Maintenance Plan?

srecupid

I'm taking the the month of June off of weight loss and don't want to log. I'm thinking of weighing in every morning to keep myself honest and spot upwards trendds before it gets out of hand. Anyone do this long term? It seems like a decent compromise

kommodevaran

I still log, loosely, but don't track calories anymore, and I weigh daily. 19 months in, maintaining within goal weight range of 3 kilos

srecupid

kommodevaran wrote: »

I still log, loosely, but don't track calories anymore, and I weigh daily. 19 months in, maintaining within goal weight range of 3 kilos

Yeah I have a spare cell phone I might just leave it stuck on the diary screen next to the food scale on my kitchen table and trust stuff like sausages that say 1 link is 250 calories to actually weigh what it claims. It's not that hard.

RosieRose7673

srecupid wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

I still log, loosely, but don't track calories anymore, and I weigh daily. 19 months in, maintaining within goal weight range of 3 kilos

Yeah I have a spare cell phone I might just leave it stuck on the diary screen next to the food scale on my kitchen table and trust stuff like sausages that say 1 link is 250 calories to actually weigh what it claims. It's not that hard.

Try it and see! If you gain weight, you know eyeballing doesn't work for you. You can always go back to weighing if it doesn't work.

Some people can do just fine with loosely logging and eyeballing portions. Others, not so much. Ive never weighed food in my life and lost 70 lbs a while back and now maintaining!

Give it a shot!

luluinca

I'm in maintenance and weigh myself daily but I still log during the week. I keep my calories below maintenance during the week then splurge a little on the weekend.............it seems to work for me!

Christine_72

kommodevaran wrote: »

I still log, loosely, but don't track calories anymore, and I weigh daily. 19 months in, maintaining within goal weight range of 3 kilos

@kommodevaran just curious what logging loosely means?

healthy491

As for me , i try to log 4-5 days a week and eat below maintenance ( about 1200 cal) and eat whatever I want in the weekends. I weigh myself every Thursday/ Friday morning and if I hit the 50KG mark I go back to dieting for 2 weeks or something. I also gym train 6 times a week

kommodevaran

Christine_72 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

I still log, loosely, but don't track calories anymore, and I weigh daily. 19 months in, maintaining within goal weight range of 3 kilos

@kommodevaran just curious what logging loosely means?

I have a spreadsheet that doubles as a meal plan and a food log. I fill it in as I decide what I want to eat. I already know how much of anything is appropriate for me, so I weigh what I can (milk, yogurt, nuts, nut butters, grains, certain vegetables and fruit etc) and just "count" the rest. Lots of foods come in appropriate and handy portions, so I just eat one or two (pork chop, lamb chops, fish filet, medium sized fruit, crispbread), or another set number, for instance 8 chicken wings. I will use one or one half sweet potato depending on size. Number of potatoes just as close to 300 grams as possible. When I have dessert cheese, I'll decide how many days I want it to last (if I have grapes too, I try to coordinate them) and cut off a chunk every day.

This has the pleasant "side effect" that the focus moves from "calories" to just getting perfect portions and not running out unexpectedly. I will always know when and how much to buy.

This method is good enough to maintain weight because it's consistent over time. I eat the same kinds of foods in about the same amounts most days, and it evens out over time. I think it's fascinating, really.

nxd10

I do log but it almost always tells me I'm eating too little, not too much. If that's true of you too, go for it. I would also continue to look up foods you're not sure about. For example, a small vanilla shake - which I wouldn't have thought that huge a splurge - is almost half my calories for the day. It's not something I normally eat so I wouldn't have know that.

If this is something you're thinking about doing long term, you might also think about randomly logging just one day a week this month. Just to make sure you haven't drifted too much. Don't use it to limit your calories, just to check yourself.

Most people regain because they drift towards bad habits. You're not going to gain weight fast, so the scale won't tell you that. But spot checking your eating habits might. If you're eating normally and a few days in a row you find yourself over, you're drifting and maybe a little extra help for a while is still a good plan.

Good luck!

LivingtheLeanDream

I no longer log (stopping tracking food in January this year), I do have a rough idea of my total calories though and I monitor my weight frequently. It's working nicely for me but I know its because I look at food a lot differently now, I eat to live rather than living to eat.

srecupid

yeah i think i'll continue to log but, instead of taking out a separate calculator and dividing 42 by 40 to get the exact calories in my oatmeal when i accidentally go a gram or two over i'll just mark it down as 40 to save the time. I also won't waste an extra dish for weighing stuff that already has the calories per like hotdogs etc. Doing that should be easy enough that it doesn't feel tedius. I will probably continue to weigh stuff like potato chips etc just because i will be putting it in a bowl anyway to keep from eating the entire bag

nxd10

It's easier to count things like potato chips than weigh them. (18/oz for my favorite kind). I stick them in a bowl so I have to make a decision to get up and get more if I want more after I'm done. Estimating helped a lot. Just keep spot checking once in a while to make sure your estimates are on par. If you have dishes you use all the time, you can learn to eyeball what 1/4 cup of ice cream or yogurt looks like and how many cashews are in a handful.

Good luck!

srecupid

nxd10 wrote: »

It's easier to count things like potato chips than weigh them. (18/oz for my favorite kind). I stick them in a bowl so I have to make a decision to get up and get more if I want more after I'm done. Estimating helped a lot. Just keep spot checking once in a while to make sure your estimates are on par. If you have dishes you use all the time, you can learn to eyeball what 1/4 cup of ice cream or yogurt looks like and how many cashews are in a handful.

Good luck!

How is it easier to count potato chips then weigh them? I put the bowl on the scale and toss some in. counting actually seems harder in this situation.

Gisel2015

I have been maintaining for almost 6 years, including a 6 month hiatus from MFP a couple of years ago. When on vacation I also log sporadically and not too accurately because I don’t 'carry with me a kitchen scale and most of the time I don’t log my food when eating out unless the restaurants have the nutritional information on line. During the week and when not on vacation, I also try not to eat exercise calories to compensate for any extra eating during the weekends.

For me this is a way to keep my sanity by not weighting and logging all the time and by not being too attached to MFP. Once in awhile it is good to break the umbilical cord and learn how to estimate and control our eating habits. Food is fuel, that’s all.

You can try to reduce your logging in increments by not logging some days, like the weekends, or by doing it cold turkey. It is up to you to enforce and use what you have learned so far. Try it, you may like it!

spzjlb

srecupid wrote: »

I'm taking the the month of June off of weight loss and don't want to log. I'm thinking of weighing in every morning to keep myself honest and spot upwards trendds before it gets out of hand. Anyone do this long term? It seems like a decent compromise

That's been my way for 6-7 months after losing 30+ lbs (I'm short!). I do weigh each morning and workout daily. I only resumed logging for a few days after Christmas indulging. Now, I just really watch carefully. Good luck!!

arditarose

I'm not logging at the moment. Or weighing myself. I don't really recommend it haha.

Coming straight out of a deficit, if you can handle it...I would really continue to log for a bit.