What did you learn using MyFitnessPal that changed your habits?

sargemarcori · November 2021

@Cindy01Louisiana not that you asked, but if you haven't tried Bolthouse Farms, you might look for it! Made with yogurt, doesn't have a ton of garbage in it, low calorie (compared to most) and delicious!

But yeah, that serving size thing. I remember confounding friends when I read the label and found that a "serving" of Pop-Tarts was only ONE! (when they, obviously, come in not-resealable packets of two!)

Horstbc · November 2021

Logging helps me pay attention to how often I'm eating and especially how frequently I'm snitching food as I walk through the kitchen. When I'm helping my kids get a snack, I tend to grab a little of whatever they're having, and that adds up like crazy.

hometownusa · November 2021

Years ago, I had lost over 30lbs on my own just by eating less food and letting myself get really hungry between meals, sticking to a strict timed meal structure. I discovered MFP and developed a severe eating disorder as a result of a fixation on calories and macros. It became my addiction. In recovery I gained around 50 lbs, and in college another 10. Going vegan 2 years ago, I lost almost 25lbs in the span of 1.5 years. Back to in person college, and I've gained about 3lbs back. I'm starting to track my intake now so that I can stop feeling like I'm out of control around food. The strictness and loneliness of covid made it easy to keep the weight off, but a highly social life + stress eating + giving up on focusing on low calorie bases with calorie controlled sauces had led me to gain weight and feel bad about myself. Here's to becoming more calories conscious without triggering myself, with the end goal of never having to track again.

Vis77 · November 2021

comin in at a minus 200 cals is the trick point for me of not being hungry but eating,, also spreading calories out and having 200 cals left at end of day for almonds and dark chocolate

SpicyMeatball82 · November 2021

Tracking how much macronutrients I was really eating. What I thought was 200 calories was really like 500! Learned a lot about portion control.

NewBetterBest18 · December 2021

I've learned that even the most dedicated people falter while trying to loose weight and that it's OK. Just pick up and start again. I can't tell you how many times I've had to remind myself that. Thank you so much MFP peeps!

nursecathy123cat · December 2021

Idontcareyoupick wrote: »

I had repeated lessons learned about portion sizes, especially for snack foods where I thought I was only eating one or two and ended up being 3 or 4. I also learned that I can eat stuff like that in moderation just not to oblivion like I used to

I have found that I absolutely must log my food. I tried the "Eat Mindfully" routine and it just doesn't work for me. My stomach thinks I need a lot more food than I actually do!

wunderkindking · December 2021

New Lesson, from maintenance;

If I don't do some at least half-hearted logging... I keep losing weight I no longer want to lose. Meaning, yeah, I need to continue to do rough logging (all I did to lose, either, I'm pretty accurate) because now apparently I UNDEREAT if I'm left to my own devices. I NEVER thought I would see the day-

karriechambers · December 2021

My ah ha moment was yesterday actually! My cousin took a pick of me yesterday and commented how tough I look....all I see is how heavy I still am. It has renewed my motivation!

kenyonhaff · December 2021

* Fruit juice is not really your friend...so many calories. Have a piece of whole fruit and some water.
* Carbs aren't the enemy but pick a bread that is whole wheat and not too big.
* Life's too short to waste on crappy chocolate. Have the good stuff if you're gonna have it.
* Higher protein worked for me.
* Fat isn't evil like they said in the 1980s....the full fat Greek yogurt will keep you going through the afternoon so you aren't reaching for crap snacks at 3 pm.
* YOU CAN'T OUTRUN A BAD DIET. Eating is really the majority of weight loss, not exercise. You can gain weight running or doing Zumba or whatever. You can also lose weight doing moderate exercise.

Rowena3008 · January 2022

Hi all from Melbourne, Australia. My biggest aha moment was when I realised I 'know' what I need to do to be my healthiest self I have a job where I eat out a lot, but I have come to realise, through trial and error, that we need to live/enjoy life. It's an 80/20 rule. Whenever I can, I fast at least 18 hours, I eat low carb/high fat. I exercise by walking most days at least 5-7kms, sometimes more in the weekends. I do the very best, I can when I can. I feel better with myself when I follow this rule, so when I am eating out and 'splurging' more than I should, its okay and I enjoy it. Live your best life, but take care of yourself as often as you can/whenever you can!

LaurenMargott · January 2022

Hidden sugar in everything. It was a real ah-ha moment when I made myself some pasta one night. Scanning in my ingredients I had added my pasta and fresh vegetables and even the cheese, all within allowed. Then I scanned my tin of crushed tomatoes. It's just crushed tomatoes, tomato plus a preservative right? My calorie count suddenly skyrocketed and I got a sugar warning. So I did some investigating, low and behold that nice normal can had ADDED SUGARS. Now I buy an organic tin that really is JUST tomato and I've become a lot more aware of ingredients in each individual item even so called "healthy' foods like tin tomato.

I have also learnt that 1200 calories is not enough for me. Even though MFP has tried to set me at 1200 I can't do it. Impossible. It's too little. 1350-1400 however is fine. It's a small difference but for me it's the difference between success and giving up because I keep failing to meet the goal when it's that low.

jrowens3102 · January 2022

I really do eat better, all day, when I log & get at least 8grams of fiber in my first meal. Also, as delicious as those 2 sea salt caramels are, I enjoy my Greek yogurt w/honey & pistachios just as much...and it's WAY better for me. Plus, the latter makes for a cuter macro pie chart at the end of the day.

jrowens3102 · January 2022

@kenyonhaff, love "You can't outrun a bad diet". Great post!

DancingMoosie · January 2022

Just being accountable and realizing everything counts. I think seeing each and every food, the calorie count, playing with macros...otherwise you just really don't know. And yes, I've gained weight while working out an average of over 1hr a day, running 5-7 miles every Sunday. Donuts can erase that run!

stevembakes · January 2022

I learned that I'm a lot more disciplined than what I ever dreamed I could be. Having lived my entire life without ever being on a formal diet, and working as a chef/baker all those years, temptation was only an arm's length away.
But, in retirement I began My Fitness Pal for fitness first, weight control later. I'm a tennis player and having a lighter weight is so much better for the knees. 1,729 is the number. The number of consecutive days I have logged virtually every food I've consumed.
I love the way this program allows me to manage all components of my diet and fitness. Having the burned calories as part of the equation is it's own motivation to exercise. Because, I still really like to enjoy all the wonderful foods that are available and the more I burn the more I can indulge.
The best part is I never feel deprived of my favorite foods.

ciarakelley05 · January 2022

When I started using MFP I realized how much I would consistently overeat. But I continued to brush off the disappointment 😞 and push forward. I began controlling my calories and challenging myself to meet my goals. I learned what foods I liked that didn't exceed my calorie limits. I learned portion control. And most of all I learned healthy habits that can change my lifestyle. MFP helped me make better choices, and even though I still have more to learn, for that I'm thankful. 🍎🍇🥦

TaraSmotherman2001 · January 2022

Portion sizes. I now weigh out certain things

DWBalboa · January 2022

For me, it was measuring my intake. Using a digital food scale and logging EVERYTHING made a huge difference. I went from almost 250 down to 180 in about a years’ time. Also logging my water intake as I was not getting near enough water.
Also seeing others struggles and successes have been a big help as well as inspirational.

batman4121 · January 2022

It’s been one big learning curve.

I have been trying to out-train a bad diet for years so what MFP and like has taught me is how far off my idea of healthy eating is compared to eating in a health promoting caloric range.

So, not counting exercise programs or types of exercise, the single most important thing needed for weight loss is knowledge.

Singing_Banshee · January 2022

First thing I learned was using the food diary/calculator ..Most low fat products are full of sugar 🤨

Also it’s not just about eating lower calories to lose weight, but what foods you eat and more calories works better when you eat the right balanced diet of food.

samdner · January 2022

2 things so far:

Adding substance to my breakfast, like mixing protein powder into my cereal milk, helps control hunger all day.

Nearly all of my calorie excess is due to booze. Not to say that I need to drop alcohol completely, but getting it in more moderation would be helpful for my goals.

violetfire1978 · January 2022

I realized between using MFP and my Withings scale that my protein intake and muscle mass were both low. I had been wondering why I was feeling weak since starting my weight loss effort. It looks like I was losing muscle, likely due to eating very little protein. I was lifting weights, however my muscle mass was still low. Once I added protein, and it took using MFP to see which foods to eat and in what quantity at what time, I was able to start gaining muscle. It will be a process, but I will continue to pay particular attention to protein in my diet and keep using both MFP and the Withings scale to track these things.

KipDrordy · January 2022

I learned a long time ago that I simply cannot be trusted with my diet. I need to log my food even after reaching my goal weight. The problem is, I don’t do what I know I need to be doing, then end up back where I was.

saltNpepperVal · January 2022

How much sodium I was eating. It also makes me think twice before I snack on something. I stop to think that I only burned 240 calories in my exorcise and this little sweet is going to erase that. Much easier to stop it at the mouth than the feet!

anew45 · January 2022

Ah ha moments!
1. I have been lied to!! The health and fitness industry is about making money and I was fed their propaganda teachings!
2. A pound is 3,500 calories and your weight is a math equation of calories in and calories out.
3. Being healthy isn’t so much about eating “good for you foods” but about learning real nutrition, food balance, calories in/out, and macros
4. Holy crap! I bought a food scale. Did you know how many calories are in that brownie!
5. Without a food scale I sincerely lied to myself while estimating food portions. If I was hungry I would subconsciously believe food portions were smaller.
6. Realizing why people are obese when I see them eat.
7. Work out calorie estimates are wrong and not eating back my work out calories.
8. Water, water, water!
9. Lots of protein for satiation. (.7g-1g per lbs body weight)
10. 5% of fat calories, 5%-10% of carbohydrate calorie, 35%-40% protein calories intake respectively are used for digestion. When I switched my already low calorie diet to high protein it was like a 200 calorie cut per day without knowing it.
11. Body composition vs. weight loss
12. Bogus feeding windows!
13. Ah SLEEP! Regenerative sleep. I love sleep!
14. 5 years in and I finally learned a little about fiber! Fiber grams are listed under carbohydrate calories. Your body can’t digest them. A man should eat about 38 grams of fiber per day. There’s a couple great things about fiber. A) you feel full for longer b) everyone likes to be able to go number 2 regularly. Especially on a deficit. C) I reward myself at the end of each day and look under nutrition and find my fiber grams. I then multiply them by 4 for calories for carbohydrates. That gives me a nice little calorie reward for a snack towards the end of the day! Yes, I use net carb calories.
15. Lifting at a calorie deficit! Wow, the change is incredible! (Yes, it’s hard)
16. 70lbs down and I can finally see some abs!! Ah ha! Yeah baby! Just the start but I’ll take it! Haha
17. Understanding competing goals. Ah ha, endurance cardio muscle killing skinny fat work outs.
18. The importance of steady state, ebike, walking, or other low impact work outs as your body gets closer to low body fat goals
19. Understanding I will probably have to log and track my foods forever. As a lifestyle.
20. Another ah ha moment was the first time I logged everything on my plate from the “healthy salad bar” and had a 3,000+ plate.
21. When I starting eating high volume low calorie foods.
22. Feeling bad for people when I see them stuck in the over do it, crazy cardio cycle. Trying to meet there body composition goals without nutrition or resistance training. It’s really sad seeing people work so hard just to be skinny fat, disappointed, and then after total failure try even harder the next time with a new crazy cardio fad.

ToneGrail · February 2022

MFP taught me portion control. I had no idea about the amount of calories I was actually consuming on a daily basis. It basically taught me that going back for seconds will cause you to exceed your daily calorie intake and cause you to gain weight. Now I rarely go back for seconds and weight everything I eat.

ctm127 · February 2022

After using MFP and talking with my sister, I realized I had a tendency to eat only refined carbs with lots of sugar and lots of coffee of course. This becomes especially bad when I become stressed or busy.

siouxgirl46 · February 2022

I have learned that when I write everything down I am accountable and I am able to lose weight .. when I either don’t use it or am not exact I either stall weight loss or gain weight

fatfish420 · February 2022

I know it is simple but realizing just how much I was eating and how big some of those meals were

What did you learn using MyFitnessPal that changed your habits?

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