Is MFP a hindrance or a help?

mrsdizzyd84

With very few exceptions (ie things I haven't even the slightest clue how to log) I log EVERYTHING I eat. On most days, I plan my meals out before I even eat them.

Today I started thinking, am I becoming too dependent on MFP? Could I eat right, and not overeat without MFPs help? Does my diligent logging make the program a hindrance or a help?

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

fitnessbekhs

I have to say, I've been a member for a while.....And when I log in and fill out my diary, I lose weight. When I forget to log in, I gain.

nehushtan

We all need a crutch. MFP is mine.

CynthiaCollin

I think MFP is a great tool. I have been on MFP for over a year. Now I can pretty much approximately calculate everything without MFP to maintain my weight. I prefer to use MFP when I am trying to lose weight since it more accurate....but when I am in maintenance mode, I tend to just mentally calculate throughout the day.... I think MFP helps to teach you and hold you accountablee and then it just become second nature.

david081

I think once you get to your target weight and are maintaining it you might be able to 'go it alone'

jezlightyear

i personally feel that by educating myself and getting used to how many calories are in certain foods, when it comes to me reaching my goal weight and needing to MAINTAIN that weight, i will have a much better grasp on my food choices! also, by weighing out food to log onto here, in the future i will just be able to see what a portion is rather than having to weigh it all the time.

i hope this made sense haha!

dsjohndrow

I just log it. I use the copy feature and all that - just a few minutes of my time. I do depend on it to help me when I go out, or with new foods. I might feel differently when I reach my goal weight, but am not worried about that day.

OceansForever

Definitely a help! I am sure I would still be over eating if it wasn't for logging.

Maybe after a long time of logging, when I manage to eat smaller portions without having to measure them first, I will be able to do without MFP but for now I am dependent on it

JoniBologna

There was a point where I thought the same thing as you. My first attempt at losing weight on MFP failed. I started thinking, "This is too much of a hassle. Can I make counting calories fit into my life long-term?" So, I gave it up. I came back almost a year later even heavier than when I had started. I committed to this process fully after that, and I guess if I have to do it everyday for the rest of my life to be happy and healthy - then that is a small price to pay.

jezlightyear

I think MFP is a great tool. I have been on MFP for over a year. Now I can pretty much approximately calculate everything without MFP to maintain my weight. I prefer to use MFP when I am trying to lose weight since it more accurate....but when I am in maintenance mode, I tend to just mentally calculate throughout the day.... I think MFP helps to teach you and hold you accountablee and then it just become second nature.

haha, this is exactly what i meant - but clearly you put it across in a more coherent way

sn0wd0gg

It can be a real pain having to always log food. And especially when you have food that's not easily categorized or found in the database. I think one can learn to eat well and not have to depend on logging, but it seems that it becomes easy to stray off target and not realize how many calories you're taking in after you've been on your own for a while.

You could always try it for a while and see how it works out. Just be aware you might start slowly consuming more without being aware of it (or perhaps not). It would be interesting to find out. Once a person becomes more aware of how to properly eat, it seems the logging wouldn't be quite as important.

sarammorgan

For me, I think it is a help. Do I want to have to log everything I eat for the rest of my life? No. But I think the more I log, the more I get to know what I can eat and still stay within my calories intake. I am learning different meal plans that fall within my calories and to judge what is a serving. Right now, yes, I think I am dependent on MFP. But hopefully the more I use it, the more I will be able to judge on my own.

jennmoore3

HELP!!!!! If I didn't log that candy, or those chips, I would be right back to a 3000 calorie day! For real. I believe that if I never found MFP, I would have not lost the 31 pounds I have lost so far. Besides the logging, I have made some of the best friends I have ever had. Seriously. My MFP friends are so wonderful. They kick my *kitten* when I need it and bring me up as well. I will never ever, ever leave this site. I know I could not do it with out this site's help.

SeanFitnessPal

I find, like others have stated, that when I regularly log in, I lose. If I don't....I float up.....

tameko2

It really helps me goof off but its a hindrance to getting any work done.

Um. Was that the question?

Its training wheels in my opinion - in 6 months or a year you'll know roughly "how" to eat the right amount of calories and not gain weight or lose weight. but even then its really easy to cheat - you think to yourself "oh that's only an extra hundred calories" but when you do that for breakfast lunch and dinner and a little snack you end up eating 400 more calories than you though. All without any particularly large splurges.

rattler0812

I find it to be a benefit. I log everything on my Blackberry when I am away from the computer. In the end, I can see where my deficiencies and strengths are. But logging calories is only part of the tracking. I have to pay attention to the whole day's worth of events as they make a huge difference on what I will need to do with my food intake. Yes, you may be able to log everything successfully outside of MFP. But there is an added support system through MFP that mere tracking cannot provide.

SteveHunt113

I find it a huge help! You just don't know how much you are consuming unless you track it. What better way to do it than MFP?

I have gotten a little lazy, but I chose when. For instance, I no longer weight every tomato I eat. The difference in calories between one and another isn't worth the effort.

I will take the time to accurately enter recipe's so I can get a very good idea how many calories are in a dish. And once it's entered, you can you is over and over again!

I just don't see stopping. Maybe one day when I begin to memorize how many calories are in everything, and have a perfect memory so I can keep a running figure ....

like that's going to happen!

paulaparrish

I'm a newbie, but it definately helps me. It really opens my eyes to how many calories I am actually consuming...so I can't really cheat!!

Cougar7279

In my opinion it can be both. I think that as we use this great tool, we need to pay attention to what we're doing so that we can also be independant of it. Kinda like food scales or a Heart Rate Monitor.... I had one friend who absolutely freaked out because her food scale broke and she couldn't figure out how much to eat... and another who didn't want to go out for a run because her HRM wasn't working..... If we pay attention to the quantities of food on the scale and how much a portion really is.... and if we pay attention to how we are feeling at any given time durning a run and what our heart rate is according to our HRM, and how many calories we're burning... etc.... we should be able to guestimate pretty well when we dont have these things available...

kkester63

Up until yesterday I logged everything in a spreadsheet ... graphed weight loss etc. MFP just makes it so much easier and a food log sure makes you accountable and weight comes off easier.

First few days of logging I found out those tiny bits and bites added up to HUGE calories.

Sidesteal

MFP is a hindrance. Also, my wife is sabotaging me, as is Rae6503 and MissKortney.