To log or not to log?

I see many of you log your meals and calories. I see also, many of you don't.
What is more effective for the long run? Logging your food or just having some meal plan and just sticking to it?

I can se pros and cons of both:

- Logging makes us more mindful what we eat
- It gives us historical overview where we can see cause of our weight fluctuation
- Logging discourage overeating because overeating requires extra logging effort

but also:

- Logging takes time (In bussy days it can become hard to maintain)
- Logging can become a bit obsessive (stressing about exact calories, etc.)
- It sound to me a bit all or nothing approach (I could be wrong tough)

What do you think?
What works best for you?
To log or not to log? :)
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Logging works best for me!
  • LisaMoxon155
    LisaMoxon155 Posts: 256 Member
    edited April 2017
    For me log everything that enters ny mouth. I can keep control of my calorie intake then. Lost 23lbs by doing that.

    For me it helps plan meals for futher. Stops me grabbing a takeaway which is why im on here


  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,707 Member
    When I'm working on losing weight ... I log meticulously and consistently. I also weigh my food and try to be as accurate as possible with what I enter.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    It largely depends on where in your journey you are. If you are new to calorie counting and trying to figure out what works for you and have goals to meet then I think it is important to log as accurately as you can. If you are happy with your progress and/or where you are and feel comfortable weaning yourself off logging there is nothing wrong with that.
  • Leah_62803
    Leah_62803 Posts: 292 Member
    Logging everything works best for me apparently... I've been doing great and then yesterday I slacked off and logged my meals but had little snacks that I didn't log. Just little stuff, no big deal.

    And this morning I'm up a pound. Lol.

    And do know that it's mostly just fluctuating or whatever but if I didn't log I know I'd slowly get back to my old habits. I do hope that one day I won't have to log everyday.
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    Logging.
    It takes time and planning, but worth the effort.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    I don't actually keep a log but I do count everything. It is extremely easy to do.
  • Stella3838
    Stella3838 Posts: 439 Member
    Gotta log or I'll not stay in check. Been doing it for years and years, so it's a regular thing for me now. As others have said, it takes some planning. It's the only way I've been successful to lose weight. But, with that being said, it's not a one size fits all. You gotta find what works best for you!
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    You know, I've had phases of success with both at various times in my life. I've tried various things through the years: Weight Watchers, the Zone Diet, and a few different low carb plans (which seem to work best for me). When I've had luck with not measuring or logging, it was a low carb diet of some form. I think that worked for me b/c it suppressed my hunger and I'm much more likely to overeat things like cookies than meat and veggies. The past year and a half, though, weighing all my food and logging everything has been the most successful for me (and that's eating keto/LCHF).
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,122 Member
    daneejela wrote: »

    - Logging takes time (In bussy days it can become hard to maintain)
    - Logging can become a bit obsessive (stressing about exact calories, etc.)
    - It sound to me a bit all or nothing approach (I could be wrong tough)

    What do you think?
    What works best for you?
    To log or not to log? :)

    It takes hardly any time at all - it takes a few minutes a day, I think given that most people can lose hours to social media, a few minutes to improve your health and fitness is not worth dwelling on. By the time you get into the habit of logging you have saved meals, recent/frequent foods and recipes saved it takes very little of your day.

    For most users it's not an obsessive things, it's just data, for those who are stressing about exact calories they have bigger problems than weight loss.

    All or Nothing? - No point me logging only the good days and not a day when I have eaten more than I should have, you have to be brutally honest with yourself, if you can't do that long term, why bother at all? Only you can hold yourself truly accountable.

    A meal plan can be helpful for improving nutrition and reducing overeating, but even "healthy food" can make you fat if you eat too much of it. However, am I going to stick to some diet meal plan for the rest of my life? Nope. Instead I will stick with having the food I ate before but eating less of it.

    By logging my food accurately for the last 3 months I am far more mindful of portion sizes and where I was taking in the extra calories that got me in a position where I need to lose weight.
  • cozytimes
    cozytimes Posts: 111 Member
    edited April 2017
    logging! the pros/cons are mostly dependent on how you choose to perceive it.
  • CiaIgle
    CiaIgle Posts: 72 Member
    I use a simple rule: IF YOU DON'T EAT IT, DO NOT LOG IT

    :):):):):):):):)
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    edited April 2017
    daneejela wrote: »
    I see many of you log your meals and calories. I see also, many of you don't.
    What is more effective for the long run? Logging your food or just having some meal plan and just sticking to it?

    Well the reality is that this is a logging site - the majority of people log
    daneejela wrote: »
    - Logging makes us more mindful what we eat
    - It gives us historical overview where we can see cause of our weight fluctuation
    - Logging discourage overeating because overeating requires extra logging effort
    3x yes, but mainly it makes us accountable to the one that really matters, ourselves.
    A huge bonus is that you learn about food, portion size, and what makes you tick in the food department. For instance, cravings when you tend to overeat etc. So you also learn a lot about yourself during logging.
    daneejela wrote: »
    - Logging takes time (In bussy days it can become hard to maintain)
    - Logging can become a bit obsessive (stressing about exact calories, etc.)
    - It sound to me a bit all or nothing approach (I could be wrong tough)
    -
    the first one - Nope only takes me about 15 minutes a week to plan the whole thing out and then on a daily basis maybe 5 minutes in total. Nothing much even on busy days
    Second one. - Well that is a personal thing. I am not obsessive about it, but some people can be. I guess it also depends a little on personality. What you need to be mindful of is that MFP is a tool, nothing more than that. It is not the goal, just a tool. It has it's inaccuracies and is by no means perfect. But it is a good tool to use fot those that need a tool kit.
    Third As with the second - it is not all or nothing really it is not. Again it is a tool, not a goal. When I first tarted I did not change a thing about my lifestyle at that stage, I just logged and learned. Just by logging I lost weight (as I did not want to log the sweets, but it also meant not eating them)
    A large number of people take a holiday break from MFP when they are on a holiday - that too is fine. SOme people use it when in maintenance and some are no longer logging eexcept if they are heading toward the edges of their maintenance area.
    The tool can be used in so many ways.

    daneejela wrote: »
    What do you think?
    What works best for you?
    To log or not to log? :)

    For me, logging every day works best. Been doing it for over 3 years and I have no intention to stop. - it is just a habit now that only take s a little time (the boards take a lot more time)
    Mealplanning is part of MFP for me, but not logging it - well would lead to being able to eat and nobody notices ecept my body:wink:
  • RUNucbar
    RUNucbar Posts: 160 Member
    I log every single thing but not on MFP. This site does not support Bokmål so I use an app that allows me to use that language. I stay here for the support forums which the other app doss not have.

    It looks like my diary is utterly empty but every single bite is logged.