Does Fitness Pal really work?

don't let your first week discourage you. log in your points honestly and start looking for patterns. I've managed to change many of my bad habits just by being aware that Id have to log them in. also i find it helpful to plan my eating well in advance. i pack my own lunches and plan play around with meal options until im satisfied and in my calorie goals.

make friends! I've come into contact with some pretty amazing people on here.
in short it works~ if you really want it to.

ASK THE 30 LBS THAT ARENT ON ME ANYMORE

Straight calorie counting has always worked for me. MFP makes it VERY easy to track...especially with the mobile app. I have lost seven pounds in the last month.

If you're in a hurry it's probably not what you're looking for. One to two pounds per week is considered excellent here.

Good luck.

My Fitness Pal is a tool. Tools don't work. You gotta put the tool to work for you.

Fitness Pal is a great tool, when if used regularly and efficiently, you will get results. Whether it's losing weight, gaining weight, finding support, tracking calories, tracking nutrients, etc.

Good luck!

Stick with it for at least a month, be vigilant in logging, and see if it works! If it works "too" well (losing faster than expected) or not fast enough, adjust as needed. And, be willing to educate yourself about things (lots of knowledgable people on here) about common myths of weight loss, do your own research, and it will work.

Don't overcomplicate it, make a commitment to yourself and stick to it. MFP is only a tool to help. You have to be the one to do the work. Eventually it becomes second nature logging in. You just have to want it bad enough. Add me as a buddy and I'll help keep you motivated!! You can do this...but only if you want to.

Lots of good advice here. I was just going to write a piece about patience.... I remember when I was getting married: I ate little and exercised every evening on this antiquated stationary bike that jerked my upper body back and forth as I pedaled. LOL!! Good memories. Best wishes!!

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MFP addict

MFP works very well as long as you don't cheat on your entries. Be sure to always always always put the correct portions in and the correct amount of exercise in. My rule of thumb is to guess high on calories eaten and low on calories burned. If you do that, you'll never be surprised by a failure, but will be pleasantly surprised by results.

I don't worry about my macros (allowance of carbs, protein, fat, etc) but I have alot of weight to lose. I purely count up calories. If you have a relatively small amount of weight to lose, pay more attention to those. I started in early December and I'm down 35 pounds so far using this tool. I've learned how to eat well without taking in excess calories in the process.

People work... MFP is a tool to help you toward success. If you simply expect anything to work for you its not going to happen. On the other hand if you apply yourself and use MFP to track the changes you make you will find yourself making measurable changes that will give you measurable results. I've dropped 128 pounds in seven months and still going strong. Anyone is welcome to add me. My food diary is open to friends.

You have to be patient with the tool at first. I tried to use it last year and it just seemed too hard to keep putting in the meals. It seemed so hard to find just the right meal, the right version of the meal. I quit using it after a week. However, this year, I'm using it again and it is so much better.
The tool may be better functionally since last year, but I didn't even stay around long enough last year to even know that.
Now, I've figured out that it shows my recent food by type of meal. I don't have to hunt and peck to find coffee with splenda...it's at the top of my list when I add something to breakfast. I can scan items with my phone camera and it automatically adds it. Adding the food has become so much easier.
Also, learn how to use the create meals, there's a video tutorial. When you cook, you don't have to enter all 10 ingredients in every time. The "create a meal" function lets you group all ingredients and you can just pick it as your meal from then on. It's genius.
So give it time and the tool will make it easier to enter everything.
Now, I am excited to add things to it, I want to see my numbers.
Of course, like everyone else says...it's a tool, you have to put in the work. But as a tool, it's a helpful tool that doesn't slow you down and complicates keeping track of your progress.