Great MFP advice that you IGNORED

Goal179
Goal179 Posts: 314 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been on MFP for almost a year and lost a whopping 17 pounds! It is true that I made it up to about 30bs. lost but I quickly gained that back after a couple of vacations of real food and no restrictions. When I first joined MFP, I was told CLEARLY to not get too caught up in "gimmicks", not to restrict myself too much. The advice that I was given by 100's of people was to
1) Take it slow
2) Make more healthy nutritious choices than you do bad choices
3) Be physical and active everyday, 3 hour daily workouts are not required for success
4) Make realistic weekly goals of 1-2 lbs. per week, 3 lbs. a week is not a realistic goal
5) Eat well, be generous and realistic with your calories
Accordingly, In my infinite obese wisdom, I decided that I wanted to ignore ALL of that advice. I became a clean eater, I banned all sugar, even went through a sugar detox. I only ate organic, I only ate organic vegetarian, then I only ate organic paleo, then I decided to switch to IIFYM, then I switched to NROWLFW and IIFYM, then I stopped eating organic and just focused on no sugar. Ohh and did I mentioned that working out 7 days a week was the ONLY way to go. Then I switched to a 1200 calorie diet where I just ate everything that I wanted as long as it was under 1200 calories. Then I switched to 1200 calories during the week and binges during the weekend. Then I scratched it all and switched to the nutrition plan for T25. Then I went on a 3 month binge where I lost all focus and gained back half of my weight. Those methods for me were not sustainable. With all of that said, I have come full circle. I am now following the simple advice that I was given during my first week of MFP. I could kick myself for not listening to this advice. There is nothing wrong with clean eating or organic only, paleo or anything else listed above. The problem is that you can't do all of it at once. You have to be able to tackle the basics first. Control your calories and physical activity first. Drink alot of water and eat your fruits and veggies every day. Don't push to these advanced techniques until you have mastered the simple stuff. Now I am struggling to get back on track. I have learned a great lesson about what doesn't work. I am still pushing to learn more about what does work. What great advice were you given by MFP's that you IGNORED but now realize was great advice.

Replies

  • outspan87
    outspan87 Posts: 98 Member
    Amen
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    My experiences closely resemble this, although I am new to MFP specifically. But over the years I have been battling weight, listened to many bits of advice that promised to be either shortcuts, or the way you must ultimately go anyway (as if the only healthy thin people in the world eat clean and avoid sugar, cooked or processed foods, all that).

    Not a single one of those "ways" worked for me.

    The only thing that is now working for me is what I am doing now, and that means simply keeping count of what I am taking in, keeping things where they should be (no banned foods here) and exercising, and making sure I am getting adequate nutrition to maintain the new, more active "me" (this is where MFP's calculators and eating back of calories comes into play).

    I've never made it this far before, after many, many attempts. There is no sign of stopping either. No hurdles to overcome (except more weight), no urges or temptations to resist.

    But, then again, some people like running off and becoming monks, shunning everything around them, living life in solitude. Nothing wrong with that if it works for them and makes them happy. Go for it.
  • ssmkgp
    ssmkgp Posts: 1,425
    "Posts by members, moderators and admins should not be considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy"
  • woofer00
    woofer00 Posts: 123 Member
    NSV >>>> SV
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    I'm requesting a sticky for this :laugh: :drinker:

    I can happily say I pretty much avoided most of this. The one I might add is to not try and pick up too much training at once, i.e. lifting and training for a marathon at the same time. It can be done, but I tend to think I'm superwoman and can just do whatever I want until my body tells me otherwise, usually rather forcefully. It's great to be passionate about your new fitness goals, but I tend to go a little too hard, a little too soon...and then I'm pouting because I over did it.
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
    Wow, great story!! I too have played with LOTS of different dietary restrictions, and then "fallen off" the plan. I've also had a hard time motivating myself to start exercising again at a much lower level than I used to (was a serious runner till injury.)

    As a busy person with a lotta life going on, all too often I've considered that extra treat food as the easiest way to put a little me-time pleasure into a chock-full day... emotional eating!!

    So I've lost and gained the same 15-25 pounds a lot of times in my life. Most recently, at 58, it's not so easy to lose any more.

    But the last 6 months I've come to understand that my all-or-nothing thinking about foods being "bad" or "good" was the big problem - as soon as I "couldn't have" something I just wanted it all the time, and the sneaking and self-shaming was ... well, toxic.

    MFP fits my new thinking PERFECTLY and your list of great MFP advice was SO COOL since I am new here myself - THANKS!!

    MFP holds me accountable for the simple mathematics of calories in, calories out. Nothing's forbidden, but I find that MFP helps me be honest with myself about the consequences of my choices to my health (diabetes in the family) and my looooong term goal of being strong and in good shape into my 60's and 70's.

    Thanks again, great topic and best of luck (feel free to add me if you like?)
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Love this!!

    In the beginning I ignored the moderation, I fully believed in my diet myths that had failed me so many times before, but I still believed. Luckily it didn't last long before I read, listened, researched and found 99% of what I thought I knew was crap.

    Kept it simple, stuck with the basics and have had lots of success
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    The best thing I think I've seen here is asking if a change or "diet" is something they are willing to do for the rest of their life. Are you going to drink Slim-Fast every day for the rest of your life? You going to eat zero sugar for life? If it's not something you plan on doing forever, then don't expect long term results from it. So pretty much live your life how you want to live it tomorrow, in 1 year, in 10 years... and so on. Getting healthy and losing weight doesn't mean deprivation. You want pizza? Work it into your day and your caloric goals, and then have that pizza.

    Also, no point in kicking your *kitten* for a bad day. There are more days ahead to make better choices. :flowerforyou:
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    "Stay out of the forums."
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I think I am one of the lucky ones that did all that before joining MFP...when I joined I was ready to listen to those who had success...

    Since joining I have learned so much...cripes a year ago I had no idea what a macro was unless it was involving economics...lifting weights was a distant memory and eating a chocolate bar everynight seemed impossible...

    I love I found this place when I did and found the people I did who inadvertently educated me by responding to others posts, posted links and lived the life they talked about...

    Give me another year or 2 or 3 and I will consider myself a success story..
  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    Mine was the weight room at the gym. I was so intimidated and frightened by the other buff people in there and everyone kept saying no is looking at you. But it took sometime and I'm so damn glad I got over that! I've been pretty open and receptive for advice since my joining this site. There's no where else for me to go but down if I started ignoring people. <3 thank you guys.
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    "Wait until they accept the FR BEFORE you send the noodz."
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I wish I had listened to the advice to start lifting while losing weight instead of waiting until I had already lost it.

    Great post! :drinker:

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