Graduating from counting calories???

mikehardin62

Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »

AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »

Learn intuitive eating.

I stopped logging almost 2 years ago, and all went well.
"Intuitive eating"...I like that term!

When I first began this journey, logging my foods was key, and over time it just became natural. I can look at food and get a reasonable feel for it's calorie content and macro balance.

can't wait to get to that point, able just by look rather than count.

dopeysmelly

I stopped logging a few weeks ago and it's gone surprisingly well. Any issues I've had with overeating are due to stress-induced snacking, which is something logging doesn't help me with and which I still have to work on.

I guess like cwolfman I've learned to eat in a way which suits my lifestyle and my specific health goals, and so logging became almost pointless. I do weigh myself every day and log that using Happy Scale which tracks the trend.

Having said all that, logging when I moved into maintenance really helped me realize what my new meals/portions would look like and really helped when I had to make some changes to my diet to tackle high serum cholesterol. It's a great tool that's always there if and when you need it.

Pinnacle_IAO

mikehardin62 wrote: »

Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »

AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »

Learn intuitive eating.

I stopped logging almost 2 years ago, and all went well.
"Intuitive eating"...I like that term!

When I first began this journey, logging my foods was key, and over time it just became natural. I can look at food and get a reasonable feel for it's calorie content and macro balance.

can't wait to get to that point, able just by look rather than count.

One guy called it "Intuitive Eating"...

Train4Foodz

lithezebra wrote: »

I like Nutella too much to stop measuring and logging.

This is me all over!!!

I don't personally see calorie counting as a chore and it's helped me achieve the things I like. Why should I consider stopping?
I do have the ocassional day that I don't.. and some people choose to have days, weeks or months of not doing before they continue with counting.

My view is this, you have to live life how you see best. Ignoring the calories that I was eating and drinking got me to a place I didn't want to be.. Personally I'm happy to continue counting calories and stay on a track alongside having a figure I'm happy with.

Each to their own

aarar

I personally don't ever see myself 'graduating from counting calories'. As of next month it will be 3 years since I started and at this point it's just routine.

Even after 2 years of maintenance, logging food and keeping an eye on my calories is sometimes all I have to bring me back when my eating completely falls off track. As a former binge eater it's still too easy for me to bury my head in the sand for weeks/months and ignore the massive quantities of food I'm capable of eating.

DonM46

Maintaining for almost 4 years.
Stop logging? No, it's not a big deal.
But, I'm not a fanatic.
I use lots of estimates rather than measuring and weighing everything.
After this long, I can judge pretty well.
I realize I'll be heavy on some; light on some.
It will average out.
However, if the food is something new, something from a Mom & Pop restaurant, something I have no clue about, etc....I'll try to go overboard on conservatism.
And, I watch the scale very closely for trends.

csuhar

You'll probably just find whatever suits your lifestyle. If keeping weight off is your goal, then you could easily get by with abandoning counting unless your weight starts to creep up to a limit you've established as a point where you'll start counting to get it back down, again.

If you find a new focus, such as athletic performance of some kind, you may find your interest in counting reinvigorated.

Or you could adopt a new kind of counting. I've "counted" in various forms for about ten years, but it hasn't always been a weigh-your-portions level of detail. But I know that I'm too much of a foodie to completely abandon some form of counting. As long as MFP's around, I can see myself still logging something, just not necessarily everything, especially because, if I find recipes that I like, I'll add them here so all I'm doing is logging a portion, which isn't as much of a headache as trying to log it by ingredients.

Lextmg86

I have definitely eased back in counting after hitting my goal weight. After a while you really can eye most serving sizes after so much experience and repetitive measuring.

Patttience

One thing i do to avoid counting calories is just keep a food diary. This keeps you focused. But you will probably tire of that too.

then you need to be able to learn to eat to satiety, not until you are full.

Next you need to keep eating to a schedule of healthy regular meals with no snacking. I found that when i stopped keeping my food diary, i tended to slip into snacking. It is essential to avoid that. If you are hungry, fine, eat something but don't just eat because you feel like something.

paperpudding

I don't think it is essential to avoid snacking.

It is essential to stay within your maitenance calorie amount - but whether you do this by regular meals and no snacking or otherwise is not crucial.

GaleHawkins

Some use a GPS when they are making the same trip for the 22nd time and others graduate from using a GPS on that same trip. It is when the conditions ahead change or you get to talking and miss a turn that using a GPS can save the day. I still weigh each morning and log that number so I know to do a few calorie counts to see why the scales are moving in maintenance.

I find a +/- 2 pound range is normal for me. If trying to maintain at 198 then I have no concerns as long as the scales report 196-200 pounds each morning.

charmmeth

I have learned a lot about what reasonable portion sizes are, so I don't conssistetly log any more, but I do weigh my food when I am preparing it.

dmt4641

I've tried intuitive eating and no tracking but the lbs come back slowly. I will continue logging for a long while until I feel more comfortable that old bad habits won't creep back and I am better at guesstimating.

But long term, my plan is to be able to eat mostly intuitively but still use calorie counting to find out calorie counts of new recipes and to lose weight if a few lbs creep back up.

GBO323

I'm celebrating my first year of Maintenance...and will say my "Intuitive Eating" sensor is broken. I tried it off and on yet couldn't find that right balance. Since counting calories worked for me, it will continue. No reason not to since it's a habit now. For those that stop counting calories, I do encourage the weekly/monthly weigh in. I've seen so many people surprised at a 40 pound weight gain since they last stepped on a scale....or saw a picture of themselves. I won't ever be surprised like that.

Calories is easy...with MFP and web/phone/tablet entry...no reason not to track it....for me.