Is Calorie Counting the real reason for maintaining weight loss?

FitPhillygirl

Or can everyone maintain lost weight without ever tracking food again? After reading some very good articles recently about why calorie counting isn't necessary, I have decided to give up calorie counting for the whole month of December and see if this is true or not. Thanks to Weightwatchers and MFP, I haven't gained any weight back that I lost for a few years now. I've tried to stop tracking in the past but always ended up losing weight. I believe this was due to actually not eating enough out of fear that I would end up gaining weight because I wasn't calorie counting. So in the end I went right back to calorie counting again. However, this time will hopefully be different and I will eat enough so I don't lose weight and never have to Track again.

For all those who are maintaining. Have you given up Tracking for good or just on a trial basis? Were you still able to maintain without tracking? Thanks for sharing your experiences.


Eileen

dn0pes

I have always assumed I'd be counting calories until I no longer cared.

riffraff2112

I stopped counting for a year and stayed within my 6 lb window. I still count occasionally when I am chasing a fitness goal, but I learned some pretty good habits that I think I will be able to maintain for life.

zdyb23456

Not me. Even If I get lax in counting I find the weight creeps up.

I've been a lifelong dieter long before mfp came along and I fear I'll be counting calories for the rest of my life. I just like food too much and have a hard time limiting myself to small portions when I'm not counting calories.

rankinsect

Eileen_S wrote: »

Or can everyone maintain lost weight without ever tracking food again? After reading some very good articles recently about why calorie counting isn't necessary, I have decided to give up calorie counting for the whole month of December and see if this is true or not. Thanks to Weightwatchers and MFP, I haven't gained any weight back that I lost for a few years now. I've tried to stop tracking in the past but always ended up losing weight. I believe this was due to actually not eating enough out of fear that I would end up gaining weight because I wasn't calorie counting. So in the end I went right back to calorie counting again. However, this time will hopefully be different and I will eat enough so I don't lose weight and never have to Track again.

For all those who are maintaining. Have you given up Tracking for good or just on a trial basis? Were you still able to maintain without tracking? Thanks for sharing your experiences.


Eileen

Can everyone maintain without calorie counting? No, clearly not.

Can some? Yes.

Will I? No. This is the last time I'm doing this, I'm not going to regain and go through this again. I know what works (calorie counting), I know it's very easy to incorporate into my life, so why would I experiment and jeopardize what I am working so hard for?

Even if I could learn how to manage my eating in the absence of calorie counting, I don't see a need to.

FitPhillygirl

riffraff2112 wrote: »

I stopped counting for a year and stayed within my 6 lb window. I still count occasionally when I am chasing a fitness goal, but I learned some pretty good habits that I think I will be able to maintain for life.

This is a good idea. Maybe if I set a weight window, I won't be so worried about gaining because of not Tracking.

nxd10

Since logging in MFP almost never stops me from eating things I was going to anyway, and I'm always under, I am pretty sure I could maintain without logging. (I've been maintaining 4 years.) But it's a habit and it helps keep me mindful. And I still learn things are more or fewer calories than I thought.

Strikes me that December is the worst time not to log though. Too many oddball things to eat. January is a more stable month. Why not start then?

Mentiri

I'm 4 pounds from my goal now, and looking forward to tracking in maintenance. Like a poster above, I don't ever want to have to lose 98 pounds again! And I actually like tracking my food and exercise, balancing my nutritional needs against my appetite and love of cooking and eating. Continuing to do so will not be a burden.

bacs

I had lost 55 lbs with tracking. Stopped and did well for a while. you develop a good sense of portion size and control. Unfortunately not tracking made it too easy to lie to myself and put 32 lbs back on. I do think it's possible to maintain without tracking as long as you stay conscious of the food choices you're making.

rankinsect

nxd10 wrote: »

Since logging in MFP almost never stops me from eating things I was going to anyway, and I'm always under, I am pretty sure I could maintain without logging.

I do the reverse - I don't log what I eat, I eat what I log. I use MFP as a way to plan my next day's meals out and then I just eat what I planned. So in that sense, I have no idea what I would otherwise be eating - MFP is my meal planner.

xmichaelyx

I usually track for awhile around February when I start cutting, and again in October when I start bulking, just to be sure I'm on the right track.

But it's pretty easy for me because I eat pretty much the same things every weekday.

sijomial

I've found I can maintain without food logging much the same that I maintained my weight when I was fat, just had an intervention weight that I won't stay above.

But I find it hard to lose weight without tracking as I like my food too much.

So after a case of "all-inclusive-holiday-itis" (symptoms: inability to just have one breakfast, raging thirst, skin discolouration....) I've returned to food tracking but in a fairly relaxed way.

Calorie counting / food tracking is just one tool. Same as skipping breakfast is a tool, or intermittent fasting which makes it easier for me to adhere to a deficit.

FitPhillygirl

nxd10 wrote: »

Since logging in MFP almost never stops me from eating things I was going to anyway, and I'm always under, I am pretty sure I could maintain without logging. (I've been maintaining 4 years.) But it's a habit and it helps keep me mindful. And I still learn things are more or fewer calories than I thought.

Strikes me that December is the worst time not to log though. Too many oddball things to eat. January is a more stable month. Why not start then?

I have Celiacs disease so I can't eat most of the high calorie foods that tend to be the cause of holiday weight gain. I plan on continuing to weigh in one a week, so I can make adjustments early if need be. Congrats on maintaining for 4 years. I'll be at that myself in 2 months.

Sued0nim

rankinsect wrote: »

Eileen_S wrote: »

Or can everyone maintain lost weight without ever tracking food again? After reading some very good articles recently about why calorie counting isn't necessary, I have decided to give up calorie counting for the whole month of December and see if this is true or not. Thanks to Weightwatchers and MFP, I haven't gained any weight back that I lost for a few years now. I've tried to stop tracking in the past but always ended up losing weight. I believe this was due to actually not eating enough out of fear that I would end up gaining weight because I wasn't calorie counting. So in the end I went right back to calorie counting again. However, this time will hopefully be different and I will eat enough so I don't lose weight and never have to Track again.

For all those who are maintaining. Have you given up Tracking for good or just on a trial basis? Were you still able to maintain without tracking? Thanks for sharing your experiences.


Eileen

Can everyone maintain without calorie counting? No, clearly not.

Can some? Yes.

Will I? No. This is the last time I'm doing this, I'm not going to regain and go through this again. I know what works (calorie counting), I know it's very easy to incorporate into my life, so why would I experiment and jeopardize what I am working so hard for?

Even if I could learn how to manage my eating in the absence of calorie counting, I don't see a need to.

I think I feel like this

Although it would be good to throw caution to the wind and just stop - I don't find it onerous at all

annette_15

I can maintain without counting, but i dont like to, because I need to plan and know how many calories I can have for dessert every night lol

ExRelaySprinter

I've not logged for 2 months, and i've stayed the same weight!
I do still weigh certain foods though (like Rice, Pasta, Cheese and Cereal) and i'm still eating the foods i normally eat (not a particularly clean eater either).
But i know that if for instance i've had a big meal at a Restaurant w/alcohol - i know for the next few days to cut back a bit or do a bit more exercise.
So far, it's working!

LivingtheLeanDream

For me to lose the weight it definately took calorie counting...even 2 years into maintenance I log most days, mostly out of habit.

Could I maintain without doing so?...well I actually think I could, but thats more because I know the calories in food and make better choices, knowledge is power has always been my mantra

For now I'm going to keep on logging, more to make sure I'm actually eating enough and also it helps me keep an eye on my macros.

Each to their own.

msf74

No, the real reason for maintaining weight is maintaining a neutral energy balance over time (in other words calories in matches calorie out) in some form which calorie counting can help with.

If we look at the common areas where non tracking methods overlap with calorie counting we notice that certain things stand out: keeping portion size reasonable and consistent, being mindful and conscious of what you are eating and particularly in what quantities, keeping hunger and appetite in check.

It comes down to preference, the individual and what methods best suit their strengths, weaknesses and lifestyle.

pinkteapot3

I need to keep counting. I like chocolate and wine too much.

bioklutz

annette_15 wrote: »

I can maintain without counting, but i dont like to, because I need to plan and know how many calories I can have for dessert every night lol

This is why I like tracking! It is snacks & dessert for me. I want to know how many grams of ice cream/gelato or salty crunchy yummy stuff I can have. Or if I have room for a little bit of both

FitPhillygirl

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

For me to lose the weight it definately took calorie counting...even 2 years into maintenance I log most days, mostly out of habit.

Could I maintain without doing so?...well I actually think I could, but thats more because I know the calories in food and make better choices, knowledge is power has always been my mantra

For now I'm going to keep on logging, more to make sure I'm actually eating enough and also it helps me keep an eye on my macros.

Each to their own.

This is a great way of looking at it. I think the key word here for me is "habit". It's not that I actually needed to track anymore, but rather kept doing it just out of habit. This is one of the reasons I believe counting calories is no longer necessary. For me calorie counting has become a crutch. If anything, I think taking a month off will be a good way to break the habit so to speak.

pondee629

It takes 5 seconds (if that long) to log an ingredient into a recipe and another 3 seconds to log the finished recipe into your dairy. It takes a moment to log in the breakfast you ahve every day. After a while on this program, most of our common foods are easily found to be logged in. It isn't the time constraints that make logging difficult. We do keep our phones with us ALL the time, right? Is logging difficult? I always thought that this would be a part of my life until, as someone above said, I just don't care anymore.

WinoGelato

Could I? Probably. Will I? Probably not. I found the process of losing very simple (not always easy) once I understood my numbers as far as maintenance calories and how much of a deficit I needed to lose. I didn't use a food scale (I know, I know...) so the logging is not really cumbersome at all. I enjoy using the tools available to me (my FitBit and MFP) to keep things on track.

Plus as others have said, then I know how much wine and chocolate I can have!

FitPhillygirl

pondee629 wrote: »

It takes 5 seconds (if that long) to log an ingredient into a recipe and another 3 seconds to log the finished recipe into your dairy. It takes a moment to log in the breakfast you ahve every day. After a while on this program, most of our common foods are easily found to be logged in. It isn't the time constraints that make logging difficult. We do keep our phones with us ALL the time, right? Is logging difficult? I always thought that this would be a part of my life until, as someone above said, I just don't care anymore.

It's not so much that it's difficult, but rather. Is it necessary? Sure, it only takes a few minutes out of each day. Why bother if a person is capable of maintaining without tracking. Like Ruth mentioned, calorie counting has become a habit and it seems like this is why people continue to do it. It's not that they actually need to.

rileysowner

I think it really depends on the person. Personally, when I stopped counting calories, or probably more accurately, stopped recording what I ate, I put back on most of what I lost. Yes, there were other factors, knee injury that I had to wait more than a year for surgery to repair which limited my activity, stress due to work, and the like; but if during that time I had kept logging my food, even if only eyeballing measurements, I would have done a much better job maintaining. Add to that losing with a huge deficit, and as I said, much of the weight is back on. Others do just fine. You will have to see. The reality is whether you count them or not, it still comes down to CICO. If you can maintain without logging, good for you. Having learned from my past experience I figure I will be logging for the rest of my life.

pondee629

"It's not so much that it's difficult, but rather. Is it necessary?"

We all got here after being left to our own devices, and how did that work out? If you can maintain without logging, God Bless You. I suspect, after reading many, many stories of "maintenance" weight gain, that continuing to log would be the better approach. As we have established that it (logging) isn't that difficult or time consuming, why take the risk? Again, if you can maintain without logging, may the force be with you.

ahoy_m8

Yes. There are times, sometimes half a year at a time, that I ease up on logging (but not mindfulness). My weight always creeps up. When I hit the top of my 5-lb range, I tighten up logging & lose it. I have been maintaining this way for 30 years. My calorie counting is more accurate than it has ever been because the tools available now are so good, effortless to use.

Onesnap

I'm back to tracking this time around. Years ago when I reached my goal I did not log for a long time and gained it all back. One important thing to keep in mind is that your calorie needs are less than someone of the same height, age, weight, that has never dieted before (learned that on 'The Weight of the Nation). I thought I could maintain without logging but I really want to maintain this time around so onward I log...

aarar

Yes, I've been maintaining for 2+ years and still tracking my calories. I don't see that changing.

I'm definitely way more laid back about it than I was when I was losing. I've been doing it for 3 years now (1158 consecutive days) so I rarely use my food scale anymore; I can eyeball portion sizes pretty well. If I'm eating out I have a good idea of what the calories are in the food I'm eating, so I don't worry too much if the exact meal isn't in the MFP database. I just log something similar.

For me, if I don't track I'll slide back into my old ways. I'm very prone to binging, even after doing this day after day, so logging my food is the only thing that keeps me in check.

FitPhillygirl

Onesnap wrote: »

I'm back to tracking this time around. Years ago when I reached my goal I did not log for a long time and gained it all back. One important thing to keep in mind is that your calorie needs are less than someone of the same height, age, weight, that has never dieted before (learned that on 'The Weight of the Nation). I thought I could maintain without logging but I really want to maintain this time around so onward I log...

Why would my calories be less than someone who is the same height, age, and weight as myself? I disagree with this statement because I've actually maintained for almost 4 years eating more due to my high activity level. If I were to eat less at this point I'd be losing weight which is something I don't need to do.

Verdenal

It's possible to internalize one's caloric needs and to maintain by making adjustments when one's weight goes up. But many people, including myself, need to track calories if serious about losing or maintaining weight. It's simply too easy to underestimate calories in food. I don't track every day, but if I'm actively trying to lose weight, I weigh and record everything.

Some people don't want to record their food or weigh themselves. Ignorance is not bliss.