does myfitnesspal work for YOU!?

Thomasm198

No. It doesn't work at all. {points downwards to my ticker}

MFP is a tool. It works if you use it the correct way, don't lie to yourself and log everything properly.

SmartFunGorgeous

It is an awesome too,, but you have to putthe work in. I've found the biggest thing has been the support of my friends. Also, joining contests has motivated me.

It is not accurate with it's predictions for me, However. It takes me about twice as long to reach where it predicts, but as long as I'm losing, I'm okay with that.

Luandanielle1979

I absolutley heart this programme its amazing. Im healthier than I have been i ages x

LorinaLynn

The site doesn't work... YOU make it work!

It's a tool, like any hammer or screwdriver. If you pick it up and use it correctly, it does what it's supposed to do. But there's nothing magical about the site or it's plan. It's just basic math.

There *is* something magical in having amazing supportive friends, though.

kristinkt

MFP works for me. The other day my MIL was asking me if I could eat what we were having for supper (Zucchini Lasagna). I told her I can have whatever I want. I just don't eat as much of some things. And that is how I feel.

It is great seeing the motivators from other MFPers. One that put things in perspective for me was to think of food in terms of how much it costs (calorie wise). So a piece of cake is costly while veggies are less expensive. This helps me budget my food for the day. I have been losing about 7 pounds a month which is in line with the prediction. I love that I can plug in my recipes and eat what everyone else is eating.

This is doable as a way of life. Eating a prescribed 2 week plan that you repeat of foods you don't even like was not the way for me. Blech! This plan adjusts to fit me instead of me adjusting to fit it. That is not to say I didn't have to make changes, because I am making better choices. However, I feel like the power is within me instead of a set of rules being put on me to follow and that eventually fail. I don't feel like a failure this time around.

Making new friends with weight loss goals and joining the challenges have really helped me!!!

HMonsterX

Also one more thing, do you actully wieght that much in 5 weeks or close to there?

I actually made a note once of the "you'd weigh X in 5 weeks." It said i'd weight 208 lbs in 5 week mid september, which equated to October 20th. I was currently 221 lbs

On October 20th i was 211 lbs, so it was pretty close.

Gatekeep

I log everything and weigh myself often.I have to credit a significant increase in physical activity to my success so far.

johnallen12

It has worked for me. I've been doing this for about a year, combining the food logging with exercise, and have gone from 198 lbs down to 169 which is pretty darn close to my target weight; And recent studies that have been in the news point to the methods used in MFP, namely keeping a daily log of what you eat and exercising, to have more consistent and long term effects than just dieting. MFP isn't a diet, it's more of a lifestyle change. I'm sure you could do the same with any other method of tracking your food, but this website makes it fairly painfree to do so. The main thing, I think, with achieving any long term goal, is to realize that it takes multiple small steps to get there. Don't do MFP if all you're looking for is a quick 5 week fix. But if you want to look and feel better a year from now, or 2, or more, then get started. After all, in a year, you'll still be a year older, but where do you want to be? Good luck.

Lesliecs

It's been working great for me.... better than most other plans I've tried and it is free! I've lost 20 lbs. since July.... slowly but surely. I love being able to track my calories and exercise online and never have had any real problems at all. There are some things that could make this website better, of course, but I'm not going to complain because it IS free and is IS working for me! I think Mike has done a great job of providing us with the tools we need for our journey and the friends I have made and the support we all get is amazing!

And the "you will weight in 5 weeks" has been pretty accurate for me most of the time.

Cosmic_Unicorn

MFP is the ONLY thing that has worked for me.

fiberartist219

Myfitnesspal works. I followed it for a little over a month. I didn't always stick to my calorie goals, because I was really freakin hungry. I did log everything though. It wasn't hard to log food, since I have the phone app. It's pretty easy to log wherever you are if you have that.

After about a month I lost 5 lbs, but I was really tired and hungry and fell off the wagon for a couple months. I gained back 3 of those pounds.

A few weeks ago, I decided to re-evaluate. I got off a couple of medicines that have weight gain listed as side effects. Those three pounds, plus a couple more just fell off. I am not nearly as hungry as I used to be. I am not currently logging my calories, but I do make an effort to eat healthy foods. This time, it's much easier.

So, the moral of my story is that yes, Myfitnesspal works, but there are many other factors that can affect your weight loss other than calories and exercise. There are motivational/emotional aspects and aspects to your metabolism, like hormones or medications, that can greatly affect whether or not you succeed at losing weight.

If you stick to the program, it works, but try to look at all the areas of your life to see if there is anything that might be making things more difficult for you.

llkilgore

It most definitely worked for me!

Logging was difficult for the first few weeks, because I wasn't used to weighing or measuring everything so precisely, but mostly because I wasn't used to a healthy diet. It had been a long time since I'd been in the habit of cooking real food 2 or 3 times every day and that was a big hassle in the beginning even though I enjoyed the food. There were a lot of changes in a short time, but by the end of the first month it was all just a normal part of my daily routine.

I came pretty close to hitting the 5 week prediction most weeks, perhaps because I used that as an indicator of whether or not I was eating back the right percentage of exercise calories. For most of my weight loss phase MFP was set up for a 1 pound/week loss, the elliptical machines at the gym provided my primary cardio, and eating back 2/3rds of my exercise calories kept me almost exactly on target. Evidently I burned fewer calories on the elliptical than either MFP or the gym would have had me believe. Toward the end I switched to running for my cardio and needed to increase my calories. I'm in maintenance now, run 3 or 4 times a week, and have to eat back 100% of my exercise calories - and then some - to keep my weight up.

cuddlyrunner

Using MFP has kept me on track for the longest time ever! The best thing about it for me is that this week I'm off work and tomorrow we go away to stay with various friends and family for the week.
I have simply set my calorie goals for maintenance this week and I feel guilt free now when I log the extras that I know I will have as I'm eating at other people's homes.
Use the site honestly and log everything!

Mrrwmoo

MFP has helped me log in my calories and keep better track. I no longer have to guesstimate and add it all up in my head x3.

SaddyPants

It really works for me when I put in a little effort as well. The last month or so I haven't really seen any weight loss because I have been sort of slacking, but now that I'm back on track I've lost two pounds this week!

This is the only thing that has worked for me because it is the only thing I have really stuck with.

foremant86

yes very much so!

i do not find it difficult to log food ever, i find it very simple, even when I am out and about because i can use the app on my phone

poulingail

@Gatekeep introduced me to MFP and like him I try to log everything. I have also been getting more exercise in. The accountability is the big thing. When you have to log everything, you think about why you're not eating something you crave and why you go out of your way to fit that exercise in. One thing I can't speak to is whether the predictions about the 5 week weight loss are accurate. Every night it tells me what I will weigh in 5 more weeks. What did it predict when I started 5 weeks ago? I don't remember that number.

concidedgirl4

i barely started 1 week ago.....do u guys know when will i see my first result?

btw-congrats to all u who have lost weight!

CMmrsfloyd

MFP doesn't work for me.

I work for MFP. LOL It says 'jump', I say 'how high' and then I do it. LOL It tells me how much to eat, I stick as close to that as possible, and then it motivates me to exercise so I can get it to tell me to eat more. LMAO Yes, it definitely works. I've lost almost 29 lbs in less than 6 months, almost 75% to my ultimate goal, feeling better than ever and people can tell I've been working hard.

karynspeace

Honestly, for me, NO, it hasn't done much in way of weight loss BUT it does keep me accountable to eat healthier and be more conscious of my choices. I am dealing with hormone issues right now so my only goal is to not GAIN any more weight. The encouragement here is awesome though!