Do you ALWAYS track?

Jubee13

I have been maintaining for about a month now. I have a birthday coming up, and I thought about just eating what I want that day and not tracking. I don't plan to go on a crazy binge but I'm sure I'll exceed my calories. I think if I track, knowing how much I go over will drive me crazy and take away from enjoying my birthday. Plus it would be nice to not have to figure out everything I eat since it probably won't be what I usually eat. Is not tracking on special occasions a bad idea?

hncary

I don't track on holidays. Half the time someone else has made the food and I would have to guess anyway and would probably be way off. No point in tracking if I'm not going to be accurate IMO. Just enjoy your birthday and get right back to your routine the next day

beachlandia

If I were you I would just eat what I wanted- it's your birthday, it only comes once a year! It's not like you're going to eat so much that you'll actually gain a significant amount of weight.

00figg

i always track. if i eat it i own it. just because i don't track it, doesn't mean it didn't happen... if i know an overage is likely to happen, i will bank a few cals and exercise so that it doesn't have a negative impact on my week.

Capt_Apollo

there are days that i track even though i know i'm going to go over, and there are days i don't track at all.

suruda

I have been gone on vacation twice since I started MFP...didn't track either time (once for a week, and once for 4 days). I did show a gain both times but it came off quickly so was probably a combo of water retention and true weight gain. For me, those little breaks were totally worth it!

MynameisJerryB

It just depends on what works for you. Physcologically, seeing my intake go into the red doesn't work for me so I don't log it but I know about it and i make sure to get back on track the next day. For some people seeing it in the red is motivation to not slip up. Just do what works for you.

4leighbee

suruda wrote: »

I have been gone on vacation twice since I started MFP...didn't track either time (once for a week, and once for 4 days). I did show a gain both times but it came off quickly so was probably a combo of water retention and true weight gain. For me, those little breaks were totally worth it!

^^ This is where I am. I've been going for four months, and I've tracked every single day faithfully. I went to Vegas a couple weeks ago - and gave myself a break from MFP. Otherwise I would have felt guilty as I logged - and that wasn't going to work for me, especially in Vegas. I know the right things to do. I wasn't completely irresponsible but also wasn't the least bit guilty when I over-indulged. It was a break. I got back to business the day I returned home and have logged faithfully every day since. One thing that helped me stay focused - even though I drank like a freakin' fish - was that I ran and/or lifted weights almost every day.

cwolfman13

I only log when I'm trying to cut...maintaining is easy and I don't need to log.

DaneanP

I actually approach meeting my calorie goals over the course of a week vs. each day. So I track every day, even on vacation, even when I know I'm going to go over. If I'm not sure of a particular food item (something served at a dinner party, etc.) I estimate as close as I can to something already in MFP. I did this on Easter as a matter of fact. So then if I have a day that I really blow it by going over, I can make up for it on the other days of the week. It actually makes me feel better in control of my long term goal vs. stressing out each and every day. But that's me. YRMV.

kdiamond

85% of the time...I also try to meet my calorie goals over the week instead of daily.

pkw58

I track even if i have to guess.

yesimpson

I track unless I don't have an internet connection, and not on Christmas Day, my birthday, or events like weddings. This is because I know I'm going to go way, way over and so I can avoid the temptation and try to 'make up' for that, because that just doesn't work for me. Other than that I just guess the calories if I can't check them, and estimate high.

patrikc333

weigh it (or estimate if not available) and track it - always - it's the only way I can have control. and I actually enjoy planning my week in advance and especially play with food to hit macros.

if you go over one day you can recover another day of the week - many people look at week calories with daily ups/downs - but if you don't know how much you were up you cannot estimate how much you will need to be down your daily goal

scrittrice

On occasions like that I usually quick-add a bunch of calories, just so that I can have an idea how the week looks overall. I've been on vacation without Internet access and (obviously) didn't track and it all evened out--ate more dessert, drank more wine, but maybe snacked less and was more active.

Francl27

I track it all, because my diary is a tool, and I like having as much information as possible to be able to keep track of my weight.

Sadi_Kalen

i try to. most days i track everything i eat and my exercise cals to be sure i'm keeping even. have been in maintenance mode for 4 months now and trying to be careful with it despite having the odd indulgence. life is meant for living, not monitoring yourself 100% every day. i find that so long as i eat whole foods (not food products) 80% of the time, i can eat pretty much anything else without any bad side effects - in moderation of course.

after this long with eating well and exercising regularly every week i don't feel a need to binge and the amount of water i drink keeps me hydrated and energized for workouts. i have a couple of days off every week from exercise where i either rest completely or go for a light walk. the rest of the time i stick to my schedule and i'm happy. i find logging the daily diet still helps me to monitor my daily intake... would like to eventually go 1 - 2 weeks without logging and maintain weight. then i may consider easing off it.

plutomovedon

If you don't track every day what's the point of tracking at all? If you create "cheat days" you'll just end up creating more and more "cheat days"

Timorous_Beastie

I don't log on weekends or holidays. And sometimes I take a random week off from logging. I get a little too OCD about things, and taking a break from it works for me.

When I first started, I logged everything. All the time. Then I went to a bachelorette party, exercised in the morning, pre-logged what I knew I'd eat, and kept track of everything else I consumed. When I logged it all in, my "if every day were like today" message said in five weeks, I'd gain two pounds. I thought, "That's IT?!"

I realized that every day is NOT like that day. I wouldn't survive 5 weeks of that kind of debauchery anyway. It would take a lot more than one day a week to undo my deficit for the week. And I realized that keeping track of every jello shot and every potato chip isn't a fun way to spend a party. So I started taking one weekend day off a week to relax and enjoy myself. When I reached my goal weight, I took two weekend days off a week, and happily maintained for years that way.

(Until I stopped logging all together, then got injured. But that had nothing to do with taking a random day off here and there.)

4leighbee

johntoenjes wrote: »

If you don't track every day what's the point of tracking at all? If you create "cheat days" you'll just end up creating more and more "cheat days"

I don't agree that this is a universal truth. However, I do agree that choosing not to track for individual days here and there may lead to this. I took vacation off from mfp and am no worse for wear. I knew what I needed to do and came back to mfp four days later pretty proud of myself. If you are committed to the process, you can make decisions like this without wrecking your progress. But if you tend to look for ways to cheat yourself, not tracking a day here and there could be a problem for you.

snowflake930

I do. I know myself too well.
It keeps me motivated to never give in and end up on the slippery slope back to obesity.
Everyone has to do it their way, what works for each of us.

TracyV125

It's your birthday. It only comes once a year so enjoy it! I've been successfully maintaining for 2 months and have cheat meals here and there. Sometimes it's just impossible to log it.

What I do before I know I'm going to eat badly is make sure I eat right for breakfast and lunch plus get a run or workout in before I go. Then I get right back on track the next morning. If I have too much sodium my weight will be up for a day or too but then it comes right back on track.

Go and enjoy yourself! Happy Birthday!

higgins8283801

I track but now that I'm in month 3 of maintenance, I don't always weigh out the creamer for my coffee, or that glass of oj. However I will check myself once and awhile and have learned that im getting pretty good about eyeballing a proper serving.

Yesterday I eyeballed out a perfect 2.0oz of turkey breast for my sandwich. That was my nwm for the day. Lol

But yes I track, I just am learning to be less rigid about it.

dopeysmelly

I don't track on significant feast-day holidays where food is a big deal (think Thanksgiving, Christmas Day). I also don't track on vacation, or when I'm on business trips (I travel maybe one week a month at the moment). I also don't track when I'm going out for a special date (about once or twice a month). I don't track the odd day at the weekend when I'm whacked and just want to relax.

I basically track when I'm at home and when I do track, I weigh everything.

BTW this is no different than what I did when I was losing.

gail1961

You do realize that we're in the maintenance forum and therefore most of us are not trying to lose weight anymore, don't you? We're trying to learn how to have a life without gaining the weight back. Taking the occasional break isn't necessarily for the purposes of creating a "cheat" day. Maybe people are trying to learn how to do this without tracking. Maybe they've learned they can trust themselves for a couple days to eat mindfully and not go crazy. I've been in maintenance for 8 months. After the first 4 months, I decided I wasn't going to track at all until I reached the top of my range. After a couple weeks, I realized I missed knowing my macros and micronutrients. So, I started tracking again so I would know I was getting enough fiber, enough fat, enough iron... Just because I choose to take a day off on occasion doesn't mean the other 95% of the time that I do track is worthless.[/quote]

This^
and it's your birthday, if it would take away from the fun of celebrating don't track, or track breakfast and lunch and not dinner if you are going out. I was only on maintenance for 2 weeks before my birthday and I went out for dinner and ate and drank what I wanted. I tracked VERY carefully the rest of the week and there was NO change in my weight. My husbands birthday is exactly a week before mine, so that was 2 dinners out in 7 days, and no problem.

Jubee13

I can see that everyone has different opinions and experiences. What works for one may not work for another. I am going to sign in to MFP and track my exercise on my birthday (plan on going to Spin class in the morning because I love it!), then not track food for that day. I really like tracking my eating, but it's nice to know it's ok if I take a break now and then. I'll have to wait and see how hard it is to get back with it the next day, but I don't feel as though it will be difficult for me. It seems like a good balance. Reading about the experiences of others who have been at this longer than I have was very helpful.

nxd10

I always track, but some days I know that I'll go over. I just like to know how much. Come on, it's your birthday? Does that mean you can't track breakfast and lunch? Go out and party and the next day, try to remember what you ate. What's the big deal? You don't have to have the cell phone out and log at the bar.

Sabine_Stroehm

I always keep mental track. But I don't generally other wise track/log.

TitaniaEcks

If you're so concerned about it, why not just compensate by eating less the day before? A sort of "cabbage soup" day?

_whatsherface

I personally log everything. I'm always tracking. It reminds me how bad my habits used to be and it puts me in check to continue striving to better myself the next day. Plus, if for some reason I'm upset about a loss or a slight gain, I can look back and remember why.

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