First Weigh-In - 8 Pounds Lost!

Today marks one week since I registered for MFP, and this morning I couldn't wait to hit the scale and see if I would see any progress for my efforts. Well, I was shocked and proud to see a loss of 8 pounds!

In the interest of full disclosure, I probably fudged my starting weight by a few pounds, since I used a nice, round 230 (no pun intended!) based on the fact I had just come from my annual physical last Wednesday morning, and weighed in at the doctor's office at 229, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. So it's probably more like 4-5 pounds actually lost. But still, it's inescapable that MFP is a tremendous tool if a person really follows and commits to using it.

I am one who is meticulous in recording EVERYTHING that I eat, right down to the last condiment - including my vitamin tablet. I am amazed how much I have learned in one week, and how using this site to its fullest extent really has changed how I look at food and prodded me into making better choices. Instead of sitting down with a snack-size bag of chips at night, i now might have some bell pepper strips with low-fat ranch dip. 50 calories instead of 200. Little changes that add up big-time over a week!

I have also been really conservative in using the site, which I think also contributes to my better-than-expected result. For example, I reflected my activity level during setup to one level lower than I really think it should be. Also, when in doubt, I round in favor of using more calories rather than less when entering food into my diary.

I will watch the results for a few weeks and adjust as necessary, because I do understand the risk to a successful program of losing too fast. But for now, HOORAY!

I apologize in advance for being so wordy, and thanks to those with the patience to read it all!