Top tips! Help a new MFPer today!

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Kargicq
Kargicq Posts: 72 Member
in Getting Started
What ONE thing would have been most useful to hear when you decided to lose weight, and what ONE thing helps most when using MFP? Maybe we can put together yet another useful thread! :smile:

For me --

General advice: When you start or change an exercise routine, weight tends to rise and stay high for a week or two. (Not 'extra muscle' but extra water to help fix your existing muscles.) This is perfectly normal and no cause for alarm. Stick with it.

MFP advice: use the 'search' function on the forums. Nearly everything you might want to ask has already been discussed.
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Replies

  • laurenpjokl
    laurenpjokl Posts: 118 Member
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    My general advice is just that being patient is really important! For a lot of people, particularly the ones who only need to lose a few stones, is to make small changes that you're going to be able to keep up with for the rest of your life rather than shedding weight really quickly and then putting weight back on when you're off the diet!

    MFP advice would be to get plenty of friends who can help motivate you and will look at your food diary and stuff.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    If you are not logging accurately then you don't have accurate expectations so don't complain if they are not met.
  • Browneyedgirl140
    Browneyedgirl140 Posts: 102 Member
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    General Advice: Just because you do well during the week with eating and working out, don't think that you can spend the whole weekend eating everything. 5 days of a solid routine with 2 days of not monitoring = staying the same. I did this.

    MFP Advice: I love the success threads. It motivatedsme to post there once I reach my goal to share with everyone.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    General advice: Make small changes. Don't overwhelm yourself trying to make huge changes all at once.

    MFP advice: If you have a question, read the answers with an open mind. Most of the posters are not trying to be meanie-heads; they're just trying to share their experience to save you some time, money, and frustration.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    General Advice: Get a food scale, learn how to log accurately and be honest with yourself. And don't cut out any food groups.

    MFP advice: If you create a thread asking for advice, actually listen to the advice. If you are just looking for people to tell you what you are doing is great even if it's unsafe, stupid and a waste of time... don't bother
  • tarcotti
    tarcotti Posts: 205 Member
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    Like what another said, measure all your food. I still scoop frozen yogurt into a cup (8 oz) to make sure its accurate. Also, get a food scale. What you think is 1 oz. may be a lot more/less.

    Weigh yourself once a week. Some weigh more/less but I find this works the best for most people. I do this in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating for the most accurate weigh in possible. And make sure you measure yourself, lbs may lie.

    Don't get discouraged if you cheat one day, or don't lose any lbs that week. It doesn't mean you're a failure, we all have had it happen. Just get back on the horse and keep going.
  • MissSarahAllison315
    MissSarahAllison315 Posts: 263 Member
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    General Tip: PATIENCE!!! It's not going to all come off in two weeks.

    MFP Tip: Eat enough food. PLEASE!!! Also, weigh your food if a food scale is available!!
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
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    General advice: Be honest with yourself. Don't get discouraged, just be persistent and patient!

    MFP-specific advice: Log everything-- all food and exercise-- as accurately and *honestly* as you are capable of doing. That is the only way you'll accumulate the information (data) you need to figure out what works and what doesn't work for your own body, since the numbers MFP gives for calorie intake and expenditure are averages (very useful ones, but still averages!) and your own needs/metabolism may be slightly different than what it predicts. You need to know how much you've eaten and exercised for the past week or month, for example, to figure out how to change or maintain your weight the way you want. Having accurate information to base your decisions on is essential! (says the scientist trained to record and analyze data as accurately as possible.) :smile:

    For example, I am learning to maintain my weight. I am pretty sure my maintenance calories are closer to 1800 than the 1600 MFP gave me. So I need my honest logging and weight tracking over a period of time to be able to tell if this is right!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Food is not Evil
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    My tip: Slow down. We all want to lose weight, gain weight, or have the body we want right now. But it's going to take some time. Don't get so wrapped up in weight loss (or gain, or recomp) that you're not also living your life.

    And if you haven't come across them yet, I always recommend starting with these links:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

    And then read these when you're ready to take your logging accuracy to the next step:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
  • jenbroussard71
    jenbroussard71 Posts: 225 Member
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    Take pictures and measurements. The scale is not the only indicator in showing your success.
  • CMoeDee
    CMoeDee Posts: 102 Member
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    General Advice: keep moving. Cutting calories works, but you (or at least, I do) stay more motivated when you can see weight progress and physical prowess progress happen at the same time. And if you have a stinky desk job like me, there's an endorphin feedback loop that makes everything a little brighter.

    MFP Advice: Treat it like a science project. Get as accurate a measurement as possible, log everything, look at results clinically. When you make it about the measurements and not about your person, it's easier to stay realistic.

    MFP Advice 2: Lurk before speaking on the forums. The same 10 questions get asked pretty much daily, and you can learn a lot by reading before typing.
  • I_love_frogs
    I_love_frogs Posts: 340 Member
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    Drink your water. Drink your water. Drink your water. <
    In case you missed that, drink your water!!

    Don't stress over the scale. They are evil creatures and live to destroy you.

    Log everything. Weigh everything on a food scale. What you think is 2 tbsp is probably NOT 2 tbsp!!!

    Measurements are good. Do it.
  • xsunshine02x
    xsunshine02x Posts: 34 Member
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    General advice:eating 1200 calories is not enough food if you have a 700+ calorie burn from exercise.myou will be tired, sore and cranky and eventually the scale will no longer move.
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    Google is your friend. You'll get a lot of contradictory advice on MFP. If you decide to follow someone's suggestion, see if you can find any medical or university research that will back it up. Just because someone is passionate about something doesn't mean it's right.

    Realize there is no "one size fits all" approach to losing weight and/or improving fitness or nutrition. Just because something worked well for someone else doesn't mean you'll get the same results if you do the exact same thing. Part of the journey is figuring out what works for you. That means trying different things and constantly mixing it up until you find your personal sweet spot. Could take months or years.

    Build your own private tribe of people you can support and who will support you. Start by connecting folks whose blog or forum postings you like. You're more likely to have something in common with them than randomly asking for people to connect to you.

    Regularly read the Success Stories and NSV (non scale victory) forum threads. Real stories of other people overcoming challenges is very motivating and uplifting. There're a lot of good tips and ideas you can use.
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
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    General advice: be patient. You didn't hit your current weight overnight, and you're not going to hit your goal weight overnight.

    MFP advice: be willing to learn. There's a lot of knowledge on the MFP forums. Listen to what works and what doesn't work, and adjust your plans/goals accordingly.
  • 59gi
    59gi Posts: 307 Member
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    Know that when you lose fat out of a cell, water moves in at first and stays there until it decides to get out. Be patient! eventually it will flush and you will see a big drop on the scale.
  • ajff
    ajff Posts: 986 Member
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    Weight loss is 95% mental.

    Make yourself mental happy: pride in exercise, confidence in knowing you don't HAVE to or WANT to eat a whole heaping plate of crap, smirking every time you pull up your now-too big pants. Don't think about how you "can't eat that". You can, you just have to work for it!

    The other 5% is just gallons and gallons of sweat.
  • Rose6300
    Rose6300 Posts: 232 Member
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    MFP Advice: Treat it like a science project. Get as accurate a measurement as possible, log everything, look at results clinically. When you make it about the measurements and not about your person, it's easier to stay realistic.

    Yes!
  • Kargicq
    Kargicq Posts: 72 Member
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    Fantastic tips, everyone -- keep 'em coming!

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