My Fitness Pal (2 Viewers)

[KiddLattimer]

I just started using this on Tuesday along with eating better and some light workouts to start. It's very easy to use and instills a nice discipline and accountability throughout the day. I've also been blown away at just how many foods are in this thing. I did a bunch of grocery shopping at Aldi and was surprised to see the exact foods programmed in there.So far I've been under my calories each day and yet I'm not remaining hungry, so that's good. I don't have a tremendous amount of weight to lose, just 15 pounds or so, but I'm hoping to tone up quite a bit eventually as well.The one thing that I noticed today though is that the some of the budgeted numbers seem unrealistic to me. It budgets zero grams of any type of unsaturated fat. Well, one hard boiled egg this morning took care of that. I'm also not really sure how you're supposed to hit enough calories with the small amount of protein and sugars they allot. So far today I had the egg, and a half cup of quick oats with a cup of 2% milk, .5 Tbl of chia seeds and a quarter cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch. So now it's telling me that I have just 11 grams of sugar left for the day and just 33 grams of protein. And that was just a shade under 400 calories. So somehow I'm supposed to consume another 1200 or so calories today with only 11 grams of sugar and 33 grams of protein? That seems like a TON of veggies. Like enough to be making me puke.The other thing is that the fats don't seem to add up. It budgets 50 grams if fat for the day, but then has just 17 grams of saturated and zero for both types of unsaturated and trans. What other type of fat is there that makes up the other 33 grams?

I just look at the calories for the most part and let the rest take care of itself. I keep an eye on cholesterol (i was borderline high before I lost all the weight) but like you said one or two eggs doubles their recommended limits so I just blow through it... not like Im never going to eat eggs again.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Alright, that's kind of what I was thinking was the case. Probably what I'll focus on most in that breakdown is the pie chart showing what percentages of carbs, fats and proteins I'm eating. That seems to me to be a better tool then their budgeted numbers.

 

[phishphan]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

 

[pacman_fl]

Alright, that's kind of what I was thinking was the case. Probably what I'll focus on most in that breakdown is the pie chart showing what percentages of carbs, fats and proteins I'm eating. That seems to me to be a better tool then their budgeted numbers.

Those are the things I look at along with cholesterol. Like Kidd, I had to get mine down.

 

[pacman_fl]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

I don't know if there is a right answer based on what's in the thread. Some people have recommended a cheat day; other suggest changing your exercise routine. From my experience, a SINGLE cheat day over the weekend seemed to help but I think it made me double down on the exercise so I would feel better. You have had some great success so I wouldn't change too much. What weekly weight loss goal are you using? I used 2 pounds per week until I got very close to where I wanted and then I changed it to 1 per.

 

[phishphan]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

I don't know if there is a right answer based on what's in the thread. Some people have recommended a cheat day; other suggest changing your exercise routine. From my experience, a SINGLE cheat day over the weekend seemed to help but I think it made me double down on the exercise so I would feel better. You have had some great success so I wouldn't change too much. What weekly weight loss goal are you using? I used 2 pounds per week until I got very close to where I wanted and then I changed it to 1 per.

Thanks.I have it set at 1.5# and have been under that figure by around 800 calories both weeks. I have a cheat "night" every Saturday (one bad meal and I do some drinking). I think I'll stay as-is for now and see what happens as long as I continue to lose something each week.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

Definitely hit a few plateaus along the way (I'm in one right now in fact) but as long as I kept powering throughand sticking to the plan the weight loss eventually kicked up again. YMMV

 

[beer 302]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

Definitely hit a few plateaus along the way (I'm in one right now in fact) but as long as I kept powering throughand sticking to the plan the weight loss eventually kicked up again. YMMV

This. If you don't see a change in another week, try something different. Different workout, ride a bike, play basketball, climb a tree 4 days in a row just something different to get your metabolism going a different way. That usually helps me. Take a week and do something out of the ordinary and your metabolism tends to reset itself and you're back on track.

 

[East Coast Bias]

Just signed up to track my calories.

Weight on Oct 1 was 236. Goal weight is 185.

 

[ProBowler88]

Just signed up to track my calories.Weight on Oct 1 was 236. Goal weight is 185.

Good luck, mate. MFP has helped me lose around 30 lbs and keep it off in the last few years. Using it becomes second nature, just takes time.

 

[Brony]

Now down to 146 from 160 in ~6 weeks. I continue to eat fried foods, mayo, cheese and butter and drink diet soda and I shop in the aisles. Suck it nutritional freaks!

 

[MAC_32]

Now down to 146 from 160 in ~6 weeks. I continue to eat fried foods, mayo, cheese and butter and drink diet soda and I shop in the aisles. Suck it nutritional freaks!

Never said it's impossible to lose weight eating bad foods, losing weight is all about caloric intake - consume less than you burn. Theoretically you could lose weight eating nothing but bacon, doesn't mean it's a good choice, but if your goal is just to lose weight right now then yeah it could work.

 

[James Daulton]

Just joined. Cool little site to track calories and exercise. I'll be increasing my calories shortly to a little over maintenance so I can start to add muscle. Don't want to go crazy with the overage and I think this site will help a lot in this regard.

 

[pacman_fl]

It's been a little quiet in here lately - hope everyone is still using the app and having some success. As a brag, I have to note that my wife and I are at a combined 70+ lost (33 for me and 38 for her) - that is a total for me but most of that is from MFP. She got me started on using the app and it has obviously been kinder to her!!!!!

Also, I made some spaghetti yesterday with Jenni-O's turkey and grilled chicken breast. She was able to see the recipe since I share foods/meals with my MFP pals and she was able to enter it into her calories without repeating/creating a new recipe. Didn't know if you were all aware of that.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

It's been a little quiet in here lately - hope everyone is still using the app and having some success. As a brag, I have to note that my wife and I are at a combined 70+ lost (33 for me and 38 for her) - that is a total for me but most of that is from MFP. She got me started on using the app and it has obviously been kinder to her!!!!!Also, I made some spaghetti yesterday with Jenni-O's turkey and grilled chicken breast. She was able to see the recipe since I share foods/meals with my MFP pals and she was able to enter it into her calories without repeating/creating a new recipe. Didn't know if you were all aware of that.

How do you share your recipes with friends?

 

[pacman_fl]

It's been a little quiet in here lately - hope everyone is still using the app and having some success. As a brag, I have to note that my wife and I are at a combined 70+ lost (33 for me and 38 for her) - that is a total for me but most of that is from MFP. She got me started on using the app and it has obviously been kinder to her!!!!!Also, I made some spaghetti yesterday with Jenni-O's turkey and grilled chicken breast. She was able to see the recipe since I share foods/meals with my MFP pals and she was able to enter it into her calories without repeating/creating a new recipe. Didn't know if you were all aware of that.

How do you share your recipes with friends?

From the desktop version (I am sure you can do it from the mobile app but I haven't looked):Go to the Food Tab > Settings > Public (under Diary settings toward the bottom). Everyone will be able to see them (you can select friends for friends only - Private is the default I think and doesn't share it at all). Hope that helps

 

[phishphan]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

stuck with my normal routine, with maybe one extra day of cardio, this week. Dropped 2.5# down to 222.7#.

 

[pacman_fl]

Well I dropped 30+ before it happened, but I finally plateaued. Over the last 2 weeks I've only dropped .7#. Those of you that have had this happen, did you change anything or just stick to the plan and eventually started losing again?

stuck with my normal routine, with maybe one extra day of cardio, this week. Dropped 2.5# down to 222.7#.

- awesome job...the plateaus suck

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

It's been a little quiet in here lately - hope everyone is still using the app and having some success. As a brag, I have to note that my wife and I are at a combined 70+ lost (33 for me and 38 for her) - that is a total for me but most of that is from MFP. She got me started on using the app and it has obviously been kinder to her!!!!!Also, I made some spaghetti yesterday with Jenni-O's turkey and grilled chicken breast. She was able to see the recipe since I share foods/meals with my MFP pals and she was able to enter it into her calories without repeating/creating a new recipe. Didn't know if you were all aware of that.

How do you share your recipes with friends?

From the desktop version (I am sure you can do it from the mobile app but I haven't looked):Go to the Food Tab > Settings > Public (under Diary settings toward the bottom). Everyone will be able to see them (you can select friends for friends only - Private is the default I think and doesn't share it at all). Hope that helps

Awesome thanks. I have been putting all sorts of stuff in there that I make at home, this should make it much easier.

 

[pacman_fl]

It's been a little quiet in here lately - hope everyone is still using the app and having some success. As a brag, I have to note that my wife and I are at a combined 70+ lost (33 for me and 38 for her) - that is a total for me but most of that is from MFP. She got me started on using the app and it has obviously been kinder to her!!!!!Also, I made some spaghetti yesterday with Jenni-O's turkey and grilled chicken breast. She was able to see the recipe since I share foods/meals with my MFP pals and she was able to enter it into her calories without repeating/creating a new recipe. Didn't know if you were all aware of that.

How do you share your recipes with friends?

From the desktop version (I am sure you can do it from the mobile app but I haven't looked):Go to the Food Tab > Settings > Public (under Diary settings toward the bottom). Everyone will be able to see them (you can select friends for friends only - Private is the default I think and doesn't share it at all). Hope that helps

Awesome thanks. I have been putting all sorts of stuff in there that I make at home, this should make it much easier.

Good deal - hopefully you are using recipes too for meals that have multiple ingredients. That helps too.

 

[NewlyRetired]

It has been a while since I posted an update.

I lost 28 pounds to go from 164 to 136. And then about 4 weeks ago I started to enter full time maintenance mode.

Maintenance has been easier than I expected. Going from eating under 1200 cals a day to having close to 2000 a day to eat is an enormous difference. And that is with no exercise either. If I add in any sort of average exercise, my caloric intake is doubled.

I am not exercising any where as much as I was as if I do I am still going to be losing weight which I want to stay level now.

I have stayed with in a 1 pound window from 136 (135 to 137) since I started maintaining.

I still use MFP every day to track my calories.

I still cook as healthy as I did when losing the weight, but just can eat bigger portions now. Combining the healthy cooking and the larger calorie budget, I am never hungry any more like I was when I was losing weight.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I think I may have overdone things from the start. I lost 4 pounds in the first week going from 184 down to 180. My calories were supposed to be at 1500 daily. With exercise i was averaging about 1100-1200 net calories a day. I haven't lost a single pound since then. The only thing I can figure is that I have been eating too little and put my body in starvation mode. Although I guess it's possible that I also started to build some lean muscle since I was essentially a couch potato before and have either been running/walking about 2 miles or exercising for ~25-30 minutes a day.

 

[matuski]

35 lbs down. Damn I'm feeling good again. Moving well, strong again, energy back where it should be.

I've all but stopped using the app, I've trained myself well enough that I know fairly accurately where I stand on the calories each day.

Eat less, work out more, stick to the plan... who'da thunk this works?

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Still hanging tough and slowly creeping downward though, since i generally hit the gym at night, I've underestimated how much tougher maintaining a consistent routine is during football season.

Down 77 since January, still need to get 3 more. This "final 5" is tough.

 

[pacman_fl]

It has been a while since I posted an update.I lost 28 pounds to go from 164 to 136. And then about 4 weeks ago I started to enter full time maintenance mode.Maintenance has been easier than I expected. Going from eating under 1200 cals a day to having close to 2000 a day to eat is an enormous difference. And that is with no exercise either. If I add in any sort of average exercise, my caloric intake is doubled.I am not exercising any where as much as I was as if I do I am still going to be losing weight which I want to stay level now.I have stayed with in a 1 pound window from 136 (135 to 137) since I started maintaining.I still use MFP every day to track my calories.I still cook as healthy as I did when losing the weight, but just can eat bigger portions now. Combining the healthy cooking and the larger calorie budget, I am never hungry any more like I was when I was losing weight.

- congrats on getting to that point and having the committment to stick to it newlyretired

 

[pacman_fl]

I think I may have overdone things from the start. I lost 4 pounds in the first week going from 184 down to 180. My calories were supposed to be at 1500 daily. With exercise i was averaging about 1100-1200 net calories a day. I haven't lost a single pound since then. The only thing I can figure is that I have been eating too little and put my body in starvation mode. Although I guess it's possible that I also started to build some lean muscle since I was essentially a couch potato before and have either been running/walking about 2 miles or exercising for ~25-30 minutes a day.

I ran into that problem initially with many of the same numbers and exercise routine you described so I upped the intensity of my exercising and kept the same calories - my body felt like I was adding muscle but burning fat after that. If you are eating healthy and a good calorie number (1200-1500 for now) plus exercising, then stick with what you are doing.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Good week for me after going through the end of summer/ff draft beer and bad food gauntlet.Down 4.5 lbs bringing my total to 73 since January. 7 away from my goal. Hoping to get there by early October

Well it took a month longer than I had targeted, but this morning I finally hit my long time dream weight goal. 80 pounds lost since January. Since i started i went from a 40/42 waist to a 34, and a 50/52 suit size to a slim cut 44. Haven't weighed this little since college.Not sure what to do now, maybe i'll keep going, or maybe i'll just house a large pizza

 

[PatriotJohn]

Congrats to all who stuck with it!

I started out the year at 243....went down as low as 213....ran the AF Half Marathon in September at 217, and have since ballooned back to 227 this morning.

Getting back on the plan with a goal of 180 by the end of next summer.

Plan of attack:

Walk/run from now until end of January (Work has a 250-mile challenge)

Start P90X February 1st thru the end of April.

Ramp up for 4 months for AF Half Marathon again. Rain it in 2:25 this year...shooting for sub 2-hr next year with about 35 pounds less than I ran it at this year.

Will also mix in biking/elliptical as well and swimming once a week.

Getting up there in years and I don't wanna be chubby forever.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Great to see the results everyone is having!

As of this past Friday I am down 58lbs. I am pretty sure I can be down 70 lbs by Christmas but it may be tough with Thanksgiving messing things up. I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level, self esteem and a lot less pain in my hip (degenerative and will need to be replaced at some point). I go out for 4+ mile hike/walks with the dogs through woods, up hills etc and I am coming in around 15-16 minute miles. I am down from a 3XLT shirt to a 1XLT, 50 inch pants to 42 (and counting). Went from being able to do 1-2 legit push ups to 5 sets of 10-12 depending on the day. I am constantly getting remarks about how great I look etc etc and I am feeling like I did when I played ball. This has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It sucks that I let myself get so out of shape, but I am real pleased that I finally said enough is enough.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Great to see the results everyone is having!As of this past Friday I am down 58lbs. I am pretty sure I can be down 70 lbs by Christmas but it may be tough with Thanksgiving messing things up. I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level, self esteem and a lot less pain in my hip (degenerative and will need to be replaced at some point). I go out for 4+ mile hike/walks with the dogs through woods, up hills etc and I am coming in around 15-16 minute miles. I am down from a 3XLT shirt to a 1XLT, 50 inch pants to 42 (and counting). Went from being able to do 1-2 legit push ups to 5 sets of 10-12 depending on the day. I am constantly getting remarks about how great I look etc etc and I am feeling like I did when I played ball. This has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It sucks that I let myself get so out of shape, but I am real pleased that I finally said enough is enough.

 

[pacman_fl]

Congrats guys - those are some awesome results.

Winter is hitting out here so I am looking for a gym (plus I was tired of walking). Think I will end up a couple blocks away a new facility that has the "bootcamp" workouts M/W/F morning and then some Pilates/Yogalates on Tuesday/Thursday night (has to have SOME benefit). Anyone with advice on these types of workouts? I am holding steady at 158-160 (down from my 192) and ok there but need to tone the flab I created and I want to increase my lung capacity some more (7 months without a cigarette now).

Also, the weight loss got my cholesterol in a good spot but my blood sugar results are going up. My doctor added "low carb" (generic statement) to "low fat" that I was already doing. Some tips on what type of settings I should input on MFP for the Carb/Fat/Protein settings? Also, food recommendations? I had added dry fruits when I started losing - have to lose those now and cut back on the sandwiches. Thanks

 

[NewlyRetired]

congrats to every one who posted updates. That is some serious weight loss!!

 

[KiddLattimer]

Nice job everyone!

I started at 293 and am now 237... my original goal was 230 but I still have a lot of belly flab so Im revising to 210.

 

[pacman_fl]

Nice job everyone! I started at 293 and am now 237... my original goal was 230 but I still have a lot of belly flab so Im revising to 210.

- keep up the good work.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Hi all,

I have a strange question that I am unsure if relates to just being a year older or losing 20% of my body weight this past summer.

Is anyone else who lost a good % of their body weight feeling cold as hell this winter?

I think I miss my blubber as I am freezing all the time now, and not just in my extremities. :(

I walk around like Mister Rogers on steroids with sweaters on

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Hi all,I have a strange question that I am unsure if relates to just being a year older or losing 20% of my body weight this past summer.Is anyone else who lost a good % of their body weight feeling cold as hell this winter? I think I miss my blubber as I am freezing all the time now, and not just in my extremities. :( I walk around like Mister Rogers on steroids with sweaters on

My wife just commented on this. She loves that I am finally cold around the house. I keep it set at 62 and would wear shorts and a t-shirt with no problems. Now I am in sweatpants, sweatshirts and a blanket!Oh and I am too cheap to turn the heat up, I like my $100 electric bills.

 

[Tiger Fan]

So this last 11 days has been an interesting test.June 15 - 178#August 21 - 160#From Friday August 24th until yesterday, I was completely off rails. 2 drafts, an all day tailgate, losing power for Hurricane and then vacation for labor day I didn't enter food once. I ate, drank, etc for 11 days. Some days were better than others, but it was pretty bad all things considered. No exercise at all. I was very scared to step on the scale this morning.165#I was expecting worse as I think a few lbs of that is water weight. Back on the program today

5 days and I'm down to 159#:banana:

Wow, 6 pounds in 5 days!! Sweet. What is your final goal?

155#The 6 pounds were likely an anomoly due to water weight and excessive eating/drinking prior to that

Haven't posted or logged into MFP in awhile. Work/Life has just been crazy lately...lots of travel, bad diet and no excercise has been the norm. Anyway, long story short, I step on the scale today and I'm at 167...which is an 8lb gain in 2.5 months. Not good, but not the end of the world, since I've done a bunch of sloppy eating/drinking and little water over the past few days. I'll weigh myself on Thxgiving morning to get a "truer" sense of where I am...I'm thinking around 164ish. Anyway, I'm back on the train guys!

 

[toshiba]

Today is my 90th day logged into MFP. I started at 234 and am down to 195. My goal is about 170 which I would like to hit by the end of January.

 

[pacman_fl]

Today is my 90th day logged into MFP. I started at 234 and am down to 195. My goal is about 170 which I would like to hit by the end of January.

- congrats toshiba

 

[belljr]

Today is my 90th day logged into MFP. I started at 234 and am down to 195. My goal is about 170 which I would like to hit by the end of January.

Good job. I've been lazy tracking and it's starting to show....

 

[NewlyRetired]

Hi all,I have a strange question that I am unsure if relates to just being a year older or losing 20% of my body weight this past summer.Is anyone else who lost a good % of their body weight feeling cold as hell this winter? I think I miss my blubber as I am freezing all the time now, and not just in my extremities. :( I walk around like Mister Rogers on steroids with sweaters on

My wife just commented on this. She loves that I am finally cold around the house. I keep it set at 62 and would wear shorts and a t-shirt with no problems. Now I am in sweatpants, sweatshirts and a blanket!Oh and I am too cheap to turn the heat up, I like my $100 electric bills.

I know this dance well.I used to sleep at 60 every night with the wifey swearing at me.Now when she is not looking I put it up a few degrees because I am shivering like a little girl when I sleep.

 

[madshot31]

Hi all,I have a strange question that I am unsure if relates to just being a year older or losing 20% of my body weight this past summer.Is anyone else who lost a good % of their body weight feeling cold as hell this winter? I think I miss my blubber as I am freezing all the time now, and not just in my extremities. :( I walk around like Mister Rogers on steroids with sweaters on

I lost 30% of my body weight two years ago and came to the same conclusion. Although I don't freeze like my girlfriend who is 5'10" 132 and always has ice cubes for hands/feet. I tell her to do jumping jacks to warm up and she glares at me, but it really works at getting the blood pumping.

 

[madshot31]

Today is my 90th day logged into MFP. I started at 234 and am down to 195. My goal is about 170 which I would like to hit by the end of January.

Good job. I've been lazy tracking and it's starting to show....

This, I know what I should eat but when I don't log it the accountability is gone. It doesn't help that I live will a herd of instigators and always have to offer the healthy options.

 

[Chaka]

I am sure it has been mentioned in here but what's the deal with the math not always adding up between total calories listed on labels and the total calories if you add up all the macronutrients listed on the label individually?

For me, on average, over the last 50 days the MFY overestimates my total calories consumed by about 250cal/day compared to what you would expect by adding up all the macronutrients individually. Seems a little excessive for simple rounding issues.

 

[beer 302]

Hi all,I have a strange question that I am unsure if relates to just being a year older or losing 20% of my body weight this past summer.Is anyone else who lost a good % of their body weight feeling cold as hell this winter? I think I miss my blubber as I am freezing all the time now, and not just in my extremities. :( I walk around like Mister Rogers on steroids with sweaters on

Yes, I freeze my ### off after a run in the morning. Get all sweated up and about a half hour later I can't put on enough clothes. Look forward to an almost burn-your-skin hot shower to get warmed up again.

Today is my 90th day logged into MFP. I started at 234 and am down to 195. My goal is about 170 which I would like to hit by the end of January.

Nice job man, keep up the good work. Stick with the program and you'll get to your goal weight but it's especially important during these next few months. Real easy to fall off the wagon and revert to old habits.

 

[Rick James]

I tinkered with the MFP website a few months ago but dropped it because it was inconvenient. Now that I have an iPhone logging meals is super easy. And kind of fun.

I'm sticking to 1590 calories per day (235 initial weight) but ignoring the suggested calory distribution. 200 carbs per day is nuts. Trying to get into ketosis by limiting carbs to less than 30. We'll see how it goes.

If you're looking to add a friend hot me up-- the name on MFP is Sting129.

 

[Chaka]

I am sure it has been mentioned in here but what's the deal with the math not always adding up between total calories listed on labels and the total calories if you add up all the macronutrients listed on the label individually?For me, on average, over the last 50 days the MFY overestimates my total calories consumed by about 250cal/day compared to what you would expect by adding up all the macronutrients individually. Seems a little excessive for simple rounding issues.

This doesn't bother anyone else?

 

[Chaka]

Does anyone actually use the reports? I find them to be pretty much useless.

I prefer MFP overall, mostly for the ease of data entry, but FitDay blows MFP away on reports.

 

[NewlyRetired]

How did all my skinny jeans buddies do over the Turkey holiday? I put on a pound but it came off quickly enough.

My stomach had to have shrunk though. I ate significantly less than I normally would have on Thanksgiving but not only was I full, I was in actual pain a bit (and not the normal bloated high feeling either).

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

If you're "friends" with somebody on myfitnesspal, what exactly do you see? Do you see their weight? What they ate? Or just whether they actually logged in their food for the day?