Does MFP really work?

Me, my hubby, and my son have all used mfp for 517 days straight, and we've lost collectively, 382 pounds. We changed how and what we eat and started a little exercise, mostly walking. It def works!!!

Yes, I do believe it does work! This is the first time where I've tried losing weight and have seen consistent results. I've only been tracking since mid April and am down 26 lbs. Which, for me, is huge. Plus there are a ton of other people basically doing it with you. You can't beat the support that's offered here.

52 pounds down...! Started just logging and eating, lost 18 lbs, had a total abdominal hysterectomy (March 6, 2012), at release from doc 5 weeks later, added exercising to the mix and here I am, not yet six months and down 52 lbs! Nothing I did worked before MFP...MFP works and it ROCKS to have friends losing with me!!

What Lorina said. I am living proof that it works. I am someone who has struggled with weight pretty much always. This is the first time I've ever felt in control of my weight, ever. I have been told and had actually convinced myself that this is my lot in life, that there is nothing I could do about it.

So yes. It works. The thing that makes it work is that it is not extreme. It's allowed me to make a sustainable change. Forever.

I find calorie counting highly effective and in the years I've been doing it MFP is the easiest site there is! I lost 75 lbs in college counting calories and working out. It took me 3 years, but if you don't give up it will happen.

I think it depends on your personality. If you are type A and enjoy inputting everything into your phone or computer, it will be great. If you cant get to your device throughout the day, its easy to forget to record or measure accurately. I could also see it failing it you eat out alot. Although there are so many restaurants are in the database, portion sizes and oils used can be different from restaurant to restaurant and day to day. it has definitely helped me to realize how much grazing I did around the kids meal cleanup. wow holy oreo! LOL.

Yes, it works. I've done various diets before and have always put weight back on. Thing is, I am not, and have never been, clinicially obese or overweight. However, there are weights at which I feel good and weights at which I feel bad and lumpy.
I've been on MFP for about 4 months, 2 of those seriously and logging daily. I've lost 7lb which at my weight is a big achievement. I only want to lose another 3-4lb anyway.
MFP has also encouraged me to exercise when maybe before I couldn't be bothered due to heat, fatigue etc. Yet now when I know I want a big meal or extra food, I have to earn those calories. I finished a 12hr night shift at 7am today, got home 7.40am and asleep by 8. I was up and about at 3pm but very tired. Yet the bloke wanted to cook pizza (900 calories per person) and I wanted to drink wine since I've been off alcohol while working nights. So something had to give, and we went for a 5.5mile run before cooking. In the bad old days I'd never have done that. I'd have said I was too tired to run and that would have been that.
The biggest things MFP has taught me are:
1. Portion control. Weigh what you eat and you'll see where the calories go, and can adjust accordingly.
2. Value of exercise. If I want to eat more, I have to move more. End of.

If I can get under 130 pounds I'll be a lower weight than I've been for nearly 10yrs!! MFP does work, and I plan to continue using it for maintenance after the weight loss.

MFP is just a tool. You will probably need other tools in your tool box to get the job done, just like you need more than just a hammer to build a house.

Other basics you will need:

*Scale
*Tape measure
*Have a professional body fat analysis done. Don't rely on BMI. If you have more than 10% of your overall body weight to lose, consider a method other than calipers. Hydrostatic weighing, bodpod, impedance are all good methods to get a basic idea of your body fat percentage.
*Have several sets of measuring cups (liquid and dry measure)
*Dietary scale
*Measuring spoons
*A before photo in your bathing suit or underwear (Front, back and profile). Look at those photos every day or when you feel like going off program.
*Some weight loss buddies. Social support is very important to weight loss success.

Don't know for you. For me, it worked almost effortlessly. It was kind of scary. On the other hand, I ate really healthy to start with - I just needed to cut calories.

MFP was a great tool for doing that. I could definitely not do it without it.

And it feeds into my obsessive love of data

I definitely think it works! I've tried to lose weight before and nothing worked. MFP helps you log your calories and exercise routine and at the same time makes you more conscious of what you're eating. For example the other day I was going to go to McDonalds cause I was craving french fries veeeerry badly. When I went to log the french fries the amount pf calories that were in them made me want to spit them all out. I've lost 20 pounds since using this and I can't wait to keep losing more. I would advise weighing yourself once a week and using a measuring tape to see the inches fall off as well. Good luck!