Does MFP app work to lose weight?

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MelHo94
MelHo94 Posts: 7
in Getting Started
I'm new and I am excited to use this app because of the wall that has blocked me to burn these last stubborn 20 pounds. I always believed that apps don't help you loose weight so I hope to prove myself wrong. I workout 5 times a week/ 2 hours but have been eatting very little (like 1000 cals) then I started to have trouble losing weight. Mfp told me I need to eat way more and I know I'm going to have a hard time adjusting to eating about twice as much as I use to. Will it be worth it in the end? Will mfp help me lose this weight?
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Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Yes and No.

    Yes, because the concept of tracking your food and exercise so you have a caloric deficit works for many, many people. And that's what MPF helps you do.

    No, because the app itself is just a tool, it has no magic properties that make you lose weight. It's up to YOU to make it work.

    If you put in the work, set reasonable goals (ie ones that keep you healthy and that you can stick to), track your food and exercise, and keep on doing this then it's very likely that you'll lose weight.

    Eating 1000 cals a day and exercising for 2.5 hours sounds like something that you could keep up for about a week before you collapse or burn out. Eating at a moderate deficit and doing a bit of exercise (you don't NEED to exercise for hours every day) is something that is much easier to sustain and it really does work.

    Good luck!
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    ^^^^ As she said, its not a magic machine or anything but it really does give you alot of knowledge about what you are eating and they say knowledge it power. The real question is how bad do you want it and how hard are you willing to work for it?

    It sounds like you might be pushing yourself too hard with your current plan, the goal isn't to lose as fast as possible but to lose in a way you are happy living for the rest of you life; otherwise you are just falling into the yoyo dieting patter, lose and gain lose and gain.

    A few tips:
    1. make sure you are really truely logging accurately, that means being honest with yourself, weigh everything, condiments and drinks count
    2. make sure you are not overestimating your calorie burns from your exercise, MFP estimations are notoriously too high. Most people prefer to use a HRM to get their estimates.
    3. Be happy and listen to your body along the way, if it is telling you something then pay attention
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Log EVERYTHING that you eat and drink.
    It works if you eat less calories than you burn.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    The goal is to find the maximum number of calories at which you lose weight, not the minimum.

    The closer you are to goal, the more slowly you lose. Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and be patient.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • screweyduck
    screweyduck Posts: 6 Member
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    It can be a great motivator and it's excellent for helping you stay on track with calories and exercise - however MFP is only as good as the information you input into it , there is no magic tool to help with weight loss only your determination.
  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 374 Member
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    Like any tool, you have to use it to make it work....but I love it! I've tried to lose weight on my own, but the food and exercise diaries keep me from forgetting what I've done during the day, and it's so helpful to be able to pre-plan for busy days. I'm smaller than I've been in the last 15 years, and only 13 pounds from my ultimate goal!
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I'm new and I am excited to use this app because of the wall that has blocked me to burn these last stubborn 20 pounds. I always believed that apps don't help you loose weight so I hope to prove myself wrong. I workout 5 times a week/ 2 hours but have been eatting very little (like 1000 cals) then I started to have trouble losing weight. Mfp told me I need to eat way more and I know I'm going to have a hard time adjusting to eating about twice as much as I use to. Will it be worth it in the end? Will mfp help me lose this weight?

    Like others have said, MFP is just a tool. You're the one actually doing the work.

    Focus on protein and fiber, and the fats/carbs will take care of themselves.
    Drink lots of water.
    Remember, if you eat too little, then your body will go into starvation mode. That means it's going to hang on to every little thing you eat because it doesn't know when you're going to eat again. Sometimes you do have to eat more to lose more. Physiology is funny that way.
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 557 Member
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    It works if you track every thing, everyday :) And I would agree that you should be eating more at that activity level. Many people have found that when they increased their calories their body dropped the extra weight (I know it sounds weird, but it works!).
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    No the app doesn't help you to lose weight. The App gives you the information which enables you do the work to lose weight. The only person that can do the work is you. If you don't give the correct information or weigh and measure your food you wont lose weight. The app is a useful tool
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    It does...but only if you spend at least 14 hours a day posting on the forums.
  • ScottH_200
    ScottH_200 Posts: 377 Member
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    Yes, the MFP app absolutely works! You must keep the cell phone close to the parts of your body where the last stubborn 20 lbs is just refusing to go though.

    There is a patented and top secret electrical current in the app that zaps away those stubborn pounds. However, like I said you must keep your phone strapped to your body 24 hrs a day in order for it to work!
  • Seabee74
    Seabee74 Posts: 314
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    First of all, Congrats on working out SO MUCH !! I don't exercise right now because of a recent injury and I still lose at least 1 pound a week.. I follow what I have learned here and what it taught me was as long as I am eating at a caloric deficit I will lose weight.. It also says that I must eat enough for my body to sustain itself because it is burning calories all the time.. So if mfp says you should be eating 1500 calories then you should be eating at least 1400 + - ... Remember, working out is producing muscle and developing your body ! Eating properly is helping you lose weight ! Now get out there and lose that last 20 lbs !! :-) !
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I was already successfully losing before I joined. Don't give MFP the power. MFP is a tool.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    If you are currently as you look on the right part of the photo, are you sure you have 20 more pounds to lose? Is this the goal you had when you started? Maybe you are at the point where you have more muscle than fat.
  • bheathfit
    bheathfit Posts: 451 Member
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    Nope... MFP does nothing for losing weight...

    What it does do, however, is allow you to track calories and macros of the food that you consume. This, in turn, allows you to track and review what you eat and how it affects your body. Tracking and reviewing what you eat, while assessing how it affects your body allows you to learn about food, hopefully for the goal of making wiser choices and achieving personal goals.
  • breesasha
    breesasha Posts: 7 Member
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    It can if the work is put in. When I log everything consistently, and make an effort to stay in the calorie goal that is available. I think that I do much better when I stay within the calorie range and drink enough water, rather than being inconsistent. I was losing weight when I tracking calories and going to the gym for 30 mins minimum per week than when I was just tracking but not making any change.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    No you work to lose weight.

    but MFP is a great tool. For tracking the info you need to do it.

    If you are scrupulous in logging your food. You'll probably learn things about your eating habits that surprise you.
    (For me it was all the hidden sugar in my diet... I thought i was making healthy choices with real food)

    So you log, you compare it against your results and adjust accordingly.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    If you are currently as you look on the right part of the photo, are you sure you have 20 more pounds to lose? Is this the goal you had when you started? Maybe you are at the point where you have more muscle than fat.

    A little concerned about what your goal weight is.

    As an old fart here I think you young 'uns are often over ambitions.

    Eat for your health.. Be strong and energetic and capable!
    Sounds trite at 18, but at 52 I've got to say your health is everything. Don't jeopardize your health to achieve an arbitrary number.

    But take if from an old broad who has had to fight the good fight my whole life.
    I think of all the time I wasted stressing over my weight when I could have been having fun!

    Your body is a vehicle to get you thru this life, no trade ins.
    Be the subject of your own life. Live, Love, Do, Be, Run, Play, Swim, Dance.
    Don't objectify yourself (or let anyone else do that either)
    You are not a trinket to adorn and amuse others.

    I know BMI isn't a perfect measure, but it's a good guide for most.
    For me, I've shave 10 lbs off of the bottom, because if I get sick I want resources to draw upon (… I know, I know you are 18 and don't believe that will ever happen) and 10 lbs off of the top, because If I get injured and can't be as active as I'd like I have a little wiggle room before I'm *unhealthy*
    I've been both places and don't care to return to either.

    Don't go to extremes. It'll only screw up your metabolism then you'll have to lose weight because of health issues and it just that much harder with a screwed up metabolism.

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