Does myfitnesspal work?

It absolutely works! I am a second-timer meaning I lost close to 20lbs a few years back using mfp but unfortunately gave up and gained it all back and more within a year. So now I'm here again, knowing that it absolutely works to simple be accountable for what you eat. It causes me to make healthier decisions and actually WANT to work out. It's what works best for me and I will use it until eating healthy and clean becomes second nature.

MFP is a good tool. It's not the only tool out there but it's one that I quite like because it keeps me accountable without feeling like there's a phony Rah, Rah section or unaffordable "helps" being offered to those of us who are lower income and determined to do it on their own.
BUT it's about YOU. If you can't keep to your diet, and don't want to be accountable when you're not being good, then it's not good for you.

Has anyone ordered insanity from beachbody.com?

It worked for me! I tried small diets here and there but never stuck with it. This site made me realize the stuff I have always ate has been horrible and causing weight again. I have lost 45lbs In the last 5 months. I exercise A LOT! and I count calories. I set mine to 1200, many say that's too low but It works perfect for me Good-luck! Feel free to add me!

That's so sweet ! Best of luck to you as you prepare for your future family!

Yes! MFP does work! You just have to use it honestly and consistently. I have lost 21.5# over a year, though I could have done much better if I had been more consistent. I intentionally chose to do it slowly, but I also allowed stress to derail me for several months. My child went through a very serious illness over several months, and I just let my new habits fall by the wayside and ate my way through the ordeal - not good. I am glad to say that she is recovering and that I am back on the diet wagon and doing well.

I agree with the person who said that slow is best. I am 41 and have been dieting on and off since the age of 5. I went on my first fad diet with my mom around age 8 or 10 and have tried them all - Weight Watchers, Atkins, Nutri System, Medi Fast etc. I can tell you that slow and steady wins the day and that fast is often unhealthy physically and mentally and the the weight piles back on fast when the "diet" is over. I can also tell you that permanant change will only come when you change your habits FOREVER. My little fall earlier this year is proof of that!

Stick with this, and you WILL make it! Good luck!~

I can't believe how much time I've wasted trying so many different diets and so many kinds of exercise when all I had to do was use MFP and walk every day. I'm 42 years old and I have found that using MFP with simply walking has been the easiest way I've lost weight ever!! I've learned that whenever I have dieted in the past I probably wasn't eating enough and slowed my metabolism, preventing successful weight loss. You think you're doing good by eating less but really you're shutting down weight loss progress by not fuelling your body. I have enjoyed eating what I want as long as I maintain my daily MFP calorie goals, it's also really important to eat often enough (every 3-4 hrs) even if it's a couple of crackers. If anything motivates me to walk, it's seeing that I don't have enough calories left after dinner to have a decent snack so I walk 40-60 minutes every day to allow me to snack more and still lose the weight.....easy. Unless you have health issues that are affected by what kinds of foods your eat, a calorie is a calorie. I eat what I want and as long as I don't go over my daily calories and don't eat too little then I indulge in sugar and fat when the craving strikes. I cannot see going through the rest of my life eating salad, avoiding carbs and treats and I certainly don't want to bust my butt exercising to the point of exhaustion into my 50's, 60's and 70's. No more going to the gym, no more endless miles of running, no more deprivation, just realistic long term exercise and real food, yay for MFP!!! Thank you for helping me and my husband (he has also had success using MFP) shake the weight without feeling hungry and deprived, not to mention sick and tired of exercise, walking is easy and free!! MFP does work!!

Does it work? It works as well as the effort you put into it...look at my ticker.

I've been a slow progress person with MFP. I've had many "relapses". I tend to think about it like treating an addiction. Smokers don't always quit on the first try (they average about 7 quits prior to success), so I just keep coming back knowing that eventually I'll have successful long term change. Each time I have gotten "serious/committed" I've learned something new. I can't hardly look at a plate of chicken wings the way I used to. A plate of 25 wings used to be a "challenge". I've finally gotten away from that and stopped eating beyond fullness.

So "committing" doesn't mean success on the first try...it means being stubborn that you aren't going to quit when you have a bad day/week but that you are just going to keep coming back.

I am starting to believe that simple diet and exercise is the answer.

Exactly!

Before starting MFP my highest weight was 185 (college), and I typically hovered around 175. Lost about 7 pounds last summer because I was teaching kids sailing and was swimming/hauling children around all the time. Decided I like that and joined MFP. Have since lost about 20 lbs, and am capable of doing things I never thought I would be able to (I could barely run a mile in high school, my current pb is 7 miles; I can do REAL pushups, not kneeling ones).

I still eat ice cream. I still drink beer. But it's not every day, not even every week. I actually like good food now (the other day I remembered I packed a big salad for lunch and said "f&%k yeah, salad!" out loud, if that's any indicator...lol), and love the way treating my body better makes me feel!

I will probably not use MFP forever, but I am learning how to properly fuel my body (with foods I enjoy) using this tool. And that's what it is. It's a tool for you to use. If you commit to using it, then it will work for you.

Welcome to the club!