Mind blown
iamfashiontribes
Posts: 26 Member
It's mind blowing how quickly the calories can add up if you're not on your tracking game. I went on a date today & between the Skinny Vanilla Latte at Sbux & the fancy turkey & provolone pesto panini, those cals sure add up. I had budgeted for everything, but still - when you enter it in the tracker and see it there in black & white, you really see how easy it can be to backslide if you start slacking off on tracking. Which there's no reason to do when you've got something like MFP right at your fingertips on your phone.
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When you're right, you're right. Probably the biggest reason I am still on MFP so long. I have proven that I can't be trusted on my own.0
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For me, it's important to hold myself accountable with tracking in MFP. Without the tracking, I lose structure and control - and then I begin to slide. I'm grateful for MFP and for this support community.0
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Ditto0
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MFP is great for accountability, but it is also valuable to me for teaching me about habits. A few weeks ago, I was at a professional conference with lots of friends and colleagues there. I would have been on target for food calories for the day if I hadn't decided to hang out in the hotel bar that night. I drank the equivalent of my calorie budget in one evening. Ouch!0
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It is astonishing once you start to weigh and measure to see how much you really have been eating in the past and how, with a little grit, you can get used to eating smaller portions and be perfectly satisfied. Knowing my calorie count certainly makes it easier to make better decisions. If I only have 300 calories left I guess I am not going to have that cheeseburger. On the flip side, I was able to fit in some ice cream yesterday and still not go over my limits. What was amazing to me was that the 1/2 cup I had was just fine. In the past nothing short of a cereal bowl full would have been enough. Mind blown right there.0
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Yeah it's amazing how something like the simple act of tracking what u consume & how much u move seems so straight forward - on the surface - and any is anything but
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Agree with all of this. I'm so glad I found MFP0
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We had a dinner out with friends on Friday at a fancy new restaurant. I used to get very uptight when these type of situations arose, because I'm generally a control freak. But I logged on to their website, reviewed the menu, pre-logged what I was going to have, even gave myself permission to splurge by having a few hundred extra calories. It went wonderfully, had a great time and I just enjoyed myself with no guilt the next day.
The experience really made me know that I can stick with this for the long-term.0 -
We had a dinner out with friends on Friday at a fancy new restaurant. I used to get very uptight when these type of situations arose, because I'm generally a control freak. But I logged on to their website, reviewed the menu, pre-logged what I was going to have, even gave myself permission to splurge by having a few hundred extra calories. It went wonderfully, had a great time and I just enjoyed myself with no guilt the next day.
The experience really made me know that I can stick with this for the long-term.
The internet has made such a difference in helping people stick to their plans. Now you can see virtually every restaurant menu (which can also help in estimating your budget for the night), plug in options, decide and have fun without agonizing over every last thing. I like that many chain restaurants give you calorie totals on the menu so you can make an informed choice on site. And since virtually everything has more calories than I think they do, that feature has really helped me quite a lot. I am so glad you had a good time without derailing your efforts.0 -
I love reading about everyone's positive experiences & insights. Y'all inspire me!!!! 0
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We had a dinner out with friends on Friday at a fancy new restaurant. I used to get very uptight when these type of situations arose, because I'm generally a control freak. But I logged on to their website, reviewed the menu, pre-logged what I was going to have, even gave myself permission to splurge by having a few hundred extra calories. It went wonderfully, had a great time and I just enjoyed myself with no guilt the next day.
The experience really made me know that I can stick with this for the long-term.
It's great to be able to live normally -and go out with friends - and still manage your weight.
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Really, what is the point, if you can't enjoy life? Yes, sometimes it is a pain to google a restaurant menu and plan your food, but it is way better than carrying around all that flab. Life is so much more enjoyable when you can do things w/o being out of breath in five minutes. You can still enjoy are splurge now and then. win win0
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LOL Anyone found that sometimes that "thing" you thought you craved just lost its appeal when you checked the calorie count? I was out with friends at a seminar a few months ago and thought, ok, I've been really sticking to my plan all week, so tonight I'm going to splurge and have dessert! Then I looked at how many calories it had, holy crap!! it was my entire day's worth of calories! Lost my taste for it completely! Then when we were in Arizona in February, I went out with several family members and again decided to have dessert. This time, I didn't check first thinking well it couldn't be THAT bad! Then I went in and checked after I'd eaten it and once again, the darn thing was my total calorie allowance for the day! OUCH! Fortunately, I did stay on target the rest of my time there and managed to lose weight even on my trip so it didn't derail me but now, no more winging it on my own, with the phone right there, there's really no excuse not to look it up before I eat it!
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Oh yeah! Definitely googled some thing and just went, "never mind" I make most of my desserts so I can have them, but control the calories better.0
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Foxglove89 wrote: »For me, it's important to hold myself accountable with tracking in MFP. Without the tracking, I lose structure and control - and then I begin to slide. I'm grateful for MFP and for this support community.
Totally me!!!!0 -
I went out last Saturday to Tony Roma's, Sunday lunch at Coras, and the Symposium on Sunday for dinner. I preplanned Tony's and Coras. Asked the waitress for recommendations at The Symposium. Besides not paying for any of the meals, I lost 1.3 lbs on my Monday morning weight in. I agree with Bill, if you can preplan and make mindful decesions we can do it. A trick that I learned from WW is to ask for a takeout box when you order you meal and portion out what you think you should be eating when your meal arrives.0
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lynnstacey2 wrote: »LOL Anyone found that sometimes that "thing" you thought you craved just lost its appeal when you checked the calorie count? I was out with friends at a seminar a few months ago and thought, ok, I've been really sticking to my plan all week, so tonight I'm going to splurge and have dessert! Then I looked at how many calories it had, holy crap!! it was my entire day's worth of calories! Lost my taste for it completely! Then when we were in Arizona in February, I went out with several family members and again decided to have dessert. This time, I didn't check first thinking well it couldn't be THAT bad! Then I went in and checked after I'd eaten it and once again, the darn thing was my total calorie allowance for the day! OUCH! Fortunately, I did stay on target the rest of my time there and managed to lose weight even on my trip so it didn't derail me but now, no more winging it on my own, with the phone right there, there's really no excuse not to look it up before I eat it!
No kidding! You get so used to watching the calories, and then that one big splurge just isn't good enough to blow 1000 calories on!0 -
lynnstacey2 wrote: »LOL Anyone found that sometimes that "thing" you thought you craved just lost its appeal when you checked the calorie count? I was out with friends at a seminar a few months ago and thought, ok, I've been really sticking to my plan all week, so tonight I'm going to splurge and have dessert! Then I looked at how many calories it had, holy crap!! it was my entire day's worth of calories! Lost my taste for it completely! Then when we were in Arizona in February, I went out with several family members and again decided to have dessert. This time, I didn't check first thinking well it couldn't be THAT bad! Then I went in and checked after I'd eaten it and once again, the darn thing was my total calorie allowance for the day! OUCH! Fortunately, I did stay on target the rest of my time there and managed to lose weight even on my trip so it didn't derail me but now, no more winging it on my own, with the phone right there, there's really no excuse not to look it up before I eat it!
No kidding! You get so used to watching the calories, and then that one big splurge just isn't good enough to blow 1000 calories on!
I know what you mean. Recently I was at my favorite restaurant. I LOVE their fettucine carbonara. I could swim in it. But I don't have to tell you the caloric destruction it can cause. I had the grilled salmon. It was good but it wasn't fettucine carbonara. Sometimes it is all just too painful.0 -
When you're right, you're right. Probably the biggest reason I am still on MFP so long. I have proven that I can't be trusted on my own.
Amen to the proven I can't be trusted on my own! So many nights I thought, I've gone to bed without my treat because it would have taken me over my count. That's progress! Yea me0 -
Progress is good.0
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Very much an eye opener. This has been a HUGE learning experience for me. I can't tell you how many times my jaw has dropped in amazement/horror at the nutritional information on foods/dishes. However, as I go I have been learning how to make mostly wise food choices sans logging site. I still use it when I feel the need to put myself in check for a while, check foods, check recipes, etc., but I am flying solo as much as I can now. It's a comforting tool to have available for sure.0
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