Unconvinced that MFP has been good for me

Rosie_McA
Rosie_McA Posts: 256 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone relate to this and suggest what I may have screwed up?

My first 3 months on MFP were really successful - I lost the weight and gained some great supportive friends on the way.
Then came my attempts at maintenance!! I started binge eating in a big way and seemed unable to control it. My energy levels were all over the place and my weight was up and down. Then came the illnesses - severe throat infections (three times) where even eating a banana was excruciatingly painful. Then the worst bouts of migraines I had ever experienced. Followed by almost two weeks of the worst diarrhoea I have ever suffered. We are talking day and night and rushed trips to the bathroom every 30-45mins. I dropped to 120lbs which is not a lot for someone at 1m73 (5ft 8in). On the verge of blacking out my GP threatened to hospitalize me if I didn't improve quickly. Once I was able to eat again I stopped logging altogether and just consumed whatever I could manage.
My health is now way better. I can exercise hard without feeling I'm going to collapse, I have my sense of humour and energy back, but of course I have also regained most of the pounds that I was trying to lose. Currently I log part time but am now unsure as to whether MFP is right for me. Was I just unlucky or had I set goals that were too low? Honestly I'm not sure - my maintenance target put me within the normal weight range for my height, albeit at the lower end of the spectrum, but I didn't think this would result in a string of illnesses, blood tests, and a rather angry GP.

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Do you think MFP was related to the medical issues you experienced? Seems like a bit of a stretch. Perhaps take responsibility for what you can control, and accept that sometimes things happen that you can't plan for. In those cases you have to do the best you can to take care of yourself and seek help when needed.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    What was your body fat level when you were trying to maintain? What was your calorie goal?
  • All4Me2014xx
    All4Me2014xx Posts: 155 Member
    It doesn't seem to me that MFP wasn't the right choice for you. More possible that you achieved a goal and thought that was a far as you needed to go regarding your weight. You admit that you binged during maintenance, and then got sick and had some problems with eating at all then eating too much.

    So if MFP worked the first go round, why wouldn't it continue working for you this time? It has to be a change for life if you want it to be a success. Can't just be for the short term. Good luck, and I hope it works for you again.
  • Unknown
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  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    did MFP broke you?
  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
    I don't think MFP is to blame for this.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I've never heard of weight loss leading to throat infections, migraines or diarrhea. Binge eating, yes.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    MFP is a tool to use in helping with weight loss. If you misused the tool, you don't blame the tool.

    Don't blame the hammer if you hit yourself in the head with it.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    Rosie - a 5'8" male should in no way weigh 120lbs. (I'm going by the limited info in your profile) I would suggest your GP is annoyed because the maintenance weight you were trying for was far too low.

    There's an old expression "A poor Carpenter blames his tools." And that's all mfp is a "tool" for weightloss. I would suggest you have other issues and should ask your GP to refer you to someone who can help.

    Good luck.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    Wait.....are you blaming a calorie counting website for making you sick? You think it's MFPs fault because it gave you what you consider a low daily caloric intake, which I'm assuming was based on information YOU gave it when you set your goals.

    Have I got that right?
  • fairygirlpie9
    fairygirlpie9 Posts: 288 Member
    Did you gradually adjust to maintenance by going up by 100 cals increment per week. If not perhaps the sudden increase in calories may have been what caused you to get a bit carried away. MFP is not to blame - just try to remember that when you get to your goal you should continue to log daily and truthfully to try to curb your binges.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    MFP is just a tool...nothing more, nothing less. It's up to you to use said tool properly and to set appropriate and healthful goals...those things have zip to do with MFP.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    Weighing 120 lbs. at 5'8 is pretty low, especially if you have a medium or large frame. You don't say HOW you lost your weight, either. Was it though severe calorie restriction?

    My sense from your post is that you have eating and body issues (wanting to be possibly too thin for your height and binging). I would seek help for your unhealthy relationship with food.

    A hammer, when used properly, works wonders with nails and wood. Used recklessly, it can become a murder weapon. MFP is a tool. The operator (you) determines how to use that tool.
  • maram29
    maram29 Posts: 100 Member
    Perhaps get a nutritional expert to set the goals for you, then stick to them. Maybe you were setting the food too low and depleted your strength. Take care, and good luck.
  • Rosie_McA
    Rosie_McA Posts: 256 Member
    I never had a target of 120lbs. I ended up at that weight after the illnesses. I don't believe that MFP was the cause for my problems rather possibly just a trigger. I should also point out that I take full responsibilities for my actions - which also includes whether I continue to use the MFP tools available and whether there is value in further posting on the forums.
  • Jess__I__Can
    Jess__I__Can Posts: 307 Member
    MFP is a tool to use in helping with weight loss. If you misused the tool, you don't blame the tool.

    Don't blame the hammer if you hit yourself in the head with it.

    This.
  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
    I never had a target of 120lbs. I ended up at that weight after the illnesses. I don't believe that MFP was the cause for my problems rather possibly just a trigger. I should also point out that I take full responsibilities for my actions - which also includes whether I continue to use the MFP tools available and whether there is value in further posting on the forums.

    ok :yawn:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I never had a target of 120lbs. I ended up at that weight after the illnesses. I don't believe that MFP was the cause for my problems rather possibly just a trigger. I should also point out that I take full responsibilities for my actions - which also includes whether I continue to use the MFP tools available and whether there is value in further posting on the forums.

    It is pretty well documented that calorie counting tools can have a negative effect on people prone to eating disorders and disordered thinking in general. I personally wouldn't recommend calorie counting to anyone that I even remotely thought had a negative relationship with food and other disordered thinking.
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    Certainly if you have issues with food, a website like this might lead to obsessing over calorie counting. Could it have been a change in your diet, or did you add in any supplements? Sounds like you've gotten things under control now, so just take care of yourself!
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    I never had a target of 120lbs. I ended up at that weight after the illnesses. I don't believe that MFP was the cause for my problems rather possibly just a trigger. I should also point out that I take full responsibilities for my actions - which also includes whether I continue to use the MFP tools available and whether there is value in further posting on the forums.

    It is pretty well documented that calorie counting tools can have a negative effect on people prone to eating disorders and disordered thinking in general. I personally wouldn't recommend calorie counting to anyone that I even remotely thought had a negative relationship with food and other disordered thinking.

    Agreed. I couldn't count calories until after I addressed my emotional eating through therapy/eating disorders support group. It was too much of a trigger.

    Now, it is GREAT!
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    Like others have said, MFP is a tool. I think it is very good for logging intake when that's needed and interaction with others looking to do the same.

    But it's not going to take the place of professional help if that's what's needed to address any underlying issues that manifest in disordered eating and the need to binge, though.

    Perhaps a mid-range ideal weight goal might leave you feeling better than low-range of normal.
  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
    You seem to have had a very strong reaction to losing weight. I would suggest that you talk to a professional. Sometimes there are underlying 'causes and conditions' and taking away the weight just exposes them.
    There are layers to this eating business. Not everyone is the same.
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    I am sorry that you went through such suffering.

    I am confused about what you said about your maintenance plan. You said you were binge eating. Are.you saying that the calories MFP suggested to you for maintenance were too high? When you were dieting, were you following the caloric intake suggested to you by MFP? If so, did you lose the weight at the rate that MFP predicted you would? I fail to understand how MFP would work well for you for losing weight but not for maintenance; the maintenance calories would be based on the same math formula. Please clarify. I will go back and read your original post to see what I may have missed.

    Again, I am sorry you went through hell like that.

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