My 45 lb weight loss

[KayLR]

I enjoyed that, Catherine, thank you!

[frugal-one]

MyFitnessPal is great--I've used it. During my recent weight loss, however, I didn't count calories--I just chose different foods (no processed foods, low carb, low/no sugar)

flowers, great job! That's very inspiring! The food tracking is great, but you also addressed my biggest challenge which is an exercise routine. In January I started a "A Habit A Month" program. January was making my bed, based on a YouTube video by a Navy Seal that my son turned me onto (see below), and February is my "Daily Meditation" habit, and March is earmarked for my "Daily Yoga" habit. I KNOW I HAVE to get moving in order to maximize my health at my age. I've also considered ONE more go at the gym, but I have a terrible track record with the gym. I'm better off focusing on yoga and doing a home practice + maybe a weekly class.

Thanks for the great inspiration!

I like the idea of a "Habit a Month" program. They say it takes 30 days to make something a habit. Might be a good new thread to start??

[iris lilies]

Why not try an online tracker? I use my fitness pal and it does a great job. I don't like the concept of thinking I can eat anything. I like the idea of treating food as nourishment, not treats. And when I started to look into a friend's program, I saw I could eat all the fruit I wanted. Not a good idea for my blood sugar.
We are all different and I found what works for me.

It it is far easier to lose the weight as opposed to carrying that extra weight around.

I do like the weekly checkins of Weight Watchers, I do in person meetings, not online. Still thinking it over. Sometimes the meetings are silly, sometimes they are inspirational.

[Gardenarian]

Wow, sounds like you lost 45 years, along with the pounds!
Congrats!

[The Storyteller]

Great job, flowers! I had similar results a couple of years ago on a completely different diet (high plant, low meat). But I had switched to all whole or home prepared foods, threw out the preprocessed crap and swore it off (except jerky... had to have my jerky), quit the Dr Pepper cold turkey (hardest thing I ever did in my life), and, most importantly, like you, began tracking my food consumption with MyFitnessApp.

I love MyFitnessApp and tracking food. It works exactly as you said, like YMOYL money tracking. In my case, I set a soft limit on my daily intake, depending on what I want to accomplish. Right now, I'm trying to lose again (never did get to my 150s Marine weight, so giving another try) and have set my limit at 1500 calories a day. I don't kick myself if I go over (yesterday I was 1975, but oh well), but it does give me daily goal to shoot for.

As I'm tracking, it makes me think long and hard on that cookie. Do I REALLY want to "spend" 250 calories on that cookie, nearly a sixth of my day's self-set allotment? The answer is almost (but not quite) always no, it isn't. It is especially the case now that I'm walking 2 to 3 hours a day. When I'm working that hard to get healthy, the cost of calories is all the more dear to me. Three days ago I was power walking in the mall when this happened to me. There are soda machines all over the mall. I carry water with me, but wanted a diet soda for a treat (yeah, yeah, I know. BAD, Storyteller!!). As I approached, I decided I have been working so extra hard that I deserve more of a treat, so I'm going to get a regular 20 oz coke. Then I thought about how it would feel entering that 260 empty calories in MyFitnessApp, and how far I would need to walk to make up for it... naw, I don't deserve a treat THAT bad. So, I pushed the button for Coke Zero.

Personally, I don't think it is necessary to set a limit for it to help. When one sits down to a meal at a restaurant is going to "cost" 1,100 calories (and there are many that are that much and more), I don't think it could help but give one pause.

Oh, and the other thing I love about MyFitnessApp... it talks to the app for my Fitbit. So, the Fitbit tells MyFitnessApp how many calories I have burned, and MyFitnessApp tells Fitbit how much I have consumed. So, I see the totals in both places.

All that to say, way to go! And, tracking works. At least for me.

And... MyFitnessApp rocks!

[flowerseverywhere]

Storyteller, exactly what I was saying. I go for about 1800 -1875. calories a day. I get a ton of exercise and my goal is to shed pounds slowly so I can tone and firm as I go. Occasionally I go over 2000 calories but those are days like yesterday where I did weightlifting and an hour of cardio. Those extra calories are foods filled with nutrients and protein, not chips, cookies and soda.
I have detoxed myself from sugar and sometimes when I am away from home I can taste sweetness in foods that should not be sweet. Sodium is also something I try to keep in check.
I was reading the Fitbit forum yesterday and many people there follow a low carb high protein diet, eating full fat dairy, plants that grow above the ground and meat with occasional fruit as a treat. I have been so brainwashed into non fat dairy not sure about that one.
Today is farmers market (yippee). Here in Florida I can get veggies year round, but pickings are a little slim this time of year.