MFP Success...How did you do it?

The Protein amount is on the low side and should be viewed as a minimum amount, Fibre is a minimum as well. The Fat and Carbs are maximum amounts you should be getting. Hope this helps.

I busted my butt, lol. Lots of exercise, and trying my best to eat right. I hated exercise too, and I still sort of do. However the benefits are too big to ignore.

Honestly, I've never been really strict about things on MFP beyond the nutritionals and even those I don't keep the best record of. If I'm hungry after I work out a lot, then I eat my exercise calories. If I'm not hungry at all, then I don't worry about it. When I started I was super strict, now I kind of just go with the flow. It makes it easier to keep going when you're not constantly living by checklists. However to get started, I'd be as strict as you can handle without driving yourself nuts. It helps a lot.

First welcome – this is a great site with lots of encouraging people. Up to now I focused only on calories and working out consistently (pushing myself to do more every two weeks). Since I had plenty of fat to burn initially I avoided eating my exercise calories for the first month or so. After that I began to creep up my calorie intake and now eat just under my total (including exercise calories) each day. As you tone and loose fat you will need to make sure you eat your exercise calories or your body will go into starvation mode and stop burning calories. Beginning next month I am going to expand my workout to upper body weights (light weight, high reps) 3 days a week along with current cardio and pay more attention to my Carb and Sugar numbers as well as calories– trying to hit the number provided. As mentioned above, mapping meals the day before is a significant help as well. Key is to be honest in what you enter – doing otherwise only hurts you and your efforts. Also, find a friend or two on the site and communicate back and forth regularly (daily with them) to keep yourself on task. The extra accountability helps keep you motivated – amazing how you do not want let down someone you have never met. Good luck – stick with it and you will be successful.

The number I worry most about is calories. If I get those right, I'm pretty forgiving on myself for the rest of it. I usually don't have a problem keeping my fat under, I like to hit my protein and carbs goals, and I keep an eye on sugar and sodium, but often go over on those two. As far as weight loss goes, calories have been the most important. The other numbers I will try to improve on as I go.

Exercise is HUGE. No matter what you read, or what anyone says- exercise plays a major, major role in getting the weight off. It also allows you to eat more, because I do indeed eat my exercise calories (if I'm hungry). If I go to bed with a lot of calories left at the end of the day, I'll be starving the next day, and eat them anyhow.

Remember, your body adapts to everything- the amount and type of exercise you do, the number of calories you're eating, so shaking things up is a good thing. It's ok to be a little over your calories one day, a little under the next- it all evens out in the end. If you have a calorie deficit at the end of the week, you're going to see weight loss. That being said, don't weigh yourself too often, because you can be up a good 5 pounds on any given day for various reasons.

I have a long way to go, but this has brought me success for the first 25 pounds. I lose 1-2 pounds / week, and I'm pretty content with that.

My best advice is to be NICE to yourself. Don't stress out too much if you overindulge once in a while, we all do it. Oh, and the less weight you have to lose, the slower it's going to come off. That's just how the body works, and there's no gettin' around it.