Does myfitnesspal work?

UsedToBeHusky

YES! And if it's not working for you, then you aren't being honest with yourself about how you are doing it.

chevy88grl

MFP isn't a diet. It is a tool to help you lose weight. YOU have to be willing to make the changes necessary in order for it to work. It takes time, patience, dedication and most of all hard work for it to be effective. If you are willing to give it 100%, MFP is an excellent tool to help you be successful. Fad diets are just that.. diets. They aren't meant to last for the rest of your life. A lifestyle change is meant to last a lifetime.


Good Luck.

SGT_Reg

MFP isn't a diet. It is a tool to help you lose weight. YOU have to be willing to make the changes necessary in order for it to work. It takes time, patience, dedication and most of all hard work for it to be effective. If you are willing to give it 100%, MFP is an excellent tool to help you be successful. Fad diets are just that.. diets. They aren't meant to last for the rest of your life. A lifestyle change is meant to last a lifetime.


Good Luck.

I was about to write the same thing, but here it is. Well said.

Taylor0212

YES! However, you have to be true to it. Even if you go way over your calories, make sure you add in your food. You are only cheating yourself if you dont! Scales dont lie! Also, have lots of friends so that they can motivate you! Your friends on MFP wont judge you if you splurge for a day and go way over, because lets face it, we've all been there! Add me if you'd like!

jwaitman

It works if you do the work to make it work. It is not an easy or quick fix. It is simply teaching you better habits. The better you eat the more you can eat. The more you exercise the more calories you burn. It has been my experience that those fad diets work, but once you stop you gain all the weight back plus.

Good luck.

coliema

Yes, it does work but you need to be very commited and motivated. The best thing about this site is the people, there are so many nice people that will push and motivate you if needed. I am a very supportive and motivational person, but I still love every friend I have on here because they check in daily and they ask how things are going. It's easy to lose weight with someone else, like a workout partner. I don't have a workout partner, but everyone on here is enough to get me going You can lose the weight you need to, just be honest and accurate and push yourself!

Femtec74

MFP isn't a diet. It is a tool to help you lose weight. YOU have to be willing to make the changes necessary in order for it to work. It takes time, patience, dedication and most of all hard work for it to be effective. If you are willing to give it 100%, MFP is an excellent tool to help you be successful. Fad diets are just that.. diets. They aren't meant to last for the rest of your life. A lifestyle change is meant to last a lifetime.


Good Luck.

^ This! You can't think of it as a diet because that makes it "temporary" in your mind. It is a lifestyle change. If you eat the right healthy foods - you won't get hungry and it's very easy to live with. Good luck! Feel free to add me for encouragement if you like.

KIMBAILEYWILLIAMSON

For me MFP has worked. First time in my life I have been able to lose so much weight, I tell people I am not on a diet, diets didn't work for me. I try to watch portion control and exercise now. I do most of the time watch what I eat but don't deprive myself totally just don't eat as much so yes for me it is a lifestyle change not a diet. I have lost 64 lbs now since January and for me that is great. I would recommend using this program because it does make you conscience of what you are eating and exercise and friend support on here is awesome. Best wishes!

MaraDiaz

I think if you're like me and you really only have two modes: Obsessed or couldn't care less, MFP is great. It lets you concentrate on your weight loss, gives you tools and information and a community of like minded people to spend (way too much!) time with. Before I would have acted out on my obsessive tendencies by getting on the scale ten times a day and working myself up into a rabid, impatient froth.

Now that I've typed that, I really hope for everyone's sake most people aren't like me about losing weight, but if anyone is, this site really helps me direct my focus in a better way than I have previously!

samandlucysmum

MFP is good because you can see what your are eating and what's in it, and you have friends that are here for the same reeason who can support and guide yoou, and you can support them too which is good for you too.

kbizzle13

yes it does work. I lost 75 lbs using it..unfortunately I STOPPED using it, thinking I could do it myself and gained back 30, so I started tracking again. If you use it, it will work, guaranteed,

imaspaceguy90

You can always see what you will weigh in 5wks with fitness pal, however, to low and you will go into starvation. Be careful and don't make goals that are to hard.

kierstin1976

Yes, it works. You will be amazed at how many calories certain foods had before you started dieting. You will make better choices for lower calorie foods to fit into your weight loss goals. I'm very careful about what I waste my calories on.

natural813

Yes it does work. If you track your calories everyday and exercise on a regular basis, trust me the weight will come off, but to see results you have to do the work. I have lost 32 pounds since joining in March. This is the first time I haven't give up on losing weight within the first month.

imthelobster

It works, for sure!

I started seriously tracking in late Feb of this year, and have lost 35 lbs so far. Just stick with it, be honest when you log, and make sure you eat!

eganita

My Fitness Pal IS "simple diet and exercise". Good luck with it.. I've lost 13 pounds and toned up considerably since joining. It's helped me pinpoint major issues in my past eating habits and train myself to stay within a calorie "budget". I wouldn't call MFP a diet at all.. just a guide to help one live a sensible and healthy lifestyle.

AmyLRed

I think for me the biggest thing with MFP as opposed to any other time i tried to lose weight is the support. Any other time my goal was simply to lose weight and i usually accomplished that, to some degree, with calorie restriction and such.

From MFP, i have learned sooooo much. I have learned about what i am eating, i have learned about how to fuel my body the right way (enough calories, enough protein, etc) I have learned how and why i need to exercise, etc.

The support here is great! The forums can be helpful for finding information, inspiration, and success stores, but there are also some negative posts here and there and sometimes contradicting information, but keep reading and learning.

My weight loss progress is below, and there are tons of people here with much higher losses of several hundred pounds. Not everyone is successful, for one reason or another. You have to be ready.

My biggest "gain" here is the feeling that i can do this, that i have support, that really, i can accomplish anything! For the first time ever in my life i have fitness goals. I want to lose weight, sure i guess. but i am really focusing on improving my fitness and health, reducing my body fat %, increasing my muscles and strength, and being the best me that i can be. THAT is far more than what i originally came here for, but I am so glad i did!

Best of luck! You can do this!

AwesomelyAmber

I joined back in May of 2011 but didn't really START until the last week in July... I started at 200 pounds and have lost 31.5 over the last year. MFP has been essential in this for me, learning to count the NSV as well as the scale victories, talking with others who have the same struggles, learning that each of us has our own way of doing this, encouraging others and receiving encouragement... ALL of it has been AWESOME.

NewChristina

ok I feel miserable... weighed myself today and after eating the right amount of calories and working out every day I gained 5 lbs... Im about to give up!

Make sure to give yourself recovery days. Working out every day you can actually be holding water in your muscles. Let your muscles recover. Also, mix up your exercises a bit, don't do the same thing every day. Depending on your exercises you could be losing fat but gaining muscle. In doing that you may not see the scale go down but you could be seeing your clothes are a bit looser (muscle is denser, takes up less room than fat). Stay with it...you'll get there

Isn't this the truth!! When I work hard, the scale goes up 1-5 lbs. If I slack off, it goes back down. It's a good thing. I understand it and I trust it. I know to NOT go by numbers. I know to COMMIT because it works. I'm one of those that checks the scale every day. I can do this without getting upset. If you are going to get upset over it, you have to stop. Check one time per week or every other week- same time of day. Otherwise, you'll see huge fluctuations pending your water intake, sodium intake, muscle activity, menstrual cycle, etc, etc. Good luck.

laddyboy

It works so long as you continue to track - that's my only problem with it.
I almost feel like you'd have to count calories for the rest of your life to remain successful.

On the plus side you do get a good idea of what you should and shouldn't eat (and what contains what), but I find for those who eat whatever they want, but hold back on calories taken in, if they stop counting, then the weight comes back on.

No doubt it works while you're doing it though.

After a while you get to know your portion sizes and approx calories in a meal. I went on vacation last week and lost .1% of body fat and didn't track a thing. I also had some treats that I don't normally have when not on vacation. I just ate like I wanted but was responsible with what I had.

trogalicious

Yup it works. Its not a diet. Its a lifestyle change.

This. So much of this. MFP helps you keep track of what you're doing. The "what you're doing" can't be a fad diet or something you can't live with for the rest of your life, or you'll just roll right back where you started from.

Michellereducf

Fad diets NEVER work in the long run. MFP won't work either if you don't put in effort. This isn't a magical weight loss plan. This is just a forum to log in what you eat, how much you exercise. I joined in May 2011 but haven't put in any effort until about a month ago. Since then, I've actually started tracking what I eat and, just by reducing my calories and stepping up exercise, I've lost 5 pounds. You will never lose weight if you don't eat less/exercise more. Really just that simple.

NeverGoinBack2012

MFP is all about accountability. You record what you eat. I have a friend who has no clue what she's consuming in terms of volume and calories. She wonders why she's not losing. She refuses to write it down. It's funny...when you see it in black and white, it cannot be ignored. I was appalled a week ago when I decided to enjoy a piece of birthday cake (Walmart Carrot Cake) how many calories was in one slice!!! If you aren't willing to measure accurately, be honest about it, and write it down (record it in MFP), then you aren't serioius about getting real with yourself and your weight. Eating is something we have to do to sustain our body. Many of us on here simply eat too much and don't move at all. Is it rational to think we can lose weight when we are taking in more fuel than our body really needs and not using it up by exercising and moving around? Of course we are fat! I love how MFP gives me a tool to get real about my food intake and provides a network of people I can get encouragement from and give encouragement to. That's the best community you can ask for in this quest to get healthy! So yeah, it works.

HauteP1nk

It works with you if you work with it.

1n2m3g

calorie counting works. myfitnesspal is a tool to help you count calories.

^This

dalgal26

Yes it does! Each pound I have lost is since starting MFP in July '11.

Good luck to you in your journey to a healthier you! :flowerforyou:

Bambi0ne

I tried every diet for 24 years, nothing worked for the long haul. I found out that my thyroid was to blame. Even tho I had blood test that said the levels were with in the normal range, my thyroid would work for a while then stop. I went on synthroid last August and started MPF February 23rd. so far I have lost 34 pounds. I found that tracking what I was eating made me realize that I was starving myself all day then junking it out at night. Now I eat a lot of food all day . More than I have ever eaten!!! BUT its mostly good body building food. I try to stay away from anything in a box. If I feel like I need something like a treat I try to pick out something that will not kill my diet for the day. Add me as a friend if you want. Sometimes its is good to see how someone else eats. Good luck!!!

Nickstery

It depends on how you use it, if you are just using it to track food and exercise and keep with in the parameters it suggests you shouldn't have any trouble.

You may want to give yourself a "cheat" meal once a week.... not a cheat day, but a cheat meal where you eat something that you have really been craving... outside of that try to eat the foods that keep you within the goal amounts given.... if you are eating to much sugar, or carbs that maybe what is keeping you from losing the weight.... I know it has done it to me!


Good luck and god speed!

1WorkoutAtATime

Yup it works. Its not a diet. Its a lifestyle change.

Prudiddy

I'm one of those who also tried everything like you and it failed! The best thing that ever happened to me is MFP, and what perfect timing too. I had just made a choice to change for good when I joined INShape, my spin class teacher told me that working out wasnt enough and that I should join MFP, so I did on April 6, 2012 and have been achieving my goals. I've lost 25lbs so far, and I won't quit. Plus you have the support from your friends which is wonderful!!!!