Outgrowing MFP

LoViNlIFe0225

I completely agree! I lost 15 lbs and then logged off and didn't log back on until 11 of it was gained back...and it only took me a couple months to gain it all back!

CyberEd312

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?

I have been on my Journey for 28 months and the very first thing that I learned is that there are no more diets, no more thinking I only have to do this for a little while and then I can go back to the ole me. I finally learned after years of struggling that this is a Lifestyle commitment, anything short of that would just be another failure. I am fairly new to this site (4-5 weeks now) but one would think after losing 285 lbs. I would have it all figured out and the rest is easy. That couldn't be any further from the truth everyday is a new struggle, everyday is a new challenge, to fight the old demon's from rearing their ugly heads and taking back what I have fought so hard to attain. So I wake up everyday and use every tool at my disposal to make sure that I am as successful today as I possible can be. Then I go to bed and do it again tomorrow. My point is no matter how far you have gone on your journey no one will ever be done. You must continue to use the tools that have made you what you are and at the same time continue to strive and try new challenges (me finding MFP for example) and never look back and always continue to put one foot in front of the other..... My 2 cents....... :-)

GreenLifeGirl

Well, I suppose it depends on how you are using MFP and how it fits into your goals/lifestyle.

I moniter and track my finances and stay on budget and have been able to find a whole lot of freedom and accomplishment because of recording things so closely and setting realistic goals...I've become a whole lot healthier financially. Just because I have reached a healthy place financially, doesn't mean I will then stop doing what go me there. It's my lifestyle now! = )

Same thing with my health. The big reason I love MFP is because I am able to track my nutrition and health goals, not merely to lose weight...those goals won't stop when I reach goal...that and I do appreciate the friends I get to know and support along the way!

I wish you the best toward reaching your goal and having a long-term healthy lifestyle!

penrbrown

I left for awhile. I didn't GAIN weight but I stopped losing. It was a good exercise in a way because now I know when I DO reach my goal I will be able to maintain without having to count every single calorie I eat... but I also learned that I can't lose without carefully logging EVERYTHING.

*sigh*

So... back to logging for me. No matter how inconvenient and frustrating I find it.

foremant86

I enjoy having MFP to track my calories, it's easy and quick, so why not?

Yeah i could mentally track my calories throughout the day but i'd most likely forget something or underestimate/overestimate.

I'll probably stick with this site until I meet my goal and maintain it for a while.

Not to mention there is lots of good info on here about healthy living and workouts and what not.

chevy88grl

Actually? Yes. I've considered it more than once to be honest. I've been below my original goal weight for awhile now. I know all about serving sizes, portion control, etc.

I stay because I've been asked by people on my friend's list to stay. I stay because I want to support people and on my bad days, sometimes I need someone else's support too.

We thank people like you chevy.
Its nice to see people who have completed their goals continue on the website. ^.^

At least for ppl like me it gives me hope that it no matter how long it takes that eventually I will get there.

Thank you for your post. I really do appreciate it.

chevy88grl

Actually? Yes. I've considered it more than once to be honest. I've been below my original goal weight for awhile now. I know all about serving sizes, portion control, etc.

I stay because I've been asked by people on my friend's list to stay. I stay because I want to support people and on my bad days, sometimes I need someone else's support too.

I think that make sense. I mean like I said I am no where near my goal but, when you learn the things you need to learn and are successful why stay? I am not saying I am leaving now either I was just curious. Supporting others is a good reason. I might be interpreting wrong but, sometimes I see successful people reposing their pics over and over and it is like that is why they stay. To get the compliments and " inspire". To me unless I was asked for support I am not sure I would stick around. This site gives so many tools to get back to a healthy life but, if you can't go into life on your own...is it more of a crutch?

I stopped logging for awhile because it felt too "obsessive" to me. I've had some health issues and while I didn't gain true weight, it has been a struggle. The people on my friend's list have supported me through those down times and when I've thought about leaving - many have asked me to stay because to them? I'm "real". I don't hide my struggles, when I'm down, etc. They get to see the struggles and changes that you go through in maintenance. I feel like I can still help someone even if I'm at my goal weight. I don't do it for compliments or whatever (I never post any pics on the forums) -- I do it so someone else's journey may be easier than mine was.

wandakc

I want to reach my goal, if I don't keep plugging away @ it and working towards it, I will never reach it !!

tifanietiberio

had to comment. i have only been around mfp for about 6 months- and i can't imagine not logging in daily. for one, i have learned after years and years of using food to comfort and calm myself that if i am not being very conscious of what i am eating, i will derail and quickly. and, i feel a sense of stability here, with checking in daily. it's routine and it is very comforting to me. given the insane year i have had- new job, losing 70+lbs and then losing my mayer- i really do crave the daily interaction on mfp.

and most important, my friends on mfp- and even the people i don't know who chime in on the message boards- keep me going. when i am having a crappy day- whether it is diet related or not, i feel safe venting on mfp. maybe it is the anonymity or maybe it is knowing that many people on here understand how a bad day can turn into some destructive eating patterns, but when i need support and motivation, i find myself coming to mfp to vent, sometimes before i call my "real world" friends.

also, since i am such a competitive weirdo person, i get really into seeing the every 5 days that i have logged in so many days in a row. i am at 165 now, and six months ago i don't know that i could have committed to doing ANYTHING 165 days in a row. except for being miserable...

so that is my long winded way of saying, i have no intention of leaving mfp- no matter what my weight.

but i am a big advocate of people need to do what works for them as individuals, that is really the only way to be consistent with any lifestyle change.

xoxo ~t

Josee76

Maintenance is harder than weight loss... that's why we should all be here. I lost 100lbs on weight watchers 11 years ago... and I still need to track everything I eat.... because maintenance last a lifetime. If I don't track (accountability) I lose and gain the same 25 lbs over and over again....

psmd

I think I would like to always use the logging part of it, but I don't see myself reading or contributing to the forums as much later. For now I'm trying to give it my all. But later I will back off. The logging however is key and I think it could (maybe should) be done forever. I know myself and seeing the numbers in black and white makes me think about what I'm putting in my mouth all the time.

enithermon

Hi there!

I just started myself. I've only been on about 3 months, but I've changed my eating habits and exercise habits in major ways thanks to the site. For me it's about making weight loss fun. I hate anything dreary or boring, and this site makes it a game for me. I can 'level' up the way I would a video game character. If I couldn't see the details of my progress and have reports to track, and a break down of what I eat and how it affects me, I know I wouldn't be able to continue. I become apathetic about it and am easily distracted, so this motivates me to move forward while making it fun.

I don't usually interact with others though, so I can't comment on the issues of support, or as you hinted, showing off.

But, I see it as a tool not a crutch. Is your washing machine a crutch? or your day planner? Just because they make certain tasks faster and easier? It's something you use so that you can do what you want. I found nothing fun or entertaining about losing weight, so I didn't. This, however, I do get a right kick out of...so it works, and that's why I know I'll continue to stay.

I think you might be looking at this as some form of 'cheating,' as though you should be able to do this on your own without any form of help. But again, that's like saying your day planner is cheating because it remembers your appointments and provides handy compartments with which to organize your time. One might ask, now that you can see how everything is organized, how to block out your day and remember details, shouldn't they be able to stay on top of it all themselves, or at least create their own day planner by hand? Ok, but why bother when there is this handy little pre-made thing that does it for you so you have time and brain space to focus on other things.

But that's just my opinion.

KokomoJoe

I did leave in March. I had gone from almost 290 to 256 in under 3 months, I thought I had all of this figured out and it would continue. Without logging on, working on meal plans, logging exercise and food I put 20 lbs back on in the next 6.

Once again I am moving the right way, still almost 30 lbs lighter than when I started and hopefully will get to where I want to be. I need to log food, know that I am over my calories or how much I am under. I have actually had days when I was way under so I want to know what I ate because I am usually not hungry. I have found easy meals that are nutrient dense and not calorie dense but if I didn't have the log to go back to I would be wondering "What did I eat that day?"

To each his own, but my 2 cents.

Queen_Christine

I will stay till I can't type anymore.... So I won't ever get lazy and go back to where I was last year!

gbers

"This day (of maintenance) is the first day of another 365 day journey around the sun.
Enjoy the trip."

I can understand your angst in the beginning of your weight loss journey. But I can tell you from the heart, at least for me, that if you stop, once you do hit your goal and go on maintenance, that if you quit mfp, you WILL gain it all back. I have learned the hard way that if you stop doing everything that got you to your fitness goal, you will then revert back to your own personal 'eating history" which is ingrained into each of us. I saw an episode of Dr.Phil recently about addiction, and he was speaking of alcohol and drugs, and people who went through rehab and are now free of those substances. He stated though that these success stories will always end, if the people do not continue to go to the support group and continue the strategies that work for them on on their own, they will unfortunately revery back to their old habits. Not that I am a Dr. Phil fan, but this spoke to me... Volumes.
My advice--stick with mfp, find friends who are in a similar age, and weight loss goal range.
And most importantly----
enjoy your ride.

gbers



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robinaddison

I'm getting close to my goal; my plan is to never leave MFP! One of the things I have learned is that in order to be true to myself, I need to write down what I'm eating and keep a running calorie total for the day. Otherwise, I overeat....a lot. So, MFP is easy to use, installed on my phone and on a busy day, takes about 3 minutes out of that day - not a big deal at all. And, as a bonus, the people here are great - why go elsewhere?!

newarkco05

Wow... how did everyone lose weight back in the days of dial up? You know when we couldn't log in after each snack or meals? MFP is an awesome tool and I love it but to say a person will gain it all back if they quit mfp?? It is all about taking what you have learned and applying it.

penrbrown

You're right newarkco05... but the thing is people don't log with paper and pen. They log with their handy dandy convenient electronic devices. So if you stop using those devices and don't substitute with pen and paper... BAM you start gaining.

bcattoes

I joined because I wanted to set an example for my family, that nothing is improved unless it is written down and tracked. Your finances, health, anything.

I'd be in real trouble if that were true.

bcattoes

Wow... how did everyone lose weight back in the days of dial up? You know when we couldn't log in after each snack or meals? MFP is an awesome tool and I love it but to say a person will gain it all back if they quit mfp?? It is all about taking what you have learned and applying it.

I agree, but that made me laugh. "in the days of dial up". Some of us actually did it in the days before cells phones and home internet access. :laugh: