View of MFP from non MFP'rs

^Agreed. Eating back your calories still includes a calorie deficit, it's just already calculated in in MFP. The trainer was right, but so were you.

Where I am, in Singapore, I don't think many have heard of MFP. I had simply wanted to find an app that will help me keep track of everything I put in my mouth. I had gained 10kg in 3 years, purely by eating and I'm 27. It was not fun. I came across MFP purely by chance 6 months ago! And how it has changed my life (I have lost 8kg so far). I have tried introducing friends who tell me they are serious about losing weight, but they get lazy when logging in and they stop. They said they can't be happy. Or they are on other methods - Paleo diet, No carb diet, Slimming teas etc etc or just exercise like crazy.

Recently during lunch at work, I was keying in what I was eating (it's so much a part of my life now), and my colleague commented, "You know, you won't be happy counting your calories." Then I looked back up at him and said, "But I AM happy! It's the happiest I've been in years. At peace with myself and being proud of myself." I think people need to see sensible calorie counting (or MFP) as part of your lifestyle and not just a one hit wonder to immediately shed pounds. What really helped me and I love is the MFP community. If you go out there to make contact with likeminded people, you will find yourself naturally motivated and even responsible for the food choices you make every single day. Perhaps, that's why the nurse didn't find that it worked. It's a lifestyle and you need to be slightly proactive too!

AND congratulations on your weight loss! ♥

I think that WW is just a more basic way for people to limit their intake. smaller number may make it easier to understand for some people. I personally prefer this site to the online weight watchers group. I really like the interacting with people and it makes keeping track so simple.

I get the same type of reaction from people i tell about MFP also. One of my friends from work did end up getting on MFP and likes it too, so its fun to have someone to do it along with in real life too But most of the people i tell are just like, oh uh huh ok.

Most people are impressed by my weightloss, but say that counting calories is too hard. Id say I spend a total of 2 minutes a day actually plugging in my calories

Most people are impressed by my weightloss, but say that counting calories is too hard. Id say I spend a total of 2 minutes a day actually plugging in my calories

^this

Finding MFP was a lifesaver for me. People have to be ready to lose the weight though. As much positive feedback I have gotten for my weight loss lots of people think o am "dieting" which is not what I feel MFP does for me. This site helps me to think about what I eat and make good food choices. I go out to eat, I do parties, I eat a lot somedays but it is just better foods.

Although the site builds in the automatic deficit it allows for so much freedom on how I achieve my goals. I started at a high calorie intake then gradually decreased which is much more successful then trying to go from eating 3000 or more calories daily to 1200.

I will still blow the horn for MFP to anyone who asks and accept that they may either not be ready to really lose weight or that this really isn't the program for them.

I've only told my family about it but everyone but my father in law thought it sounded great. He just laughed. Which surprised me cause hes a big fitness buff. And he agreed with me its about calories he just thinks a website for it is dumb i think. I don't think i would keep up with it without it.

I have given up trying to tell people how I am losing weight. When I did tell people about the site or how I was managing things they would mostly retort with..."Oh, you should try blah-blah-blah, I heard that works"....OK LAMO why would I want to do that when what I am doing is working!!??????

I am just fine with people who say, "You are looking awesome, keep it up!" I say "thanks" and move along.

When people comment on my weightless and ask how I've been doing it, I just tel them I cook everything from scratch and count calories. Usually I get that polite "oh that's great" and a smile. People really want to hear that I have found a miracle cure, pure and simple. Only the ones that act really interested do I mention MFP to. A couple have tried it. One said it was too difficult and went back to WW (which I totally don't get why you would pay for that when this is free). But for the most part I just tell myself this works for me and my husband and I would rather take the time to enter my calories than be fat.

I have only lost 15lbs, but every time I lose it is posted on my FB page where my family is. I get a lot of friends and family ask me what this site has to offer. I just say it helps keep track of every thing. With weight lose there is no secret pill, or secret food that you must eat. And this website really has what I needed, my calories for the day, I can add in my carbs, and sugars and protein, Most of my family is diabetic so they think nothing can help them with eating right (I don't know why) But this website really helps me.

My brother asked me what I was doing and what foods did I only eat now? I told him I eat whatever I want, I just find healthier options to cook it. and if I do eat something that isn't 100% healthy I log it and see what I still have left. He said it sounded hard, I told him MFP does all the work and I am usually off of here in less than 10 minutes

I get positive and negative comments, from people who have never heard of MFP and those who have used it/are using it.

The ones that are negative are typically those who have A) Never calorie counted in their life (making them naturally skinny or heavy and dont care) or Have tried calorie counting but have failed. Now they could have failed due to lack of desire, or because they fell off the "band wagon" and dont have the support to get back on or for many other reasons. When I run into the whole "calorie counting is hard I just do WW" comments my response is usually "WW was harder for me! I had to look up the food to find out how many points it was to add it to my diary and if it wasnt in the WW book it was impossible to figure out! Atleast here I can always find something similar." and I LOVE the community support on here, for weight loss and things we go through in our own personal lives. I also have issues with the new WW system having fruits as 0 points. It does encourage more fruit and veggie consumption but you could easily eat a 5 "point" day but have eaten well over your calories in fruit.

I like the people who think counting calories is this negative terrible thing. The most important part of losing weight is being aware of your caloric intake so you can create that deficit. That's why those systems like Weight Watchers & Nutrisystem that keep you ignorant of your actual calories and tell you what to eat only last as long as people are willing to do it. MFP means you have to know this yourself and a lot of people would rather not find out that their poor eating habits are what is making them overweight. I expect the negativity because I know most people really aren't ready to deal with the truth. So the stigma of calorie counting on MFP does not surprise me in the least.

I'm with you on this. MFP is just a tool, but the commitment has to be with me. Most people want to know what program or diet I used to lose 150 pounds. I tell them that I didn't - I just watch what I eat and exercise. No magic. Very simple. But most people won't make the commitment. Now, after 13 months, this is my lifestyle and MFP has been a very useful tool.

This is more of a general weight loss comment.

I was puzzled as to why people shied away from calorie counting, until one of my friends started MFP and nearly *kitten* 2 bricks when she entered her calories in for the day. She went through the intake roof, and she wasn't exercising at all. She plugged along here and there on MFP, but the days she ate the heaviest, she would never log it. I asked her about her weight loss goals, and she said "it makes me sad to see how unhealthy I'm being." I suggested she look at things a different light. "Oh, if I do this, this and this, I'll be good. That's fine, I don't need those things." Upon that suggestion, she gave me the "oh but it takes too much time to make such a health plan," and I stated I never spending more than 10 minutes logging food and never made a plan; I just learned as I went. Then she said "Oh, but I don't know how many calories are in my homemade meals, or restaurants, or, or or."

By then I got it; it's far easier to make excuses than hold yourself accountable. People try to hold themselves accountable to easy tasks, but shy away from accountability in harder ones. When a task seems impossible, many people don't view it as "chunks." They view it as a huge mountain they can't climb. Here's a hint, some mountains have a staircase. So, instead of changing your attitude toward accountability, they make excuses. They think, by making excuses, they'll feel better. In reality, they probably won't. They'll feel good for the moment. Then 5 weeks pass, and they feel disheartened that they're still in same rut. When someone comes by saying, "I just lost 5 pounds! I'm stoked!" they think they cannot enjoy that success. So this negative attitude becomes reenforced. Meanwhile, while it may be an ego buster to hold initially yourself accountable and actually make positive choices, by the time you start making real progress, or any progress for that matter, you think. "Wow, I did that, and it wasn't too difficult? Tomorrow I'll try for more!" But too many people don't think like that; they view that mountain as too steep and too tall.

In short, a defeatist attitude is the worst enemy to weight loss. Think of the bigger people at the gym. If you are the bigger person at the gym, think of that 1st time you went to the gym. The bigger people often think, "Why am I here w/ all these fit people? I should just give up. I don't belong, nor will I ever." Or at least I did. And some skinny chick walks by the bigger person and snickers.

That didn't happen to me, but I watched it happen to a bigger woman who started tearing up on her elliptical. The skinny chick was embarrassed when I called her out saying, "At least she's (the bigger lady) trying. You came in for 20 minutes and gave up. Wimp." The bigger woman wanted to give up, and I said, "Screw that b*tch. She'll be fat in 5 yrs, while you'll be fit." The bigger woman stayed for a 90 min workout, and I saw her every so often (well, less of her haha) over the next few months. Each time, her posture was more and more confident. Why? She changed her attitude.

People want a cheap fix, and when they can't have it, they go away like that skinny girl. The people who actually have determination are like the bigger woman, because they actually try. Changing your attitude isn't exactly cheap, but it's not expensive either. People just have to work on it a bit at a time.