I feel compelled to log everything. Does anyone have "logging fatigue"?
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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.0
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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.0
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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.0
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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!0
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I logged one.......ONE....UNO.....olive vegan chip I ate the other day.....0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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?
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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.
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.
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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.0 -
I quit logging for 3 years and here I am again many pounds heavier than when I quit. I hope I can stick with this time...I'm too damn old to keep doing the yo yo dance.0
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Logging is the only thing that helps me self-regulate, so I plan to do it long-term. I pre-log and then do a quick check through at the end of the day to clean up the info (add what else I ate and remove what I didn't), so I've cut down the time I spend doing it to a minimum.
But more than even self-regulation, I think that for me it's a healthy habit because if I pre-log, I stay aware when I stray from the planned food intake and try to minimize it, which I wouldn't otherwise.
Me too 0 -
I hate it also but I hate being fat more so I log, such an inconvenience, those dirn skinny people don't have to do it!but it is what it is0
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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.
Same here. I don't understand people logging after they've eaten it. I'd imagine they'd get a few nasty surprises doing it that way..0 -
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.
Honestly... it really depends. Some people can get away without logging because they eat the same way most of the time, other can't. I'd say it's harder for women too as appetite can vary depending on the time of the month (mine surely does). And it's probably much easier to maintain without logging for very active people too. Guessing people who don't have much of a sweet tooth probably have an easier time too...
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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.
Honestly... it really depends. Some people can get away without logging because they eat the same way most of the time, other can't. I'd say it's harder for women too as appetite can vary depending on the time of the month (mine surely does). And it's probably much easier to maintain without logging for very active people too. Guessing people who don't have much of a sweet tooth probably have an easier time too...
It surely depends, I think so - I have come to some of the same revelations, while some of your arguments can be used for the opposite opinion. I have a greedy desire for sweets, but I don't eat it very often; it's much easier for me to control intake of ordinary food, and I feel I have a larger margin of error than I would have had if I had eaten sweets regularly, even if I could have just a moderate amount. I don't eat the same things every day, but I eat much in the same way from day to day, I really like that (no more mini-starvation-binge cycles). I have never noticed any difference in appetite or even mood through my cycle. I am sedentary, that means I don't have to adjust intake from exercise days to rest days.0 -
Interesting thread. Still losing so can't really contribute yet.0
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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.
Honestly... it really depends. Some people can get away without logging because they eat the same way most of the time, other can't. I'd say it's harder for women too as appetite can vary depending on the time of the month (mine surely does). And it's probably much easier to maintain without logging for very active people too. Guessing people who don't have much of a sweet tooth probably have an easier time too...
The same things or the same way? I don't eat the same things day in and day out, but I'm all about good livin' so my diet at large is very healthful...that's the key...there has to be a new "normal"...you can't go back to anything resembling the SAD and expect to maintain a healthy weight...the SAD isn't good livin' and maintaining a healthy weight is a bi-product of good livin'. IMO, people who really struggle do so because they fail to actually adopt a healthier lifestyle in general...which includes regular physical activity.
That's not to say I don't have indulgences...we have pizza night out every few weeks and we usually have weekly outings with the kids for which we may or may not have the healthiest of meals...but it's also only one meal. Last night I took the boys to see monster trucks and I ate a big fat hot dog and polished off their fake nachos...not healthy in the least, but it's pretty irrelevant to the way I live most of the time.0 -
I've been logging several years and I like it. There are times I get tired of it, but then I back off the forums and just keep plugging. Other times I am more into it.
At this point I could probably stop and maintain, but I find it a very useful tool and it takes about as much time as brushing my teeth.0 -
Yes but for me it's totally worth the inconvenience. When I'm too lazy I just do quick calories though.
I agree with Francis. I behave when I am more aware. When I do the quick calories I try to make sure to over rather than under estimate. Logging makes me feel in control in a part of my life where I had lost control for most of my years....0 -
I went through the same dilemma and here's my conclusion. Let's say you're at your goal weight and you stop logging. Now, let's say over the course of a month you end up gaining 3 pounds or so because you ended up eating more than you thought because of "eyeballing" your caloric intake. It's going to take 3 weeks of strict dieting in a caloric deficit and exercise to lose that 3 pounds. Would you rather do that or spend 10 minutes/day logging your food? Also, for long-term health reasons, I like to know what I'm putting in my body and make sure I'm getting the right nutrients. I reached my goal weight, stopped logging and gained ~30lbs. I think I'll be a lifetime logger.0
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I have logged my meals every day for over three years. I know I will start to regain if I don't. Totally worth it. I pre log except for the weekends.0
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Back in Dec 2013, I hit my goal weight and had lost about 35 pounds. After hitting my goal weight, I stopped logging. The weight slowly returned. I am now back to my previous weight. I have logged my food on and off for years, every time that I stop, I gain weight again. I am back to logging everything that I eat. From now on I am going to make a lifestyle change, that includes logging all the time, even after reaching my goal weight. It has become so easy to log food. I remember, back in college, writing down everything that I ate in a notebook and manually calculating the day's totals. Now that it is much easier, there is no reason not to keep track.0
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Omg yes logging fatigue is a real thing thank you for saying what I was thinking0
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Logging fits perfectly in my way of life so I doubt it will ever become a chore for me. I normally batch cook up lunches for the week and eat the same thing for 5 days at work.
We plan out our dinners for the whole week, so I know what I'm having each night and generally breakfast is the same on week days but a bit different on the weekend.
The phone app finds recent foods really quickly and it normally takes me 10 minutes of an evening, when I'm watching TV with the wife to prelog my whole next day.
I then know my "free" calories which I normally use on biscuits in the office, which again takes a few minutes to log.
I found it a lot harder at the start where I had to spend ages finding entries which matched the numbers on the packets of lentils or spagetti etc.
But now it's all in my history it's easy to find.0 -
I'm trying but I find logging tedious. I'm good for 3-4 days and then end up skipping a day.....0
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I've maintained a 35 pound weight loss for 3 years and logging is the best way for me. Like many, I have gained my usual 5 pounds over Christmas but with logging I will lose that (so easy to gain and so hard to lose). However, I log on my own excel chart using the weight watchers points as I only have to count to 26, so much easier than all those calories! I can copy paste a lot and it's very easy for me to "chart'. I also weigh in weekly with a group (not weight watchers, only did them for a year as too expensive for me.)
Charting and weighing in with a group - for me, seems the only way. Also I enjoy the charting of the fruits and veggies, keeps me aware as it is so easy to forget to eat as many as I should per day.0 -
I take notions, like currently I'm having a logging break, this is week 4 and I'm doing ok. I lack confidence in my ability to stop logging totally but hopefully over time that will come. I've been maintaining my goal range for almost 3 yrs.0
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I hit the logging fatigue very early on, and have stopped. While I do see the advantage of tracking, I just can't / don't want to spend the time doing it. For one, I think the exercise part, for me, is a waste of time as I have it all in my head and know what to do. Also, not sure the tool calculates calories spent correctly for aerobic exercise, too high..thoughts? As far as food logging, it is helpful, but again, I know what to do, and I personally don't find spending time logging as a tool to keep me in-line. I do find this site useful for getting information and inspiration from others...seeing what can be done.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »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.
Same here. I don't understand people logging after they've eaten it. I'd imagine they'd get a few nasty surprises doing it that way..
Yeah, sometimes there are, but it's easier for me to log as I go rather than pre-log. What if I logged a specific chicken dish, but my husband and I crave beef instead? I'd have to go in a change my entry and research what meals I could put together that would be the same calories, etc. It's much easier for me to have a calorie limit for a specific meal and go from there. If I go over, I go over. I learn what foods made me go over, log it, and move on. It doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to, but as long as those types of meals are infrequent, no harm done.Ibeachlover wrote: »I hit the logging fatigue very early on, and have stopped. While I do see the advantage of tracking, I just can't / don't want to spend the time doing it. For one, I think the exercise part, for me, is a waste of time as I have it all in my head and know what to do. Also, not sure the tool calculates calories spent correctly for aerobic exercise, too high..thoughts? As far as food logging, it is helpful, but again, I know what to do, and I personally don't find spending time logging as a tool to keep me in-line. I do find this site useful for getting information and inspiration from others...seeing what can be done.
General advice is not to use MFP for calculating calories burned from exercise because you're right, it's off. If you do, only eat back about half of what it says.
And if you know what to do and don't need to log, then don't. No one says you HAVE to log all your food to lose or maintain weight. It's just that for a lot of people, simply the act of logging what they eat, even if it's a guesstimate, helps them keep a better track of what they've done that day. I know I'll mentally under-estimate what I've eaten for the day if I don't note it down in some way, shape or form. Eventually, I'll hopefully get to a place where I don't' have to log, but for now, it's a simple and quick tool that keeps me on track.0
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