I feel compelled to log everything. Does anyone have "logging fatigue"?

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  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
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    I've been maintaining for a little over a year and I purposely take a day off every once in a while to break my streak. In the beginning I took weekends off, but then I decided those were the days I was more likely to eat unusual things, so now I take a random day off during the week. Interestingly, I just went on vacation for two weeks in a situation (very remote area, food prepared for me, no wi-fi) where I had little control and couldn't work out and wasn't even moving as much as I do in my everyday life. I tried to pay attention to hunger and eat in response to it. I came back and went to the gym a couple of days later (I don't have a scale at home) and weighed the exact same amount, to the decimal point, that I did the day before I left. So I know the logging is a crutch and a habit, but it seems like a fairly benign one, and I'm not nearly as fussy about accuracy as I used to be (don't weigh food much anymore). I imagine eventually I'll stop for longer and longer periods.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I've logged for 3 years or so. I sometimes (rarely) get sick of logging and decide to take a break, but honestly I dont enjoy not logging when Im at home and I'm able to. I like the control and see no reason not to. On vacation or w/e I dont log, but I still make reasonable choices and I know how to maintain without logging really without a problem. Logging just lets me make sure I get in my nutrients and keep my protein up
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
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    Only time I don't "officially" log is on vacation. At end of day I do a mental calculation and have a "food" I can put in various calorie amounts for.
  • PamOliva
    PamOliva Posts: 101 Member
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    DrEnalg wrote: »
    The only question is - how long do I keep this up? I confess, I'm feeling a little bit of "counting fatigue" just starting to creep in.

    Can anyone relate?

    I have a feeling you already know what to do and eat in a way that you are very familiar with. I understand giving up the "crutch." Maybe start by not logging just one meal a day (say breakfast) and when ready move on from there. Just an idea.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    4 months after I started here, I stopped logging for one month. I was taking a diet and logging break because I had reached my first goal, and I was on holiday.

    5 months later (mid-December) I stopped logging again, and haven't resumed. I'm on another diet and logging break. I do plan to resume next week.

    I just can't log forever. I'm surprised I've done it this long. In the past, I've logged for 3 weeks and then stopped logging and just continued to lose a couple more kg or whatever I needed to do on my own. This time, I decided to get down to a weight I haven't seen since about 2002 (and I'm really close now) so I decided to stick with the logging. Plus this site is pretty easy to use.

    All that said, when I do go onto a diet break, I do have trouble the first day or two not logging.

    I remember standing in my mother's kitchen with a container of yogurt in one hand and a bowl in the other and actually, thought, "Where's the scale? How can I eat yogurt without the scale? But I got over that right quick. :grin:
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    I have been logging for over two years now, close to day 750 at present. For me it is just a habit now. I log everything even when I go over and during holidays. The first because lying to myself about what I got me here in the first place, so not going to lie to me anymore. I ate it I own it. I log during holidays because well yes I am away and all but my metabolism is not on a holiday so needs to be looked after.
    Last but not least I want to get to 1000 days of logging. I simply have made my daily streak a goal.
  • klove808
    klove808 Posts: 346 Member
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    I've felt like other things are more important for the last few days and didn't log. Thought I'd be cool with it .... I
    Went and backtracked n added today, just couldn't handle.
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
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    i LOVE longing. I work in the wilderness a lot and when I'm gone, I miss it, but I still log manually. That being said, there are times in life where I've gotten burnt out on certain things - I took a training/diet break last month, and it was a real motivator. Maybe a logging break? I would think it better to just totally take a break, then to get accustomed to logging lazily, log it right or don't log at all. but thats just my two cents.
  • dlmciver
    dlmciver Posts: 149 Member
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    I log faithfully, because it works for me and keeps me mindful. I figure I'm more tired of regaining than I could ever be logging !!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I only like the number of days logged in, going up everyday. It makes it look like I have been here three hundred x number of days and still have achieved nothing...LOL

    For real, I log still, I guess I still dont trust my self, because the holidays really did send me some unwanted gifts due to not logging or guestimating which is a NO NO!!!!!! LOL

    BTW, I now log everything, even my stupid vitamins, they have calories, and now I keep up with the fats better... those pads of butter or tsp of oil are huge..
  • joey4014
    joey4014 Posts: 159 Member
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    That's not a bad thing: it's the best way to be accountable. I log mine in the morning for the day and do my best to follow it. Logging backwards doesn't work for me.
  • robingmurphy
    robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
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    I've come to love logging and I'm committed to doing it for the rest of my life because when I stop, I gain weight. Having said that, if you're not loving it right now, try taking a break and monitoring your weight. If you gain a little weight, start logging agin.
  • Ibeachlover
    Ibeachlover Posts: 66 Member
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    I hate logging anything...even making a grocery list. However, I find myself compelled to keep up my food log now as I want to truly figure out what I'm doing and to make some eating adjustments. Actually, I don't weigh stuff ...I just try to be reasonable or overestimate to be conservative. I definitely don't log the weight lifting as it serves no purpose really, and I have it in my head. I do log the aerobic activity as it gives me more "eats" lol. Never know how long I'll go but having this site, and sharing with some friends keeps me motivated.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I hit my goal and I still log. I think if I didn't, I'd end up slipping back into eating too much again. Now, my logging isn't nearly as strict as it was! But just the act of putting down what I've eaten helps me gauge where I am in the day as I go along as I tend to underestimate in my head what I've eaten (which is why i tend to eat too much and gained the weight in the first place!). Hopefully, I'll eventually reach the point where I don't need to log anymore, but until then, I keep logging. Even if it is a pain sometimes!
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    I logged one.......ONE....UNO.....olive vegan chip I ate the other day.....
  • klkarlen
    klkarlen Posts: 4,366 Member
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    dutchandkiwi wrote: »
    I have been logging for over two years now, close to day 750 at present. For me it is just a habit now. I log everything even when I go over and during holidays. The first because lying to myself about what I got me here in the first place, so not going to lie to me anymore. I ate it I own it. I log during holidays because well yes I am away and all but my metabolism is not on a holiday so needs to be looked after.
    Last but not least I want to get to 1000 days of logging. I simply have made my daily streak a goal.

    Pretty much the same here. Today is 735. Logging keeps me honest with myself.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I've been maintaining for going on three years this spring and haven't logged a thing. Here's the thing, you know from logging what is appropriate for you...so it is irrational to think you will gain weight if you keep up with what is appropriate for you both in regards to food and exercise.

    I'm still very mindful of what I'm doing and I've maintained the healthy habits I developed while losing and have had no issue. I weigh in regularly and keep an eye on the trend...if I notice that it's creeping up, I simply take a look at what I'm doing and cut back a little or increase exercise a little or both.

    I plan to live a good 40-50 years longer and realistically, there's no way in hell I was going to log forever...so I made up my mind to just go with what I know and keep up with the good livin'...so far, no biggie.
  • Miss_Mabee
    Miss_Mabee Posts: 119 Member
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    I know how you feel. I've been on here for years and noticed that I felt the NEED to log. I just had to know and make sure I was doing alright. For me it started to get a little out of hand. I stopped listening to my body cues about how full I was and instead would pay attention to what my calorie counts were.

    I decided to take a break from tracking and just eat the way I had taught myself over the years of tracking. I actually started to lose weight! Not what I expected. Anyways, I felt the rush was on to lose weight so I am now tracking again. Its like I've relapsed lol!!

    When I stopped tracking I also found that I was willing to eat different foods. Years of tracking lead me to eating simple, easy-to-log foods which didn't matter anymore. Does anyone else notice that they use less ingredients when cooking to avoid a ridiculous amount of logging? :tongue:
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I've been maintaining for going on three years this spring and haven't logged a thing. Here's the thing, you know from logging what is appropriate for you...so it is irrational to think you will gain weight if you keep up with what is appropriate for you both in regards to food and exercise.

    I'm still very mindful of what I'm doing and I've maintained the healthy habits I developed while losing and have had no issue. I weigh in regularly and keep an eye on the trend...if I notice that it's creeping up, I simply take a look at what I'm doing and cut back a little or increase exercise a little or both.

    I plan to live a good 40-50 years longer and realistically, there's no way in hell I was going to log forever...so I made up my mind to just go with what I know and keep up with the good livin'...so far, no biggie.

    This will be my approach too.

    Up till about 4 years ago, I maintained my weight by eating a reasonable diet and exercising lots. If I happened to start gaining a bit of weight, I cut back on the food intake or increased the exercise. If I wasn't paying attention for a little while and gained a bit more weight than I wanted, I'd use a program like MFP to log for 3 weeks to get myself back on track.

    About 4 years ago, my husband and I went into high speed with preparations for an 8-month round the world trip, and then took the trip. So I really wasn't paying attention to my weight for a little over a year. I didn't have a scale most of that time. I exercised quite a bit, but I more-or-less ate my way around the world. :grin: Then we spent a couple years moving, changing jobs, and getting settled and my exercise dropped off and we weren't paying any attention to what we ate, and it got to the point where I really had to do something about it. Which is why I spent 2015 on MFP losing all that weight. :)

    I'm nearing maintenance ... just debating exactly where that will start ... but when it does, my plan is to keep logging for a little while to get myself settled in maintenance. Then I plan to resume my previous approach where I eat a reasonable diet, exercise, weigh myself regularly, and make adjustments as necessary. And if things start to get a little bit out of hand, I could see myself returning here and logging for a few weeks to get back on track. :)



  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
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    Recording weight is not much work, and that's what most people are trying to control. If weight goes up then take corrective action. If weight goes down then take corrective action or do nothing.

    If you've learned your weight response to the macros and calories in your food then you don't need to log the food to control the weight.

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