2000 days in a row (and counting)

I started myfitnesspal on March 1st, 2011. Today I celebrate my 2000th day.



I had been very overweight for more than 12 years and nothing I tried fixed that until I discovered tracking/logging calories. My problem had been three-fold: lack of exercise, the kinds of food I was eating, and portion size. I’ve moderately improved the first two things, but most of my success in weight loss has been due to altering that last one. In other words, I’m still pretty sedentary and eat a lot of unhealthy food, but at least I’m not eating so much of it!

I am 6’7” and started mfp at 277 lbs. I currently weigh 240 lbs, which is far greater than my ideal weight, but still considerably less than where I started.



Within my first year using mfp, I lost more than 80 pounds!! I logged in relentlessly, read the forums, weighed-in weekly and took a weekly photo. Every night the forecast of what I’d weigh in 5 weeks kept me motivated. I was meticulous in measuring my food, rarely went over my daily calorie budget for months and months. I had access to a gym for the first few months, and while I didn’t hit it that hard, I did do a fair amount of cardio, which helped me earn more calories when I was still getting used to the concept of smaller portions. The weight melted off. I lost nearly 20 pounds in the first month. Nearly 40 pounds in two months!! By the time 9 months had passed, I had lost 80 pounds!

Once I dipped below the 200 lb mark, I started getting comments about how I was starting to look unhealthy. Gaunt. I hadn’t added any muscle mass, so I was skinny-fat at that point. Not truly overweight, but not in shape either. I allowed myself to put some weight back on, with a plan to hover between 200 and 210. And that worked for about a year. I liked the way my clothes fit and was pretty satisfied with my weight, though in a perfect world I’d have liked to have worked out and gotten properly in shape.

That first year, the rush of results, of losing weight for the first time after over a decade, was enough to encourage me to stay disciplined. I always had the next week on the scale to look forward to! In a way, my time on myfitnesspal began as a kind of race. Once I crossed the finish line and “won,” there was a sense of “ok, now what?” Jogging around the track wasn’t nearly as fun as running as fast and hard as I could, so in time I started walking--or stopping altogether, only to sprint again for a bit, then walk some more.



Weight maintenance has proven to be more difficult than weight loss. I’ve put back on, and lost, dozens of pounds in the last few years. Thankfully, I’ve never let myself go fully back to old habits for too long and have never gotten back to my starting weight. Still, I’ve gained back far more than I’d hoped to. I set a “ceiling weight” of 220 and reached it several times, then lost weight again only to again reach and surpass that 220 mark. I’ve been above 230 pounds for over a year now, though I would still prefer to be in the 200 to 210 range. Why have I struggled and what can I suggest to help anyone with the same issues? I’ve got a few thoughts on that.

Maintenance lacks the glory of weight loss.
I’m sure that’s not news to anyone, but it needs to be said. It requires a more nuanced diligence. And since you’ve got some potential wiggle room, you may see yourself slipping back into old (bad) habits.

Logging is still key.
I have a 2000 day streak, but that doesn’t mean I’ve faithfully logged my meals all 2000 days. If only. When I was traveling, which I did a lot last year, eating out or at parties, I logged in alright--just to keep the streak alive. But I was celebrating (dangerous!), so I didn’t count calories while I stuffed myself. If I had, I think I would’ve checked myself and stopped (going 500 calories over at a party, ok, but going 3000 over, several days in a row--ummmmm...no).

What about that exercise?
If I could manage to incorporate more exercise into my lifestyle, that would offset some of the negative results from when I’m celebrating. And I could better rationalize those over-days if I were having awesome workout days. I go for a walk pretty much every day, but nothing intense.

What about eating healthier food?
Yes, this is still an area that I need to improve. Pizza and diner food aren’t getting any healthier or lower in calories.

So, since maintenance isn't the rush of initial weight loss, I have to be sure to keep logging or else see myself gain weight. I need to celebrate less and ideally exercise more and eat healthier food. Easier said than done, but that's the challenge. I’m still very grateful for discovering mfp and how it’s helped me better understand my relationship with food. I’ve got a lot of work to do still, because despite using mfp for more than five years, I’ve got 35 years of eating behavior before that to contend with. For me, I think losing weight worked because I was abstaining from something. I got better at portion control and made a modest amount of healthier food choices. But getting “in shape” would require me to actively do something--exercise--and that’s something I’m still trying to encourage myself to do.

P.S. One complaint I have about mfp: the changes that occurred after Under Armour showed up and started their branding and the monetization of data. I guess it was inevitable, but I preferred the vibe of the app and website before it became beholden to a corporation and I no longer had access to the same info I once got for free. I believe the makers of the app deserve to make income from it, I guess I just wish it took a less intrusive form (seeing the little lock icons and suggestions to "go premium" everywhere makes me feel less welcome). Still, small price to pay I suppose.