I have lost 20 lbs in six weeks and have never felt more alone~!

Lady_Magenta · October 19

I didn't know if I wanted to cry or laugh this morning. I have lost 20 pounds in six weeks.
I am doing my thing. I signed up here but I am not sure why anymore. I can log my food and can read posts and stories, but I can't interact with anybody. Nobody answered when I introduced myself here and I have 0 friends -not sure what good friends would do here anyway if you can't communicate.

I am on a mission and I will succeed. I do this for myself, my family, my future, and most of all, my health. I am not using any weight loss drugs. It's just me relearning how to eat right. "I can't eat love or happiness" is perhaps the biggest acknowledgment. Also, my portions were out of control and so was I. I have 80 more pounds to lose.

I am writing this because I think there might be others like me here, who also feel lonely and kind of invisible at MFP. After all, we are. But you know what? I am here and I am fighting! So are you!

I don't eat low-carb or high-protein, I eat everything but in moderation. No added sugar no processed food or anything fried in oil, besides that, all is fair game.

I use smaller plates. I drink lots of water (not sodas). I eat fruits (no candy). I chia pudding (no cakes) I have a small drink (not a bottle). I pre-cook, I plan and I weigh almost everything. I am proud of myself. Who would have thought?

To all of you who might be reading this. Thank you! I am on top of this world.

20 pounds! Whoo-Hoo ****

loveswalking · October 19

I’m so sorry no one has answer your post. You are doing great 😊

HerculesPapadopoulos · October 19

You sound determined and motivated. Leave all the negative feelings away. You should be proud of yourself for this fantastic start. After all, we all have to win our inner bad self firstly. The socialization is going to be present in your real life, you don't need a forum for that. Keep it up, stay focused and you will see even more better results.
I have lost 66 pounds (30 kg) and I am reaching my goal and then comes the more difficult task to stay there...
You wrote sth very important. "It's just me relearning how to eat right". This is the key to success. It doesn't have to be an extreme diet , we have just to be smart and learn to do it right. And the great gift for you, your family and the ones that care about you will be the better version of you. Also, the medical exams will be the best ever, if you stay on track.
Keep it up !!!

megd44 · October 19

@Lady_Magenta congrats on your loss. 20 pounds is amazing. It looks like you have figured out your "why" and what works best for you. Making sure you have a sustainable plan is going to be the biggest thing you can do.

I echo Surfergirl on the friends. I had a bunch when I first joined years ago, and the format was different. I have gotten some requests from guys trolling and no longer accept any requests. But use these discussion s for support.

Good luck on your journey

lesdarts180 · October 19

@Lady_Magenta , congratulations on your achievement so far. You know, at the end of the day we all have to just do our thing and not rely on others. We all have different goals and different ways of getting there.
You might benefit from joining a challenge or a group. I've been a member of the Ultimate Accountability Challenge for over 3 years and we are a very friendly, non-judgemental group.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to post links so I shall call up the administrators and they can help you join. Or you can just look for it in the Challenges section - a new group starts every month, usually around the 26th of the previous month.

Calling @takinitalloff and @deskjockey925 help!

iowalinda · October 19

Congrats on your weight loss! I was able to get to my goal weight some years ago and have been maintaining since. You can do it, too. Just take it one day at a time. This is a lifestyle change - not a quick fix and then returning to old eating habits. One of the things that helped me is to never bring anything home that I don't want to eat. If it's not there, you can't eat it. No candy, no chips, no cookies, etc. Actually, very little processed food comes in my house at all. I bulk up all my meals with veggies. I have a sweet tooth, which I satisfy with fruit. Frozen bananas satisfy my craving for ice cream. I hope some of this has been of help to you. Have a great day

Sand_TIger · October 19

Twenty pounds is fantastic! Also I love your strategies. I've done many of the same things and it really does help. I also appreciate the fact that you're not doing any specific "diet" but are still seeing success. That's especially great because it'll be easier to maintain once you've reached goal. Sounds like you are doing a great job figuring out where your obstacles are and learning new ways around them.

That said, I agree that it can be pretty hard to feel "seen" here sometimes. You might find some interesting conversations in the forums to join, that can be helpful. It made a lot more sense to have friends and such before MFP decided to get rid of our activity feed. That was a really great way to quickly converse with friends but now that it's gone I find it a bit harder to engage.

In any case, I hope the rest of your day goes well and here's to your continued success!

morenin · October 20

I would try looking at groups, that's what I ended up doing. Finding one you vibe with is very individual. Since we aren't getting friend updates in our feeds anymore, groups in the forum provide more feedback.

ninerbuff · October 20

There are so many that post here and your original post may have moved down the page fast. Welcome to MFP and keep up what you're doing!

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AdahPotatah2024 · October 20

For me, If I wanted a more social group I think I'd try to join weightwatchers or some other group that meets up, not online. Or even start my own walking group or join a fitness class.
I like the food diary and community on mfp, though.
I never have thought that having tons of "friends" on here or on Facebook would help with weight loss, but probably would only keep me on my phone too much and make me feel even more alone!

Lady_Magenta · October 20

Thank you so much, all of you. I know I can do it alone and in the end, it is all up to me if I make the right choices or not. My husband is on board but he never had weight problems, and all my friends in real life have an average weight or are only a little bit overweight. I feel like a whale in a group of sardines.

I like it here. I use the food calorie counter but don't log it here, but in a private, handwritten food journal (for 90 days), which keeps me on my toes. It's on my desk, and boy, it has magic power. The days are numbered, the weight is on top of every page, and my mantra is on the first page. It helps.

Until today I felt invisible here, you guys have changed this. Thank you!

About eight years ago I stopped smoking (after 25 years) and I signed up at a quite-smoking forum. I made it through the first two weeks because of the interaction with others like me, we suffered together for the first month then it got easier. After a month I knew I would never go back to smoking, my mind was made up. Now I feel the same way about my new lifestyle. This time it's different. There is no 'maybe' or 'I am trying'. This time is "I am doing it, PERIOD".

I just made breakfast for everybody.
For the skinny people: Omeletts with ham and cheese, and tater tots.
For me: Scrambled eggs with diced ham (2 oz and 2 eggs) 1 Kiwi, coffee with 0 calorie sweetener.

I will not go back to my old ways. I will stay on track.

Thanks again

lvsherri13 · October 20

Good morning, @Lady_Magenta , and thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings! BTW, You write beautifully, too! I think that you are doing up front what anybody who is using diets or 'helper' drugs will ultimately need to do in order to maintain their hard-fought weightloss - you are making the lifestyle changes! I have always been a person who wanted to be invisible, so I've had to learn to engage with others and be more comfortable sharing in groups.
Congratulations on your victories, and know that your writing has also inspired others (even if they still choose to remain invisible!)
Have a great week, everyone!

123juliaj123 · October 20

A huge congratulations to you losing 20 pounds, that is amazing!!!! Go you, your healthy future is waiting. ((((hugs))))

springlering62 · October 20

Losing the weight you’ve already lost is a terrific feat, and you should pat yourself on the back for your progress so far. Maybe throw an extra “woohoo” in the air.

I think MFP has become very confusing for people who are new to it. The threads about adding friends are pointless, since they discontinued the friends “newsfeed” back in June. There’s really no way to communicate with “friends” now other than via private message, and tbh, those of us who’ve been here a while are cautious about knowing whom we respond to. I bet I’ve had one PM in the past month. It’s too much trouble.

The only way really left to delve into any social aspect here on MFP is either to post frequently on these community boards, or join a group, but it’s hard to find a group that’s actually active. Most are moribund. I’m a member of about eight groups. Not one has had any activity in the past month.

Even the boards are slow and inactive lately, because a lot of folks picked up their marbles and left for other apps that maintained a “friends” type connection.

If you look at the “Challenges” board in the community you may find some active boards there.

Personally, I’ve got too much effort and several years data invested in MFP. I’ve tried one or two of the other apps, but the friends/social aspect aren’t as good as the one that MFP very very sadly deleted. I’ve deleted the other apps after a day or two.

I live in faint hope that MFP will see the error of its ways- that it’s driven off a lot of paying subscribers, or caused many (like me) to downgrade to the free version. I harbor a secret hope that they’re working on something awesome to surprise us, but instead, even the boards just feel like a spring winding down.

It really frosts my goat that they keep up old threads and stickies touting the social aspect of the app when there just isn’t any anymore.

TL:DR you’ve just got to work within the limitations of MFP to make it work for you. The social / friends aspect escaped (was shoved out of) the barn months ago.

nanberube · October 20

I agree on wondering why we have friends. The old format allowed for interactions and encouragement daily. When we posted our diary and accomplishments, all our friends saw them and could react. Why was it changed? CONGRATS on the weight loss. Keep up the good work. I'm glad you posted this.

lyricrebecca · October 20

Congratulations on the weight loss. You've done an amazing job! 20 pounds is a lot! Keep up the great work!

anniejocoby · October 20

Congrats! You're doing fantastic and keep it up! You have friends here.

noogie98 · October 20

This is why the news feed was so important to the old-timers here on @MyFitnessPal. A word of encouragement, support, a kind word, or whatever was needed to someone's post was always a good thing to see when you came on the site.
To @Lady_Magenta , I have sent you a friend request. I've been here for almost 5,000 days in a row logging in. Since they've taken the newsfeed away It's difficult to just chit chat. If if you need to talk I'm here for you. Congratulations on your success so far, and keep up the great work! 👍

trulypleasant · October 20

Hello!

I logged into MFP today to cancel my auto-renewal for the Premium plan. It cancels in March '25 so I might as well take advantage of the reports up until then. My profile says I've been a member since 2017, and I've been paying for Premium for at least 3 years. My Garmin partners with MFP and I haven't taken advantage of that.

Congrats on the great job you are doing. I'm what they call a Lapsed Lifetimer which is a Weighwatchers member who is making their way back to goal weight.

Fjm2 · October 20

YOU Are a ROCK STAR!

Alatariel75 · October 20

Welcome, @Lady_Magenta!

As you're finding, you will definitely get more interaction here participating in threads than starting intro threads - I know I'm guilty of not responding to those type of threads because sooooo many of them are one and done (though now you've made me wonder how many people don't come back because they get no responses!!).

Jump into some threads that interest you and get chatting! It's actually a sociable bunch here.

I too miss the old newsfeed and the actual point of having friends - it feels like they axed the newsfeed and the 'friends' feature is this remnant hanging in the wind.

crawforda3465 · October 20

Great job and CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss journey!! Personally I was really disheartened when MFP took away the newsfeed. I was a member on here since 2012! I still come on here once in awhile but joined Loseit and really like it. The community on there is great and VERY similar to MFP before they did away with the newsfeed. Feel free to message me if you ever want to join ($15 a year for premium or I think it is free too!) and we can encourage each other on there. Congratulations again and best of luck to you! 💝🌺

Interbeing · October 20

Congratulations on 20 lbs, it is a real accomplishment! I am coming back to MFP, not so much for weight loss, but to get my cholesterol levels down without statins. There used to be a daily feed when I was active on MFP a few years ago, it appears to have changed and I can't seem to find it. I did have a lot of online friends in the past and it was a great motivator, hopefully I can find the setting to activate it again. Best wishes! BTW, I am sending a friend request.

Alatariel75 · October 20

Interbeing wrote: »

Congratulations on 20 lbs, it is a real accomplishment! I am coming back to MFP, not so much for weight loss, but to get my cholesterol levels down without statins. There used to be a daily feed when I was active on MFP a few years ago, it appears to have changed and I can't seem to find it. I did have a lot of online friends in the past and it was a great motivator, hopefully I can find the setting to activate it again. Best wishes! BTW, I am sending a friend request.

Unfortunately, the got rid of that newsfeed feature. They said that it wasn't being used - which appears to be belied by the amount of people who regularly post about missing it, including me!!

DraakR · October 21

I have posted a few times, never expected and never got a response. Tried even so much times to loose weight. And yes I'm going for it again right now. Would be nice to have some support and maybe make a friend. You lost 20 pounds, that's about 9 or 10 kg, that is simply amazing and just by moderation. Chances are with that you will keep it off and even loose a lot more. I have my fingers crossed for you.

WaterBunnie · October 21

I'm sorry to see the Newfeed feature gone too. Kind of makes it pointless closing your diary now if it doesn't post to your feed and keep you more accountable. I used to like cheering other MFP friend's losses, but have to go to my Friends List now to see how they're getting on, but even then it's just their total loss.

jenjohn95 · October 21

I think MFP is a good place to see what others are doing but, like any online environment, real connections aren't likely. Your 20 pound loss is amazing! I can't imagine how good that must feel! Go you! Regarding connections, I joined a Cross Fit gym 7 weeks ago and the camaraderie is just what my soul needed, and I didn't even know it. I go to a 5:30 a.m. class and we're a small but consistent group. When I don't show up, they notice, and that feels good! It also helps to motivate me to go when I know my absence will be noticed. Have you thought about joining some type of fitness class? Being an introvert, it never occurred to me that I'd thrive off the energy of others, but here I am, really enjoying my class!

jrhendley · October 21

I know exactly how you feel. This website has changed and I'm not sure if I like it or not. Before I had a daily feed where I can post things with friends. I don't get that anymore. I also was going to do it free like I use too, but I didn't see that option. I am paying, but it is not that high. I love just about everything about the app, but I would like to correspond with people more. I get several friend requests, but have not accepted any yet. It has been all guys and I don't feel safe chatting with any of them. I would welcome someone who is going through the same things that I am. I have about 45 more pounds to lose. I have lost 20.

Cjwaterford · October 21

@Lady_Magenta Welcome to MFP.
Sounds like you are doing great and on the right track.
I totally understand how you are feeling. Feel free to send me a friend request if you want anyone to have accountability with. I would be happy to be their for you on your journey.

Lady_Magenta · October 21

My goodness. All of you. THANK YOU!

Now I understand more, having friends here really doesn't make any sense. I looked at the 'groups' but many (too many) don't seem to be active anymore. Maybe I start my own group. "Now or never and never is not an option" :-) or "Embrace your new lifestyle" because this is really what is going on. For the first time in my life, I am serious about losing weight and I don't care how slow or fast it happens, neither do I care how long it will take. This is a forever thing. My blood pressure is now normal. I called my doctor and gloated and bragged.

My glucose levels are out of prediabetic range. It feels like I am getting my life back. I am still so big, but smaller. Nobody notices the weight loss and how could they? I wear tunics and elastic pants.

I criticized my husband's dinner yesterday (which I had prepared lol). It was too unhealthy and it had unnecessary calories, he went for seconds. Who does that? (I did, almost with every meal or I overfilled my plates.)

I walk easier now. I have absolutely no sugar cravings. I haven't ordered it, which was my downfall. I have prepared meals in the fridge and I am experimenting with new recipes. I feel excited.

I will post in this forum and I will participate more. As someone said, perhaps I will greet some of the newbies here because it does sting(k) when nobody answers when you introduce yourself.

Now I feel at home here at MFP. I hope they bring the friendship newsfeed back because, without it, the whole friendship thing doesn't make much sense.

You guys inspired me and motivated me! Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your stories.

ernestrodgers82 · October 21

@Lady_Magenta Just before you joined MyFitnessPal took away the daily chat and automatic updates between friends. You can still message friends, but what good does that do? I've made my thoughts known on the Playstore reducing my previous 5 stars to 3. Hang in there. Maybe if enough people complain. the functionality will come back.

I have lost 20 lbs in six weeks and have never felt more alone~!

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