Whats the key points of weight loss?

Eat until your "calories remaining" number = 0.

The number MFP sets (plus extra when you exercise) is the amount you should aim for - in order to stay healthy while you lose weight.

X2. Eating majority of your calories (within plus or minus 5% of the goal) seems to be about the most important factor.

But if you have a bad day and go way over don't sweat it or beat yourself up, enjoy the beer or cake or whatever and get back on track tomorrow.

1. Just keep going.
2. Log everything. Even on bad days
3. Be patient

Ehhh. I dunno I think if you eat till calories remaining is close to zero you can be more inclined to gain weight, if you are exercising also. I eat my initial set amount of calories but I do not eat back the ones I gain from work outs, so i always have a fairly high number of "remaining calories" at the end of the day, even though I eat 1200ish a day.

Only eating 1200 calories a day? You are seriously starving yourself and in the end you gain fat and suffer mentally. The bodies functions require way more than that just to maintain normal day to day living.

I am one of many examples. Eating 2000 (no workout day) to 3000 calories (heavy work out day) and have lost 55+ pounds in 7 months.

Drink 8 cups of water a day.

Get up and move!

Eat at least 1200 NET calories. Probably a good bit more depending on your goals and stats.

Everyone has bad days.

Don't quit on yourself!!

You didn't gain it in a day, it's not going to come that fast!

The eating healthy brings up a good point that nobody shared with me when I started. While eating healthy you need to eat a TON of food to get to your caloric goal. You feel full but have a lot of calories to still eat. You feel lke you are eating just to eat.

So trying to find a rhythm helps. Me....I eat a lot of small meals through out the day. A lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, PB and J have a lot of protien, good fat, and calories. So I can eat more quality and less volume.

It is a learning curve.

I still go out and treat myself to an ice cream cone, beer, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. i didn't stop living. I just found a way to make those calories fit into my life and goals.

Ehhh. I dunno I think if you eat till calories remaining is close to zero you can be more inclined to gain weight, if you are exercising also. I eat my initial set amount of calories but I do not eat back the ones I gain from work outs, so i always have a fairly high number of "remaining calories" at the end of the day, even though I eat 1200ish a day.

Only eating 1200 calories a day? You are seriously starving yourself and in the end you gain fat and suffer mentally. The bodies functions require way more than that just to maintain normal day to day living.

I am one of many examples. Eating 2000 (no workout day) to 3000 calories (heavy work out day) and have lost 55+ pounds in 7 months.

I agree. I eat about 2000 calories a day, eating back my exorcise calories. You have to fuel your body. Also I've found, at least for me, you have to play with it a little. See what works for you. But yes the basic idea is to eat the calories MFP tells you, and eat back your exercise calories until you equal out to around the zero calories left, give or take. Log everything, and get a good support group.

This answers more than your extended question, but here have been my keys to success so far:

*Drink lots of water. Lots and lots. More than 8 glasses if you can. Cut out soda. Drink hot tea!
*Eat as clean as possible. I didn't realize how much "food" we buy from the grocery store isn't actually food. It's created in a lab. Load up on your fruits, veggies, whole grains, and proteins.
*Eat your healthy fats and eat your carbs. There are a lot of carbs in fruit. There is a lot of fat in nuts. This is ok!
*Lift weights! More muscle = higher metabolism = more calories burned. You won't bulk up, and strong is sexy!
*Don't let one bad day ruin it. Get back on track the following day.
*Don't let the scale determine how well you think you're doing. Take measurements, weigh in once and a while, and just keep going. It will all happen!

Good luck!