, but i am by no means an expert.

i find MFP to be a wonderful tool and i have already learned alot about calories, etc. that i never knew before (plus i never cared before!) my husband and i will now guess the calories in a food (usually something naughty like a cupcake or pie, etc.) and we can usually get with a few calories of being correct. beforehand, i would have had no idea. we also added up one day the amount of calories i had in one day before starting this plan. a "typical" day was about 3,000 calories. and that was NOT 3,00 calories of fruits veggies & whole grains! that was take-out, drive-thru CRAP! just KNOWING what i was putting in my body and actually seeing in black&white the numbers has really gone a long way to help my overall lifestyle.

i've had two days since august 1 where i have eaten anything i want for a meal. (chili dog, cheeseburger, onion rings, etc.) those have been the only two days i've had a Coke to drink. (i used to drink 2-3 per day!!!) the 2nd time i had my "cheat" day, i actually didn't enjoy it too much. the first couple of bites were heavenly, but honestly, i could have been fine with those two bites and stopped there. it's like my body is starting to reject all that food that i once craved. i have passed-up cake on numerous occastions, it doesn't really even appeal to me anymore. for me, having my body do without all that has helped me to crave more healthy things. i think if i still allowed "one small piece of pie here" or "one small cupcake there" i would still be hanging on to those old ways. there is nothing wrong with that for some people, but for me, i kind of have this attitude of "all or nothing" and so far, it's working well for me.

to not get obsessed, i take one day off per week from MFP & the gym. that doesn't mean i can eat everything in sight! i just don't log-in and i dont' go to the gym and i just relax and not count calories for that one day. i still eat healthy and i still have it in my mind to make the right choices, but i just need a day to not have to log-in and worry about every little thing. and again, i plan "cheat/treat" days where i can eat one meal of anything i like. i plan one per month. my next one is set for October and my cousin is having her wedding shower, so i plan to have my treat day on that day so i can have cake and all the yummy food my aunts are making. until then, i stick to my healthy eating plan!

good luck to you!

dancingj2

Part of why I am using this site is to find balance in my life. Tracking my food and my exercise helps to realize that I am now usually eating a reasonable amount and exrecise almost everyday. Sometimes I have days I eat more than I should and some days I exercsie more than I eat.

I think its ok to be obssesed with calories for a while as you adjust to a new lifestyle. Hopefully the obsession turns into a just an awareness of how what you are eating will effect your body. I know last night I had lean chicken and lots of veggies for dinner. All great for me! But I wanted ice cream too and since I still had calories left I indulged and enjoyed it. If I knew I had used up my calories I would be more likley to not have the ice cream.

I hope some of this helps!