Do you still track daily?

stickkop

As I get closer to maintenance I am wondering how many of you continue to track your meals and exercise daily and for how long. I lost approximately 70-80 pounds almost 10 years ago. I have gained back and lost 20-25 a number of times over the last 5 years. I want to keep my weight more stable - I wonder if the only way to really do that is to track forever?

JustMissTracy

In maintenance, but only for the last two months or so. I still track both my food and my exercise, but I don't find it inconvenient at all...I actually enjoy seeing the numbers and knowing what's going on with my body and why. Not sure if I'd do it forever, but I can't see a reason to stop as it only helps.

Sued0nim

12 months still log everything

Gisel2015

In maintenance for almost 6 years and still logging most of the time. Although I don't log consistently when I am on vacation, eat out or at friend's house.

Eighteen months ago I got fed up with all the logging and the time that I was spending in this website and I canceled my account for 6 months; I kept my weigh steady and within my +2 lbs allowance. I still weighted all my food and kept an eye on portion control but I didn't write anything down. The only reason that I came back to MFP was because I wanted to track my macros better since I was hoping to do a recomp. I am now more relaxed with my logging (see first sentence), and I reduced my involvement in the forums. My weight is still the same.

I had less than 10 lbs to lose when I joined MFP for the first time. I am not a foodie or a big eater because I am a small and older person, I eat healthy, I don't binge or have trigger foods, and I like to exercise so I don't know if all of that has something to do with being able to keep the weight down and under control even without logging all the time.

You need to do what is best for you. If you are tired of weighting and logging your food, skip that during the weekend but keep an eye on your portions, or log breakfast and lunch and don’t log your dinner. See how that works for you. Good luck.

annette_15

Yep, I've logged for almost 4 years

ald783

Not everyone needs to track daily, but I think I do better when I track most of the time. I'm OK not tracking now and then for holidays or certain occasions, but I prefer tracking as a way to keep an eye on what I'm eating. You need to figure out what works best for you- sometimes it takes some trial and error.

I've been tracking pretty much daily for over 7 years (on WW for the first 6ish years, then MFP for the last year). I'm not aiming for maintenance but I've been maintaining my current weight for the past 3.5 years. I don't mind tracking at this point and probably prefer it.

middlehaitch

I have been maintaining 6+ years.

I started maintenance by logging just as I had while losing.

After about 6 months I weened myself off logging by still weighing, but not entering food.

Once I had my portion sizes well eyeballed I stopped weighing my food.

Now I mostly just eat, and weigh my body every few weeks to check I am still within my 5 lbs range.

A couple of times a year I will track my logging just to reaffirm portion sizes, or establish a new NEAT or TDEE if my exercise routine has changed dramatically.

It really is an individual thing. I didn't have a lot to lose, and my food only needed a little tweaking to drop 1-.5 lbs a week.

Cheers, h.

jeepinshawn

Been maintaining for about 4 months, still weigh and log everything. I plan to continue as long as I feel the need too.

stickkop

I lost my weight on WW - tracked on and off for 10 years. For whatever reason I did not get into the habit of tracking WW while maintaining my weight. I am getting a little bored of WW. I wonder if anyone has tracked on both WW and MFP and whether one is easier that another.

middlehaitch

@stickkop there have been threads on the pos and cons of WW vs MFP. A search may give you the info you are looking for.

Cheers, h.

stickkop

@middlehaitch that was a great idea - thanks

5stringjeff

I find that I do better sticking to my nutrition goals when I log.

Dreysander

I don't log on Saturday. I log every other day though.

kommodevaran

I've been in maintenance for 16 months now, after losing around 45 pounds - this is the first time ever that I've had a stable (+/- 3 kilos) weight for that long. I continued tracking for about 9 months after I hit goal weight, so I've been "on my own" for just 7 months, but I'm hopeful this isn't just a fluke.

I believe tracking in here contributed to finding food peace at last. I've been working hard to learn to eat like a normal weight person, what foods in what quantities work for me, and I've settled on a four meal eating plan that allows for great variety inside a simple structure, which creates consistency. I still weigh foods that are easy to weigh (like rice, milk, nuts), but I think eating mostly "ordinary foods" that satisy me in appropriate amounts also provides a margin of error; eating candy every day, or "not knowing when to stop" would necessitate more caution. I plan my meals for easier shopping, more variety, and reduced waste; as I eat my way through the meal plan, it becomes a food log.

I weigh every morning and when I notice the numbers sliding upwards, I cut back on treats, and the weight settles again; I'm amazed how little it actually takes: Vigilance, determination, and a small, ongoing effort.

mk2fit

On maintenance since May, 15. Still logging every day and will for a while. Kind of ready to slow down...we shall see

PegMoffat

In maintenance for a year and still track every day. I don't mind doing it. I pre-track every morning, for the day, which really helps.

20yearsyounger

maintenance tor about 14 months. Still track daily to help make better food combination choices and balance my macros

cnbbnc

I'm only 2mos into maintenance and im still logging everything. I'm going to continue to do so because I'm doing a recomp now and still need to watch portions and macros.

Aside from that, I've always been good at losing weight but failed miserably at keeping it off. I'm hell bent on things being different this time so until I feel that I'm completely comfortable and trust myself enough I'll keep logging. I'd like to think one day I won't have to, but I don't know.

areallycoolstory

stickkop wrote: »

I lost my weight on WW - tracked on and off for 10 years. For whatever reason I did not get into the habit of tracking WW while maintaining my weight. I am getting a little bored of WW. I wonder if anyone has tracked on both WW and MFP and whether one is easier that another.

i've done both. i like mfp better.

BurnWithBarn2015

Yes logging, and counting.

As my weight have proven in the past i can not do keep it without this.
And dont mind it one single bit. Its a little task to do to keep the weight off.

nxd10

I've been tracking everything for four years. It's a habit. I don't think much about it. I also hit the scale every morning. I rarely measure now and find it helpful. It tells me I need to eat more most of the time.

airangel59

Like BurnWithBarb above, I still weigh & log food and I pre plan/pre log my meals.
Maintaining over a year now but as a former yo yo dieter & I need to take the extra steps to keep me on plan.
Been doing it for so long already and I actually don't mind.

mamadon

Two years of maintaining this month and still logging. I hear too many stories about people who get too relaxed and start to gain again. Not going to let that happen, so I will keep logging.

RoxieDawn

18 months and still logging.. Won't be stopping anytime soon. Changes in fitness goals or training cause me to need to.

EvgeniZyntx

When I don't track I tend to regain - it isn't due to the tracking itself, it is that I am less fitness focused in general - I tend to work out less and just generally take care of myself less. Tracking is also a sign that I'm a little more focused.

Been here, on and off, 3 years. Currently not at maintenance, but back on tracking.

CipherZero

I track because knowing is way cooler. I can't make the corrections to my diet if I don't know what's going on.

akkeri

Tracked on and off since March 2013. Took a complete break from mid August 2015 to end of January 2016 (so 5 months or so) due to lots of travel and too much work. Stopped running/lifting too and ate basically whatever felt right (mostly clean, but sometimes you can't say no to Dairy Queen!).

Somehow, magically, I went from 57kg to 59kg during the time I was 'offline'. Am back to tracking and lifting (running will have to wait until this snow stops happening) and am back to tipping the scales back towards the 50's.

Overall, I'd say I'm happier 'knowing' than 'not knowing' what my caloric intake is.

paperpudding

I have been at maitenance for 2 years and I still log every day.

However I practice what I call' lazy logging' - every banana is a small banana, every mandarine is a medium mandarine, all slices of bread are the same etc, and I go out for meals and just guesstimate them.
And if I go on vacation I go a week or so without logging at all.

This level of logging is working for me though - have not deviated more than 1.5 kg from my goal weight in that time.

tulips_and_tea

I've been maintaining for several years and I don't log food and exercise here, but I take more of a 'diary" approach: each day I list what I eat (no measurements or calorie counts), how I'm feeling, what my workout was, etc. That way if I'm feeling sluggish or like I've gained a bit then I can look back to the past couple of weeks and see what may be contributing to that. Having the whole picture on one page is helpful to me. (I just use my own formatted Word document.)

CrabNebula

I don' t log on MFP anymore. Basically, I autopilot calorie counting by simply eating the same things in the same amounts nearly everyday for breakfast and lunch. I don't snack or drink anything with a calorie count greater than 10 per 16oz. At dinner/dessert, I have a rotating set list of meals where I know the calorie counts of everything per serving. My weight has been steady the past several months, so the system works.

Arianera

I am recently in maintenance - and still logging loosely. Like others I am estimating most portions and finding near-equivalents to save time. I am mostly continuing to log because I've been having some GI issues and find MFP logging to be a convenient way to keep a food/symptom log