Food diary resistance

gshifrin

I've been on here a few months now and it seems clear that people who are diligent about recording everything in their food diaries are doing great at losing weight. Congratulations to you all!

For me, I've been reluctant to do that. It seems like a real chore and I doubt I could stick with it whenever life starts to intrude with the inevitable projects and social activities. I've focused on cutting down on some of the foods I really enjoy: breads and sweets. So far this is working reasonably well for me (down 32 pounds since I started).

I've tried to change my mindset into something I can stay with long term, just being someone who avoids breads and sweets. I worry that food diaries, cheat days, and occasional food binges will lead me back into my old style of overeating.

Just throwing this out for comment. I'd appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions.

_Zardoz_

It's what works for you but I had many years of not logging what I was eating and I got fat and unfit. Whereas once I new what I was doing I managed to lose 141 pounds in 18 months and have kept that off. Logging is now second nature it's only a chore if you make it such once you have a lot of recipes and meals logged and your most common foods appear anyway. It probably takes at most 5 minutes of my day. Anyone can spare 5 minutes. But hey we're all different so it's what ever works

dramaqueen45

Some people on here don't log and just use it for the social support. I think do whatever works best for you and it seems like what you're doing now is working fine.

beemerphile1

Obviously it has worked for you so far, good job.

I find MFP extremely easy to use on my phone. My phone is always with me and it only takes seconds to enter my meal. After using it for a while, you will discover that you are a creature of habit and eat the same things often. The foods you normally eat will be at the top of the database and only require a quick click to enter in your diary.

Counting calories is nothing new, it is just that we now have a great tool (MFP) that makes it super easy.

ForeverSunshine09

I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always. I did the same thing on weightwatchers a few yrs ago and I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. I gained it all back the moment I stopped. Everyone is different. I like to plan my day so there are no surprise foodwise but, that doesn't work for everyone. I typically keep between 200-300 calories to play with based on cravings but, otherwise I eat what is in my diary.

lthames0810

AmberSue09 wrote: »

I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always. I did the same thing on weightwatchers a few yrs ago and I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. I gained it all back the moment I stopped. Everyone is different. I like to plan my day so there are no surprise foodwise but, that doesn't work for everyone. I typically keep between 200-300 calories to play with based on cravings but, otherwise I eat what is in my diary.

I pre-log too.

Before I began logging, I would have in my mind that I needed to "cut down" on what I thought were fattening foods. It was on my mind all the time...Can I eat this sandwich, or should I cut it in half? When I log my food ahead of time I know exactly how much to eat at each meal and it takes my mind off dieting.

Sued0nim

Calorie counting isn't for everyone and it's not the only way to lose weight and keep it off

I love it because it's the first time I've found something that works ...and continues to work ..for me and my lifestyle; the first time I've been succesful; the first time I've felt lifestyle change and not deprived

But you seem to have found your way and that's great ...good luck

esjones12

People get fat by eating too much. Keeping a food diary helps retrain your perception of what a normal amount of food intake is. A lot of "quick fixes" don't teach you that. That's why the fail long term.

Once you use MFP a lot you can enter stuff faster by using recent and meals. It takes a bit to get used to but after a while its second nature.

TheVirgoddess

I LOVE logging and tracking - I'm totally in control of things, it's a comfort to me. Not everyone does, and that's perfectly fine. Like rabbit said, it's not the only way to be successful.

I'd keep doing what you're doing. If you find yourself at a point where you're not losing anymore, maybe you'll want to give it a shot, maybe not. I will say it's not nearly as tedious or difficult as I thought it would be.

jgnatca

Sure, give it a try. Weigh yourself in a month. If you aren't getting the results you want, it will be hard to pinpoint why.

Tracking suits my obsessive personality. Besides, it is required by the support team that is guiding my weight loss. I'd give away all my spare wisdom teeth to keep my tracking record (230 days and counting).

4legsRbetterthan2

I think a diary can be a very useful education tool. Logging has taught me portion size/control, and I now reconize what I actually need vs. what I want. That does not mean you should be planning to log for the rest of your life. Alot of people here meet their goal, and wean themselves off of logging.

MinnieInMaine

As long as it's working, good for you! I would encourage you to at least write down what you're eating somehere so that, as jgnatca suggested, if the time comes where it stops working, you can go back and try to pinpoint why. You don't have to do it the second you put the food in your mouth, but keep track on a daily basis.

I see this along the same lines as weighing your food. Some feel it's an absolute necessity. When I do it, it becomes overwhelming and leads me to that old "this is too hard, screw it, I'll just be fat" mindset. Weighing now and then is great to help me establish educated guesstimates but I can't do it all the time.

MoiAussi93

I think you are doing the right thing...something that works for you. I've lost about 90 pounds, and have only been logging for the past 25 or 30. And I'm only doing that to get a better handle on what protein/fat/carb split works for me. I have no intention of doing this forever, because I know it is not necessary for me.

It is a tool. It may be useful to you for a while at some point. If not, just keep doing what you're doing. The vast majority of people who are a healthy weight have never logged food ...so it obviously isn't a requirement. Making good choices every day is. Knowing what your problem foods are is. Sticking to a strategy to avoid problems is. You are doing all of that now.

Laurend224

I log everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For me it helps me to be accountable to myself, and sometimes I won't have that extra treat because I will wind up in the red and I hate to see that.

Other times the treat is worth it to me to have, but only as long as I log it.

It's the only thing that has worked for me. Otherwise it would be too easy to 'lie' to myself about eating.

I'm glad you found something that is working for you, congrats on your loss.

BWBTrish

For me it works good because i pre-plan every day AFTER dinner time.

Advantage for me is:
1. I had dinner so i am satisfied because the food i just had so i plan balanced and wisely for the next day. I always plan 3 meals and 2 snacks.
2. I tweak the weight the next day a bit to what it really is, but dont let myself off the planned meals and snacks.
3. I add a nice extra snack when i am short of calories ( mostly when i burned more calories than i thought). Can be anything from fruit, protein/chocolate, ice or yogurt. Just what i like.
4. I always try to hit first of all my calorie goal and than tweak it towards more "ideal" numbers for my macro's. Sometimes i switch things for more protein.

This way works perfect for me.

My_Butt

AmberSue09 wrote: »

I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always.

I do the same. I cook dinner every night, and it's usually something I have to use or else it will spoil, ie milk, peppers, head of cabbage, potatoes. If you have time to cook your meals, you have plenty of time to right down your calories while you wait for it to finish.
If I'm unsure of the calories for dinner, and I think it may be higher, I'll switch my breakfast and lunch to something less calorie consuming.
I make soups in the slow cooker all the time because they're very low calorie and I can eat for days, or freeze it for later and write the calories on the bags.

TavistockToad

gshifrin wrote: »

I've been on here a few months now and it seems clear that people who are diligent about recording everything in their food diaries are doing great at losing weight. Congratulations to you all!

For me, I've been reluctant to do that. It seems like a real chore and I doubt I could stick with it whenever life starts to intrude with the inevitable projects and social activities. I've focused on cutting down on some of the foods I really enjoy: breads and sweets. So far this is working reasonably well for me (down 32 pounds since I started).

I've tried to change my mindset into something I can stay with long term, just being someone who avoids breads and sweets. I worry that food diaries, cheat days, and occasional food binges will lead me back into my old style of overeating.

Just throwing this out for comment. I'd appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions.

Ok.

Whatever works for you.

sofaking6

I log most of the time but am not 100% about it (more like 75%) - I like doing it because over time I get better and better at estimating the calories in different foods and that helps me make better decisions. So I'm using it as a calorie counting tool day to day but more as a long term learning tool.

And I also log my exercise because on downer days it feels really good to look back and see all the hard work I've been putting in.

I don't have cheat days - I stay under my calories most days so if I go over once in a while I feel ok about it, it all balances out. And I don't have binges because I don't have an eating disorder and I don't ever starve myself. Sometimes I just want a pizza and that's okay!

hamoncan

Once you get familiar with calorie counts I don't find I need to log much. For me I've gotten pretty comfortable with knowing about what I should eat morning, afternoon and evening to keep on track and am getting a good sense of how much and how often I can "cheat" and still keep the number on the scale slowly going down.

Maybe you could log / look up things once in a while to keep your "calorie awareness" up - it's basically what i do.

prattiger65

I logged and lost 60 lbs. I stopped logging and gained 25 lbs back. Of course I was eating mindlessly. I hope to be able to stop logging when I get back to goal or close to it. Good job on what you are doing. I say keep doing what works until it stops working.

MindySaysWhaaat

I prelog my first meal of the day because it's lunch, and I always have the same thing: a sandwich, and two types of snacks (this week it's cliff bars and trail mix). That way the only thing I have to figure out is my dinner. It keeps me from having too much anxiety about what I'm eating.

bainsworth1a

I did MFP a few years ago and was lazy about weighing measuring and tracking my food. I only lost 12 lbs and quit. I recommitted back in august and made a commitment to logging my food to the best of my ability every day good and bad and I have been very successful this time around. The thing is once you add a food to your diary you have it in a list so things you eat often can just be checked and added you don't have to keep looking them up over and over.

It sounds like you are doing ok without the diary but if you get to a point where your losing slows down you may want to try it.

Whittedo

Before I discovered MFP I tried creating my own tracking worksheets. During the hard core diet periods I would track and then when I felt that I had succeeded I would stop logging, and guess what up went the weight again. I started with MPP 40 days ago and so far I have lost 21 pounds. My commitment is to never stop logging even when I reach my target. Like any behavioural change it will take diligence on my part.

LifeInAWay

Laurend224 wrote: »

I log everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For me it helps me to be accountable to myself, and sometimes I won't have that extra treat because I will wind up in the red and I hate to see that.

Other times the treat is worth it to me to have, but only as long as I log it.

It's the only thing that has worked for me. Otherwise it would be too easy to 'lie' to myself about eating.
I'm glad you found something that is working for you, congrats on your loss.

I COMPLETELY agree with this statement. It's what works for me because I'm the kind of person that needs to SEE it to believe it. But not everyone needs that. I say do what works (as long as its healthy). You seem to be doing pretty well so stick with it for awhile. When it doesnt work as well, shake things up a bit. Just dont give up!

PeachyCarol

Logging isn't for everyone! For now, you've found something that's working for you. If your loss starts to slow down, the option of beginning to log, to start using this tool to assist you in your efforts, will still be here for you. As others have stated, once you have the foods you eat selected from the data base, entering them into your diary on a regular basis becomes easier an really takes very little time.

Congratulations on the success you've had so far.

gshifrin

Some really good thoughts here. Thanks all. I like the idea of keeping logging my back pocket in case it becomes necessary. I agree that MFP makes it as painless as possible, though still a chore.

I'm trying to turn myself into the sort of person who looks at a cupcake and wonders how anyone could eat that (instead of my old self who'd see that and say gimme!). For that person, I think logging is irrelevant.

My_Butt

gshifrin wrote: »

I'm trying to turn myself into the sort of person who looks at a cupcake and wonders how anyone could eat that (instead of my old self who'd see that and say gimme!). For that person, I think logging is irrelevant.

If that is your goal, you must treat your body as a temple. A working machine. You need oil for your machine to work properly. Sugar in the gas tank makes your machine slow, or even stop all together.

Christine_72

I prelog my day in the morning when having my first cuppa. Takes me a couple of minutes. I can't understand how this is a chore to some people...

lemon629

I agree with christinev. Logging on MFP takes me at most 2-3 minutes per day. How is that a chore? And then when I wonder why I'm not losing, I can go back and look at my log to see what I need to change.

According to many studies, people who log are much more successful long term than those who don't. Frankly, I question the commitment level of people who won't log.

Christine_72

....And it's so helpful to have everything in black and white in front of you.

SLLRunner

gshifrin wrote: »

I've been on here a few months now and it seems clear that people who are diligent about recording everything in their food diaries are doing great at losing weight. Congratulations to you all!

For me, I've been reluctant to do that. It seems like a real chore and I doubt I could stick with it whenever life starts to intrude with the inevitable projects and social activities. I've focused on cutting down on some of the foods I really enjoy: breads and sweets. So far this is working reasonably well for me (down 32 pounds since I started).

I've tried to change my mindset into something I can stay with long term, just being someone who avoids breads and sweets. I worry that food diaries, cheat days, and occasional food binges will lead me back into my old style of overeating.

Just throwing this out for comment. I'd appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions.

Some people do very well without logging. I don't, even though I have been in maintenance for over a year. I will probably log for the rest of my life. It's a tool I learned before coming to MFP, though I was not as diligent then. Using my food scale and logging keeps me accountable. However, everybody has their own way of staying accountable, even if you choose not to log.

It it's ain't broken don't fix it. If not logging works for you and you're still losing weight then stick with that.