I need some encouragement that this will really work!

shellee9tj

I started on this site about a month ago I think, at first I felt like I was being allowed too many calories so I wasn't eating all of them.....don't do that!! I wasn't lossing any weight so I tried eating the amt it said to and eating the calories back that I burned with exercise and started losing right away!! I love this site and the fact that it holds me accountable. As far as eating out I always check out the restaurant's website first for nutritional info and pick my best option, that way I am prepared when I get there. I also plan ahead by eating lighter for breakfast and lunch if I am going to dinner that way I allow for the extra calories. I have two little ones at home so the gym is not practical for me, I use my treadmill and my Wii Fit has been my savior!! Hope this helps!! You can do it!!!

CasperO

Right here, wife and I have lost about 130 pounds just cooking smart, eating right, getting a little exercise and tracking everything on this website. It will work,,,

ScarletTarah

I love this site, It not only makes me feel like i'm not dieting, but my energy has increased drasticaly.
I exercise 4-5 times a week doing 60 on the bike then a few sets of strength training, I have eaten much better tasting food in the last 3 weeks then in years, all because I watch what it is, I used to hate tomatoes now I dice them up and throw them on everything- it's like even my taste buds are working with me, you know how every diet you start you can't wait for it to already be months into it and then 3 days later it's like oh who care and your gobbling down a whopper meal large size with a coke and getting dessert like your making up to your body for those 2 horrible days you denied it junk. I am already 23 days into it and can't believe it I never once felt deprived or frustrated, I just find healthier ways to make what I like, burger- turkeyburger on a natures thin round w/ 120 calorie potato wedges and salt free ketchup, Burgers & salt were my enemy, but no more.

I really hope you stick with this it has opened my eyes and I hope it will yours as well, if you have children, even mine have benefitted from this way of eatting, better attitudes, not cranky, wake up without a problem\go to bed without a problem, even my 8 yr. old son told me he feels better with the way we eat, when I asked him to explain he couldn't really, just that he didn't know he felt bad until now he feels good. , but I know what it is because I feel better to and now I will always remember that my children also felt the effects of unhealthy eatting.

epoeraven

I started actually using the site religeously at the end of January 2009. I am now down 96lbs. I have followed the calories allowed and eaten back my exercise calories and it has worked for me. The main thing is to hold yourself accountable. :flowerforyou:

Good luck! If I can do it anyone can :laugh:

I can TOTALLY agree - I started in August 2009 I am down 45 pounds. I can honestly say I would not have gotten this far without this website!!!! And another suggestion - add some people as friends - it is great support.

Sunsh1ne

Welcome to MFP! I've been using the site since October, seriously since late November, and I've lost 10 pounds so far, and I feel confident that I can lose the rest. All I've been doing is tracking my calories using the food and exercise log (I went from 2,000+ calorie days to an average 1,500) and trying to be more active. I love MFP because it makes the math easy, and I can find great support and information over here on the forums.

clairebear82

Oh my goodness this so works. I have tried for the last two years myself to get back to the place I was 4 years ago. I was 12 stone and happy with how I looked as I'm 5ft 11. The weight just crept back on over time and I lacked the same motivations. My life isn't the same as it was that time ago but my biggest hurdle was discipline in food and not over indulging.

My boyfriend found this site and I started to try it on the 1st Feb, and since then it has changed me, I've lost 13lbs and I've found the motivation that I needed. I love the little detail that tells you what you are likely to weigh in five weeks and it keeps you going. My habits have changed in that short time and I don't feel the need to overdo it but if I do I know that by staying under a max number of calories for that day that I won't go so off track.

It has also helped me to think long term and that I can feasibly be four stone lighter by beginning of July, I have set myself six week goals to lose a stone. I've used this month to get my food under control and from next week I'm going to start more exercise.

Just try it, you will feel different I'm sure!

Sunsh1ne

I am so happy I found this thread! I also just started this journey and would love to keep reading all these success stories. What do you all do when you have a "bad" day or "bad" meal? Also would like to know how some of you handle eating out. That is a tough one for all of us, I'm sure!

If I know I'll be eating out, I try to plan ahead. You can find nutritional information for most restaraunts online, or at least a menu. I pick out what I'll be eating before I leave home, and I stick to the plan. I drink lots of water and try one or two bites of the appetizers instead of eating half. If the portion sizes are huge, I ask for a box and put half away before the first bite, because I know I won't stop halfway if it's all still sitting on my plate.

If I have a bad day or a bad meal, I don't stress out about it. I'll get some exercise if I can, but if I can't - tomorrow is a new day. I'm looking at this as a lifestyle shift, and that doesn't mean being lockstep from day one and never stumbling. I'm just trying to learn new, healthy habits, and it's ok if sometimes I slip.

CasperO

I forget about it,,, realize that it happens and try not to do it again (too often).

The most important thing is to not fall into this trap: "Well,,, as long as I've blown the day, I might as well eat this 1/2 gallon of ice cream". Ooohhh,,, bad bad bad, and faulty logic.

Interestingly,,, I find that my idea of what is "bad" has evolved. Yesterday I made spareribs, and they were ridiculously good. Cooked low and slow all day with a nice sauce,,, wow. I came home hungry, and I was pretty bad last night. I had 5 bones worth,,, probably 700 or 800 calories. So I probably finished the day a couple hundred calories over. Not good, but not huge either.

A year ago I would have eaten the whole rack of ribs! I mean a 2000 calorie supper!?!?!(yeah, just supper). And that's how I wound up so fat. Now that I've been doing this for over a year my whole frame of reference has changed. That's the big change I needed to make to keep the weight off, and I've done it and it's working.