At what point does it end - or doesn't it?

katiejanecollins

Some people may stay on MFP forever, and that's totally fine, but I don't really want to do that as I feel I could become obsessed with calorie counting like I have done previously. I'm 1lb off my goal weight (which realistically I don't think I'll get to - so I'm going to try and maintain it now instead), and after two years of calorie counting I'm pretty familiar with what food items I regularly consist of calorie/fat/carb wise, but is there a particular mind set I should get myself into so I can lay off the counting but remain at this weight.

Anyone know what I mean/do that themselves?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

If I were going to stop logging I would approach it as a set of rules for myself. For me they might look something like:

3 meals and one snack only
Have some protein with every meal
5 servings of fruit/veg per day
Only one serving of sweets per day
Stick to one starch per day (rice or potatoes or pasta but not all three)
Continue to lift 4 days per week

These would vary from person to person and of course none of them are strictly necessary, but the intention would be to control calories without actually having to count them.

I would also continue to weigh in regularly and would avoid the mindset of being "done." Personally I think it would be more challenging to maintain without counting but definitely doable. It's something I've been considering lately so I've given it a bit of thought.

katiejanecollins

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

If I were going to stop logging I would approach it as a set of rules for myself. For me they might look something like:

3 meals and one snack only
Have some protein with every meal
5 servings of fruit/veg per day
Only one serving of sweets per day
Stick to one starch per day (rice or potatoes or pasta but not all three)
Continue to lift 4 days per week

These would vary from person to person and of course none of them are strictly necessary, but the intention would be to control calories without actually having to count them.

I would also continue to weigh in regularly and would avoid the mindset of being "done." Personally I think it would be more challenging to maintain without counting but definitely doable. It's something I've been considering lately so I've given it a bit of thought.

Thanks for that. Yeah I'm a bit worried that I'll give up if I stop logging. I think I'm going to stay on here until I'm EXACTLY where I want to be with my body. At that point, it would take a lot of bad eating to undo the hard work and there's no way I have any intention of going back to that habit again - I kind of hate the thought of it now!

MB_Positif

I've been here for 4 years. Different phases of life though. 1 year of weight loss. 2 years of maintenance. Another year of bulking and cutting cycles. During my phase of just maintenance I didn't always log my food. Just to check in sometimes. What and how much I eat has mostly become habit. I'm logging now because I'm fine tuning at the end of a bulk and heading into a cut soon. I need to create new habits again. You can absolutely do this without logging if you have created new habits that have stuck.

nogrows

If you weigh yourself every week/2weeks/month you should be able to see when you start gaining and make adjustments. That is where I went wrong three years ago.

dougii

Just be sure to weigh regularly (weekly, bi weekly, what ever works for you) and either go back to logging or make adjustments if you find you have the need. I stopped logging everyday some time ago but continue to log some days and I weigh myself every Friday morning. I still track exercise regularly as the calories expended vary greatly based on the level of exertion (and I have some nifty tracking devices so it is easy). Good luck!

3laine75

For me, I'll keep logging. I have got to the point where I'm 'done' too many times over the years including when I first signed up to MFP (got to 133 left it for 6 months and weighed back in at 172). My ability to estimate calories is, sadly, lacking.

I've enjoyed bulking and cutting recently and find owning my weight gain much preferable to it creeping up on me, this is the way to go, for me, for the foreseeable future.

Springfield1970

I've tried to live that dream. I'd say keep weighing yourself and be totally realistic about how slippery that munchy mind is.

The day you go out of your comfort zone come back to log again, you may really miss it. I take the odd couple of months off and I feel my body composition start to go backwards from being either under or over more frequently.

I wish I could do this instinctively but I cant. That's not too bad a problem to have, with such a fun and reassuring solution.

Plus there's some really hot guys here.

No, really, I'm here for the education.

And cat gifs.

snowflake930

It won't end for me. I know myself, and logging will have to be in my life always.

I know some people can do it, just not me. The statistics say that the majority of people will gain all the weight back, some will gain even more than they lost back. I want to be in the small majority that never gains it back, and for me that means logging. Just the way it is, and will have to be, for me.

ndj1979

I like logging and the data it provides. I have it down now to where I can pretty much pre log my day in five minutes. Plus, i have some awesome peeps on my friends list who provide awesome information and feedback about lifting and intake ….

MFP 4 life!

Machka9

I usually stick with these logging sites for 3 weeks ... then continue to lose weight on my own for several more weeks. Last time I did that was in 2011 and I lost 13 lbs in 13 weeks which put me back into the normal BMI weight range again.

The time before was in 2008. I logged my diet for 3 weeks, then continued on my own and lost about 9 lbs in 5 weeks ... I wasn't overweight then, just slimming up a bit for my wedding.

I've stuck with this site for about 4 weeks now, which is longer than usual. I do find this site easier to use than others I've tried, so that helps. It also has an extensive database of food, so that also helps. Therefore this time, I'm kind of loosely aiming for mid-June. But we'll see.

katiejanecollins

Thanks everyone. I'll probably end up coming back now and then for certain meals if I ever do back away from MFP - I'll definitely keep weighing now and then too.

CipherZero

How you approach MFP depends on your goals, really.
I stopped weekly weigh-ins in October when I started a slow bulk cycle and I've gone up about 13lbs - which is exactly where I wanted to be as I changed goal from "lose weight" to "get strong".
I still find myself vastly underestimating the food I eat when I don't weigh or measure it, and I need to get better at that if I want to leave MFP in the dust.

sgthaggard

I will be starting maintenance in the next week or so. I'm planning to continue logging for a while until I get a firm understanding of what my maintenance calories look like in actual food. Then I'm going to rely on the scale - give myself a weight buffer, maybe 5lbs and if I go above that buffer, I'll start counting again until I can get back on track.

ivoluntas

I would like to just comment on eating out. I think if I didn't have the app I would definitely check websites for nutrition info if you don't already. I always think eating a salad at a restaurant is a good idea and then I find out they are just as bad as some entrees. Just common sense stuff, really, but its easy to slip up when you think you're eating healthy food.

sardelsa

Calorie counting is a great tool, but for me I knew it was a temporary one. I tracked when I was losing then bulking to get those numbers exact and reach my goal. Now that I am eating at maintenance, I check in a few days a week or the odd meal, but overall, I follow my hunger cues and have little goals to meet daily in terms of my eating and meals. But of course, if I start to slip I may track again, it all depends on how you are and your goals.

SideSteel

For the most part you'll want to track your weight in some fashion to determine whether or not you are succeeding. You MAY need to establish or identify a set of habits that allows your calorie intake to remain within a reasonable range for maintenance.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

If I were going to stop logging I would approach it as a set of rules for myself. For me they might look something like:

3 meals and one snack only
Have some protein with every meal
5 servings of fruit/veg per day
Only one serving of sweets per day
Stick to one starch per day (rice or potatoes or pasta but not all three)
Continue to lift 4 days per week

These would vary from person to person and of course none of them are strictly necessary, but the intention would be to control calories without actually having to count them.

I would also continue to weigh in regularly and would avoid the mindset of being "done." Personally I think it would be more challenging to maintain without counting but definitely doable. It's something I've been considering lately so I've given it a bit of thought.

^ And this would be a good start/good example of some of those habits that MAY be necessary for you.

melimomTARDIS

ndj1979 wrote: »

I like logging and the data it provides. I have it down now to where I can pretty much pre log my day in five minutes. Plus, i have some awesome peeps on my friends list who provide awesome information and feedback about lifting and intake ….

MFP 4 life!

samesies. and added to that- I struggle with binge eating. I find being transparent about my food choices vital to my continued success. ie- when my food becomes a secret, its bad news for me.

dopeysmelly

ndj1979 wrote: »

I like logging and the data it provides. I have it down now to where I can pretty much pre log my day in five minutes. Plus, i have some awesome peeps on my friends list who provide awesome information and feedback about lifting and intake ….

MFP 4 life!

This is pretty much me too. I don't find logging a burden, and having all the things I measure (weight, exercise calories, weights I accomplish at the gym, calories of recipes) all in one place together with a great group of friends, just makes it convenient for me.

rpmtnbkr

Years ago before I knew about MFP I embarked on the journey. I counted and logged calories and exercise. After a year & half I quit counting and just went on about my business. I maintained for several months, then the creep started.... I quickly got back to logging and discovered I was close calorie wise but not consistent every day nor was I exercising religiously (normal summertime activities replaced the strict regimen. Back on track again after a few weeks, I quit logging again. Over the years with the fall and winter months came the exercise routine, once spring & summer came along it was the normal home owner physical activities replacing the exercise. Over the years age (yep, blaming my age for the difficulty of getting it back off) became a factor and the creeping weight came back. I found MFP a few years ago and began my journey and had great success. Maintained for a couple of years then the creeping began again... Here I am again. Started back up logging again and seeing results. At the start of the year, my employer's health program now rewards me for tracking in MFP which is another incentive. To summarize after several months of counting, measuring and logging, you get a good idea of portion size for later on.... just my 2 cents worth...

Lrdoflamancha

If you always do what you always did....you will always get what you always got.