Does it work like it says it does?

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MeganKSchultz
MeganKSchultz Posts: 73
in Health and Weight Loss
Do those of you who follow the recommended exercise and calorie intake on mfp lose the suggested weight? For example, if my account is set to loose one pound a week, and I meet my exercise and calorie goals on mfp, will I lose one pound a week? I know... everyone is different. I guess I'm a little confused because I see so many people integrating this with other programs. I'd love to hear from some people that have been successful just following mfp. I have only been doing this for four days now, and 3 out of the 4 I was within 30 calories of my goal at the end of the day. I'm trying to take it slow and not be TOO far under, but I'm afraid of not seeing any results.
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Replies

  • dee_bee
    dee_bee Posts: 36
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    It does work. I went from September to December last year JUST going by MFP guides. I consistently lost more than it said I would, and I wasn't missing out on foods by any means. I integrated my FitBit (birthday present) in December and it's just another tool to help me along in my journey.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
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    I'm new here but it has helped me a ton!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    It does if the user is realistic about goals, and uses the system the way it's designed - meaning if you've got 20lbs to lose, setting your goal to lose 2lbs a week isn't a good plan, and when you exercise, you are supposed to eat those calories back, bringing the net calories up to goal.

    Looks like your 1lb a week goal is a good plan. Just remember that your daily goal without exercise has you at a deficit, so you should eat to goal & you'll still lose. That's why MFP adds exercise cals back into your goal when you log it, they expect you to eat those back so you're not at too great a deficit.
  • Schmidty102
    Schmidty102 Posts: 168 Member
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    The first week I actually went up a pound or two, but since, I have dropped about 2lbs a week by eating at the 1800 net calories suggested for me. (I put in that I was way more active than I actually am, and eat back most of my calories burned through exercise as well... no one is truly sedentary - be honest with yourself)
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
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    Patience and moderation. It works.
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    MFP doesn't do the work, YOU DO! Its not about MFP working its about you being serious about eating healthy and exercising. MFP is just a tool to help you track your food and exercise. It is not a diet plan.

    If you don't measure your food accurately, enter ALL the food you eat and do some form of activity regularly. You can't blame MFP.

    That all being said. Be cautious of the calories burned per exercise supplied by MFP. They can be highly inaccurate. Your best bet is to invest in a heart rate monitor.
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
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    It worked for me, I punched in my stats, and tried to exercise each day. I started just after Christmas 2011.
    The biggest thing for me has been eating ENOUGH (not living on tuna & lettuce leaves as I have done in the past).
    Next has been changing some of the things I eat, and spending those calories more wisely (sometimes :blushing: ) Eating normal foods, as I am going to be doing this for life - it is not a "diet".
    Measuring everything - I bought some little digital scales. Portion size is important. Don't go with "average" or "medium" - these things are arbitrary - measure!
    Trying to get some exercise each day.
    Logging in every day, being honest.
    Not expecting miracles eg "Lose 10 kgs in five days" rubbish

    Go check out some success stories, especially those that give you some hints and information.
    Lots of people combine MFP with other things, but for me calorie counting, better choices, and some movement have lost me 28 kgs, most of it in the first four or five months.

    You CAN do it if you decide you want to. :smile:
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Do those of you who follow the recommended exercise and calorie intake on mfp lose the suggested weight? For example, if my account is set to loose one pound a week, and I meet my exercise and calorie goals on mfp, will I lose one pound a week? I know... everyone is different. I guess I'm a little confused because I see so many people integrating this with other programs. I'd love to hear from some people that have been successful just following mfp. I have only been doing this for four days now, and 3 out of the 4 I was within 30 calories of my goal at the end of the day. I'm trying to take it slow and not be TOO far under, but I'm afraid of not seeing any results.

    yes. the underlying physics is immutable.

    you won't see a constant linear decrease on the scale week in and week out because the internal metabolic process happen at their own rates and your body will constantly be shedding or retaining water, which can mask the results on the scale, but over time (several weeks or months) you will see a downward trend on the scale just as you expect. you must have your BMR/TDEE numbers correct and you must log everything accurately, but if those are both attended to properly, then all it takes is adherence and time. it works.
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    i did follow it to begin with, not anymore.. had me set way too low
  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
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    I've lost 16kg in 2 months.

    It works.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Like a lot of women I started with my goal set at 2 lbs a week...the dreaded 1200 calories. I lost 6 lbs in 10 days and then it came to screeching halt. After a couple of weeks of no loss I adjusted to 1 lb a week which bumped it up to 1570 calories (now 1510 because I'm smaller) a day and have been losing weight consistently since then. I lose more than 1 lb a week, too - 5 lbs since March 1. At 1200 calories a day my body went into stasis or starvation mode or whatever they're calling it now.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Its been working for me. I am set to lose just under a pound a week and that seems to be what I am losing.

    ETA - The first week I lost nothing....the second, I lost 5 pounds. YMMV. :)
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    No it does not work like that for everyone.,.. but for the vast majority of people it WILL. If you have a metabolic/hormonal imbalance then the math will not add up for you in the same way that it does for everyone else.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    Do those of you who follow the recommended exercise and calorie intake on mfp lose the suggested weight?

    I have mine set to lose 1 lb per week. I eat my exercise calories. I lost 50 lbs in my first 52 weeks. It's working for me. :)
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Yes, it works, IF you are totally honest about what you eat (a scale helps), how active you generally are, and how much you exercise.

    That said, there are a few qualifications. Many exercise databases, including those on MFP, are optimistic about how many calories people burn during exercise. If I were using MFP's estimates of how many calories I burn, I would reduce them by a third or so. I measure calories consumed in exercise by using a carefully calibrated heart rate monitor.

    Moreover, MFP's activity levels aren't that precise. I am not quite "sedentary" but I'm probably closer to that than "lightly active." And people vary in how much energy they extract from food (based on their intestinal microbiome, among other things).

    The upshot is that I've set MFP to have me lose 1.5 lbs./week, and I've actually lost more like 1.15 lbs./week over the last 9 weeks. I'm content. It's a tool, and like all tools, it's useful but has its limitations. If I really wanted to lose 1.5 lbs./week I'd need to either tweak it or eat a couple hundred fewer calories each day than MFP tells me to. But I'm content with my current progress, and as a tool to record calories consumed and expended, MFP works better than anything else I've found.
  • marand94608
    marand94608 Posts: 67 Member
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    It's working well for me so far. I signed up here about 11 weeks ago to lose 1 lb/wk and I'm actually losing a bit faster than that right now. yay! I follow the recommend calories for sedentary activity and am eating back my exercise calories - total 1800-1900 (net 1360). That's the best part of this plan!!! I haven't felt hungry or deprived yet.

    Just know that the formula works only if you are as precise as possible with the data you enter for food and exercise. I got a heart rate monitor right away because I wanted to know a more accurate number for my workouts and other daily activities. Likewise, I weigh/measure food and carefully check the database entries for validity. My tip for that is to include the word "usda" in your searches - this usually brings up entries based on all the nutrient values in the usda database. (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list)
  • jessbixl
    jessbixl Posts: 34
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    I believe it does work, but the calories it recommended I eat I thought was too low (1,534). So I upped it to 1800 it seems to be helping. I was losing weight at the 1500 something but I think it's' the metformin I'm taking that's helping me lose weight. Those of you who don't know what met is, it's medicine for diabetes.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    Yes it does work, in little over a year I have lost 111 pounds following MFP programs, eatting back exercise calories. please read this for the things MFP does not tell you. Knowledge is power.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
    Options
    It worked for me, I punched in my stats, and tried to exercise each day. I started just after Christmas 2011.
    The biggest thing for me has been eating ENOUGH (not living on tuna & lettuce leaves as I have done in the past).
    Next has been changing some of the things I eat, and spending those calories more wisely (sometimes :blushing: ) Eating normal foods, as I am going to be doing this for life - it is not a "diet".
    Measuring everything - I bought some little digital scales. Portion size is important. Don't go with "average" or "medium" - these things are arbitrary - measure!
    Trying to get some exercise each day.
    Logging in every day, being honest.
    Not expecting miracles eg "Lose 10 kgs in five days" rubbish

    Go check out some success stories, especially those that give you some hints and information.
    Lots of people combine MFP with other things, but for me calorie counting, better choices, and some movement have lost me 28 kgs, most of it in the first four or five months.

    You CAN do it if you decide you want to. :smile:
    :
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
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    :drinker: Me to .... :wink:

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