Is MFP a hindrance or a help?

iplayoutside19

I've been here quite a while. At this point it's not an educational tool. I know what proper portions are, and what my daily intake shoud be. I know how to be healthy.

However, when I don't use MFP I feel I'm a lot less accountable for my actions. The red number at the end of the day is a big visual deterrent. Why would a big red number be more of a warning than actual fat gain. Fat gain is gradual, big red numbers are immediate and brutal.

tanigrrrrr

In regard to logging your food, and making you realise what youre eating and the nutricional value of what you give your body, i find it is a great help, it gives me the reminder to say "no" to that extra bit of something something when im running low on calories and really shows me what im doing with myself. So short answer for that part : HELP

In regard to forums, asking advice and such, I find it can be a hinderance. I do alot of research on everything, apart from asking advice here I research a range of different points online and watch documentaries. I find that people on here listen to one strong voice and do no further research into what is being said. Alot of people think theyre the expert on whatever topic etc. Also when you ask a question you get 12 different answers which i think can confuse you more. So short answer for this part : HINDERANCE

As with everything you need to take whats on here with a grain of salt. Just my opinion anyways

stubbysticks

Everyone's different. If you find yourself facing paralyzing fear when you encounter foods you can't log, or your smartphone breaks & you won't allow yourself to eat anything unless a computer is nearby, then you've gone a little too far & need to bring some balance back into your life.

I've been logging food for close to 2 years & have planned "breaks" from logging every few months. Occasionally I'll take a weekend day off from logging just because I feel like it. I've been measuring/weighing my food long enough that I can eyeball it & get pretty close if I don't need to be precise, & I'm also not so obssessive that I log stuff the second I eat it. It's more important that you keep the habit of being aware of what you eat, & logging it is a tool to help you do that.

thepetiterunner

And when I log in and fill out my diary, I lose weight. When I forget to log in, I gain.

^^ This.

I used to have a notebook (before I found MFP) and realized without logging and that accountability, even with estimations it's hard to maintain. It forces me to pay attention to what I'm eating (a good thing).

pholbert

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.

That's my plan

Livnitup

I have learned so much about myself through MFP. I didn't even know I was so clueless to how many calories I was eating in a day or even worse... a sitting!!! Anyway, I've learned not to only be able to measure my food without measuring cups and spoons but I learned about my bad habits of how I ate emotionally. I wasn't the common emotional eater that ate when she was down, nervous or excited. I learned that I would starve myself through those emotions and when all the adrenaline died down, I was famished and ate anything I could find until I was full.... then practically pass out from exhaustion. So I found a new habit in writing down my fustrations, fears & tantrums when things don't go as planned & call someone to share excitement. Sometimes I'll even feel okay posting it on MFP. Which is why MFP has helped me most. I have acquaintainces on here who can truly relate, unlike my size 2 & 4 friends.

bllowry

Its my electronic 'Jiminy Cricket'; seeing things in print allows me to make better decisions about not only what I eat, but what I buy at the store (love the 'scan' function on my phone). This is a lifestyle change, so I can totally see me logging daily so I don't backslide.

EpiGaiaRepens

well, i listened to a show on NPR once (yes, NPR is my source yet again!) that said that studies show losing weight and staying fit for those of us who have been overweight is significantly more successful for people who keep a food log. Basically, I remember one guy saying he planned on logging his food every day for the rest of his life.

I pretty much feel that way. Maybe I'm OCD, but i plan on staying here for the long term. I can track my patterns. Of course, I'm not gonna freak out if I miss a day here or there, or go over here or there. But I plan on keeping logging as a healthy habit not just for calories, but also nutrition and the exercise.

andier1686

definitely a HELPFUL TOOL! i'm just new but i knew that it's like you online conscience to log your food and exercise minutes.. simply because we know for ourself that we wanted to have someone to count the things we eat(calorie) and count the time we burn(exercise)...and everybody here at also HELPFUL and true!

mrb_9110

In reference to those who have been consistently logging for 1 year+, many studies have shown that even simply writing down everything you eat (calorie count included or not) can help you become or stay more aware of what/when you eat and help keep weight off.

amoffatt

It has helped me understand what the nutrition value of foods are and how many carbs/calories and so forth are in certain foods. I do at times worry that if I stop logging will I over or underestimate the numbers.:frown:

vscott913

If you're going to obsess over anything, make it something that helps you. MFP helps me, so I'm pretty obsessive about logging everything too. While I COULD mentally count things, I find the few times I was not able to get on right away, I often forgot exactly what I had and that's kind of dangerous when a few hundred cals can mean the difference in whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. Knowing that I have a tendency to "lie" to myself about how much I eat, I think it's much safer to just use the site in whatever way it best suits me. It keeps me honest and accountable. I'm a foodie....like any other addiction, in the beginning, especially, we all need a little help. It's a tool.... some will use a screwdriver to drive a screw.... others will use it to pry a nail out of wood... whether or not that's what it's designed for, but it still works for them, so they do it. Kind of the same principal. Some will log every meal, others, only occasionally...but it still works for them. Figure out what works for you. If it's working, don't change it! I find logging very time consuming some days, especially when I eat out and have to try to figure out what was in the food I just ate. I know in behavioral modification, that logging is used to help the person SEE what they're eating and be more mindful, but it's also taking up time they might otherwise spend eating. Again... win/win. Other than that, I find the site immensely helpful and I plan to continue logging once I hit my maintenance point. As my mother used to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Veronica

mrsdizzyd84

Thanks for your insight everyone. I suppose it makes me a bit uncomfortable to think that I am becoming totally dependent on calorie counting in general and MFP in particular. However, in the end I suppose you all are right. If I have to become addicted to something it might as well be something that improves my life tremendously.

I guess I just like to think I can do it on my own and that I don't need to use MFP as a crutch. It's probably an ego thing and something I need to work on for sure.

elliemaemollyann

This is my 6th week and I have only lost 7 lbs. I have always been under my calories. I walk and exercise everyday . I do kettle bell work outs, walking dvd and walk outside 2-6 miles a day.. I feel I should be doing better? Can anyone give me some encouragement?

MountainMia

I have a problem with overeating and not making good choices about the frequency of what kind of foods I can calorically 'afford'. I already know what it takes to lose weight and regain it, I'm here learning what it takes to lose it to keep it off. This is my new lifestyle. It IS getting easier and I won't always spend as much time in the future.

Logging is a lot like pottytraining. At first it takes uncomfortable awareness and some practice to make it neat and convenient. Eventually, it's just what you do every day because it's better than letting it all go to sh-- pot.

andier1686

This is my 6th week and I have only lost 7 lbs. I have always been under my calories. I walk and exercise everyday . I do kettle bell work outs, walking dvd and walk outside 2-6 miles a day.. I feel I should be doing better? Can anyone give me some encouragement?

girl you're just doing fine! don't mind much of the weeks that passed and very little lbs lost because in a way its helping you to be patient and mindful of what you eat and healthy lifestyle once you've broken your old habit.

plethorax

Some from column A, some from column B. Yes, logging definitely boosts intellectual awareness of the caloric economy you're participating in. However, what would really help me is increased moment-by-moment awareness of whether or not I felt full, and encouragement in that moment to stop eating after I felt comfortably fed. And that's not something you're going to automatically get from knowing that 1 doughnut = 250 arbitrary units of something. You have to learn how to feel what those units mean to your body.

MaddoxsMommy

Bump! I've also had this thought and it's nice to see what others think.

pinkprincess205

Omg i wudnt b able to lose weight without mfp. If i didnt use it i o i wud jus guess howmuch calories r in each food n i no id put on weight. Like i did over xmas wen i didnt log for a wk.
It defo helps me x

meerkat70

There's nothing wrong with a *healthy* dependency.

I use contact lenses, because without them I can't see much. I use them daily, and they or my glasses are the first thing I reach for on waking, and the last thing I take off at night. (Sexy image I'm building up here...?) Realistically, I'm *dependent* on them, but no-one chooses to frame that dependency as a bad thing, or tries to suggest I should give them up.

I intend to depend on calorie counting for the rest of my life, in much the same way. I see nothing wrong with using the tools we have available to help keep our lives better and healthier. Tool usage is a good thing.

meerkat70

Some from column A, some from column B. Yes, logging definitely boosts intellectual awareness of the caloric economy you're participating in. However, what would really help me is increased moment-by-moment awareness of whether or not I felt full, and encouragement in that moment to stop eating after I felt comfortably fed. And that's not something you're going to automatically get from knowing that 1 doughnut = 250 arbitrary units of something. You have to learn how to feel what those units mean to your body.

The moment by moment awareness comes with time. I'm pretty good at 'guessing' how many calories (and indeed how many points, since I used to do WW) there are in food.

And I'm far better at knowing whether I'm really hungry, or just wanting something.

engineman312

it's a hinderance. i have homework that needs to be done!

engineman312

Omg i wudnt b able to lose weight without mfp. If i didnt use it i o i wud jus guess howmuch calories r in each food n i no id put on weight. Like i did over xmas wen i didnt log for a wk.
It defo helps me x

You are thirty. Don't type like that.

dg09

MyFP will never be a hindrance for me. Thanks to this place I learned how to count calories, that literally changed everything for me. On diets, I would be lucky to lose 20-30lbs before just giving up because I was just going about everything the wrong way. Diets were a burden, counting calories isn't to me.

I did obsess over logging everything for the longest time, but something good came from it. I know what to expect nutrition wise from certain foods without even reading a label now. Because of this obsession, I'm confident I will never get like this again because I'm more educated on what I'm putting into my body now.

shiseido_faerie

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.

This is what I have found as well. The longer I log, the more aware I am of how many calories etc my normal day to day foods have. It seems to be becoming second nature to me.

shiseido_faerie

Omg i wudnt b able to lose weight without mfp. If i didnt use it i o i wud jus guess howmuch calories r in each food n i no id put on weight. Like i did over xmas wen i didnt log for a wk.
It defo helps me x

You are thirty. Don't type like that.

This made me lol because I just wrote a blog about it for my work.

Di3012

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?

MFP makes me accountable, it helps. I reached my goal once before, then instead of maintaining, I ate a load of crap and put weight back on (not all of it, but most), because I was no longer logging my food, I was sort of in denial - no log, no calories taking in sort of thing, pathetic really and sad :frown:

This time I shall be using MFP to maintain once I reach my goal.

ash190489

Definitely a HELP! I am absolutely obsessed with it! I love it. However, when I should be planning for school, I usually end up on here reading forums! But it's so much fun!

Di3012

Omg i wudnt b able to lose weight without mfp. If i didnt use it i o i wud jus guess howmuch calories r in each food n i no id put on weight. Like i did over xmas wen i didnt log for a wk.
It defo helps me x

You are thirty. Don't type like that.

pmsl!

To PinkPrincess who typed in text speak, sorry I have to agree with EngineMan. It is very difficult to read when you type like that, it makes me read disjointed.

Are you posting from your phone?

IronmanPanda

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

Too much *kitten*?