MFP Users Who Have Lost A Lot Of Weight

What was and is your secret on staying focused and some of you even tracking for over 500 days in a row. What's your secret? Please share :)
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Replies

  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    There is no secret... there is hard work and some more hard work.

    It is nice to have a great group of people on your friends list to keep you logging in though... but logging in alone does nothing.
  • kpick41
    kpick41 Posts: 81 Member
    I know my log in days say 30 something, but I've been logging in/tracking for over 100 days. Focus, determination, drive.
    You can do it, I know you can! :)
  • trackmyday1973
    trackmyday1973 Posts: 393 Member
    Thanks :)
  • barbz2119
    barbz2119 Posts: 124 Member
    I've found having the app on my blackberry has helped so much. If I had had to go on the computer every time I had to track it would never happen, but I can stand at the kitchen counter, phone in one hand and scales on the counter weighing with the other hand.
    I know what you mean though about staying focused, its easy to become complacent and get back into bad habits. Just keep logging and have a good group of supportive friends who tell you off if you dont log in!
    You can do it!

    barb
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    At first it was pure motivation to watch what I eat and be in a deficit so I could lose weight. Tomorrow (or maybe the day after, I forget) I'll hit 60 days, which may not seem like alot, but it's more than I did in my previous yo-yo life. Now, it's pretty much become habit for me... which I'm quite happy about. I like to prelog my day's food intake so I can play with the numbers and get the most from my exercise and calories. After I'm done I look at it and I'm like, "Man, that's alot of yummy food I get to have today!". Works like a charm and keeps me happy.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Learning that it takes self discipline to make sustainable life changes.

    Motivation is fine to get started, but it's not sustainable.
  • sengalissa
    sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
    At first it was pure motivation to watch what I eat and be in a deficit so I could lose weight. Tomorrow (or maybe the day after, I forget) I'll hit 60 days, which may not seem like alot, but it's more than I did in my previous yo-yo life. Now, it's pretty much become habit for me... which I'm quite happy about. I like to prelog my day's food intake so I can play with the numbers and get the most from my exercise and calories. After I'm done I look at it and I'm like, "Man, that's alot of yummy food I get to have today!". Works like a charm and keeps me happy.
    I like doing that as well. Feels like going out to eat and reading the menu :)
  • toscarthearmada
    toscarthearmada Posts: 382 Member
    I wake up every morning and remind myself why I'm doing this. Losing weight is not just physical, it's mental! If your brain isn't into it, you're not going to do it. Also, I set realistic goals and know my limitations.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Just putting on my big boy pants and doing the damn thing... because NOT doing it was getting me nowhere. 153lbs and almost 600 days later.. I'm still doing it. Every day. That's my secret. Just doing it, because NOT doing it was keeping me fat and not happy.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    It is really pretty simple for me, this is my lifestyle now.... I am just living my life.... Now don't mistake that for the fact that you still have to put in the hardwork... When it comes right down to it you just gotta do it..... Best of Luck
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
    Honestly for me, it had become a lifestyle as well. Like Ed said, "I'm just living my life." Eating right and training is a part of it. It's not a fad diet or the latest DVD routine that will come and go.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    There is no secret. You either want the weight loss more than you want more food, or you don't.

    That's the end of it. You will succeed when you want to succeed.
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    I lost 33 pounds in about 6 months and have maintained within +/- 3 pounds for about 14 months by following these tips:

    1. Treat calorie goals as a budget to spend on what's most important to me.
    2. Delay my first meal until I'm hungry.
    3. Enjoy the calories I consume. I don't waste calories on "icky" or "marginal" foods/beverages just because they're there.
    4. Plan for/Log in advance when I know what I'm having for dinner or going out and adjust other meals accordingly, so I can enjoy what I want and still meet my goals.
    5. Burn more; eat more. Burn less; eat less.
    6. Keep doing what I know works even when the scale doesn't move -- eventually it will catch up!!
    7. Give away all of the clothes I shrink out of, so there's no going back.
    8. Hang out with like-minded friends and share "success!"
  • doomspark
    doomspark Posts: 228 Member
    Part of the secret is to realize that this is a lifestyle change and not a "diet". Diets - as promoted by media - promise quick results. This, of course, is nonsense. Weight doesn't get packed on overnight, so it's not going to come off overnight - and it's not going to stay off if you go back to bad habits.

    And another part of it is that it's not the end of the world if you have a bad day and blow off your eating / exercise. Don't beat yourself up about it. Instead, acknowledge that you had a bad day, and go back to your healthy habits.

    You will hit plateaus. That's normal. Just keep on with healthy eating and exercise.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
    I want it and I want it enough to do the work and let's face it it's a lot easier to log my food and exercise more than it was to carry around the 83 lbs I have lost so far.

    When I reach my goal I will have lost half my body weight and it will be even easier. Everything is easier now and that keeps me coming back and doing this every day!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    I haven't lost a LOT of weight, and i haven't been doing it for as long as a lot of others, about a year and a half. For me, it's more about discipline than it is about motivation. I don't always WANT to log my food, but i do it because i don't let myself have any other options.
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
    I agree, having the mobile app is the secret to my success. It is like my facebook. I wake up, check mail, facebook, then MFP. If I have to log something I ate, MFP is first. I run to the app as soon as I eat. I don't walk, I run to it. I enjoy logging. Not so much when I go over, but I know I still have to do it. It's not a chore, it is something I actually look forward to.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Yup, lifestyle. Habit. It's what I do now.

    I know my joined date says I've been here since April, but I was tracking food and exercise on another site long before that; 200 days at least. My husband recently commented that he thought I was obsessed, but frankly he's enjoyed finding out how healthy his cooking, mostly invented dishes by him, is (when I enter the recipes for calorie and macro counts). He also is noticing how his arms aren't fitting their sleeves much anymore; perhaps he's a tad obsessed with the weights too :)
    Maybe it's a form of OCD, but now when I look at food I automatically mentally calculate calories. It drives me batty to look at an unfamiliar dish and not know.

    Last, the little rewards count. Buying a comfortable pair of pants in a smaller size and tossing the old ones = reward. Wearing a tank top and shorts for the first summer in 4+ years = reward. Putting on my swimsuit and realizing I need something else that fits, and looking into two pieces for the first time ever= reward. Running a 5k at a good solid pace=reward. Look at your body as rewarding you for hard work. Like some bosses, some bodies will require more or different methods; once you find your body's preferred loss method and follow it you will be rewarded and have the ability to succeed.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    To lose weight I did alternate day intermittent fasting. I hung out on another forum, that only did this plan, and that was a huge help-being around others going through the same thing and getting encouragement and advice from those who were a bit further along than I was :)

    I didn't track anything while I lost-no food diary etc. I started tracking after I came over to mfp and was already in maintenance. I'm transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet and want to see where I'm at for calories and macros. But, I'm about done with the tracking, since I'm being pretty consistent with where I'm at now.

    My biggest piece of advice-find a plan that's a good fit for you-there is no one perfect plan for everyone. Some can do straight calorie restricting, MFP style. But others, including myself, need to do something different to have success :)
  • new_beth_2013
    new_beth_2013 Posts: 109 Member
    :smile: Awesome

    I want it and I want it enough to do the work and let's face it it's a lot easier to log my food and exercise more than it was to carry around the 83 lbs I have lost so far.

    When I reach my goal I will have lost half my body weight and it will be even easier. Everything is easier now and that keeps me coming back and doing this every day!
  • Rarity2013
    Rarity2013 Posts: 196 Member
    Learning that it takes self discipline to make sustainable life changes.

    Motivation is fine to get started, but it's not sustainable.

    I just wanted to say that this is possibly the best and most realistic piece of information I have read here.
  • BPayton27
    BPayton27 Posts: 626 Member
    There really is no secret. For me, it boiled down to consistency and a deep seeded desire to actually change. You've got to be ready to completely transform your life. It's not just about exercise and food intake, either. Your perspective and attitude need to follow. It has become an all encompassing journey of self discovery for me.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    I also think that It became easier when i was less concerned with the number on the scale.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    There's no real secret, I just did it. Though once I started logging regularly on MFP (almost at a year) it seemed to help me focus more and keep my eyes on the prize (size 8).
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    No secret here either. Hard work. I have no idea what "clicked" this time vs. the countless other times I've tried. And now, I'm so close to goal, and so far away at the same time. It'll likely take until next May for me to lose my paltry last 15 to 20 lbs. Frustrating. But, if there's one thing I've learned...I took one weekend off, ate way too much...gained 5 lbs. Mental note...I will have to track for the rest of my life or I will gain all the weight back.
  • ksuetorres
    ksuetorres Posts: 139 Member
    You have to change the way you think about food. To me, it's a game to get as much nutritional bang for my calorie buck as possible. I'm usually surprised at how many calories I have left over for an evening snack!

    Also -- LOGGING! Like so many others here, I have MFP on my PC at home, at the office, on my phone, on my tablet; there is never an excuse not to log my meals. It makes all the difference in the world to see what you're actually putting into your body.

    Plus -- you have to want to be fit more than you want to overeat. Nothing tastes as good as being thin!

    I've lost a third of my body weight, and I did it the healthy way with diet and exercise. There is no magic bullet, pill, potion, incantation, machine, article of clothing, or anything else that will do the work for you. You can't do it for your lover, your mother, your dog. . . .You do it for yourself, because YOU want it.
  • keg619
    keg619 Posts: 356 Member
    I have been logging for about 670 consecutive days. The most I have lost during this nearly two year long journey is 90 pounds, and even with the year that I was at a plateau as well as the few months I gained back 25 pounds, I made myself log in. I knew that I had to learn to deal with life struggles and still keep myself accountable. Now I am back to losing weight, while eating more calories. I tell myself that I can't give up trying.

    Now I am at 70 lost, looking forward to losing 100, and at this point I have 100 left to lose.

    I go through days where I think it will be impossible to lose the weight and be healthy, in which I feel like I want to eat whatever I want without consequences. On those days I have to take a step back and remind myself to take it one meal at a time.

    *Success is not a race, be patient.*
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    been on mfp for two years, this month actually! i should post something now that i am thinking about it!


    anyway, the only peice of advice i have is "just keep logging". It's really that simple. :)
  • nack49
    nack49 Posts: 5 Member
    I found staying under my sugar and carbs intake daily, and exercising at least 40 minutes daily by using MPF as a guide along with fit bit. has created a method of sucsess for me.
    I haven't been this thin since 1995 .So now it's my lifestyle. Hard work and smile while you do it..
    Good luck ...:glasses:
  • As many others have stated, logging everything is very helpful. I know others who use this app and are not being truthful or consistent. They then ask me why they aren't losing weight. Could it be the deep fried Twinkies? Me thinks yes