How do you motivate yourself to log on to my fitness pal

Skinny100

Hi All,

I'm failing horribly at my goals. How do you motivate yourself to keep a food diary on myfitnesspal? I don't have a job right now and I feel like all I do is sit home and eat. I just logged my breakfast and snack for today and it's a whopping 900 calories. I had no idea I was eating this much.
Do you have any tips on what I can do to motivate myself to log on and keep my food diary every day?? Help!!

scorpiomfs

i am at home all day too. I log on every morning and read these posts and blogs also you can watch u tube videos of success stories using my fitness pal. pacsun man is a good one or phat andy i think. to me it has become a habit. I just do it.If you want it you will do it also. to be honest im on here more than facebook..lol

xElineeee

I think you have to REALLY want to change yourself. I you want that, I think it'll be easier to track your food. We set ourselves goals and really want to lose weight and this diary is only helping us with this. For me it's not hard at all to track my food, it's more like a habit

quietHiker

If you have a smartphone, I use the MyFitnessPal app.

You might just have to try to set a mental reminder to logon to MFP and log your entries. Or maybe have a friend who can be your accountability partner and send you texts throughout the day or call you.

I love making schedules and doing budgets, so MFP and calorie counting sort of appeals to my crazy OCD side lol

Sorry I can't give any more motivational tips!

cmriverside

It works for me to come here. Keeps me focused.

jacksonpt

I think you have to REALLY want to change yourself. I you want that, I think it'll be easier to track your food. We set ourselves goals and really want to lose weight and this diary is only helping us with this. For me it's not hard at all to track my food, it's more like a habit

This. The motivation has to come from within. If you own health and happiness aren't motivation enough, there probably isn't much we all can do.

auntmister

Hello just read your post.....it can be difficult.....I joined awhile ago and then stopped eating healthy and logging on......of course I gained weight.......got back on track in February and just decided to start logging on to my fitness again......I have one friend on here that always encouraged me even when I wasn't logging on for quite a months....that helped me get back on.......I joined Gold's Gym and have been eating healthy and watching my portions....just started all this so no results as of yet but I am feeling better. It's easy to just put things off I know I do it also.....but if you really want this you can do it......hook up with some people to keep you motivated....you can add me as a friend if you'd like....without a job it may be hard not to eat out of boredom so I would think of activities you could do to keep yourself busy......you can do it.......good luck...and we are here to help you....:bigsmile:

dieseljay74

Try eating lower calorie foods with a high protein content. Things like Tuna fish for example. Pretty much pure protein in a can.
Also veggies is my trick. I eat a crap load of veggies and although technically not a "free" food, they have little impact on blood sugar or overall calories. with the exception of peas and the like. Stick with low calorie options like broccoli and cauliflower etc.
That way you can eat alot of food to make you feel full and satisfied without blowing out your calories for the day by noon.
It all comes down to choices.
Protein and fiber should be the base of everything with some carbs and fats added.

Enonoid

I joined almost 50 days ago and the excitement and newness is still here. I look forward to the accountability and the different challenges each new day brings. I hope to continue logging daily.

jamesblood13

Everytime I open up my internet browser I always have MFP as a home page bookmark.

cherriewilliams

I'm obsessed with numbers and charts so this site is perfect for me.

kbmnurse

900 calories for breakfast and snack should be motivating enough.

Shweedog

Seeing how much you're eating seems like motivation enough to me. Logging will help you stay on track and within your caloric goals. If just breakfast and a snack surprised you then imagine what the rest of the day would hold if you don't change your habits...Good luck to you!! :happy:

ShrinkingNinja

A smartphone makes it really easy since you don't have to go to the computer to enter it... But you have to use the food log to help you make healthier choices to be successful!

Good Luck to YOU!

nikkifk

I read somewhere that it takes 6 weeks for form a new habit. Try planning what you are going to eat each day in the morning and log it all in advance, then it's done. Also having friends on here that will give you encouragement is really important. It will get easier, you just need to stick with it each day.

paigemarie93

Track your food before you eat it, then you wont be so surprised that it's so high cal & you wont feel so down & UN-motivated.

shutterbug282

I have the mfp app on my phone and I log it everytime I eat. It's actually helped me change my eating habits a lot and the encouragement I get from the friends I have on here is overwhelming.
Also the fact that my diary is public and anyone can actually see what I'm eating makes me think about something before I do actually eat it. Although I have days where I go over, I know that everyone is the same so the friends I have here are all very understanding about that.

tequila09

I read somewhere that it takes 6 weeks for form a new habit. Try planning what you are going to eat each day in the morning and log it all in advance, then it's done. Also having friends on here that will give you encouragement is really important. It will get easier, you just need to stick with it each day.

this!! or even plan the day before!!

lwoods34

I think you have to REALLY want to change yourself. I you want that, I think it'll be easier to track your food. We set ourselves goals and really want to lose weight and this diary is only helping us with this. For me it's not hard at all to track my food, it's more like a habit

I completely agree with this post. I firmly believe that if you want something bad enough you will do whatever you need to do in order to reach your goal and means weighing and measuring your food and logging into the website. I used to track my food on paper but doing it via the website makes it so much easier for me because I can visbily see how many grams of fat, carbs, protein and sodium I am eating. I can play around with my food options that way Im not going over on my sodium or calories for the day. Looking at my journal and knowing that I am doing what I need to do to stay healthy is all the motivation that I need. Yes if you are home all day it might be a little tougher but that is why you have to keep yourself occupied. Go for a walk, go to the gym, read the forum posts...do what you need to do to keep your mind busy and your hands occupied. Maybe even volunteer somewhere for a few hours a day that way you arent home ALL day!

Maybe try joining some kind of activities club or something. www.meetup.com is a great source if you are looking for some kind of group to join. You can do this!

Good luck!

Skinny100

Wow, I'm so overwhelmed with the responses! Thank you so much!

I love the idea of setting MFP as my homepage (thanks!)

I wish everyone the best of luck with all of their goals!

And yes, seeing "900" for my breakfast and snack this morning was motivation in itself. Time to jump on the treadmill!

Jesea

For me, it's all about planning and accountability. Here I can plug in the meals as I plan them, knowing what I'm going to do helps me stay on track. As my daily log-in count grows, I feel responsible for keeping that number up, so that helps, too. My friends log in almost daily as well, and usually work out as often as I do, so there's a little bit of competition there. A couple of days I didn't feel like working out, but then I noticed that someone logged a 600cal burn on her page, so I got it done, too. I don't want to be left behind!

marylouise123

I am addicted to logging & reading posts on here & everything MFP.. I don't dare want to report a bad day... Keeps me very focused.. I am currently laid off & I like the accountability on here. Just buy better foods & keep the bad stuff out of the house. If its that much a problem for you.. And like someone also said on here - eat more veggies - "free foods".. Fill up on the better stuff & then you won't be so tempted to eat the bad stuff. And if you get bored you can always exercise.. Thats what I do when I feel the need to do something to keep me busy.. I love playing Wii Tennis, Boxing or whatever,. Because I figure at least I am moving.. And I also have amazing friends on here to keep me focused.. Good luck & I hope you stick it out.. The rewards are amazing....

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I just logged my breakfast and snack for today and it's a whopping 900 calories. I had no idea I was eating this much.

THIS

I was tracking during the week, but I don't get online on the weekends if I can help it, so I was basically only tracking 5 days. I finally broke down and got a smart phone so I could get the app, then I wouldn't have any excuses because it's right on my phone. I've logged in over 130 consecutive days since I got the app.

kaetmarie

I didn't log regularly at first, especially on my bad days ... but then I realized that I was never going to change unless I owned up to all of it. Logging helps you realize what you're currently doing..from there, you can make small, sustainable changes that work for YOU. I've been given some advice about how many things I'm wrong, but the truth is, if I tried to change everything at once ... I most definitely wouldn't stil be here.

Start with one or two things...like staying under calories or exercising for 30 minutes a day. Then move on to reducing the number of processed things you're eating and increase your veggies. It's totally overwhelming if you try to overhaul your life all at once. You can do this! But, you have to WANT to do this to actually make the daily changes to make it happen.

jocember

At home, I set MFP as my homepage on both computers. I also have the app on my phone and keep it on my phone's home screen so it's right there every time I turn my phone on. I do a combination of logging in the morning after I've packed lunch/eaten breakfast, logging throughout the day if I change plans (such as today, when I deviated from the soup I packed to grab a slice of pizza from the grocery store in a hurry) and logging at night before I brush my teeth (my "signal" to myself that it's time to stop eating).

It's hard at first, but you just have to get into a routine and at least make a point to log every night before bed (or right in the morning). Especially since you don't know how much you're eating, it's crucial right now to track every. single. bite. to get a picture of how much you're overeating so you can begin to target problem areas and set goals to change them..

Also -- I know how it is being unemployed and falling into that trap of sitting around and eating. My fiance did that last summer after he graduated. But then he discovered a park near our apartment and began spending a few hours a day there playing basketball when he wasn't doing stuff around the house/job hunting. He began to eat better, was burning calories and inevitably lost weight. So I suggest trying to find some activities to do during the day that'll both burn calories *and* keep you busy and away from the fridge/pantry. You may also try starting resolution not to eat while in front of the TV or computer to help stave off mindless snacking.

prairiedawg2014

i think xElineeee said it best, it was what i was going to say. i think you REALLY have to want to do this, and it seems like you might want to, but without really trying or working for it. we all work for our weightloss. we count everything we put in our mouth. we excercise, we are serious about wanting to lose weight. how badly do you want to lose?

JesterMFP

Keep reminding yourself of why you signed up in the first place - keep your personal goals in mind (having kids, looking good, being healthy etc). Make logging on and recoding it all a habit, and make the most of the time you've got now. I'm unemployed too, and I'm making the most of having this extra time to change my habits. I read posts on these boards, I read and educate myself about nutrition and fitness, I plan my meals, look for new recipes and take the time to workout. To be honest, I spend too much time on here, but I know I'm getting into good habits now so that when I am working again, it'll be much easier.

I know it's not easy when overeating is a long-term issue, but you can do it! Bear in mind that if you only have 10 lbs to lose, it's not going to go overnight, or even in a couple of weeks. Don't be disheartened if you lose slowly. It needs to be a long-term lifestyle change, but you can stop overeating, and you can get healthy for your future children.

BevsCalerieCount

Sounds like you need more structure to your day and I know it is a lot easier when you are working because you typically have a set start time, lunch and end of day. I would suggest first trying to develop some structure. Eat your meals at the same time everyday, if you exercise try to do this at the same time every day. I believe it takes 60 to 90 days to develop a habit, so force yourself to log you meal everyday for 60 days and it should get easier. If I don't have structure I typically fall off the deep end, weekends are hard for me so I try to plan what my meals will be.
In the past when I used paper and pencil to track my meal I would write down my meals for the day, then stick to what was written down. Also, I during the week I eat the same thing 99% of the time for B & L, so all I have to do is copy from the previous day. You may have to psych yourself out until you form the habit, but it really does get easier. Best of luck!:happy:

DDsMrs

Skinny100- The motivation for me was that I reached a point in my life where something had to change. I reached rock bottom(or top) of my weight and I said to myself "THAT's IT, I'm going to do something about the way I look and feel. So, someone recommended this website and that's how it all started. Once I could see what I was doing to myself it was easy to log on everyday, hold myself accountable, and make changes to my diet. I joined a gym and started keeping track of my exercise. I've made a lifestyle change and MFP is part of it. Everyone has posted some good tips, however, the motivation has to come from you. Good luck!

ohsweetcalamity

Make it a habit!! If you have a smartphone, get the app. I usually log what I eat once it's on the plate but before I take a bite. It makes me think about my serving sizes and keeps me accountable for how much I actually consume. The idea of having to go back and change what I logged keeps me from overeating and logging it first means I won't forget. If you get the app on your phone you can just press a little button and scan the package of whatever you're eating. Easy peasy.

Set MFP to your homepage and check in the morning before you check your email or facebook or whatever it is you do first thing in the day. And if you have any friends IRL that are interested, get them to join MFP with you. If you don't actively try to make it part of your everyday life you will forget it, so keep it everywhere to remind yourself until it becomes routine. Put post-its on the stove, in the cupboards and fridge, wherever you need it. You can forget, you can screw up, but the only way you can fail is to not try at all. Good luck!

MB_Positif

just do it! the only thing keeping you from doing this is yourself log on every day and start really considering what you are putting in your mouth! good luck!