jjames1452 

I saw some old posts re. My Fitness Pal. I was hoping for current posts.

I used Weight Watchers on line for three months and lost 24 pounds.
I didn't want to keep paying for the service - and have gained back 12 and am over 200 lbs. again.

I just signed up for My Fitness Pal. I hope it works.
My problem is eating. I get my fair share of exercise - lifting, cycling and walking.
If I don't track my eating habits, I eat terrible food, and way too much.
That is why I turned to My Fitness Pal - tracking food and free.

Any feedback or tips would be helpful.
thank you,
jjames1452

Datsun Nut

I use MyFitnessPal. I like it, basically you can eat what you want BUT it is about counting Calories whch means portion control. I have lost 30 Lbs using it and cycling. I think MyFitnessPal is a no-brainer weight loss app. I like it a lot

Stomper

food diaries work wonders. Since Weight Watchers worked for you, consider continuing the program on your own and weigh yourself at least twice per week. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Mark Stone

Another option is just to do the Weight Watchers program without signing up. You already know the drill, you know how many "points" are allowed per day/week, you know how many "activity points" you get from cycling. There's lotsa websites that list point values for foods - plus after three months on the program you know the point values for what you like to eat already. Might be an idea - -

jjames1452 

That is a good idea. I could set it up in Excel.
thank you

BikinPotter

Do you cook for yourself or share cooking with a SO? Everybody in the household being on the same food plan helps to keep you on track. I live alone & I hate to cook. I find the crock pot a huge help. Dump in my meat, spices, maybe some onions. Come back in 8-10 hours & I have several day's worth of main dish. All I have to do is steam up some veggies or throw together a salad. Olive oil & balsamic vinegar on the salad.

Keeping the food prep simple saves time on cooking & clean up. I also limit what I eat...I don't buy bread, crackers, chips, cookies, candy (including "energy bars"), ice cream, chemical-laden "fat free" crap...anything which allows dipping my hand into a bag or carton multiple times. Starchy food just makes me crave more starchy food. A little exercise (less than you might think) & the weight will come off.

I try to think less about what I'm eating (or not eating) and focus instead on the things I like to do...bicycle, walk, make art, go to movies, art museums, libraries. There's more to life than that which fits in my mouth.

MAK

For me, tracking my food on MFP has really helped. Just be aware that the calories burned for exercise doesn't seem very accurate but I haven't found a calories/exercise site that seems realistic yet. Also, when you do exercise I hate how the site tells you that you have XXX amount of extra calories you can eat. I understand what they are saying but if you're trying to lose weight, as long as you eat enough calories, the calories burned aids weight loss.

Good luck and keep at it.

nerys

I love myfitnesspal because it has a great android app so its PAINLESS to use.

I leave my profile "wide open" to the world and I do not put ANYTHING in my mouth without recording it. period.

I am hoping this will make me accountable for what I eat and encourage me to keep going. (fingers crossed)

jjames1452 

I really need to get the Android app. My wife will join the plan soon. I agree it is much easier when we are both on the plan.
As of now, she is supportive of my efforts - so we try to cook for health. You are correct - that starts at the store.
We do use the crock pot a bunch and cook in quantity so we have left overs.

One huge benefit - with the calorie tracking - I travel throughout the day to different clients locations - I stopped at McD's for lunch.
They publish their calories on the menu now. I walked out and found a Subway.

Down 4 pounds!!! It floors me to see the results of tracking. For whatever reason, if I know I have to declare the food I eat, I make better choices. If not, I do not.

jjames1452 

I do need to find a healthy meal type replacement I can carry in my car - not refrigerated - for emergencies.
If anyone knows such, please share.

ShartRate

I'm another one using MyFitnessPal on Android. As others have mentioned, you have to police yourself if you want to be successful. I've been using it for about 9 months now I think (with a gap of about a month and a half while I was overseas). The catalog of foods it has is user-generated and is pretty comprehensive at this point. It also figures in exercise if you like and it's calories estimations seem fairly conservative (a good thing IMO).

Over the time I've used it, I've lost about 20 pounds. It's handy to me to have it on my phone, which is usually close by. I wish I thought I could stop using it at some point, but I think I need to become a permanent calorie counter.

BikinPotter

This stuff is pretty good. You can mix it with water or I like it with unsweetened coconut milk. https://primalblueprint.com/products/Primal-Fuel.html

ursle

80$ per cannister, I think not
I do like Metabol2, 21ish a cannister, endurance meal replacement
https://www.supplementwarehouse.com/v...dproduct=44620

I also like reading about people that have figured out that your end justify's your means, err, you weigh what you eat.

jjames1452 

Thanks for the tips on the meal replacements. I will try both. Even at $80 for 30 servings, it's less than a Big Mac - and loads better for you. I agree with your comment about understanding your weight is a function of calories in vs calories out. Eating and exercise are the key. I like exercise....trouble is, I like eating the wrong foods.

Many years ago I did the Body for Life Program that taught me the lesson of accountability for your weight. The biggest thing I took from that experience is you need to change your mind before you change your body. I know I need the dicipline of calorie or point counting to improve and continue to maintain my weight & fitness. My natural inclination is wings, pizza and pasta. Those are ok every once in a while. When they are the norm.........my pants don't fit.

johnread

I'm not a big fan of meal replacement stuff. I have found that with MyFitnessPal, I can monitor my caloric intake and manage my target through careful meal planning. I eat in restaurants a lot - sometimes all three meals in a day - and I have found the secret to continuous weight loss is to not order until I have calculated the calories that I am about to consume. As someone else posted, it's a matter of what you eat and how much of it you eat, so portion control is a necessary part of the program. I find that when I stop losing weight, that it's often because I have lost track of portion size and am exceeding my target. The food that I am eating is not necessarily the wrong food, usually it's because I'm eating too much of it.

I have a disciplined and regular fitness program as well that consists of cycling three or four days each week and strength training on alternate days. I don't record my fitness program in MyFitnessPal, so I don't get a "credit" for exercise. I found that I was overeating when I recorded a bike ride that consumed 1000 calories or more. So I leave that part off, and enjoy the added benefit of the exercise as a "bonus" without modifying my diet.

Using those tools, I have lost 42 lbs in the last 14 weeks. Now keeping it off, and continued toning, is the goal. But one thing that I have really enjoyed is the morphing of my viewpoint about food and exercise - my lifestyle has changed and I'M NOT GOING BACK!

Mark Stone

Good points. The key for most of us has been planning - knowing what we're going to eat and why and how much beforehand, then sticking with the plan and realizing success. 42 pounds in 14 weeks? You must not be eating much at all! For myself I prefer a more gradual weight loss.

nerys

the trick for me ie what makes myfitnesspal so nice is not so much planning but accountability. ie hard to lie to myself when its right their in front of me. this of course requires you to be brutally honest and record EVERYTHING.

I eat so much as an olive its recorded.

Astrozombie

OMG........must.........resist!

Has anybody checked out scooby's workshop? Easy home exercises, quick meals, plenty of stuff on youtube too.

Neil_B

I finally joined My Fitness Pal and am enjoying it. However, coming from Fitday I miss some of the features of that program, primarily the nutritional breakdown and salt content.

If you want to "friend" me, I should be easy enough to find.....

Neil_B

Now, that's just not nice....

Neil_B

Very true. I tracked for most of my 160 pound weight loss in 2006 and 2007, and then only sporadically. The habits I learned a half-decade ago I fell out of. Tracking is helping me relearn them.