10 Things I've Learned on the MFP Boards

rgrin

Though I've tried to loose weight MANY times, this is the first time it's worked! I know the support of my friends and the knowledge I've gained on the board is what has made the difference. I've learned many things, but there are also things that I "knew" but never really paid attention to until I was reminded about it's importance on the board. What I've learned in the past 6 weeks:

1. Drink plenty of water. My usual 3 apparently isn't enough. I had 8 a day all last week and it went great! I'm trying for 9 this week to see if it's any better. If not, I'll just stick with 8.
2. Up the protein. I was getting MAYBE 30 grams a day prior to this. 100+ a day is a huge change, but I don't get hungry nearly as often now.
3. Eat protein for breakfast... whatever works for you. I HATE breakfast foods. I usually skip it, then munch all morning so that I end up not hungry for healthy food at lunch. A protein shake in the morning has stopped my all-day snacking AND made me more even-tempered throughout the day.
4. Fat is NOT bad. Don't go for low-fat foods that up the sodium or sugar, two foods that I DO need to avoid. A snack of high-fat peanut butter (my "crave" food) is a MUCH better choice than low-fat Chips Ahoy. (And, believe it or not, dipping the low-fat Chips Ahoy into the peanut butter apparently does NOT make them healthier.)
5. Carbs are are a budgeted item, so choose wisely. Vegetables count as carbs, so make sure to make room for them up front. Whole grains help up my protein and fiber AND keep me full longer than refined grains.
6. An occasional snack or splurge is not the end of this new lifestyle. Making yourself miserable in the name of beauty is NOT a recipe for success. When possible, plan ahead for your spurge by adjusting your other foods for the day. Otherwise, try to balance it out with the rest of the week.
7. Be sure to get enough calories. The weight WILL move, and I'm much happier during the process.
8. Don't trust the machines or MFP to tell you how many calories you have burned, especially if you're planning on eating them back. They are rarely correct and often quite far from what is really happening in your body.
9. Find out what workout time works best for your body, not your schedule. I've always worked out in the evening because that's what worked with my schedule. After school, after classes, after work, after chores, or after the kids are in bed. Because of a crazy schedule last week, I tried working out in the morning and... oh, my! I had more stamina and energy during my workout. I had more energy throughout the day. Last night, I went back to my evening schedule. Nope. I'm afraid chores and such are going to have to move to afternoons and evenings from now on!
10. Add weight training to cardio. Even if you just start out with body resistance exercises (push-ups, crunches, etc.) it will improve your fitness level. Keep working at it and increase the weight as you can.


Your turn! What have you learned from this knowledgable community?

Ploogy

That upwards of 75% of the posts here are misinformed or downright noise, often just parroting things read in other posts. That said, yours is actually full of useful information.

Skye_NS

Thank you for your post. Please excuse me if this is a silly question, but I'm still trying to figure this stuff out myself. How do you figure out your calories burned if you don't trust the machines or MFP?

cplanoue41

Use a heart monitor.

crystalflame

Thank you for your post. Please excuse me if this is a silly question, but I'm still trying to figure this stuff out myself. How do you figure out your calories burned if you don't trust the machines or MFP?

Heart rate monitor. If you don't have one, try eating back half of what MFP spits out for exercise cals. If you're completely starving, eat a little more.

LacyJean1

thank you for sharing!

CristinaL1983

That upwards of 75% of the posts here are misinformed or downright noise, often just parroting things read in other posts. That said, yours is actually full of useful information.

Pretty much this. There is some good information floating around but it is harder to find.

AndreaEliz93

I actually learned a lot of the same things!! Great Tips!

mfpcopine

Thank you for your post. Please excuse me if this is a silly question, but I'm still trying to figure this stuff out myself. How do you figure out your calories burned if you don't trust the machines or MFP?

Trial and error. You try to be as accurate as possible in regards to calorie measuring and logging, you work out as much as your schedule permits, and if after a few weeks you haven't lost weight, you make a change, usually eating less, or eliminating something like sugar. If you somehow end up dropping huge amounts of weight and you're concerned about it, you eat more.

gapm

This matches what I've learned fairly closely except I have not gotten to the ones about exercise. I will have to check that out.

NaBroski

11. Homeopathy is supported by quantum mechanics.

EmmaReed84

8. Don't trust the machines or MFP to tell you how many calories you have burned, especially if you're planning on eating them back. They are rarely correct and often quite far from what is really happening in your body.

I usually use the machines at the gym to gauge how many calories I have burned, otherwise, how else would you know how much you have done? Sorry for the daft questions LOL.

Oh an also, how do you work out/find out/know how many calories you burn when heavy lifting?

tachyon_master

8. Don't trust the machines or MFP to tell you how many calories you have burned, especially if you're planning on eating them back. They are rarely correct and often quite far from what is really happening in your body.

I usually use the machines at the gym to gauge how many calories I have burned, otherwise, how else would you know how much you have done? Sorry for the daft questions LOL.

Oh an also, how do you work out/find out/know how many calories you burn when heavy lifting?

I find the TechnoGym treadmills at my gym to actually be pretty accurate compared to a HRM. The resistance machines (ellipticals, cross trainers, stationary bikes) are a little more problematic, because the resistance bands are in varying stages of decay/failure from overuse, and it's not giving you the resistance it's supposed to be. Hence the machine ends up giving you an overestimation. I find that the HRM figures are about 2/3 of the resistance machine figures.

Treadmillmom1st

I've learnt that I must refuel my muscles within the first hour of a workout banana, rice or egg white are to name but a small few of quick foods to feed those muscles.

See, I listened http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/921892-no-gym-required and it works lol.

MacDHH

With respect to the calorie burn question, and with the caveat that I don't know how true it is nowadays, but about 20 years ago when I got really into working out (something I've really enjoyed since then!), I read something that said that the gym machines, with the exception of the treadmill and the stationary bicycles, are not that accurate. The reason was that the treadmills and bicycles calorie counts had been tested extensively, whereas a lot of the other machines (like the rowing machine....ellipticals weren't even around, not at my university gym anyway), were using estimates.

I also think that whether you walk or run, a 150-lb person on a treadmill burns around 105 cals per mile (obviously if you run, you can get more miles in the same amount of time), so I use that as an estimate. The MFP estimates for walking to be roughly in line with that, and for biking, I just assume that I burn around the same calories for the amount of time as with walking (even though I usually feel I exert myself way more when I bike than when I walk...but that's probably because I'm schlepping my two kiddos around as well!).

Cait_Sidhe

1) Losing weight is much harder than gaining it.

2) This doesn't have to be torture. If you restrict yourself too much, you're more likely to fail.

3) Women cannot get bulky by lifting heavy weights unless they eat at a calorie surplus and take anabolic steroids.

4) Exercise is important for health, but not entirely necessary for weight loss.

5) Dietary fat will not make you fat. Carbs will not make you fat. Sugar will not make you fat. No macro or micro will make you fat.

6) A calorie excess will make you fat.

7) Sodium might make you retain fluids, but it has nothing to do with fat loss.

8) Accuracy is key. Weigh your food. Log everything. Little discrepancies build up and make big discrepancies. If you are eating back your exercise calories, try and make sure they're accurate.

9) If it fits your macros and doesn't take you above your calorie goal, go ahead and eat it.

10) MEAL TIMING DOES NOT MATTER! If you don't like eating breakfast, don't eat it! If you want to eat all your calories after midnight, go for it!

daydream_believer

i love this! i have learnt many if not all of these same lessons from posts here... and you just summarised some of the really important ones to make them simple and easy to monitor. thankyou x

Cait_Sidhe

Oh but here's the most important thing I've read on the MFP message board:

There is knowledge and helpful information out there. But to get there you must trudge through all of the falsehoods, myths, and misinformation. Tread lightly and learn whose info to trust. Logic prevails above all.

rgrin

8) Accuracy is key. Weigh your food. Log everything. Little discrepancies build up and make big discrepancies. If you are eating back your exercise calories, try and make sure they're accurate.

Ooh, forgot that one! I guess that's my #11!