Sticking with MFP

1. I always talk down about myself, and every now and then I'd always fall into a pit of depression here and there. I'm 6' 3", pretty big/broad guy...I have an amazing foundation to build from, and it got me depressed seeing that I wasn't doing anything about it. I wanted to lose weight, I wanted to look and feel better, and most of all I wanted to up my chances of living longer.

2. How easy and extremely helpful it is to use. Seriously, my biggest change was using MFP, seeing how many calories I would normally eat in a day, and be disgusted in myself.

3. Yes, it takes about 5-10 minutes out of my day to use MFP and to make sure I'm still on track. Once I reach my goal I still plan on using MFP...it's too good not to use.

I lost weight in my 20s by starting to exercise more, without watching what I ate. I gained it back in my 30s when I stopped exercising without changing my eating habits. I lost a little bit after I turned 40 and returned to regular exercise, but a middle-aged metabolism doesn't shed pounds as easily...so I decided I needed to count calories.

I had tried SparkPeople as an exercise tracker a couple years ago, but found the "gamification" to be offputting. Browsing through Consumer Reports at my sister's house over the holidays, I saw a review of weight loss programs that had good things to say about MFP. I thought I'd give it a try. When I discovered it had a companion iPhone app, I was pleased, since logging as soon as I eat something is the best way to ensure I don't forget any calories.

I stick with it because it's easy and because I'm getting results. It's not the only tool I use. I read John Walker's "The Hacker's Diet" (free online), which emphasizes calorie counts, and am using Beeminder to track my weight every day and to calculate an exponentially smoothed moving average. (My graph is at https://www.beeminder.com/brianogilvie/goals/weigh, if anyone wants to see what it looks like; the skinny purple line is the weighted average.)

I do plan to keep using MFP and tracking my weight against an exponentially smoothed weighted average after I reach my target. Experience has taught me that if I don't watch what I eat, I gain weight. The chapter in Walker's book on "Perfect Weight Forever" explains why it's a good idea to weigh oneself daily after reaching your goal: if your daily weights are mostly above the average, that means you're putting on weight and can address it before it becomes a big gain. I don't know if I'll count calories all the time, but I will start counting as soon as my average is 5 lbs. over my target, or for that matter if it drops much below the target.

Great questions.

1. What made you realize that you wanted to change your diet and/or exercise habits? Hit my highest weight; felt terrible and was really unfit; miserable.

2. What made you stick with MFP? It's easy to use; tells me how much i'll weigh in 5 weeks; love the community & enjoy reading posts; I learn a lot on this site; and now, I'm an MFP addict.

3. Are you planning on sticking to MFP after you reach your goal weight?/Do you currently do that now? Yes.

I lost 50. Comes a time where you feel so crummy everyday. ..I have been in the up and down cycle and have conquered it...honestly
Without MFP. But I like the extra support and the tracking. Also need to keep healthy for my six year old and wife.

1. What made you realize that you wanted to change your diet and/or exercise habits?

I was driving home with my nine year old daughter. She told me that the night before, her dad had come downstairs and found her eating a meal at about 1 am. He told he (and it still hurts to write this) that if she kept eating at night, she would weigh FOUR HUNDRED pounds, like her mother.

I didn't weigh four hundred, but I was four pounds shy of 300. So I started out of anger.

2. What made you stick with MFP?

Seeing the changes in me, changed me. I began doing it because I was not just mad, I was seeing results and for the first time, I was not feeling like I couldn't do it. I didn't need diet pills, shakes or whatever. I was just counting calories and working out. Plus, since I got p***ed off at my husband, I bought a pool membership for $500 a year and started swimming. I felt really good about using money on myself for a change. Felt the same way when I bought my bike.

Plus, I see the daily progress of those on my friend list. I read their food diaries. They read mine. It's a support net that really hold my weight and I love it.

3. Are you planning on sticking to MFP after you reach your goal weight?/Do you currently do that now?

I think that I have to.

I can't imagine how I'd respond if I were in your situation. It just hurts to read what your husband said to your daughter. Good luck with your weight loss journey-- you can definitely achieve whatever goals you put your mind to!

I've consistently worked out for awhile, but my weight usually fluctuated between the highest weight for my height to not be overweight and 5-10 pounds overweight. I was still in good physical shape due to my working out, but could definitely stand to lose at least 10 pounds. I had just finished a month long cleanse and lost 10 pounds, and kind of wanted to keep losing weight and keep it off and not lose the same 10 pounds over and over again every year. I had a conversation with a trainer at my gym who logs all his food, and I recently got a new smart phone, so I decided to give it a try.

I honestly didn't expect it to work so well. I didn't ever think it was even possible for my body type to fit into a size 4-6. I always thought counting calories would be an annoying chore, but I actually like it now. It's interesting to know exactly how much you've eaten during the day and how it breaks down nutritionally. I also don't want to be that annoying person who's constantly talking about their diet, so it's nice to have the mfp social aspect, so my friends in real life don't have to constantly hear about it. I definitely plan on continuing with mfp because it's so easy to overeat when you're not tracking. It also takes away the food guilt I normally experience when I eat things like pizza and ice cream. I used to think I had to forgo junk-type foods entirely if I wanted to be super fit and lean, but I realize now that I can have treats sometimes and still maintain the weight I want.