MFP's most common user pitfall to avoid

I've been on MFP for a while. I'm what you'd call a success story. I not only lost the weight (all tolled about 65 lbs), but I gained lean mass, and I've kept the fat off for over 2 years now. I also became passionate about nutrition and health in the process and learned a thing or three over the years, I even went and got my ACE personal training certification and now train clients on the side.

So there are my credentials in a nutshell. Now what is that pitfall I mentioned?

You may think it's exercise calories, or types of food, or exercise, or even "falling off the wagon" but I don't think so.

the most common problem I see on MFP (2 parts, bear with me) is how people choose their goals.

There are 2 meanings to goals on MFP, 1st is your weekly goal (I.E. 2 lbs a week, 1 lb a week...etc.) and I see far to many people just blithely choosing 2 lbs a week even though they have no business trying for that much. 2 lbs a week is a goal designed for obese people, and people with large fat stores. The less fat you have to lose, the smaller your deficit should be.

The 2nd meaning of goals is what your final weight should be. This is nails on a chalk board to me for 2 reasons. 1st is that your goal should be a range, not a number. A fuzzy little circle where you should be "about" as in "I'm about 183 this week, I'm at my goal range." Instead of "I'm 183 today, my goal is 181 so I'm not at my goal yet." I usually give clients about a 10 to 20 lb range depending on their overall body size (I.E. a 6' tall man is closer to 20 lbs range and a 5'4" woman is closer to a 12 lb range). The second reason is that once you are close to that goal, it should no longer be about weight, weight is arbitrary, many things factor in besides fat, and fat is really all we should be looking to lose (for most of us at least). Once you get down into the healthy range for your height and age, body fat % and maybe size measurements should be goals, not weight.

That brings us to how someone chooses their end goal. your end goal shouldn't be "what I weighed in high school". Besides the fact that high school aged people are not finished growing, and people can put on between 10 and 40 lbs of lean mass between 17 and 25 years old, and that's NOT a bad thing. Plus, as the body ages, lean tissue density changes, NEEDS change in the body, and bone mass changes. Your weight should be age appropriate. I don't care if you're the most healthy 40 year old in the world, with the exact same measurements, you're still probably going to weigh more than you did in High School, just trust me on this one, I've done a lot of study into human anatomy and kinesiology, the body does not remain constant, it changes over the years. Trying to find your high school form is not only unrealistic, it's possibly unhealthy. it can lead to obsession and psychological issues (depression, OCD, eating disorders...etc.)

anyway, that's how I see it.

Do yourself a favor, sit down in a quiet place for about half an hour and think about how you came to your goals (both kinds), if you're working off old information, it might behoove you to change them. There are plenty of knowledgeable people on here willing to help you figure it out. All you need to do is ask someone.

regards all,

-Banks