Has anyone lost weight using My Fitness Pal

[tonyharrisonboosh]

I have almost just signed up for Team RH but stopped myself as this will be the latest in a long line of plans I've signed up for that I never stick to. I've done Slimming World, WW, Second Nature (worked well but they've changed the format of the group support), slimfast and Exante meal replacements.

I nearly always feel restricted and then end up throwing in the towel and feeling very fed up, not to mention skint!

I'm just wondering whether I'm best putting a moderate calorie limit into my fitness pal and using my step tracker to make sure I do 10000 steps. Does that sound hopeless or have other people managed to lose weight this way?

I have six stone to lose and am feeling utterly fed up.

I have lost weight before with MFP, but am now doing it in combination with team RH. I had 2.5 stone to loose, and they put me on 1800 cals a day. I am still losing weight on 1800 cals a day, and only have half a stone to go now.
My understanding is the more weight you have to lose, the higher the calorie allowance is with team RH. There seem to be lots of people on more than 1800 cals.
They also encourage you to eat more protein, which I wasn’t doing when I used MFP by myself, which helps keep you full too.

Is used MFP and lost weight but I ate 1800 calories a day not the 1209 recommended by them. There is no way I could ever stick to 1200 long term, I'd just be thinking about food all of the time.

Can I ask the team RH people, do they give you proper rigorous workout regime? I can't find wxample of a plan anywhere properly. Is it they give you what you can eat and lots of workouts?

I do 1200 on 1 day a week. Agreed. Not something I could stick to long term!

I've lost 5 stone pretty much exactly that way, OP, except that I use a combination of the Fitbit app and MFP (MFP is much better for building recipes and you can track measurements as well as weight but I prefer Fitbit for the steps and heart rate monitor etc).

Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you won't lose weight via exercise - I aim for a 500-1000 cal deficit most days and exercise is key to that, especially walking and (more recently) running. But even if it wasn't exercise is so good for your mental and physical health - I find it much easier to eat sensibly when I am exercising regularly and I feel really good about myself. Good luck!

I've used it and really like it. So far I've lost 7 pounds, I'm only aiming for a pound a week. I like it because its very easy to track what you eat.

Only thing O still haven't figured out on mfp is if I can search in history of the diary with name of ingredient.
I had amaing loaded fries with aubergine oncw and it was quite improvisation there and now I don't remember what went into it! 😂
I can't see any search like that on the app sadly

I can't do 1200 calories a day. Mine is set at 1330 and manage that easily most days, the first week was the worst. It helped me reduce how much sugar and butter I eat, but I'm definitely missing the butter.

@schrodingersImmigrant I think you can only search 3 years back, now, if you don't pay for premium.

I pay for premium. But I don't remember when I had it. Just that it was sweet potato and aubergine and it doesn't seem to have
"Search: aubergine"
"Results: 25.03 aubergine, chicken blabla
02.02 aubergine sweet potato blabla"
Iyswim

yes 6 stone. slow and steady. dont try to cut down too much too fast.

MyFitnessPal is the only diet plan that I can stick to! I love to have treats far too much to do well on a healthy eating plan with unlimited fruit and veg (although of course you can use MFP and eat lots of fruit and veg!). I think the daily calorie limit takes some getting right - adjusting your exercise levels and weight loss rate levels to get to a daily limit where you'll lose steadily. I've lost 9 pounds in the last 2 and a bit weeks (maybe that sounds a lot but I'm "overweight" to start with), and I've not felt like I've been missing out, but weighing foods like pasta, potatoes, etc, has been an eye opener. I was eating way more than I should have been.
Anyway, yes, I think it's definitely worth a try, and my tip if you're using it would be to record everything, even if you know you've gone over your daily limit. At least then you can look back if you haven't lost weight one week and there's a pin-pointable reason why (if that makes sense).

I have had a few false starts with MFP before but this time I was determined to stick it out for a least 4 weeks. Committing to that helped me get past the initial stage and now I have lost 8lb and am now officially overweight rather than obese. I set a conservative goal initially, just 5% of weight and am 3lb away from that. I will probably revise that once I reach that point. It's helping me be mindful of what I eat, without cutting out everything I like.

I use MFP to get a grip - committing to it means I do record everything but also that I start weighing portion sizes and get a bit of recalculation/honesty going.

Presumably you have a reasonable idea of what makes you put on/keep on weight?

You might want to scamper through Why We Eat Too Much (Dr Andrew Jenkinson) or listen to The Drs Kitchen podcast he did recently - I found it empathetic as well as interesting.

I’m doing it at the moment and stick to 1300 strictly every day and do 30 mins of brisk walking. I have one day a week where I don’t count calories and eat what I want though (but still within reason as I can’t just spend the day bingeing. I’ll have a chocolate bar and takeaway or something)

@Caramel81 the day off is a massive help, isn't it! I mlve cals around to have giant allowance on 1 day and don't count there. It's just a normality and without it I would probably crash and burn after a month

@SchrodingersImmigrant definitely! it means I can enjoy food with my DP or family/friends for a special occasion too instead of only being able to order something low calorie. I have to be really strict and weigh everything the rest of the week to make sure I’m still losing weight consistently.

I've used this for two weeks and lost 8lbs so far. I'm surprised at people saying 1200 is too low though. The barcode scanner is really useful. I'm very boring and eat the same breakfast and pretty much the same the rest of the time.

I just lost 16lbs using MFP. My calorie intake was set at 1200 calories, but often ate between 1000 and 1200. I found it very useful as its so easy to under estimate calories. Its the only thing that works for me.

How are the calories worked out? I have quite a high calorie allowance compared with some posters here and I'm questioning why now! 😱

After years of doing Slimming World on and off, I started using MFP and I love it. I have it synced with my Fitbit and also with the MapMyRun app when I started running. It keeps me accountable and the data keeps me motivated! I have lost two and a half stone and kept it off. I'd definitely recommend it as a way of getting to know what works for you and staying on track.

The absolute best thing I've used was Lose It (similar app, same principle as MFP). For me, it was about being honest with myself and confronting the portion sizes, poor choices re unnecessary fat and sugar, snacks etc. Seeing it in black and white made me address rather than hide and deny. Helps me make positive choices to bulk up meals with salad rather than cheese and mayo for example!

I also love strictness and targets, it really works for me.

I’m using it at the moment to take off 3kg of lockdown weight and then I’ll do another kg or two for vanity. I’ve been weighing absolutely everything which is massively helpful. I have around 1200 cals per day and do a lot of exercise which is logged on my watch not on the MFP app. I get a deficit of 500 cals most days. I’ve lost 2kg since 7 April.

Yes!! It’s the only way I have ever lost weight in fact.

Just to add I have now lost a stone in a month and I'm absolutely delighted! It's the first time I've ever sustained a weight loss and not given up.