Really diggin' MFP

spangler1972
spangler1972 Posts: 18 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So, I'm at the beginning of a weight loss / fitness journey, and stumbled across this site about a month ago. I realized my eating habits have slowly pushed me in the wrong direction, and that sitting around thinking I'd get fit again hasn't done much for me. But what tipped the scales was acting. Yep, acting.

Theatre's a hobby / obsession of mine, and I've got my eyes set on a role next year that I'd really love to have. Problem is ... I'm a touch older than what it calls for. Just a few years, though. So, it's time to drop 35 pounds, buff up a bit, and use a little hair dye. I'll see if I can get those years back.

I found MFP on sort of a lark, but I'm loving it so far. My memories of food diaries was pencil and paper masochism. This site makes it easy enough that tracking calories has been enjoyable. Here's what I've learned so far:
1) There's so many times I eat during the day really out of habit, or just for something to do. I know that happens on a cruise ship (I've been on a couple), but I never thought about how much I did that on land!
2) You think more about what you're eating, and how you space your meals when you have to "keep score" and budget your calories. It pushes that question of "Is this worth it?" out there, instead of "NOMNOMNOM! Eat now!!!"
3) I _love_ to cook. I mean, I already knew that, but attaching a calorie score to my recipes has been a fun challenge. The goal is not to suffer, but to make low cal options tasty enough that you'll want them even if you're not "on a diet." I'm playing with a lot of foods that I haven't been creative with before, and I'm pretty happy with the results so far. Right now, I'm iterating on an herbed stuffed radish recipe until I get it right. It's not bad, but not what I'm looking for yet.

I haven't been doing this for long (about 3 weeks), but I'm seeing modest results. Enough to be encouraging. So, I'll keep on cooking, running, and keeping score. Peace.

Replies

  • Bunya123
    Bunya123 Posts: 6 Member
    I have just finished my first month on MFP and it was much more fun than the the paper and pencil method, I've found that I enjoy budgeting for the things I really want--and have been horrified at some of the stuff I used to eat without thinking (not to mention the quantities.

    I lost about 26 pounds in the 5 months prior to MFP and have lost 14 in the last month. It has motivated me. My better half has been doing MFP for a while and now it i like we are a team.

    I have also learned there are times of day when I eat out of habit, not hunger. Entering everything I eat into MFP has helped me realize that I don't need a snack just before (and sometimes just after) dinner.

    Personally, I have had far more success with MFP than I did with weight watchers or any other diet.

    I wish you the best and it seems like you have already gotten off to a great start.
  • yuko120
    yuko120 Posts: 36
    I agree. I tried every diet plan under the sun, and MFP is the only one that I seem to enjoy. The food data base on here is very impressive. I'm originally from Japan, so I eat a lot of Japanese food, and I was surprised to find most of them on here. When I tried Weight Watchers Online, I had to usually manually add the food myself, and it got to be so frustrating and time-consuming. This site is so easy to use, and I love the support system on here.
  • a_hood89
    a_hood89 Posts: 8 Member
    You think more about what you're eating, and how you space your meals when you have to "keep score" and budget your calories. It pushes that question of "Is this worth it?" out there, instead of "NOMNOMNOM! Eat now!!!"

    Yep, this is what I noticed when I first joined MFP. There were so many things I would eat out of boredom or convenience without thinking if it would be worth it in the long run or if I really even needed it.

    It also helps me personally because I will sometimes try to justify eating something with, "Oh, well this one _____ isn't going to do/undo anything" which may be true, but that mentality will. When you've got a big green number staring at you saying how many calories you have left it really puts into perspective how every little thing does count. ALSO I love at the end of the day how it projects how much you would weigh in 5 weeks. It's just really great motivation to keep doing it. :p

    Good luck!

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