Is MFP Forever?

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  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    I think I'll have to budget my money forever, no matter where I am financially, so that I can be secure and independent. I have to know how much there is and where it’s going in order to set, have, and meet, my goals - however high they may be.

    Food (aka calories) is the same thing. It’s a resource and I’ll always have to keep track of the quality and quantity. I don’t think about this as just losing weight. It’s about quality control.
  • SusanneWhittington
    SusanneWhittington Posts: 339 Member
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    I hope that I will stay after I reached my goal to maintain and not yoyo.
  • PetitePerfection
    PetitePerfection Posts: 199 Member
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    I don't think I'll be able to *not* count once I reach my goal weight. I already know the calories in basically everything. I add it up compulsively.
  • KokomoJoe
    KokomoJoe Posts: 435
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    I think keeping a food journal is just a part of a healthy lifestyle, whether you are at your goal weight or not. It will help with maintaining your weight. So whether or not you decide to continue using MFP, you should definately keep a daily log of the foods you eat to keep yourself on track.


    ^^^^^^^^
    THIS
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
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    I look at MFP as a tool that I'm using to support a healthier lifestyle. For me, part of a healthier lifestyle involves me being aware of what I eat so even if it's not MFP I will always keep some sort of food journal.
  • amybell68
    amybell68 Posts: 275 Member
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    this is so much a part of my life now! I don't even want to think of not posting or logging!!
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
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    Just because you reach your goal does not mean that you have to leave. . I plan to contiunue and motivate others long after I achieve my personal goals.:bigsmile:
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
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    I think I love MFP enough to commit to it forever. Why not? It has free tools for me to keep track of calories, exercise, BMI, and BMR. Not to mention friends who have been seeing your weight loss journey, interesting people who have the same healthy goals (for the most part) and funny posts. :smile:
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    I've always been at my goal weight and still use the logging so I can make sure I am taking in enough protein. Plus, its helpful when I change between bulking and leaning out.

    I'd assume if one wasn't using MFP anymore, they wouldn't be here to respond...
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    I am a yo yo dieter and have gained and lost weight numerous times over the years. I find that if I am not keeping myself accountable that all the little snacks here and there add up and I end up having more calories than I should. I'd like to be able to just eat normal/healthy without worrying about calories but that's a long way off. Even if I reached my goal weight I think I'd count calories for a while longer.
  • dalgal26
    dalgal26 Posts: 781 Member
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    I think keeping a food journal is just a part of a healthy lifestyle, whether you are at your goal weight or not. It will help with maintaining your weight. So whether or not you decide to continue using MFP, you should definately keep a daily log of the foods you eat to keep yourself on track.

    I agree.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
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    I'm not sure what I'll do. I'd like to be able to eat sensibly enough and stay active to where I don't need to log my food anymore...but I don't want to quit before I get to that point so I'll probably log for a while after I reach my goal to get used to maintaining. That's all still pretty far away for me right now, though.
  • wildestian
    wildestian Posts: 188 Member
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    I'm planning on staying here forever lol. I don't know, the logging part makes me feel I'm in control of my life, and after I started doing this I've become a more organized person.
  • homeport51
    homeport51 Posts: 198 Member
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    Once I reach goal and begin maintenance I will still log. The difference between losing and what I need to maintain is only about 300 calories a day. That is easy to go over. I don't want to ever have to be in a position where I need to lose a significant amount of weight again. Logging is easy and part of my life.. so guess I am a MFP logger for life...
  • tracy287
    tracy287 Posts: 26
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    I'll probably do it for life maintenance is just as important as losing and it's easy to put weight on if you're not being accountable. I know way too many people who lose weight and are so happy then gain it all back.
  • Paige1108
    Paige1108 Posts: 432 Member
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    I think I'll have to budget my money forever, no matter where I am financially, so that I can be secure and independent. I have to know how much there is and where it’s going in order to set, have, and meet, my goals - however high they may be.

    Food (aka calories) is the same thing. It’s a resource and I’ll always have to keep track of the quality and quantity. I don’t think about this as just losing weight. It’s about quality control.

    This is exactly how I see it too. And worded beautifully.

    I've been maintaining with MFP for a year+ and I honestly don't see why, at this point, I would ever stop logging all together.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I think for me logging food and being accountable will always have to be a part of my life. I may ease up once I reach my goal and try being more lenient but I refuse to get fat again so I must do whatever I need to do to prevent that including counting calories using MFP for the rest of my life.

    and I love the people on here.......so I don't think I could ever leave!!
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    MFP forever? Most definitely. I have found an amazing support group here. It's a lifestyle!
  • Nikki582
    Nikki582 Posts: 561 Member
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    Thanks for the input and perspectives guys.. I find it interesting that so many are looking at sticking around forever - it's great but I don't really think it's "me" - I mean, I'm loving it and it's working - but I -do- find myself sometimes getting a bit obsessive about worrying if I'll have enough cals left over for dinner etc..

    It's definitely a 'take it as it comes' thing though!
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    I'm guess for about a year AFTER i reach my goal weight, I plan on using it until I can internalize what eating properly feels like.
    I'm guess that's how long it will take, for me to judge the correct types and amounts of food that I need in a day.

    --Going from my old eating habits to lose 1 lb a week was a disruption -- I had to learn a new way to eat.
    --When my lose 1 lb a week calories hit 1200 calories I went to lose 1/2 lb a week -- another disruption and far more distressing than I realized to add calories back.
    --When I got to 5 lb from my goal I stopped letting MFP take away calories and starting adding them back, so I lost slower, but was learning how to eat at my maintenance weight.

    So I'm 145 lbs now and planning to go on maintenance for 140 lbs. That should give me some trial and error wiggle room. So I can see cause an effect. I'm having a hard time adding that last 40 calories back into my diet. Maybe I WILL lose that extra 5 lbs past my goal and get to 140. (Should take me a year at .1 lb a week). Maybe not. I'm am a little afraid of over reaching past what I'm able to maintain. As far as I'm concerned it's all about the maintenance. I'd rather come up short of my goal, but be able to keep it off rather than exceeding my goal and gain it all back and them some.

    So day by day. I expect I'll taper off on tracking toward the 2nd half of the year. I'm thinking I'll test myself a couple of times and keep a handwritten journal for a week. Then plug it into MFP to see if my estimates are accurate. When I can judge accurately I'll feel more confident about weaning myself off of this tool. But for now no hard and fast deadline. I'll stay here as long as I need to.

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