How does everyone get in the habit to log everything

FullofTrixie

I am newish here. I joined a while ago but i just can not get in the habit of logging everything.
Does anyone have any suggestions how to make this a habit?
I really need to loose about 40lb and would like a good jump on it by summer.
I am 5'7' 175 and I guess I should be eating 1200. but that does not matter I guess since I can't remember to log never had a problem remembering to eat@!!!!!!

TheVirgoddess

I just viewed it as necessary - as in, not an option. Like brushing my teeth.

Tubbs216

You have to make it a habit. Try logging before you eat.

kristen6350

Yep, kinda like brushing your teeth. Habits take 21-27 days to form. Just keep it up...

StaciMarie1974

It can take a little effort - but make yourself get into the habit of thinking about your calories as a budget. Plan your meals rather than mindlessly eating. If you have a smart phone, that does make logging easier. If you have limited access to a computer (and no smart phone) then carry a small notebook, keep good notes, and update your 'log' at night or whenever is easiest for you to sit down and do it.

But ultimately its a matter of wanting it enough, and doing what you need to do.

FullofTrixie

ok think I will start tomorrow. lol how many times have I said that.
I have a friend that uses this site and she is on it all day. I would take a little of her obsession

Tubbs216

FullofTrixie wrote: »

ok think I will start tomorrow. lol how many times have I said that.
I have a friend that uses this site and she is on it all day. I would take a little of her obsession

Start today!

cavia

I was tired of being 190lbs so I just did it. Now it's second nature.

TheVirgoddess

Tubbs216 wrote: »

FullofTrixie wrote: »

ok think I will start tomorrow. lol how many times have I said that.
I have a friend that uses this site and she is on it all day. I would take a little of her obsession

Start today!

+1

BWBTrish

Every evening i take a couple minutes of time ( after dinner) to pre-plan the next day. Clockwork!

sullus

By doing it .. until it becomes a habit?

bluworld

I log my day in the am while my teenies eat breakfast ( takes them a good half hour to eat a bowl of oatmeal). I edit as I eat lunch, supper, and before sleep.

erockem

Every time my browser opens, 3 tabs start. FB, MFP, and Fitbit. Just kinda always in my face.

animalldy

Pre-log the night before and eat leftovers so you can copy meals. I also always eat the same breakfast so it makes things easy! I second @erockem and also always have MPF up at work so I can update as needed.

SezxyStef

I just do..it takes maybe 15mins on a sunday to plan my week (as far as eating goes) and it helps me lose/maintain so why wouldn't I do it.

jemhh

I don't know, I just do it.

Do you carry a phone with you? You could set reminder alarms.

joolsmd

Tubbs216 wrote: »

FullofTrixie wrote: »

ok think I will start tomorrow. lol how many times have I said that.
I have a friend that uses this site and she is on it all day. I would take a little of her obsession

Start today!

Start now!

Like exercise, it will soon become habit.

Ang108

FullofTrixie wrote: »

I am newish here. I joined a while ago but i just can not get in the habit of logging everything.
Does anyone have any suggestions how to make this a habit?
I really need to loose about 40lb and would like a good jump on it by summer.
I am 5'7' 175 and I guess I should be eating 1200. but that does not matter I guess since I can't remember to log never had a problem remembering to eat@!!!!!!

When I started here two years ago I just did it, because I figured that for myself counting calories and not keeping track of them made no sense.
Until last week I did not log food for three weeks, because I had a heart attack on the 25th of March and was delivered food from the hospital, because I was too fatigued to cook for myself and really felt like I was not doing my job. Even though the hospital counted calories for me, now that I returned since Monday to cooking and logging I feel much better and normal.
I usually pre-log in the morning and never felt like not wanting to do it, because I figure it is a commitment I made to change MY life and not anyone else's.
Good Luck !

lovematthewchristopher

At the beginning, i just treated it like a game. I wasn't allowed to eat until i logged it on my computer. It also made me aware of the calories i was about to consume( this way you can change your mind before consuming). I find it easier to do it this way (because sometimes things have more calories than you originally thought, so you can revamp and change it up for something else, before it even touches your lips). Before long my daily game became habit, and i was logging on a few times a day. Started in November 2014 and i am already down 55 pounds. Good luck!

FullofTrixie

Ok I will try to remember what I ate but I will not have weights of the foods that is why I said tomorrow. My friend told me to get a scale. Funny we are not friends on here I guess it is to personal. I will try to pre plan. I bring lunch to work so that should be easy and breakfast is a protein bar and coffee. maybe this will not be so hard if I get it in my mind that it just has to be done.

FullofTrixie

jemhh wrote: »

I don't know, I just do it.

Do you carry a phone with you? You could set reminder alarms.

I do have a phone I just downloaded the app. That will be a big help if I figure it out.

BicepsAndBows

I log everything BEFORE I eat it. It works perfectly because then I never have an "excuse" for going over on calories since I can add it all up before it goes in my mouth, and since I always log before I eat, no logging=no eating lol.

rontafoya

Why go through the trouble and suffering of cutting out foods, lowering calories, and exercising if you do not have a plan, and you are not tracking your progress? How will you know what is working, and what is not? Said differently, tracking is less trouble than eliminating your favorite foods only to discover later (the hard way) that wasn't even the issue--how would you know unless you are tracking? For me, I discovered a diet high in saturated fat and low to moderate carbs is good for me, along with weightlifting instead of cardio. I discovered this by tracking and experimenting. I eat bacon, I lose weight--I eat grains, I gain. Gotta track what you are doing.

akdetweiler

Take some time and get organized. Get all the foods that you like to eat regularly into your "My Foods" tab. Plus after about a week of regular logging, everything is right there, and it is so easy to just check things off and add them to your log. It literally takes me 10 seconds to add my breakfast each morning. Also, if you use a smartphone for logging, the scan option really makes inputting new foods easy. Its an obsession for me, but thats what I needed for success.

Ready2Rock206

If you really want to lose weight you'll put in the work it takes, including logging. If logging is so much of a hassle then you're probably not ready. I have the app on my phone - I always have my phone with me - no excuses to just open the app and log it. It does get easier with time too. In the beginning there will be a bit of a learning curve, but once you get in the groove it is easy peasy and takes just a moment to log your foods.

juggernaut1974

Nike says it best

Kimberly_Harper

Its kind of like a game to me. I'm trying to hit all these numbers so plugging in what I eat and planning to eat the next meal in order to make the numbers work so at the end of the day I can see that I won! lol (sometimes I don't win)

DawnieB1977

You just get used to it, and if you're like me you tend to eat a lot of the same things, so once you've logged them, it's easy to log them again. I've logged on over 1000 consecutive days now. I have the odd day here and there that I don't log, but that's rare.

dubird

I bribe myself. For every 30 days I log, I get to go out to a steak dinner. Small steak at Roadhouse, but they're quite tasty and steak is actually a comfort food for me, so it feels like a reward when I do that and won't sabotage my day.

NH_1970

I log as I cook on days off from work or in the evenings, and I use a PC and an app to log foods. I use a measuring cups, or read the package on serving sizes and back those up with a measuring utensil, I bought an inexpensive digital scale to weigh things out, I also have a decent set of measuring spoons. With small things like grapes I count them out.

I sometimes check on here to see what a serving size/calories it has before having foods when I'm planning a meal.

Also once you get practice at it, you'll understand it more. Then if you figure out that it actually works and you lose your first 5 lbs you may start to enjoy that reward of losing weight because you logged everything and were dedicated to yourself.

Also you can see your trends/patterns with food & water, I log everything now even if I go over and also I log water intake because that helps me a lot. I notice when I have PMS I crave more carbs. I notice that when I don't drink water I don't lose weight as much.

I also make sure I log everything from my day before I go to sleep. I also sometimes put reminder notes in front of my computer or in a specific spot in my purse, so I know what to log if I get busy during the day, so I do it before I go to sleep.

DearestWinter

I log before I eat, often as soon as I decide what I want to eat before I start preparing it. (Then I may adjust portion size later.) It's become a habit. If I tried to log at the end of the day then I would likely have trouble.