Is Calorie Counting the real reason for maintaining weight loss?
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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.0
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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!0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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"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.0 -
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.0
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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...0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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
People do metabolize food differently. Much of the process is not understood. For two people who scrupulously tracked type of food intake, calories, and exercise, differences might emerge over time. What matters is that you do what you need to do to lose weight or maintain.0 -
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.
Maybe someone has a couple links. If not I'll see if I can dig them out tonight. It is scientifically validated with a statistically significant sample size. It's great for you that your experience is different from the norm.
ETA: The lower calorie requirement was observed for people who had lost significant weight (>50 lb, maybe?) vs. people who simply "dieted before."0 -
I've maintained for over 2.5 years without logging or tracking. In the process of losing weight I kept a diary which was beneficial in that it showed me what a balanced diet looked like and it taught me how to eat appropriately to my goals...I always looked at it as a teaching tool...once I learned what I needed to do, there was no need to keep logging. Basically like anything you learn...really, you shouldn't have to keep going back to the text book for every little thing once you've learned the material.0
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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.
Maybe someone has a couple links. If not I'll see if I can dig them out tonight. It is scientifically validated with a statistically significant sample size. It's great for you that your experience is different from the norm.
ETA: The lower calorie requirement was observed for people who had lost significant weight (>50 lb, maybe?) vs. people who simply "dieted before."
Oh thanks. I think this might explain the difference for me. I was thin up until about 8 years ago when a loved one became very sick. Due to frequent trips to doctors offices and hospitals we ate out a lot, and I didn't have time for my normal exercise that I was doing. Gained 26 pounds with 4 years. Long story short, after losing my loved one, I went back to WW as I had done after the birth of my 2 children. It only took about 3 months to lose the weight and then I lost more. I decided to come here to maintain as I like the support more. Maybe the fact that was normally thin before and didn't have much to lose is why I can eat more calories now and still maintain. Either way, I still eat out, but not as often, and I am more aware of the food choices that I make now, so maybe taking a break from counting will be a good trial run.
Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's nice to hear what others point of views are on this topic.
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I also eat what I log, instead of logging what I eat. I plan out a day ahead, including wine and chocolate. I need that mindful planning to maintain the healthy weight I've worked so hard to attain !!0
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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. I made a habit of checking my weight every two weeks and keeping a mind to how my clothes were fitting for several months when I wasn't tracking. I wouldn't be able to not calorie count AND not do those things -- I'd certainly regain. But overall, I also stayed in my weight range. (I wasn't yet at goal, just didn't track for a while.)0 -
reminds me of keeping up with my money, I am not rich so I have to keep up with it and cut back at times. Weight is the same way. Have to be cautious with both.0
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Well. I stopped logging for about 4 months, and in that time put on 20lbs. I didn't think I was consuming "that much" over my maintenance level - and it took 20lbs before my clothes started getting uncomfortable - I wasn't expecting to lose weight while I wasn't actively counting, but I really was surprised that I picked up 20 lbs before I started to really notice. I felt bloated here or there but thought it was from not drinking enough water.
To be fair, I really upped my wine intake more than my food intake during that time. Sometimes I had 4 glasses a night....way too many nights. LOL. But I was still riding my bike and walking, and I really thought I was "taking a break" from the "losing" and "maintaining" for a bit. Let's just say I have put a stop to that mindset....
And with that in mind - no, I am never going to stop calorie counting. I may not log everything I eat every day but you bet I'm going to tally in my head, and I'm not going to wait till my clothes feel "tight" again - no matter what I will weigh myself at the very least, 1x a month....probably 1x a week. I do NOT want to keep this up and down crap going on the rest of my life. I want to be at my goal weight before 2016 is out - and I want to stay there or within 10 lbs of it - for the rest of my life. I have wasted 15-16 years of my life being obese - I can't do it anymore.0 -
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.
They explained it as two people the same exact age, weight and sex. The difference was one of them had dieted in the past and one did not ever diet. They had two different calorie needs for each day. It's a good documentary if you ever get the chance to check it out. Even with being active you still have a particular base calorie need in order to maintain your current weight. You just eat back your exercise calories so that you don't lose but maintain.0 -
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
People do metabolize food differently. Much of the process is not understood. For two people who scrupulously tracked type of food intake, calories, and exercise, differences might emerge over time. What matters is that you do what you need to do to lose weight or maintain.
Well put!0
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