Maintenance mode and stopping calorie counting

ldy_78

I've been within about 3-5 lbs of my goal weight, give or take for about 3 months or so. I've been trying to eat a little under maintenance level and counting calories and weighing my foods - there hasn't been any major losses. That said, I'm happy with where I am at. However, I do not like having to count calories and weigh my food all the time. I've been logging for over 2 years on MFP and Livestrong prior. Does anyone have any insights on when or if to stop logging?

warriorguy

I'd just weigh daily, or weekly, and then adjust accordingly. Keep to nutritious foods, and eat out less and less. I don't understand why you'd weigh foods at this point....surely you can estimate the size of your portions more easily. If you gain five pounds count calories for a few days and then forget it when back on track. Read up on maintenance procedures.

ldy_78

I suppose the weighing thing has just become a habit at this point. There isn't much of a need honestly. I eat the same things day in and day out and rarely eat out. It seems a matter of allowing myself to stop counting - it allays anxiety all the while creating more of it. Thanks.

dlbredesen

I reached my goal weight in February. Stopped logging shortly after. I monitor my weight and adjust accordingly. I too eat the same foods most of the time. Use the skills you have learned to get where you are. Use the database to research new foods. It's a bit frightening at first but believe me you feel free and self confident.

Patttience

YOu don't need to log calories on mfp but i would suggest you try food logging on a spreadsheet for a while before quitting. then after that its about not overeating. and continuous regular weighing of yourself.

Continue to measure your food as much as possible so you at least know how much you are eating. Wean yourself off these strategies but i understand you should never stop regular weighing on the scales.

stuffinmuffin

I've been maintaining on here for years now...and to be honest logging is what works for me. I got really disheartened with it a couple of years ago and stopped logging and lost too much weight. I also realised that because fitness is a big part of my life that I needed to ensure I was eating enough for that (at the time I was doing long distance running).
I do know some people that go and try to not log (when I first left MFP to do this I used to try and mentally calculate the calories in my head throughout the day). You could also try not logging at weekends but logging during the week to have a gradual departure from calorie counting?

Francl27

I'm never going to stop logging. I guarantee that as soon as I do, I'll gain weight back.

47Jacqueline

I log most days, although I don't always tally up at the end of the day. And I don't log if I'm at an event or out of town. It's a good check and tht's what it's there for. Don't if you don't want to, but don't complain about it. No one is watching.

LivingtheLeanDream

ldy_78 wrote: »

I've been within about 3-5 lbs of my goal weight, give or take for about 3 months or so. I've been trying to eat a little under maintenance level and counting calories and weighing my foods - there hasn't been any major losses. That said, I'm happy with where I am at. However, I do not like having to count calories and weigh my food all the time. I've been logging for over 2 years on MFP and Livestrong prior. Does anyone have any insights on when or if to stop logging?

I'm the same as you, I log some days, I don't log any longer at weekends...sometimes if I feel I've eaten alot I'll log it all just to make sure I'm not going over my TDEE, and the nice thing is that I don't ..I think because we're in the habit of logging we feel we should keep on doing so? part of me is reluctant to stop logging food entirely in case after 2 yrs I might slip into old habits?
I don't like having to count calories either, but its the reason I lost my weight and I don't want to gain. I think we have to stick to the good habits we've made over the past few years.
Right now I'll log my food off/on and monitor my weight weekly.
I don't think I'm likely to ever stop logging entirely.

RaspberryTickleChicken

stuffinmuffin wrote: »

I've been maintaining on here for years now...and to be honest logging is what works for me. I got really disheartened with it a couple of years ago and stopped logging and lost too much weight. I also realised that because fitness is a big part of my life that I needed to ensure I was eating enough for that (at the time I was doing long distance running).
I do know some people that go and try to not log (when I first left MFP to do this I used to try and mentally calculate the calories in my head throughout the day). You could also try not logging at weekends but logging during the week to have a gradual departure from calorie counting?

+1

Logging & weighing food has just seamlessly become a part of my daily routine & I personally don't see it as this extra burden of a beast to bear.

If you ever peruse the 'Get Started' or 'Intro' forums you will see a fair amount of 'returners'

Bottom line is logging & weighing will work for some while others are able to ween themselves from it and still maintain.

It's really a trial & error sort of thing.

Best of luck to you!

busdriver2011

I'm just getting back to MFP, which worked well for me before, so I feel as though logging and weighing food is my new hobby! because I have high cholesterol that I'm trying to lower, it helps to track the cholesterol that's in the food I eat. so for now, logging is my focus and the organizer of my days. I imagine, however, at some point I will have to find another hobby....

gothchiq

Some people can get away with not logging. You may be one of them. But if I do that, I guarantee you my goose is cooked. I'll go to the effort rather than become fat again! So try it but be aware you may have to go back to logging if you start gaining.

SnuggleSmacks

I would decide on an upper weight limit, say 5 pounds above where you are now, just to give yourself some water-retention leeway. Then stop tracking unless you hit that upper limit. If you do, then it's time to track again to get back to where you want to be. Lather, rinse, repeat. Eventually, eating the right amount will become automatic.

ahoy_m8

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

I would decide on an upper weight limit, say 5 pounds above where you are now, just to give yourself some water-retention leeway. Then stop tracking unless you hit that upper limit. If you do, then it's time to track again to get back to where you want to be. Lather, rinse, repeat. Eventually, eating the right amount will become automatic.

I do this, too. Have been for years. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from logging. My weight always creeps up when I do, though, so I guess eating the right amount has never become automatic for me.

ETA: OP I LOVE your profile photo!

mitch16

You really have to consider what you think will work for you.

I know for me, I can't stop logging--I become too entitled, eat too much, and gain weight again. I'm close again, and my plan is to continue logging for the most part, but maybe take the weekends off (without going too crazy). I'm not the type to obsessive weigh all of my food currently, but if you are, maybe you could just take a step back from that...

Good luck!

SideSteel

First of all if logging and weighing things causes you any issues then I think you're making the right decision in pursuing methods of weight maintenance that don't involve logging.

There's a few strategies you can employ, I wrote about this in my blog over the past couple of months because I've been experimenting with this myself and I've also taken one of my clients through the process. Rather than re-hash everything I'll link you to the blog post. You may want to start 3 to 4 posts down from the top (top one is not about logging but the next two or three are and they go in reverse order):

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SideSteel

canadjineh

Check in with your tight, non-stretchy jeans at least once a week to see if you need to log or weigh regularly . BTW, weighing regularly doesn't have to mean every day, try once or twice a week just to keep an eye on things.

bonniejo

Another option is to log every other day if you are nervous about stopping completely, basically slowly phasing it out

jrline

You should after two years be able to judge proper portion sizes relatively accurately after two years. as long as your clothes still fit well you should be in good shape

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cwolfman13

I don't log. I do weigh things for which I am unable to accurately eyeball serving sizes, but not everything. Basically I am very mindful of what I eat...and along the way, I developed a lot of healthy habits. I don't really eat much differently than I did when I was losing, just a little more. I basically eat a lot of lean proteins, tons of veg, some fruit, some whole grains, and primarily healthy fat sources like nuts and avocados, olives and olive oil, etc. I have some "junk" from time to time, but it's pretty minimal. In my experience, trying to eat anything resembling the SAD and maintaining weight really requires paying extremely close attention and pretty much keeping a diary.

I also make sure I stick to my workout regimen and generally just stay active. I step on the scale a few times per week or at least once per week to keep an eye on the trends and I pay attention to the way my clothes feel. It's important to pay attention because it's really easy to nip things in the bud...I've gone up and down about 5 Lbs a couple of times from my maintenance...it's always something that creeps into my diet...it's pretty easy to knock it off for a month or so and get back to where I want to be.

The biggest thing is that you can't stop being mindful and you can't stop caring. If you just throw your hands up in the air and say, "whatevs"...you're going to find things very difficult.

ldy_78

SideSteel wrote: »

First of all if logging and weighing things causes you any issues then I think you're making the right decision in pursuing methods of weight maintenance that don't involve logging.

There's a few strategies you can employ, I wrote about this in my blog over the past couple of months because I've been experimenting with this myself and I've also taken one of my clients through the process. Rather than re-hash everything I'll link you to the blog post. You may want to start 3 to 4 posts down from the top (top one is not about logging but the next two or three are and they go in reverse order):

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SideSteel

Thanks for this blog post. It's reassuring and motivating to read the comments of those who have gone off logging. I tend to be a little overkill and OCD about logging, so it makes sense to take weekends off as I work toward not logging regularly.

And thanks everyone who put in their two cents. I guess it comes down to individual personality types. Logging was a great tool for a long time, but now I actually have a rhythm and routine for eating that I follow by the book most days. It'll be a great experiment to see if that changes when not logging.