Does myfitnesspal work?

amsohs85

One of the best things about MFP is you are not alone. I dont care how much you're real life family and friends love you they often times do things (maybe unintentional) that sabatoge your healthy lifestyle changes. Maybe its criticism or unsolicited advice. Or sometimes they have their own weight/health issue and the fact that you are doing something about your's is threatening to them. Some people in your life may be enablers...they use food for comfort and the first time you hit a bump in the road they are there holding out an icecream sundae saying "Oh come on it will make you feel sooooo much better...." :noway:

Here on MFP we share a common goal. Developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. That may mean losing weight, gaining it (yes there are people recovering from anorexia/bulemia here) or just furthering your physical fitness. We understand the struggle and want you to succeed just like we want to succeed!!

Hoakiebs

Started Dec. 13, 2011 @ 248... Now 191.

Commit! Don't cheat yourself by not logging snacks. Exercise and water consumption are keys!

Janiot

Jan 30th 2012 - lost 18-19kg so far - plateaued at this weight last 2 months but would like to lose more

Shweedog

Simple answer- yes. Log everything. Drink a lot of water. Keep your sodium under control. If you see a gain on the scale but you have been eating right then you have not gained fat, it is most likely water retention. Sodium causes this, as does working out (muscle repair requires water). Drink extra water to flush out the retention when this happens. Most importantly- give it time! It takes time to lose weight. No easy fixes. Good luck!

delonda1

It works! I have been FULLY COMMITTED since March meaning logging everyday but I have been using it since January and have lost 38lbs so far. I have the app on my phone so it makes it easier to log everything and see progress. I have become so use to logging and pre-planning that somethings that I eat on the daily basis I know all the nutritional info for it.

If you commit to it, It will work for you. You also have to have your own mind because everyone will try to tell you whats the "BEST" way and calories to use but fig out for you own body.

TheFitHooker

Today will be my weigh in. I have weighed in on my scale in my bathroom but my doctor scale is more accurate. I believe it'll say about a 108lb weight loss all together. I expect I've lost 4lbs this week because of water weight. However I could have lost 5lbs this week, I'll find out soon.

I've been at this 2 years, will be 3 years in April. It's been on and off. I lost 70lbs during my pregnancy due to gestational diabetes. Gained 25.5lbs back and then September of 2011 I started to lose again because I came back here and now I've lost about 65lbs since then. My start weight was 250 got to 180 went back up to 205.5 and now about 142

Logsv

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 you are keeping your sodium levels under control as well. Salt makes us retain water weight and I noticed in your diary you had Chinese food yesterday which is notorious for containing high levels of sodium and msg. Don't fret the gain, its probably all water. Watch your sodium today and you should be fine

Good luck!!!!

yksdoris

It works as long as you keep doing it.. Every Single Day. Day after day after day.

The first thing I learned from MFP was how horrible my weekend eating habits were: I'd be good all week long, then practically starve on Saturday - because of sleeping in, then not really having a proper lunch, then eating a "normal" dinner - and explode on Sunday - because obviously I didn't get enough food on Saturday.

The second thing I learned from MFP is to estimate how many calories are in what types of food. I was very pleasantly surprised by strawberries and very unpleasantly surprised by apples. The biggest shock though, that was hot dogs. egads!

The third thing I learned from MFP is how to bulk up my meals so that my tummy feels full but I'm not going crazy on calories. Did you know that 1 oz of "diet" chips has about the same amount of calories as 5 lbs of green beans? That's not to say that I'll stop having my treats, I'll just make sure I'm properly full first on things that aren't quite so calorie-intensive. For example, I can almost always afford to have a Magnum mini ice cream for dessert and I'm on a limit of 1200 kcal per day (it's 140 kcal)!

Logsv

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!

For me a cheat meal was eggplant Parmesan. Instead of having it at a restaurant, which would make it high in both calories and fat I opted to make it myself. Not only was I able to cut down on the calories and fat but using all healthy ingredients but I also had a blast in the kitchen. I cranked up the music, danced around my kitchen and enjoyed the experience of making this satisfying dish exactly how i wanted it. I turned a very unhealthy "cheat meal" in a calorie burning, fun, delicious good time.

Logsv

It works as long as you keep doing it.. Every Single Day. Day after day after day.

The first thing I learned from MFP was how horrible my weekend eating habits were: I'd be good all week long, then practically starve on Saturday - because of sleeping in, then not really having a proper lunch, then eating a "normal" dinner - and explode on Sunday - because obviously I didn't get enough food on Saturday.

The second thing I learned from MFP is to estimate how many calories are in what types of food. I was very pleasantly surprised by strawberries and very unpleasantly surprised by apples. The biggest shock though, that was hot dogs. egads!

The third thing I learned from MFP is how to bulk up my meals so that my tummy feels full but I'm not going crazy on calories. Did you know that 1 oz of "diet" chips has about the same amount of calories as 5 lbs of green beans? That's not to say that I'll stop having my treats, I'll just make sure I'm properly full first on things that aren't quite so calorie-intensive. For example, I can almost always afford to have a Magnum mini ice cream for dessert and I'm on a limit of 1200 kcal per day (it's 140 kcal)!

yummmm greeen beans!!! I'm suddenly craving them after reading your post

twaltemade

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!

I was in the same situation as you last week. Out of frustration, I hired a personal trainer last Friday and he pointed out two big mistakes that I was making that was hindering my progress that I wanted to share. Firstly, he had me start MFP and I quickly learned how poorly that I was choosing my food. I did not eat alot or often, but when I did it was horrendous. He had me bump my meal frequency from 2x per day to 6 so that my body recognized that it did not need to go into conservation mode.

Secondly, For the most effective weight loss with cardio, he instructed me to keep my heart rate at 115...120 max!! I had been doing intervals to get my heart rate up o 170-180. At the lower heart rate, the body starts to burn excess fat. At the higher heart rate, it is looking to burn sugars. I started following his advice last Friday and dropped 7 pounds this week. At that lower heart rate, an hour on the treadmill is easy, whereas I was lucky to pull off 20-30 minutes when I was trying to sprint. I put a movie on the ipad and found that 2 hours of cardio was actually quite easy when you target that lower rate.

He has me on strength training MWF and cardio Tuesday and Thursday.

I am no expert...just sharing what seems to have turned things around for me. Good luck!!

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

:drinker:

_HeartsOnFire_

It does work. Studies show you are 3x more likely to lose weight when you are tracking your food intake. However, it's not a diet. It's just an aid. You have to work and be committed (and I'm not saying you aren't). You also need to be doing the right kinds of exercise, like cardio and resistance training. I've lost 23.5 lbs since May 1st using Just Dance 3, The Biggest Loser Challenge for WII, quitting soda, alcohol, crap and fast food, eating much better and tracking what I eat.

McLifterPants

I truly believe that myfitnesspal is about starting a new lifestyle, not dieting. My basic story is in my profile, or on this thread http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/659342-my-journey-with-pics-and-why-i-don-t-believe-in-after but I would say yes, it works, if you're willing to stick with it.

lily_bell

This method does work but only if you are diligent about it. You have to do it everyday and log everything! I have the app on my iPhone which makes it very easy for me to log foods because I can just enter my foods on the spot. The app even has a barcode scanning feature which is awesome because I can just scan my granola bar or anything like that instead of searching for it in the system. If you have a smart phone I recommend you get the app.

yksdoris

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!

I was in the same situation as you last week. Out of frustration, I hired a personal trainer last Friday and he pointed out two big mistakes that I was making that was hindering my progress that I wanted to share. Firstly, he had me start MFP and I quickly learned how poorly that I was choosing my food. I did not eat alot or often, but when I did it was horrendous. He had me bump my meal frequency from 2x per day to 6 so that my body recognized that it did not need to go into conservation mode.

Secondly, For the most effective weight loss with cardio, he instructed me to keep my heart rate at 115...120 max!! I had been doing intervals to get my heart rate up o 170-180. At the lower heart rate, the body starts to burn excess fat. At the higher heart rate, it is looking to burn sugars. I started following his advice last Friday and dropped 7 pounds this week. At that lower heart rate, an hour on the treadmill is easy, whereas I was lucky to pull off 20-30 minutes when I was trying to sprint. I put a movie on the ipad and found that 2 hours of cardio was actually quite easy when you target that lower rate.

He has me on strength training MWF and cardio Tuesday and Thursday.

I am no expert...just sharing what seems to have turned things around for me. Good luck!!

There are all sorts of reasons why you'd be heavier. Do your muscles hurt from the workout? If yes, then they're holding water. Give it a day or two rest and you'll see the difference. Personally, I always go up about 1-4 lb right after a gym-workout, plateau for a couple of days, then drop up to 5 lb in one go. Some people see an up-swing around their period (again, that's water).

Make sure you weigh yourself regularly. Now, I'm an obsessive weigher. I sometimes weigh myself before and after going to the bathroom for crying out loud. But, the trick is to acknowledge that the numbers on the scale are not actually indicative of where you are in your weight. The scale will go up and down and up again,then down again. If the up bothers you, I'd suggest weighing only on one day of the week.

As for the types of workout; honestly, it doesn't matter what you're doing so long as you keep on going it and you're not over-eating on the calories (because "I've been so good today, went to the gym" Seriously, I used to do that All The Time). Me, I do resistance and weight training mostly. I'm looking to tone myself so that as I lose the weight I don't end up with saggy skin all over the place

dbrightwell1270

Yes it works. Bump for later.

yokurio

I tend to come and go to MFP, everytime i come back i lose a little more and then i fall off the bandwagon for awhile but the lessons learned from MFP make it easy to maintain. I have lost every one of my 50lbs with MFP, but knowing what I should eat in one day to maintain has helped me keep it off. So, i'd say that it is a tool to help train yourself so you understand what it takes to eat right, well, maybe not eat right, but to eat less wrong. lol..

SharitaWray

I started February of this year. Tracking food has helped me tremendously! You'll never realize how much you consume until you tally it. Adding calories burned during exercise has been tremdous also. It has truly helped me compare how much I eat vs how much I burn off.

12 pounds lost, but so much more gained!

stacymama5

Ok, I want in on this. YES it works if your honest with yourself!!! I started January 5, 2012. I have lost 29 pounds and reached my goal!! I sometimes think it is time to quit MFP but the help and encouragement, and the people I have met on here are awesome!! I have been on here 180+ days and want to be on here forever.

BTW, I have been on maintenance for 2 months and have not gained nor lost a pound. Yeah!!