Mfp has cause more harm than good for me.

124

Replies

  • irjeffb
    irjeffb Posts: 275 Member
    MFP didn't CAUSE this problem. You need professional help.
  • DebraYvonne
    DebraYvonne Posts: 632 Member
    not at all! I get on when I want to and I don't obsess over things. It is beneficial to me. Good luck
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    This isn't MFP's fault I'm afraid, you obviously have a personality issue and tendency towards obsessive thought and action. Personally I'd look into therapy, unchecked this kind of thing can permeate into every facet of your life.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    What is your support system IRL like?

    I have none.
    I am on the autistic spectrum which can make getting a support system in real life a little more difficult.
  • sarahi2009
    sarahi2009 Posts: 285 Member
    I have not read all the post so this might be repetative. Only YOU know what is good for your body and nobody else. It sounds like you are taking too much advice to heart when it might not be for you. You have to do what is right and what it feels right. This says I have to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight...guess what..I tried it and I did not feel good at all and was not losing weight so I upped my calories so I feel better and voila I lost weight. You need to take ALL the advice with a grain of salt and do what is best for you. If this is hurting you more than it is benefcial then leave it or change the way you think abou it. It is ultimately YOUR responsibility to do what is best for your body and you know it better than anybody in this world.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I have found that since finding mfp, I have spent every evening glued to the forums, obsessing on 'clean eating', have developed a fear of having any pre packaged meals, of allowing myself the treats I used to have regularly amidst my regular food, along with the fact I now feel impelled to workout everyday, regardless of anything else I might feel like doing, because everyone else seems to be working their *kitten* of obsessively on a daily basis, burning anything up to thousands of calories. Along with this, I have been having severe binges, only since joining the site. As soon as I started actively counting calories, obsession took over. Not to a point of starving myself or anything like that, but to a point of becoming totally consumed by analysing what might be the best diet for longevity, what might be the best diet for a lean body etc etc. It has removed whatever remnant of intuitive eating I had remaining. Sure, I did not have the best diet. I ate a lot of veggie microwave meals, alongside my fruit and veg, and mcflurries and chocolate were a fairly regular fixture in my life. I walked a lot, or swam, or rollerskated or cycled, and I was not overweight. Not 18% bodyfat lean, but not overweight either. I felt healthier. I felt happier. I was more relaxed and I was living my life and had space for other things. Now, every evening, all evening, is spent on mfp, reading more posts and feeling as if I am on some alien planet when I see people logging every bite, every calorie burnt. I go out for a long bike ride, and no longer feel able to stop off for a coffee and toast, or a slice of cake. No way jose, that is not clean, we are not meant to have treats more than once a week, once a month, once a year even, lol.

    Has anyone else hit this issue with mfp?
    I know it works great for people who are endangering their lives with their weight issues.
    But for me, sadly, it seems to have just kicked in my competitive, perfectionist streak, and made me feel compelled to have a perfect diet diary, to burn 600 calories + in exercise a day to not feel lazy compared to everyone else, to revolve my life around eating the best I can for a long life and health, which ironically, is making me feel less healthy. Yep, eating a pile of veggies everyday, and fruit, and greek yoghurt, eggs, fish, chicken, beans, almonds and sweet potatoes, has left me feeling more crap than when I had baked potatoes, microwave veggie meals, quorn(horribly processed), smaller amounts of veggies, ice cream, chocolate and some fish.

    Your post cracked me up....and reminds me of my new obsession to "meet my protein macros" I've just eaten some shrimp and Greek yoghurt and now feel sick from the combination...but hey, it's was really high in protein lol!!!
  • lisy28
    lisy28 Posts: 156 Member
    If this really has a all consumed you i think it is more of a you problem than MFP sit back breathe and put down the computer!
  • MeganGable
    MeganGable Posts: 68 Member
    Honestly, I think this is what A LOT of people do on facebook.....they are competitive, try to post the best status, get the most likes, thumb through other peoples lives to be nosey and judgmental, and then feel like **** at the end of the day bc they didn't go out in the world and better themselves.....they sat at home comparing their lives to everyone else's "fake" life....bc facebook is how people want to be perceived, not who they really are.

    My point is......

    Why not do all that on here and have it mean something? This is an environment of honesty, support, and meaningfulness (with exceptions of course) I'm a complete Type A personality (which is super dangerous for the heart BTW yikes)....but at least on here I am doing more good for myself than harm. I'd rather strive for perfection (though we'll never get there) over health issues than to get false validation from people who I probably don't really know.
  • shosh413
    shosh413 Posts: 135 Member
    I think i understand how you feel... For a while i was also a little bit obssesed with figuring out the best way to eat, but feeling resentful about it and also trying to read everything that there is on the forums. What i did was step back and really ask myself what my life looks like. I realized it consists of carbs, processed foods (sometimes), and some exercise but not exercising instead of hanging out with people... Also, take a break from the MFP forums, and maybe buy a fitbit which will encourage you to move around more in your life rather than read about it... Also you may need to find some meaning in your life that is there but you are not aware of.
  • luckyshilling
    luckyshilling Posts: 229
    Maybe try a website that is strictly trackers with no forums. Some people just gotta go solo.
  • rich347
    rich347 Posts: 508 Member
    I find myself on here a lot to but I balance it out, I hope to come across the woman of my dreams either here or offline
  • SkettiGurl
    SkettiGurl Posts: 186 Member
    Because you have a history with ED I would suggest that this is not the tool you should be using. There are too many triggers on here that could cause you to fall back into your ED. Please seek professional help and delete your account on here.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    MFP is just a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. If you use it to simply eat at a sensible deficit, then it'll work.

    If you're going for "long bike rides" you should be burning enough calories to enjoy a simple slice of cake and a coffee. I think your incorrect preconceptions have caused you more harm than good.

    Remember, a hammer is a simple tool: you can use it to build a beautiful cabinet or brutally murder someone. At the end of the day it is just a hammer, you have to look to the person wielding it.

    "A bad workman always blames his tools" - don't be a bad workman/woman, be a good workman/woman.

    I agree 100% here and pretty much what I was going to say...just don't think I could have put it quite so well.
  • jamers3111
    jamers3111 Posts: 495 Member
    Yes. But I recently have taken a step back. I decided to workout when I wanted and to make sure it was FUN, and I let myself eat what I want since I don't have bad eating habits to begin with. I was so stressed out that it made me physically ill a few times. I don't worry about logging my foods unless I want to see how I'm doing. I stopped getting on the scale. I struggled with eating disorders in my teens/early 20s, so mfp was becoming a trigger for me... but since I'm 31 years old I know how to take control of it. Just relax and have fun. If it's bothering you that much, then leave. No one is holding you here against your will. Good luck!
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    I don't know you. I can't tell if it's adding to and enriching your life or taking away from it. Think. :)
  • TIDDYBEAR
    TIDDYBEAR Posts: 63 Member
    I I was not overweight. Not 18% bodyfat lean, but not overweight either. I felt healthier.

    If you weren't overweight, then WHY did you come to MFP in the first place?? I personally could NOT keep up with how many calories I eat without MFP! Everybody is different. I for example don't feel the need to eat the calories that I burn with exercise. Others do. Everybody is different. If MFP causes you this much stress I would not longer log onto it. I personally think it's a GodSend!
  • IowaJen1979
    IowaJen1979 Posts: 406 Member
    Definitely a troll.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    Probably time for you to deactivate.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    OP, I think your issue isn't MFP, but your extreme perfectionist attitude. Does it impact other areas of your life, as well?

    I think that many people can benefit from counseling. I sought counseling to deal with my compulsive eating, and found that eating was only a symptom of a lot of other issues in my life, including some very unrealistic thinking patterns that I had learned at a young age. I wish I had done it in my twenties instead of waiting until I was 40 -- it would have saved me a lot of frustration, depression and self-loathing.

    As others have said, MFP is only a tool to be used to track nutrition and activity, combined with a means to communicate with like-minded people for support and encouragement. How you choose to use this tool and respond to the information here is up to you.

    I know that I have unfriended people who were perfectly nice, respectable people, but who triggered my competitive, insecure or negative thinking on a regular basis. While I consider the people on my friends list "real friends," and their support and encouragement usually help me to meet my goals, in the end, they are strangers on the internet, and if they are not making a positive impact in my life, I'll choose my own well-being over theirs. When reading the forums, I try to avoid threads that contain endless bickering, extremist thinking, a judgemental tone, or a bullying/cool kid negative energy. I control my computer, and I switch pages when something starts to make me uncomfortable.

    If this is a bad place for you, stop coming here. I'm not saying that in a bad way, but in a logical way. If something hurts you, stop doing it!
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    What is your support system IRL like?

    I have none.
    I am on the autistic spectrum which can make getting a support system in real life a little more difficult.

    There is the problem. I have a son who is autistic and he takes things literally and gets OCD about it. His gym teacher told the class to shower for good hygiene and suddenly he is showering several times a day and say well so and so said I need to shower. Just because someone says they do something or eating a certain way is better doesn't mean you have to follow it to the letter. Message or friend me if you like. I understand autism and can help you a little bit. If anything I can certainly support you. For people who are autistic things are either all black or all white. THey don't see the gray area in between. My son goes overboard on doing things and doesn't realize you don't have to go to such great lengths. You can adjust your diet to fit you... you don't adjust to fit others and what they do.
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
    just walk away then
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 Member
    I have wanted to study this since I joined. Come on degree...

    Seriously though, maybe a week away? Or ease out of aspects of MFP you personally deem less necessary.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
    I have found that since finding mfp, I have spent every evening glued to the forums, obsessing on 'clean eating', have developed a fear of having any pre packaged meals, of allowing myself the treats I used to have regularly amidst my regular food, along with the fact I now feel impelled to workout everyday, regardless of anything else I might feel like doing, because everyone else seems to be working their *kitten* of obsessively on a daily basis, burning anything up to thousands of calories. Along with this, I have been having severe binges, only since joining the site. As soon as I started actively counting calories, obsession took over. Not to a point of starving myself or anything like that, but to a point of becoming totally consumed by analysing what might be the best diet for longevity, what might be the best diet for a lean body etc etc. It has removed whatever remnant of intuitive eating I had remaining. Sure, I did not have the best diet. I ate a lot of veggie microwave meals, alongside my fruit and veg, and mcflurries and chocolate were a fairly regular fixture in my life. I walked a lot, or swam, or rollerskated or cycled, and I was not overweight. Not 18% bodyfat lean, but not overweight either. I felt healthier. I felt happier. I was more relaxed and I was living my life and had space for other things. Now, every evening, all evening, is spent on mfp, reading more posts and feeling as if I am on some alien planet when I see people logging every bite, every calorie burnt. I go out for a long bike ride, and no longer feel able to stop off for a coffee and toast, or a slice of cake. No way jose, that is not clean, we are not meant to have treats more than once a week, once a month, once a year even, lol.

    Has anyone else hit this issue with mfp?
    I know it works great for people who are endangering their lives with their weight issues.
    But for me, sadly, it seems to have just kicked in my competitive, perfectionist streak, and made me feel compelled to have a perfect diet diary, to burn 600 calories + in exercise a day to not feel lazy compared to everyone else, to revolve my life around eating the best I can for a long life and health, which ironically, is making me feel less healthy. Yep, eating a pile of veggies everyday, and fruit, and greek yoghurt, eggs, fish, chicken, beans, almonds and sweet potatoes, has left me feeling more crap than when I had baked potatoes, microwave veggie meals, quorn(horribly processed), smaller amounts of veggies, ice cream, chocolate and some fish.

    Yes, I agree with a lot of this. I quit logging food because I was becoming too obsessed and stressed about it. I am still working out 6 days a week, but I decided I will just eat healthy, lower my refined carbs like sugar and flour, eat lots of protein an veggies, and see what happens. This is pretty much due to the fact that while logging calories for over 2 months now, and working out for over 3 months, I have failed to lose 1 pound. Sure, I've lost a few inches but I expected bigger results after 3 months.
  • candicane32081
    candicane32081 Posts: 132 Member
    Mfp has been a great tool for me in weight loss so far. I don't go by the book completely because that's just not me. I am exercising more and eating healthy now, but i occasionally splurge and eat whatever I want. I think you have to take the things that work for you and run with it. Also, in my experience of dieting in the past, I have lost weight and gained it back. I believe one day you wake up and realize you don't want to be this way anymore, so you CHANGE.
  • brunetteavoxgirl
    brunetteavoxgirl Posts: 88 Member
    MFP has been so great for me.
    Yes, I do count "obsessively" according to my friends, because I even track my food before I leave a restaurant. But it doesn't make me feel bad. I sure don't buy as many donuts and cupcakes, but I don't feel deprived, because if I want ONE, I buy ONE.
  • Nikki_WantsIt
    Nikki_WantsIt Posts: 204 Member
    sounds like a personal problem.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I stopped counting calories and logging my food about 2 months ago because I found I was getting too hung up on the numbers instead of just eating healthily. I've continued losing weight at about the same speed and I'm much happier. I still log exercise because that's where I sometimes lack motivation - having a weekly goal helps me make sure I'm getting it all in.

    Do what works for you and ditch what doesn't. If logging and checking the forums aren't helpful, stop doing it.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    It's important to learn how to tell the good advice from the bull. I recommend you read the threads posted here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    and when you are feeling overwhelmed with all the contradictory info in the forums, reread THIS ONE:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/841305-corn-used-my-man-parts-as-a-speedbag
  • HotCuppaJo
    HotCuppaJo Posts: 476 Member
    I think this may be an indication that there are other issues in your life that you need to take care of. Ultimately the website is a glorified calculator with a database- there really isn't anything that would cause this, except how you use the information presented.

    A lot of people think that eating disorders start and stop with anorexia and bulimia, but they don't. What you describe is an unhealthy attitude towards food and diet, and that may be the start of an undefined eating disorder. You might benefit from speaking to someone. I don't know where you are, but in the UK, we have this- http://www.b-eat.co.uk/

    Yes.

    WELL SAID! Address what is EATING YOU, and you will STRESS LESS about what YOU ARE EATING...Good luck!

    ^^^ Completely agree with these 2 comments. There's more to this than meets the eye....
  • skinnydreams19
    skinnydreams19 Posts: 282 Member
    Get off MFP, it's not for everyone and it's clearly unhealthy for you! You're developing/have an eating disorder and exercise addiction because of it, the whole point of health is enjoying life MORE, not less! And the binges are because you're overexercising/undereating on the other days.

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