So does this actually work?
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Ah, never mind. I see the stats now.1 -
By far, I think the most common mistake people make is logging incorrectly. MFP works, but the more accurately you log, the better it will work for you. This thread collects a ton of good information about how to log correctly: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest. Some of the highlights:
1. Log everything -- cooking oil, butter, drinks, vegetables, etc.
2. Choose accurate entries. That means logging every individual component of a meal (i.e., finding individual entries for the peanut butter, jelly and bread, instead of just finding an entry that says "PB&J").
3. Don't use entries marked "generic" or "homemade" unless you created the homemade recipe using the recipe builder tool.
4. Try to measure your food with as much accuracy as is feasible. Using a food scale for solids is best; using measuring cups/spoons is next, and eyeballing is worst. Use measuring cups/spoons for liquid.
Agree with all of this. And if logging and measuring are really overwhelming or frustrating for you, know that you don't necessarily need to do it for ages and ages. The point is just to figure out how much you're eating so that you can know if you are in a deficit or not. But the scale will tell you this over time, too. If you are losing weight, you're in a deficit, and if you're gaining, you're not. But related to that, the second most common mistake around here is probably losing patience and giving up. Something you'll see a lot if you stick around on the forums is "weight-loss isn't linear." It can take time before you see results, sometimes you'll have really consistent losses for weeks and then weeks with nothing, sometimes you'll gain weight overnight and not know why. This is all normal and you'll need to learn to roll with it. The system works if you let it. I'm down 40 lbs from this time last year, and I didn't even change the kind of food I eat, just the quantities.2 -
100% agree with this. People get hung up on being perfect, and then flame out and quit when they slip up. (And everyone slips up at some point). Doing things that are good (but not perfect) over a long period of time will get you farther than doing something more extreme that you can only sustain for a short period of time.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »By far, I think the most common mistake people make is logging incorrectly. MFP works, but the more accurately you log, the better it will work for you. This thread collects a ton of good information about how to log correctly: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest. Some of the highlights:
1. Log everything -- cooking oil, butter, drinks, vegetables, etc.
2. Choose accurate entries. That means logging every individual component of a meal (i.e., finding individual entries for the peanut butter, jelly and bread, instead of just finding an entry that says "PB&J").
3. Don't use entries marked "generic" or "homemade" unless you created the homemade recipe using the recipe builder tool.
4. Try to measure your food with as much accuracy as is feasible. Using a food scale for solids is best; using measuring cups/spoons is next, and eyeballing is worst. Use measuring cups/spoons for liquid.
Agree with all of this. And if logging and measuring are really overwhelming or frustrating for you, know that you don't necessarily need to do it for ages and ages. The point is just to figure out how much you're eating so that you can know if you are in a deficit or not. But the scale will tell you this over time, too. If you are losing weight, you're in a deficit, and if you're gaining, you're not. But related to that, the second most common mistake around here is probably losing patience and giving up. Something you'll see a lot if you stick around on the forums is "weight-loss isn't linear." It can take time before you see results, sometimes you'll have really consistent losses for weeks and then weeks with nothing, sometimes you'll gain weight overnight and not know why. This is all normal and you'll need to learn to roll with it. The system works if you let it. I'm down 40 lbs from this time last year, and I didn't even change the kind of food I eat, just the quantities.
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So I started using the app yesterday. It said my total caloric intake would be 4040 and when I logged all my food in my diary I still had 2300 cal left for the day. With that information it said if I continue to eat like I did I would lose 25 pounds in five weeks. Could this be true? I threw out all the junk food in my house and replace it with healthy vegetables and lean meat trying to go low-carb
4040 seems really high for a calorie deficit unless you are very big and an extremely active athlete. It is more like you have an error with your information or there is a bug. If you normally eat about 2300 and maintain or gain then you will not lose eating 4040 calories a day so there is something wrong.
The app will give you a goal based on what you entered for your gender, age, height, weight and normal activity level without exercise as well as desired rate of loss. What is your information?
You don't have to drastically change your diet to lose weight just get the calories right. Many people who suddenly cut a lot of foods from their diet find it hard to sustain long term. You might want to make smaller dietary changes over time.
He's 600lbs, I think the calorie deficit is accurate.
When I wrote my post I did not have that information that the OP was 600 lb sedentary male.
Didn't say it couldn't be right if they were very large or very active just possibly wrong based on how much below they ate below that goal and being a lot highdr than most people. Errors happen occasionally either from the user side or a bug.
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Can I just wish the OP very good luck?
Yes the process works, stick with it and keep us all informed of your progress
Please keep coming back and asking questions, you'll get lots of support10 -
Because your body needs food to power itself, very large people use more calories and can lose weight while eating more food. That's the reason the suggested number of calories is so high. It will work, but only if you measure accurately and stick to it.
If you're used to eating mostly junk food, which is not satisfying, then swapping to healthier and more nutrient dense foods will surprise you! 1000 calories of Oreos is nothing, 1000 calories of cabbage is a whole lot.
If you can, do some activity as well while you are losing. It will help to protect the muscles you have so that you don't lose muscle as well as fat. At first you may not be able to do much, but do what you can, and you will soon find you are able to do more. You can swing filled water bottles around while sitting, or walk short distances, or whatever you are best able to do.
Best of luck, I have a friend who used to be your size and is down now to 400 lbs. His doctor says he's going to live a lot longer, and he can sit in normal chairs instead of having to carry a chair with him. And there was a man who posted here a while back who lost even more and just looks great. Even losing 10% of your weight will make a huge difference to your health. Set small goals at first so you don't get discouraged. You can do this!8 -
I've lost weight without MFP, and I've lost weight with it. I will tell you this though- I lost MORE weight with MFP and FASTER than I did without it!
I originally started off at 250lbs a few years ago, made a commitment to stop drinking soda, cut out junk food, and exercise. Dropped 40lbs after a year of doing so....then the weight started creeping back up on me. Joined MFP in October 2017 at 235 lbs. My daily intake is 1200- I'll be honest, it can be a struggle to eat that low and in the beginning I would exercise so I could eat more. I'm in a pretty good groove now and I've lost 25lbs in only 3 mos.
But you gotta do the work. LOG EVERYTHING- EVEN CONDIMENTS! I don't exercise like I used to when I first started off at 250lbs, but I'm still losing the weight, and I don't feel as restricted. I like to pre-plan my meals in advance so I have a menu to follow. Even if at first you don't see any progress, keep at it, eventually you'll find your groove.2 -
So I started using the app yesterday. It said my total caloric intake would be 4040 and when I logged all my food in my diary I still had 2300 cal left for the day. With that information it said if I continue to eat like I did I would lose 25 pounds in five weeks. Could this be true? I threw out all the junk food in my house and replace it with healthy vegetables and lean meat trying to go low-carb
4040 seems really high for a calorie deficit unless you are very big and an extremely active athlete. It is more like you have an error with your information or there is a bug. If you normally eat about 2300 and maintain or gain then you will not lose eating 4040 calories a day so there is something wrong.
The app will give you a goal based on what you entered for your gender, age, height, weight and normal activity level without exercise as well as desired rate of loss. What is your information?
You don't have to drastically change your diet to lose weight just get the calories right. Many people who suddenly cut a lot of foods from their diet find it hard to sustain long term. You might want to make smaller dietary changes over time.
He's 600lbs, I think the calorie deficit is accurate.
When I wrote my post I did not have that information that the OP was 600 lb sedentary male.
Didn't say it couldn't be right if they were very large or very active just possibly wrong based on how much below they ate below that goal and being a lot highdr than most people. Errors happen occasionally either from the user side or a bug.
I didn't mean to offend you, just mentioning OP posted his weight.
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It does work! Committing to the process of accurately measuring your food with a food scale and logging what you eat is essential. What you choose to eat to fill those calories matters not--as long as you feel satisfied--the weight will start to come off.0
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This is a useful calculator - you can put in your stats to see the calories needed to maintain/lose 1 lb per week/etc:
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
For a 2lb/wk weight loss, for example, here are the calories at different weights for a 25yo male, 6' tall:
Weight.....Sedentary..Lightly Active
600..........3500c.......4150c
500..........2950c.......3525c
400..........2400c.......2901c
300..........1900c.......2280c
So the number of calories goes down as you lose weight because you're feeding less tissue. At your weight, I'd want to clear exercise with your doctor before starting anything.
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Chancefl, congratulations on your decision to go healthy this year and I wish you the best of luck!! With that said, as a trainer and nutritionist I will tell you there are healthy ways to lose weight and not so healthy ways and I hope your first step was to have a full checkup so are aware what you have to overcome and keep in mind when choosing foods. I also hope you have some additional guidance and motivation from a health coach, dietitian or clinic. This app is great for tracking your food, exercise, and being aware of your daily intakes of protein, fibre etc. Take the "if you keep eating this way you will weigh___ in ___ weeks" with a grain of salt. It can be a initial motivator, but can also cause frustration if you are eating at a deficit and not losing the weight it says you will.
Keep logging and best of luck.4 -
In addition to what others have stated, and tracking and staying in your deficit range, if you're finding yourself below your "recommended" range, listen to your body. If you're not hungry, and still below your calories, there's no reason for you to keep eating with your current status (athletes or very active people may have a different need).
I'd also suggest talking to a nutritionist to help you come up with a good day to day plan as they can ensure you are getting what you need to keep things headed in the right direction.1 -
Some semi random points to make, coming from someone who spends a lot of time on the forums telling people they don't have to starve to lose weight and to keep weight loss at 0.5% to 1% of body weight per week with caloric deficits at 20% of TDEE (25% while obese).
* Because of your current weight you are most likely relatively sedentary and activities or exercise that would stress your joints may be difficult. I would definitely discuss what you can or cannot do with an expert because protecting your joints is important when it comes to maintaining your weight loss in the future.
* This is a long game. Don't think you can short circuit the process and succeed. You will have to lose weight just by consuming less food, then as you get lighter with a combination of food, increased activity and exercise, and you may well have to deal with health issues along the way as well as address other issues that have contributed to your weight gain. Your dream end result may not be perfect but I can guarantee you that your health and success will be worthwhile!
*MFP is set to operate in a narrow range of weight loss topping at 2lbs a week. Since most people on MFP start at under 300lbs this rate of loss is appropriate for the high end and still achieves losses not exceeding 1.5% of bodyweight per week for most people.
At 600lbs two things come into play. The BMR * activity factor equations used to determine your total daily energy requirements may be slightly innacurate, and your bodyfat is sufficient to provide you with energy without as much danger to your lean mass.
As such you are one of the few cases where I would advocate that you can and should target a slightly faster rate of loss, without necessarily getting silly about it.
For a few months at least you can probably tolerate losses that are between one and one and a half percent of your body weight a week. Subject to such rapid losses not making life so difficult you're about to give up.
Compliance and staying the course comes way ahead of speed!!!
I am also a believer in stages as opposed to trying to do everything perfectly at once and in setting yourself up for your future maintenance by avoiding dropping to silly low calories.
All this to say that I would aim for somewhere around ***3000 to 3500 *** calories to eat (not less than that, but not necessarily the full 4000+ given by MFP)
Then when you become more mobile I would take the extra loss generated by increased activity while keeping to around the same caloric intake range.
As your weight loss at that point of time and probably around 300lbs settles I would consider again how to proceed (dropping to 2500-3000, changing exercise, etc)
* Right now you can lose weight just by being mindful. You don't have to eliminate anything and you don't have to do any special specific diet or even use a scale.
* As your caloric budget reduces with weight loss you may have to become more precise when it comes to measuring.
I do agree with the people who say you have learn to log everything. Nothing you put in your mouth is calorie-free in sufficient quantity. Most calorie free products claim their status on a mythical portion size that ends up being just under 5 calories, allowing them to legally claim they're calorie-free. Eat 10 times that and it's not calorie-free.
Looking at what you log and reviewing whether it was worth the calories is a most powerful tool in making positive changes to what you're eating
*You will have to explore your own way of eating which should hopefully include things that fill you up and things that you're eating purely for fun. While you may have to go through a time period of abstinence in order to better appreciate that things you now consider staples are really just suitable for the occasional treat, I would be very hesitant to tell myself that certain things are forbidden never to be eaten again. This leads to silly thoughts of "I failed right now so I might as well eat all the stuff I'm not allowed and start again tomorrow"
*I would reframe the process and retrain myself to think along the lines of "am I getting enough out of this food or item for the calories that I am spending out of my daily or weekly budget"
*And incidentally the time to get back to it after a momentary failure is Right *kitten* now. As in immediately as of the next decision that you're about to make. And most certainly as of your next meal. Not the next day or next week.
* Hand in hand with the above, you don't try to make up a failure but concentrate on each day as its own Target.
And yes. Take pictures and record stuff. Possibly even start using a trending weight application.
Embrace and see this as a fun process of exploration. Don't view it as eliminating things you like but as discovering other things you also like that are less calories.
It is a fun optimization problem where you try to maximize satiation, health, and fun within your budget!14 -
Yes it does0
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Just in case OP is still reading this far into the post - one more bit of advice. Take a series of pictures of yourself now from the front and side. I know it’s probably really awkward and you might not be entirely comfortable but take the pics anyway and stick them in a draw or on the cloud somewhere safe.
When you are all skinny and svelte you’ll want those pics to amaze and impress people with your willpower and dedication.7 -
GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »Just in case OP is still reading this far into the post - one more bit of advice. Take a series of pictures of yourself now from the front and side. I know it’s probably really awkward and you might not be entirely comfortable but take the pics anyway and stick them in a draw or on the cloud somewhere safe.
When you are all skinny and svelte you’ll want those pics to amaze and impress people with your willpower and dedication.
Truth.1 -
I am very glad you chose a healthier lifestyle. Just remember , one day at a time, one step at a time. Also, try to get some exercise every day, but consult your doctor first, as to what you are allowed to do. Good luck on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. 1
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Congratulations for getting here and getting started, for posting a photo and looking for info! That IS the work, and if you keep at it, you will change your life- and that's what this is, life changing.
Find friends who can help and keep asking questions!! Good luck- I look forward to seeing your success!!!!
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I don’t have anything to add to the great advice above except to reiterate that we are all pulling for you and can’t wait to see you in the success stories!1
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