Outgrowing MFP

newarkco05

Years ago I lost 50 pounds with a notebook and pen. It can work, I just like being able to pull the app up on my phone and enter the food. However, with some discipline and motivation it can be done without mfp it is just a nice tool.

climberchic

I agree. I think this is an awesome website for just letting you see how much you take in and what it takes to burn it off. Think of it as something fun and not work!

tuneses

I use it off and on now. I have a handle on what my staples are for food and exercise. I log some days to help others with ideas.

cclark1203

Think of it this way...this is NOT a weight loss site. It's a fitness site. Will you be into being fit and healthy and want good tools and information and peers with which to identify with? It's not about learning how to lose weight then quitting.

This is exactly the way I see this site too.

emergencytennis

Has anyone ever felt like this? I feel it sometimes and although I am no where near my goal I have often wondered how long one goes before leaving? If you an learn to track your own calories and maintain or even sometimes just loose weight on your own why stay? Has anyone else mulled the idea of logging off for good? What makes you stay?

Will you ever "out grow" good health? I think people fail because they have "Stinhkin' Thinkin" By that I mean they stop doing what works and go Back to what don't, and they expect success. And wonder what happened when they regain weight .

It makes Me sick every time somebody comes BACK saying..."I'm back, I left...now I am doing it again." I say, NO ONE MISSED YOU, nor care that You are back! AND only idiots will continue to "Motivate" people like you that leave and come back over and over, just be quiet and DO what you need to Do, and do not expect people to pick you up.

So if you leave, and come back, just try to help others who want good health. Just be a good listener and give less advice because you didn't Learn anything before.

This sounds harsh.

If anyone has left and come back, then good on you, and I wish you health and happiness.

tinydancer24

Its nice to see other people's commitments to MFP. I have logged on for 55 days in a row now and I thought maybe I was being slightly OCD but I am at 95% of my goal so it seems to be working for me. I don't think I will ever leave! MFP Rocks!!!

I've been here 507 consecutive days now, at 90% of my weight loss goal, but happy with maintaining. There have been times where I thought, meh, but that's rarely anything to do with MFP.

The most important thing for achieving fitness and health is commitment - you have to want to do it. If MFP can help you keep that commitment, then stick with it. If it hinders your commitment, dump it.

I suspect, it's your commitment that's wavering.... work on that and keep logging it here!

jolson1375

Personally, I think I would continue to stay even after reaching my goal. Although, I would probably reach a point where I could maintain on my own; I'm also hoping to make friendships/connections with the people I've met on MFP and I would want to be there for them. Plus, once we reach our goals, we could be such inspirations to those just starting their journeys. But if it feels bothersome to you, or even if it comes to a point where it's more effort /stress/work to login; then you've certainly outgrown it ... and that's OK too. You should never feel obligated, only welcomed. )

rileysowner

Has anyone ever felt like this? I feel it sometimes and although I am no where near my goal I have often wondered how long one goes before leaving? If you an learn to track your own calories and maintain or even sometimes just loose weight on your own why stay? Has anyone else mulled the idea of logging off for good? What makes you stay?

No. This is the easiest way to count my calories, and for the time it takes this it is the easiest way to maintain what you have lost. I likely will stop using the forums eventually, but the rest of the site, likely not unless I find a better and easier way to do the same thing.

lorjill

No, I can't leave. I don't want to leave. But, that's me.




^^Me Toooooo^^

BridgetForFitness

I agree with you 100% emergencytenn. It is to commended when someone falls and gets back up!

bcattoes

I lost most of my weight before joining MFP so it has never occurred to me that I needed to stay to maintain the loss or lose more. I like logging and find this site very convenient for that. And I like these forums. I suppose I'll leave when those things cease to be of use to me.

EnufAlready

I have only been on MFP for less than a week but I have to say I LOVE IT. It is sooo easy to log your food. I haven't yet found a food that isn't in the database and it's very revealing to be able to go back and review where I made bad choices. I find it motivating and when I think about what to eat I sometimes actually log in both and make a choice based on the macronutrients.

Having said that, I am easily distracted and rarely stick with new things for long - probably if I wasn't like that I'd be slim by now because there are certainly many excellent ways to lose weight but they all take consistent good discipline and decision making. So I may drop off when I get bored or started to feel 'why bother' or start to eat badly and feel lousy. After 61 years I can pretty much guarantee that I won't last a whole year logging every day - but if I continue to feel great and see results, I might.

bcattoes

Will you ever "out grow" good health? I think people fail because they have "Stinhkin' Thinkin" By that I mean they stop doing what works and go Back to what don't, and they expect success. And wonder what happened when they regain weight .

It makes Me sick every time somebody comes BACK saying..."I'm back, I left...now I am doing it again." I say, NO ONE MISSED YOU, nor care that You are back! AND only idiots will continue to "Motivate" people like you that leave and come back over and over, just be quiet and DO what you need to Do, and do not expect people to pick you up.

So if you leave, and come back, just try to help others who want good health. Just be a good listener and give less advice because you didn't Learn anything before.

MFP is not necessary for weight loss. It is simply one of many good tools. Leaving the site does necessarily mean someone's health or weight loss will fail.

You could not possibly know whether a former member was missed. Caring people will motivate friends no matter how many times they stumble. Idiots will berate them for it.

lmelangley

I stay because it's too easy to backslide. And, because I'm lazy - it's easier to count my calories when i don't actually have to count - MFP does it for me. I'm close to my goal weight and may not be so anal about logging every day once I get to where I want to be and maintain for a while, but I don't see leaving MFP for a good long time, personally.

Sweet13_Princess

I think we all get frustrated when we don't see results right away. For most of us, weight loss or toning up is a main goal and when we don't see visible changes in ourselves or on the scale, we're tempted to throw in the towel. However, we all need to remember that being healthy doesn't just include what our bodies look like and weigh in at. Eating well and exercising does a whole lot more for our health!

That being said, I admit that I have logged off of MFP a few months here and there. I've noticed that, without the accountability, I quickly begin to regain weight and skip the gym. My self-esteem goes down a lot and I feel frumpy all of the time. I don't know if I'll ever leave MFP because it's been so helpful to me.

Dunno if that answers your question!

Shannon

NeuroticVirgo

I don't thin I'll ever really leave, but honestly I think I might be on less if I get to a point that I can manage my food. (which I don't see happening for like 5 years...already been at this 1 1/2 and if I go without logging I'll always be over).

moxleymama6

When it starts to feel old, I join a challenge group, & add some new friends. Like a whole new world!

j99li

I dont think I would leave because I have down days where I feel guilty about what I ate or I am feeling bad cuz of my scale and during those down moments, I just want to quit the diet and exercise thing altogether. But then I make a little post and I always get strength from otheres on MFP to keep going.

I think MFP has been my support system so I wouldn't quit, even if I met my goal because I know there are lots of others out there that are like me.

Barneystinson

Has anyone ever felt like this? I feel it sometimes and although I am no where near my goal I have often wondered how long one goes before leaving? If you an learn to track your own calories and maintain or even sometimes just loose weight on your own why stay? Has anyone else mulled the idea of logging off for good? What makes you stay?

Will you ever "out grow" good health? I think people fail because they have "Stinhkin' Thinkin" By that I mean they stop doing what works and go Back to what don't, and they expect success. And wonder what happened when they regain weight .

It makes Me sick every time somebody comes BACK saying..."I'm back, I left...now I am doing it again." I say, NO ONE MISSED YOU, nor care that You are back! AND only idiots will continue to "Motivate" people like you that leave and come back over and over, just be quiet and DO what you need to Do, and do not expect people to pick you up.

So if you leave, and come back, just try to help others who want good health. Just be a good listener and give less advice because you didn't Learn anything before.

Wow, who crapped in your cereal?

I left for a while to try the notebook / portion control route and disliked it. I didn't make much of a show of it, just made my profile private and logged off for a while.

Whoop-de-dee. Maybe some people want to try a different method for a change.

jennajava

I plan to stay after I meet my goal so I can properly maintain.

dreaminghisplan

I had lost 50 pounds when I tracked my calories, I stopped tracking once I was slim again. In 2 years I gradually put all of the weight back on. For me, I think that tracking my calories needs to be a lifelong habit.

silhouettes

What makes me stay is when I think I can judge mysef and eat before logging, then I check to see if I was close.. and I never am... ... So I log what I am eating first then eat... I guess I am bad at judging lol.

emergencytennis

I agree with you 100% emergencytenn. It is to commended when someone falls and gets back up!

Too right.

BeeElMarvin

It's really all about YOU. Most of the people who came to MFP needed something to get them on track and KEEP them on track. If they could do it on their own they would have done so already! MFP hasn't taught me one damn thing that I didn't already know. What it has done is forced me to look long and hard and what I eat, how much I eat and how active I am. I am, more or less in maintenance right now, it helps me to stay somewhere near where I need to be.

lcs1211

I have been on MFP for over 300 consecutive days. I am obsessed I guess, but it is working for me. I plan for MFP to be my lifestyle as long as it is available as it works. I am almost into maintenance, but I know I will always have to log to hold myself accountable (it's all about me). I love MFP and the friends I have made and I will stay as long as it is here! Thanks to all MFP friends and success stories that have helped me along my journey to a new lifestyle!

silvergurl518

i love MFP. it's changed my life. seriously. big, big thank you to @kristelpoole for guiding me here!!!

iplayoutside19

Every time I think I've outgrown MFP....I come back. I've taken two major hiatuses and can never seem to stay on track with out it.

The keyword in MyfitnessPal is fitness. This is a very broad term. So whether you're trying to go from morbidly obese to normal, or train for an Ironman Triathlon MFP has tools that you can use. The membership here reflects that. Really unless you're a professional athlete there is no way to "outgrow" MFP.

emergencytennis

It's really all about YOU. Most of the people who came to MFP needed something to get them on track and KEEP them on track. If they could do it on their own they would have done so already! MFP hasn't taught me one damn thing that I didn't already know. What it has done is forced me to look long and hard and what I eat, how much I eat and how active I am. I am, more or less in maintenance right now, it helps me to stay somewhere near where I need to be.

This was my experience also. When I realised that I had wasted about a third of my calorie allowance on one sausage roll, and I then did not have enough calories left to eat all the calcium or iron I needed, bloody hell. MFP is great for counting stuff.

CoryIda

I passed my goals and only track sporadically to make sure I am staying on track, but the support community on MFP is amazing and I can't imagine not being a part of the MFP family anymore.

LorinaLynn

I'm in maintenance, and it's just as important now to track what I'm eating (even if I don't do it every day) than when I was losing.

I'm determined to stay active and athletic, and while I've gotten a lot better at eating healthy, if I kept up my activity level without logging, I'd probably end up under-eating, or at least not getting the right nutrients.