Just signed up at 'My Fitness Pal'. Any advice, experience, or desire to join me?

[worriermum]

I read about the website, myfitnesspal.com on MN. Am truly desperate to stop the ever rising weight gain - I have just topped my full term pregnancy weight. I've never really been a dieter, or even believed in diets, but I Have To Do Something. Would love to do it with some other Mumsnetters - anyone interested in joining me?

All the weight loss threads seem so bloated, if you'll pardon the metaphor. I'm intimidated by 537 messages, or 219 messages. Feel I cant be arsed to read through all that and I will never be part of the club if I dont read the history. Advice please?

ZZMum, you don't have to weigh your individual portion. Weigh the ingredients, and then say how many people the meal serves. Truthfully, I don't weigh each individual ingredient - just make an educated estimate based on how much was in the pack before and how much is left over at the end. But some things, like vegetables, you can just pick how many of that veg you used - usually they have an option for size of the veg as well if you go for the website's ingredients (ones without *s next to them). Eg. Onion - Raw, then it offers you the option of say, 100g, or 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small, 1/2 cup etc.

I'm sure it's perfectly fine to weigh out ingredients if you have time, but making a rough guess won't be too wrong in most cases.

thanks forever - having read your story on here- you are a real inspiration for me - losing the weght and doing a tri-athlon is close to my ambition so I was interested to know how you did it and coped with family life as well.

I remember reading Ruth Watson diet cook book and she made teh comment that she found it easier than most to lose the weight as she did not have kids around with their requirements and associated tempting food - also that she was rich and so could spend money on nice food - neither of which are open to me..

I think I need to modify family meals slightly so that I can reduce the carbs - so I think more pasta for them and less meals that I find hard to judge is way forward .. and I need to work out way to weigh food so kids do not see it or just get better and judging...

How about eating out - how did you cope with that - just through good choices and hoping the calories were roughly correct?

Thanks for your advice!!

thanks Babylan - will try that approach as well!! and if OK will friend you on MFP as I am billy no mates there at teh moment!!

Sure go ahead! I'm all alone over there too

mouse- dont worry. life happens and tbh thats a crappy thing to have happened. Hope it heals and you arent in pain for long.
Im quite sure weight loss is about 80% diet and 20% exercise. Some say ( and im sure there is research ive read) that says it could be more like 95% diet and 5% exercise.

SO - concentrate on your diet for a while :) You should still be able to lose.

ZZmum - ive just been giving DD the same thing im eating, damned if im going to cook two meals. Its healthy eating, a lifestyle change, not diet eating and i think that thinking about it that way helps a whole lot, and will help to not go back to old ways once the weight is lost. I think if i was eating different things to her and she had plates of pasta or a whole lot of cheese or something id also feel really deprived and would be far more likely to not stick at it for long.

But DD is five and loves food and is quite happy to be eating the same. ( and im divorced so dont have a DH to think about)

Aww mouse that's crap. You can still do some gentle toning exercises though. Failing that, break yourself off a tiny bit of chocolate and get someone to put the rest somewhere that you'd have to climb to get it - mean cow aren't I??! I really hope it doesn't take too long to get better and don't berate yourself for what you have eaten, just try and concentrate on not eating it again (although I'm being such a hypocrite here as I stay mad at myself for days after a binge and eat myself out of misery regularly!)

gilbo - that is evil ;) and a bloody excellent idea! hahaha.

I forgot to say, I'm looking forward to weighing in on Monday - I've just had 14 inches of hair cut off. That's got to weight a fair bit surely?!

14 inches................................wow

Hi everyone!

Wow this thread moves fast! The other thread i am on moves so slowly and no one posts for days!! Comes as a bit of a shock when i get to this thread and there is sooo much chatter! it's great!! :o

I have been good for 3 days this week and bad for the rest Thank GOODNESS that we are now all over the bank holidays - they have just really thrown me out of sync and they quite often mean that DP suggests a takeaway or something. I am too weak atm to say no, although i haven't always wanted what's been suggested and have regretted eating it, so i probably should be stronger willed and say no to DP's takeaway suggestions!

Hello to all the newbies!

Will have a catch up on this thread tonight when i'm home. :o

Oh and any newbies please feel free to add me on MFP! :o

im on myfitnesspal if anyone wants to add me - racmac

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I would update, yesterday I weighed myself really late after eating dinner and drinking water all day and was gutted to see I was 9.12.5.

I weighed myself tonight at about 6ish and was 9.9.5

so I've lost 4lbs in 1 week Im soooo relieved... but im guessing i'm 1-2lbs lighter in the morning so would actally make me around 9.8

I havnt got scales at home so cant weigh myself, but i'm happy with my weight loss so far...

Also wanted to ask anyone doing the shred, how many extra calories do you earn for doing that?

I need to start exercising as I know my skin will become loose, but wonder if I should start loosing weight for a couple of weeks first as building muscle makes you put on weight....

Hello

Yay you're here!

Another newbie ladies!

Everyone is welcome to add me as their friend - am Figgyrolls on MFP

Just seen your other post - welcome, 22 weeks is still really little, I still felt like I needed those extra calories at that time so really take it easy and I would say try and keep your calories up a little bit more a the moment.

As my midwife mate said, If you haven't put on weight then its ok, losing weight whilst bf is a bit like your mates who snap back into skinny jeans immediately. I am pretty sure they are the freaks and not me

So if you've stuck to your 1200 calories for 4 days then on a fri and sat go over (because of wine consumption) but are still only at 1550 calories, it wouldn't really do too much damage would it?

I am v impressed with my efforts this week if I don't lose any weight this week I will be gutted!

:)
BF makes losing weight hard i think. I didnt manage to lose much at all until i stopped. But i did managed to get to pre pg weight by about 15 weeks, but i was overweight to start with, so...!!!! i think i got about 10lbs off from that and stayed there until i finished feeding at about 10 months.

can i just say 2.5lbs off since TUESDAY!!!
:) :) :) :) :) :)

2 more lbs and that will be one stone down!

Cheat meal later, a very very classy all you can eat chinease!!!!! BUT if i just have one plate of starter and one of mains and dont have lunch, or a very very small lunch i might still come in under 2000 for the whole day.. which isnt at all bad and ive got saved up cals from earlier in the week.

( am secretly hoping to get the 2lbs off before tuesday.......)

peg - it most probably will make a difference. I had two weeks where i was really good and UNDER 1200 cals for 4/5 days of the week. Had one day where i was about 1400/1500 and then one day when i was about 2500 and lost NO weight at all.

But of course that depends on your BMR and how much exercise you are doing, but i will make a difference.

Right I'm off to sign up on my fitness pall

Just realised I already have the app on my iphone!!!!

Have sodding well done something to my ankle, it is more than likely tjust a sprain but blooming heck it hurts and I so wanted to try out a run or take the dog for a power walk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello all newbies - I'm on myfitnesspal feeding birds in the zoo in the photo, add me!

To answer some of the questions:
zzmum eating out - In a restaurant I'd order something like - steak and salad (no dressing) or grilled chicken salad (no dressing) or grilled fish and vegetables. etc. Actually found that easy as you make the decision at start of meal and can't ask for more! Ordered herbal tea for dessert.
Family meals I make bolognaise sauce make pasta for DH and DC and pour the sauce over chopped cup cooked cauliflower for me. Or roast chicken and I'd skip the potatoes. etc.

mousewheat injury sounds frustrating but exercise is only a small part of weight loss, food intake much more important so try not to be frustrated.

red well done thats fab.

only welcome!
I find my 6pm (ie before dinner weight) is very similar to morning weight, maybe 1lb more.

Today was my cheat lunch, completed MFP but is estimate as was at friends and of course didn't weigh the food! 1000 calories for lunch but was good the rest of the day so don't think there will be damage. Actually my friend is 3-4 stone overweight and was asked how I did it as she really wants to loose for her niece's wedding in September!

And gulp only 4 weeks until the triathlon! Did an indoor triathlon on Friday in the gym but it was especially hard as the swim was last (they didn't want wet treadmills!) so my legs ached in the pool.

well done forever. 4 weeks away isnt far at all :)

Am really pleased with myself.. did So well at the chinease last night. had small small starter and then avoided all carb things bar a handful of rice and had a huge amount of veggies and some meat in sauce ( i have no doubt the sauces were full of sugar though) Couldnt even eat the whole ( small ) plate and was totally full. and i really didnt want the carby things, which is usually the first thing i would go for. So in all probabilty it cant have been that bad.

Big effort today and tomorrow as id really like to get another 2lbs off by tue.

I'm going to be saving a whole load of calories today - I'm sooo ill

I came back from the UK overnight, drove off the ferry this morning and the only route home I know was closed. The driver's window on my car won't shut (fun on motorways!) and I got lost in a major town for an hour. During all this I developed a high temperature, my throat swelled up and my stomach started cramping. I'm going to throw the dcs in bed as soon as they've had lunch and collapse for an hour or so. Dh doesn't get home until tomorrow so I need to buck myself up and get ds ready to go back to school tomorrow