succeeding without logging

jhall260

I logged my food for a while about a year ago (for a total of about 6 month period, diligently). During this time I weighed everything. It was a real pain in the *kitten*, but it was worth it. What it did for me was give me the tools to know more about portion sizes, and how many calories are really in that meal I am making.

I off and on log now, just to keep myself on track. I don't log every day, or that often for that matter.

However I still do some things such as;

- Weigh more calorie dense items;
- Weigh stuff that I would be prone to overeat such as cereal, bread, ice cream, chips;
- Keep track of my weight on trendweight;
- Be honest with what I am eating;

ames105

I find I start slipping off my plan when I do not log. The logging keeps me honest and on track.

blondie_mfp

when I was first out of college, I couldn't cook and ate either convenience food (pop-tarts, chips, frozen pizza, prepared dinners, etc.) or fast food for every meal. I successfully lost some weight by eating the same stuff, just less. so I would pick up my regular meal at wendy's and throw 25% of it away. or I would only eat 1.5 pop-tarts instead of 2. it only worked because I didn't add in extra stuff to replace what I didn't eat.

I personally enjoy calorie counting in order to help me find the "sweet spot" between eating few enough calories to lose weight but not so few that I get the hanger. but maybe since you dislike the accounting, experimenting with portions would be better for you.

good luck!

sarahfadell87

Nothing good comes without working for it. I find it holds me accountable and also keeps me motivated. I have the app on my phone, maybe put it on your smart phone so youdont have to use the cpu

philippakate197

I lost 52lb without logging a thing. It's possible. BUT now I'm only 20lb from goal and the fact that I'm only 5'1 means I can only manage a small calorie deficit (which is necessary for weight loss, whatever plan you follow) and tracking and logging everything means I can make sure I am actually eating what I think I am. It's easy for potions to creep up if you're not measuring and I can't afford to do that now there's less wiggle room.

So yes, maybe it'll work for a while, but I expect you'll need to track at some point.

VintageFeline

I am not a creature of habit, aside from breakfast I rarely eat the same thing often so for me, logging is essential for now.

I think, come maintenance, I may be able to wing it more judging by days off and diet breaks I've had. When I just eat what I fancy I pretty much hit maintenance and I did maintain my weight within a reasonably small range for years (albeit overweight).

But to lose, I absolutely have to log, it's too easy to accidentally wipe out my deficit. But it takes no more than a couple of minutes of my day logging on my phone so it's no hassle to me.

FitPhillygirl

I've been maintaining for the past 5 years. I'm 15-17 pounds under set GW. I do not log my food. I simply eat healthy and exercise 6 days/week. I allow the other day do do as I please.

sbl1881

I lost the first 35 lbs without logging at all. Because I'm 10-15lbs away from my goal weight, I log everything now. At most, logging and measuring should take 5-10 minutes/day. I can handle that if it gets me to my goal!

kshama2001

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I tried a search but couldn't find anything about this.

I hate everything about logging - the weighing, the measuring, the sitting down at the computer when I otherwise wouldn't have to, the entering a recipe and trying to figure out how many servings it makes and how large each serving is, etc etc etc. I've been trying to force myself to do it, and the harder I push myself, the more I rebel by eating everything in sight.

So what else is there? Is anybody succeeding at weight loss without all the accounting?

Sure, I've lost weight plenty of times without counting a single calorie. When I'm single, I naturally gravitate to lower calorie food and a more active lifestyle and the weight loss takes care of itself.

However, when I'm in a relationship, I tend to cook higher calorie meals, go out to eat more, and spend less time at the gym. Logging helps me make those higher calorie meals fit into a more sedentary lifestyle. Otherwise I gain weight while in relationships.

One thing that will help you succeed without logging is finding other ways to cope with stress than turning to food. I used to be an emotional eater but self-soothe with exercise these days.

silvergirl33

I log manually in a small notebook. It helps to keep me honest . I lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers counting "points," which I would log. I still occasionally weigh and measure, but I can't be bothered inputting recipes into MFP. I've recently switched to the South Beach diet for health reasons. You don't have to weigh or measure anything except for nuts. As I said, I still log manually, just listing the foods --not points. It gives me a way to review that I've been eating well-balanced meals. If you don't mind spending time cooking, South Beach is pretty easy to adhere to. I use MFP mainly to record weight loss progress and use the forums.

Lounmoun

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I tried a search but couldn't find anything about this.

I hate everything about logging - the weighing, the measuring, the sitting down at the computer when I otherwise wouldn't have to, the entering a recipe and trying to figure out how many servings it makes and how large each serving is, etc etc etc. I've been trying to force myself to do it, and the harder I push myself, the more I rebel by eating everything in sight.

So what else is there? Is anybody succeeding at weight loss without all the accounting?

I lost weight in the past without logging but it wasn't consistant and I always regained. I can't do this without logging very easily. I prelog my food all at once for the whole day. It takes a few minutes. Throughout the day I eat what I had logged.
I plan out dinners for the month and I tend to eat the same 5 or so things for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. I have a lot of foods and recipes entered so logging is faster than when I started out.
My calorie count for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks is about the same amount each day. If I weren't going to log at this point I would know to look for a recipe that was 500 calories per serving for dinner and 100 calorie or less snacks. Logging is a tool. Not everyone will need it forever or at all.
My dh has lost 30+ lbs without logging anything and is maintaining without logging anything. He did not exercise or have a very physical job. He was able to just eat less than before.

Cortneyrenee04

Try sticking to serving sizes. I really recommend weighing/logging at least for a few weeks, but it could help you to just lower your portions for now. You'll likely see faster results from weighing your foods, though.

megzchica23

I enter and save all the meals I regularly make. That way it is pretty easy. I have everything already saved, just select my 3 meals and 2 snacks I plan on eating that day every morning and done.

RobD520

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I tried a search but couldn't find anything about this.

I hate everything about logging - the weighing, the measuring, the sitting down at the computer when I otherwise wouldn't have to, the entering a recipe and trying to figure out how many servings it makes and how large each serving is, etc etc etc. I've been trying to force myself to do it, and the harder I push myself, the more I rebel by eating everything in sight.

So what else is there? Is anybody succeeding at weight loss without all the accounting?

My daughter lost weight and got in shape when she was a teenager. She is 24, and has maintained well without ever logging. She is active and just tries to eat in a way that she believes is healthy. It works well for her; but for the life of me I can't really well describe her program.

I have succeeded in the past for 6-7 years or more by maintaining an exercise program, trying to use good sense with portions, and putting certain snack foods and sweet treats aside. The challenge for me, and the reason I am on this site today, is that life changes caused my activity level to decrease substantially for a few years and my maintenance diet became a weight-gain diet. I have come to the conclusion that I just need to log.

But everyone is different.

ashleyjongepier

I hate the recipe builder with a passion, often times it says there's an error and it doesn't save and I want to throw the computer.

I hated weighing and logging my food. I hate that my mom or sister can drop 5-10 lbs then not gain any weight and just eat until they are full.

Sadly this isn't me. I need to log because my hunger cues suck and I just haven't learned when I'm full. Whenever I stop logging I do well for a few weeks then my portion sizes start creeping up. I'm on a 100+ day logging streak and its getting less annoying.

You don't need to log, however you get from point A to point B is fine.

NHDaisy2

I sometimes find it tedious to log as well but, it is necessary for me. One thing I do is find a recipe that looks similar to what I'm eating and then I typically say the serving size is a little larger than what it actually is just because I know the calories aren't always correct.

Need2Exerc1se

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I tried a search but couldn't find anything about this.

I hate everything about logging - the weighing, the measuring, the sitting down at the computer when I otherwise wouldn't have to, the entering a recipe and trying to figure out how many servings it makes and how large each serving is, etc etc etc. I've been trying to force myself to do it, and the harder I push myself, the more I rebel by eating everything in sight.

So what else is there? Is anybody succeeding at weight loss without all the accounting?

I did! I tried logging for about a month and felt exactly as you. So I stopped logging and just focused on eating less and moving more. And I lost weight just fine.

gothchiq

I experimented with not logging, but it was total fail.

Unknown

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lemurcat12

2snakeswoman wrote: »

So what else is there? Is anybody succeeding at weight loss without all the accounting?

I have in the past, but you need to find other ways to make yourself be mindful, which may or may not be as bothersome to you. I don't find logging burdensome at all, and sometimes when I don't want to do it I know it's because I don't want to have to be attentive to what I eat, and if it's something like that it's going to be hard to be successful. (I don't plan to log in maintenance, though, other than from time to time to keep track of my maintenance calories, and find there are other ways to be attentive. I've been maintaining for a year without logging much of that time.)

What worked for me in the past (and kind of for maintenance) was getting a sense of what will meet my calorie goal. This is important, as when I started this time without logging I was much too restrictive and when I did start logging I realized my calories were too low, which would not have been sustainable over time.

Once I did, and this included some standard breakfasts and lunches and a pattern for dinner and other snacks, I ate according to that pattern. I understand food enough to make some swaps when I deviate from it -- for example, if I eat fattier meat I cut calories from fat elsewhere and try to up my protein from some other source. If I have extra carbs at lunch or in a snack I might decide to have extra non starchy veg instead of potatoes at dinner. I'm conscious of serving sizes, as well as what a sensible serving size is for me. Even when not logging I do measure out dry pasta and oatmeal and the like, since I'm bad at eyeballing those. I also rarely snack, and if I do it's a planned snack, since I know grazing is a good way to both overeat and lose track of what I'm eating, for me.

It's actually more flexible than this makes it sound, but it involves being conscious of what I'm eating, not just eating to feeling or hunger or whatever. (I am not good at that, period.)

LivingtheLeanDream

The fact is, to be successful we have to realise why we are over weight - we eat too much so to fix that we have to be more in control of our portion sizes and what we are eating, to do that means weighing foods (at least for a while)...its so eye opening when you see quantities and the calories for those.

When I first weighed cereal I was gobsmacked to see what a 30g portion was! for years I was easily scoffing 3 times that for breakfast and then again in the evening for supper - little wonder I gained. And thats just one example.

Get to grips with the foods that are calorie dense and limit them.

I no longer log but I've been on MFP since 2012, maintaining since 2013 and only recently stopped logging - I still mentally total how much I eat every day and know the calories in everything from memory. Knowledge is power and its why I will remain slim and I'm confident about that.

Plus MFP taught me that to move had its rewards, I could eat back exercise calories invaluable information that

SezxyStef

yup you can...just eat less move more.

Don't eat until you are "stuffed" eat until you are satisfied.
Go for a walk/run/bike ride or whatever.

Afura

Is it using the computer that drives you crazy? Would you be more comfortable logging with pen and paper?

You can lose without logging, but the issue is that many of us have a tendency to overeat when we don't log - simply because it's not written down in front of our faces to mentally tell us "Hey, heyyyyyyy you really don't have more calories. Put those chips down. Drop itttttttt".
I stopped logging for a few weeks, kept weighing and portioning my food and saw no loss - I wasn't logging and wasn't consciously thinking about what I was eating and eating too much. So for me, I deal with the hassle of logging every day.

CrabNebula

If I don't keep some kind of at least mental accounting, I will gain. In fact, part of the reason I am so aggressively calorie banking ahead of my vacation is because I have no idea what I will be eating (ok, maybe lots of doener and cannoli...) and probably will have no nutritional information immediately available to me. I fully expect to gain 2 or 3 pounds - partly because I am on vacation, screw it, but mostly because I can't effectively log and have no idea what my TDEE will be.

blues4miles

I stop logging, I regain weight. So for me, not gonna work. It's not even that I can't maintain my weight. It's that my loss stops somewhere on the way to my goal. I get complacent. I need to be vigilant. Both to reach my goal, and likely to maintain afterwards. I find it pretty easy/automatic now. Even weighing my food is pretty easy. I like having access to all the numbers. If we are going to give scale weight so much credence, it helps to be accurate with our intake numbers as well. Then I can go back over my numbers and see (because I log accurately, even my binges) that my average intake is a lot higher than I want it to be, and that's why I'm not losing weight etc.

Francl27

I wouldn't be here if I could do it without logging.

Actually, I tried, when I was 20. Let's just say that there's a reason I'm here now (and ended up 50 pounds heavier than I was back then).

2snakeswoman

I think I need to do more menu planning. I'm a mood eater, and I love to try new recipes, some of which have very little nutrition information, not even the serving size. So entering them is a major pain in the behind, but I've gotten so sick of same ol' same ol'. But maybe same ol' will reduce my appetite. I was at the doctor office today and lost 3 pounds in the last 2 months. Since I need to lose around 40 pounds to be at the upper limits of a healthy weight, that just won't do. At least my blood pressure was good. I won't get my chemistry results until next week.

lorrpb

Logging might be annoying, but it's easier than being overweight. Just sayin'.

Machka9

The only reason I signed up with MFP was because of the logging feature. I have used other sites in the past, and didn't like them for one reason or another ... and I've created my own Excel spreadsheets and have used the pencil and paper method. But I wasn't so keen on doing that either.

So I asked around about some better sites and it seemed there were two popular ones. One only had American food in their database, so that left MFP. Fortunately MFP is easier to use than anything else I've used in the past.

If MFP didn't have the food logging feature and a really good database of food, what would be the point of signing up here? That's why I'm here. If I figured I could do it on my own without logging, I wouldn't have bothered.

Machka9

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I think I need to do more menu planning. I'm a mood eater, and I love to try new recipes, some of which have very little nutrition information, not even the serving size. So entering them is a major pain in the behind, but I've gotten so sick of same ol' same ol'. But maybe same ol' will reduce my appetite. I was at the doctor office today and lost 3 pounds in the last 2 months. Since I need to lose around 40 pounds to be at the upper limits of a healthy weight, that just won't do. At least my blood pressure was good. I won't get my chemistry results until next week.

I have "Liked" these sites so that the recipes show up in my news feed on Facebook. If one comes through that I like, I bookmark it.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/
http://www.slenderkitchen.com/
http://www.cookinglight.com/

When I make it, I add it to the Recipes feature here on MFP for future reference.

If you check the Recipes forum here in this section of MFP, there are lots of people talking about new recipes, etc.