Myfitnesspal.com support thread 6!!!

[cinnamongreyhound]

A thread for all those wanting support and advice for using mfp website and app. Welcome to everyone new and those of us that have been around a while

Is anyone else struggling to log their calories correctly when eating out? Now I'm back at work I have lunch somewhere different every day and most of the time it's a wild guess as to exactly how much I'm eating.

I don't want to restrict myself to somewhere like Pret / Eat (the chains we have near the office), which would be easier, and I can't find the time to make my own lunch - those are the only real options, aren't they?

Hi everyone, I started using MFP on Monday. I've found it a lot easier than I thought to stick to 1200 calories. In fact I've been under most days. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.
I jumped on the scales this morning (a day early) and was pleased to find I've lost 4 1/2 lbs this week!

Only 27 lb more to go.

Newroses - I have a look through the list that comes up when I enter a rough description of what I've eaten and pick a calorie value somewhere in the middle of the highest and lowest. Not very accurate but I would imagine that most of the calorie amounts on MFP aren't exact so I just try to be as sensible as possible when choosing what to eat.

Thisvehicle - Hi and wow, well done!! Glad you're having success with MFP

I went to a wedding on Saturday and was very happy to be able to fit into my dress (even if breathing was a little restricted ). I feel like I have fallen off the wagon but it's possibly not as bad as I'm thinking because we only ate two meals on Saturday and Sunday but none were particularly low-cal!

Back on it today and have squeezed in a 30 min walk.

Hoping the rain stays away for a few days so that I can do some of the schoool runs on foot rather than in the car.

Hmm, was feeling quite motivated yesterday until a huge wave of extreme tiredness took over after lunch and I spent the rest of the day either thinking about food or eating crap .

I fell asleep on the sofa again and got up at 5.45. On the plus side of that, I have done a load of washing, emptied the dishwasher and had breakfast, at the table, with DS .

The sun is shining here so we're walking to school as soon as my first mindee arrives.

I'm feeling a bit down as the scales have shown a 1kg gain over the last few days, its the first real gain since I embarked on MFP seven weeks ago.

I can only think its the weekend before last (went way over cals three days in a row) catching up with me, plus a couple of 'just over' days from this weekend. Disheartening though - hopefully I'll be able to get back on track over the next couple of weeks.

Good news about your dress Hiccup, and hope a sunny walk gets you feeling more motivated today.

Urgh, just seen some photos of me at the wedding . Whilst the dress did up, it looks bloody awful in some of the photos!

Well, that's the kick up the arse I needed to get back to the healthy eating I should have started on Monday . I've been terrible all week. Haven't logged for days because I am too embarrassed about the sheer volume of junk I have been eating.

Also, have gained almost 1kg.

Tomorrow is going to be better.

Riverboat - how has the rest of the week been for you? Do you weigh in weekly or more often? I hope your kg gain will bugger off soon.

Bizarrely, I feel worse when my weight stats the same

Right, MFPers!

I am back on the straight and narrow and trying to be as strict as possible until I am back on track and losing weight again.

Last week was a disaster. I binged so much on junk food and felt awful.

I was away over the weekend and did think I'd eaten reasonably well but the scales say different .

My ideal goal is to lose 4kg by next Friday. However, I realise this is not very achievable so will be happy with 2kg and anything else will be a bonus.

Anyone else feeling motivated on this sunny Monday?!

Glad to hear it Hiccup. 2kg in just over a week is quite a lot to lose - did you say you had an outfit you wanted to fit into?

It's the same outfit I had for a wedding a week ago which was a bit snug (even before I put a kg back on )

Hiccup - I weigh myself most mornings. I don't think I'd get on well with the anticipation of a weekly weigh-in. Thankfully that extra kg seems to have gone away again now, but its really messed up my beautiful MFP weight loss chart, there's now an ungainly spike in the muddle of an otherwise pleasingly regular downwards trend!

How's your (and everyone else's) week going?

Right, after a saltering start in January my iphone now informs me it has been 7 months since I last logged in. I was finding it v v hard due to life issues (and the cold, cold, January rain).

14lbs to lose, here goes!

Go Ethel, you can do it!

Is anyone finding it difficult to set their goal weight? Until I realised I was fat, I hadn't really paid much attention to my weight (no scales in the house). So I had no idea what I should weigh... I initially guessed I needed to lose two stone, but I now suspect it should be closer to three. How do you know when to stop!?

I used mfp a few months ago and then got rid of it but I just got it back today and I am excited for it to make a difference this time round. I have a more active job now which should help.

I even have 8 calories left for today so I can enjoy a mouthful of peach water before I sleep.

Hi, please can I join you?

Been using MFP for a week. Cut out wine, sugar, fat, most carbs. Concentrated on loads and loads of veg with a bit of lean protein.

I feel much healthier and clothes feel a tiny bit looser already but no sign of loss on the scales. Was really hoping to have something to show for the week. Have stuck to their plan but not done loads of exercise (normally do a fair bit) as I was feeling unwell this week.

Any tips?

I've gained 2lb since yesterday and I stuck within my calorie limit.

sigh

And another 2lb. I'm concerned.

Chubby - how many calories are you eating a day? Do you weigh yourself at the same time every morning?

I normally do it about 5 in the afternoon, should I change it to the morning?

I'm on 1390 calories.

Well I'm no expert, but I think your weight can fluctuate a LOT during the day, depending on not only what and when you ate, but if you've just drunk a lot of liquid, if you've just been to the loo etc.

I always weigh myself first thing after getting up. On occasions I've weighed myself again after breakfast or later in the day or whatever, just out of interest, and there have been big spikes which then disappear again by the next morning.

I'd think if you're daily weighing it should be in the morning. But am interested to hear other's opinions.

No weight gain today. No loss, but no gain.

I can only imagine what I'd look like after 6 months if I gained 2lb everyday

Hi there, I'm defecting to here from the 5:2 thread, have lost 7lb doing two fast days a week but it was doing my head in so I'm going to try mfp for a bit. Im breastfeeding a 1 year old who has had a bad cold recently and gone back to feeding all the time like an enormous newborn!!! Knackered!

Anyway I want to lose about another 7lbs, any top tips for mfp?

Also would love some pals on there - my username is kidsparrow.

I lost the 7lb over three weeks on the 5:2 btw not over two fast days!
I have been binging in crap all weekend too and am too frightened to face the scales!

Hi Crunchy

I've lost about 8lbs so far with MFP, started at the beginning of May.

I don't know about 'tips' but what seems to be working for me... (5'7, starting weight of 10st6lbs, 1600 cals per day)

• Do exercise (I've been doing a mix of Shred DVD, Yoga Meltdown DVD, running and dance mat) and try not to eat back your exercise calories. Maybe with a baby this will be hard though! But if you only have time to do one thing per week, I really really recommend Yoga Meltdown (you can find it on Youtube), I feel great after doing it and I'm convinced it's made a big difference to my arms, abs and thighs. 35m, challenging but not in a sweaty cardio-type way.

• Try to come in under your calorie target during the week as much as possible, so you don't have to feel guilty if (or when, in my case!) you go over it at the weekend and at special occasions

• Don't cut anything out completely, just eat less of it. I love chocolate, but I try not to have any until the evening after dinner. I love white wine, so I drink a 80ml measure topped up with sparkling water. I love cheese but its a killer calorie-wise, so I now weigh it out every time I eat it, and I don't eat it every day like I used to.

• Fill out your plate with loads of vegetables and salad, consider limiting bread/pasta/rice/potatoes to being part of just one meal per day. They're all pretty calorific.

• Don't cut out snacking if you find you start obsessing about food inbetween meals. I eat snacks like grapes, apples, mini gherkins, fresh anchovies in oil (not the grey tinned kind), cucumber and carrot sticks with tzatziki dip, prawns, small weighed-out amounts of fruit and nuts.

• Personally I don't eat breakfast because I have never really been a breakfast person and I'm not that hungry in the mornings so it's an easy way for me to save calories. But I realise this may not be for everyone. I like to have my evening to look forward to, so I usually eat about 500 cals for lunch, 100 cal snack, 600 cal evening meal, 200-300 cals for evening dessert and/or wine.

Good luck!

Ah finally, my weight has stopped skyrocketing! Not sure what I did but progress is progress.

I agree with everything riverboat said - that's a great way to lose weight without ever feeling like you're depriving yourself. Not eating all your exercise calories back is pretty crucial for me, that's something I've just cottoned on to.