How to form the habits of eating right without logging in ea

jurgitafit

Hi all!
It's been a while since I've logged in here last. And there is a good reason, which actually brought up this topic.

It's a summer time and I've been relaxing a bit, traveling to France, and just enjoying the summer vacation in general. This is all great, but then this wonderful summer time made me realize I don't want to be 100% dependent on logging my calories all the time, having to look for internet connection in a place I am visiting, to be sitting in front of computer after each meal, etc. :noway:

I've realized that logging the foods on this website is a great idea for weight loss, but this is probably more for forming the habits, but not for having it as a lifetime thing. So I am learning now how to do this when I am not logged on this site. The trick is to treat your body well, no matter whether it's a vacation time, or regular working days, right? :flowerforyou:

To do that, I am trying:

1. To incorporate lots of raw fruits and veggies in the menu throughout my day, starting with breakfast.

2. To eat only when I am hungry-- this is the best natural instinct for weight loss we've got!

3. To choose the healthier options for the meals, even if eating out, or visiting other people's home.

4. To remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.


I thought other people would find this topic helpful too, especially now, that many of you are vacationing as well. So, please share your advice how you manage the weight loss progress without necessarily logging all of your calories.

Thanks and happy Summer to all of you!

arewethereyet

It is. Don't get me wrong, I log whenever possible because it keeps me from :noway: on most days.

I am petite with a slow metabolism and can rack up a pound in no time with 1600 calories in a day. I find that when I know I cannot log for a few days I am even MORE careful about what I am eating.

The fact that I have kept this off for so long proves I am choosing correctly, but I know I can eat better.

Thanks for the reminder.............now excuse me while I go get an apple

DeeDeeLHF

I so want this for myself as well however, as time goes by I am learning something about myself.

Like so many things in life food can be an addiction. Every time I try to "relax" so as to live I end up gaining a bit back. I think that part of my new lifestyle change is to admit that I can't do this alone and the I do need the daily help of accountability and the support of friends. If not for MFP I am not sure where I would be on this journey.

The only other way that I can see myself maintaining without logging is to commit 100% without fail to exercise 6 days a week for at least 60 minutes and eating super clean. If I can commit to that then yes, maybe I won't need to keep track....but I still see picnics, family BBQ's, date nights at a restaurant, weddings, showers, birthdays...all of these special occasions that are present in my life every week of the year that make it really hard. I have done it before and it is hard to always be eating differently from everyone else.

I will stew on this one a bit...maybe that is exactly the commitment that I DO need to make.

Best of Luck!!! You seem way more disciplined than I am and I am so happy to hear of your successes in attitude and lifestyle. Congratulations!!!

kimberly428

Glad you can master that. I have been on here almost 3 months now and I still dont feel comfortable to try it on my own. I will grab an extra coffee or something and without realizing it that something that small will push me over on cals.

kcampbell111

I follow a lot of the same tips, but I also use another tool - last year my father chose to have a form of bariatric surgery (sleeve), and lost almost 100 pounds to get back to his normal weight after 30 years of struggling. His surgeon told us that we should use the size of our hand as a guideline for how much we eat per meal.

So...I drink plenty of water, incorporate fruits and veggies, and if I am not able to track my food for a few days on here, I use my hand to measure my meals!

Might sound silly, but try it one day, and you will notice a difference.

jurgitafit

No, this is not silly at all!
I've actually read a few years back that our stomachs can fit the amount of food that is about a fist size. This makes a perfect sense, even to men since the fist sizes differ too! Actually, one thing that amazes me most is how complicated the humanity made this process of keeping the weight balanced, because nature made it all perfect. If we only listened to it and stopped eating the stuff from the packages!

arewethereyet

No, this is not silly at all!
I've actually read a few years back that our stomachs can fit the amount of food that is about a fist size. This makes a perfect sense, even to men since the fist sizes differ too! Actually, one thing that amazes me most is how complicated the humanity made this process of keeping the weight balanced, because nature made it all perfect. If we only listened to it and stopped eating the stuff from the packages!

I remember the first I looked at portion sizes. I was reading the label on Kraft mac and cheese. 1/2 cup??:noway: :laugh: :laugh:
I was serving 1/2 a box for each person.......regardless of age/sex/size in my family!

When we sat down to eat, me with my 1/2 cup serving.............I read the box. :sick: What is that??? Why is it in my mac and cheese?? Who ever heard of powdered cheese, anyway??? So many questions.

It was those questions that led to a better way of eating!

At the restaraunt yesterday my 27 yr old son and I asked what was in his salad, how the chicken was cooked, dressing on the side and is it bottled or fresh. I asked them to hold the salt and tell the cook to throw some spices on there...........our lunch was delish and fresh! And we knew what was in there.

:drinker:

jurgitafit

Best of Luck!!! You seem way more disciplined than I am and I am so happy to hear of your successes in attitude and lifestyle. Congratulations!!!

Thank you for such nice words! I am far from perfect, but I am trying to do my best and to learn as I go.

sarita_em

I keep a small notebook and a small pen so I can note down what I'm eating and when travelling and eating out, I try to eat foods I know the calorie intake so I can have good control over what I'm eating, speacially during holidays when we relax a lot about food!
This mfp is great but I lost a lot of weight doing the notebook thing and it works

Jennplus2

I keep a paper log and write down as I go in a small pocket notebook. Then once I do get near my laptop I can type in the things I ate. If I go over I write a few notes to help me remember next time. It also helps to go back a few months and see what I did that did or did not work.

LotusF1ower

Hi all!
It's been a while since I've logged in here last. And there is a good reason, which actually brought up this topic.

It's a summer time and I've been relaxing a bit, traveling to France, and just enjoying the summer vacation in general. This is all great, but then this wonderful summer time made me realize I don't want to be 100% dependent on logging my calories all the time, having to look for internet connection in a place I am visiting, to be sitting in front of computer after each meal, etc. :noway:

I've realized that logging the foods on this website is a great idea for weight loss, but this is probably more for forming the habits, but not for having it as a lifetime thing. So I am learning now how to do this when I am not logged on this site. The trick is to treat your body well, no matter whether it's a vacation time, or regular working days, right? :flowerforyou:

To do that, I am trying:

1. To incorporate lots of raw fruits and veggies in the menu throughout my day, starting with breakfast.

2. To eat only when I am hungry-- this is the best natural instinct for weight loss we've got!

3. To choose the healthier options for the meals, even if eating out, or visiting other people's home.

4. To remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.


I thought other people would find this topic helpful too, especially now, that many of you are vacationing as well. So, please share your advice how you manage the weight loss progress without necessarily logging all of your calories.

Thanks and happy Summer to all of you!

I am not sure how I would get on if I didn't log them to be honest. I am so very grateful that I have an iphone though, as that goes everywhere with me if only for the reason that I have the MFP application on it. I hate using the phone for phone calls mind, but MFP is a different matter :laugh:

jurgitafit

I keep a paper log and write down as I go in a small pocket notebook. Then once I do get near my laptop I can type in the things I ate. If I go over I write a few notes to help me remember next time. It also helps to go back a few months and see what I did that did or did not work.

I agree, the paper note book is another good option. I used that a few years back, and I think I will do the same soon. Especially that I am now quite familiar with the caloric values of most regular foods.

kdiamond

I have been at this for 5 solid years now and I am definitely in lifestyle mode! We take a lot of vacations and go out every weekend! Here is how I manage:

1) NO fried foods at all!!! So many hidden calories and fat
2) eat in the house whenever possible, so when you are out or vacationing you can splurge a little without guilt
3) drink low calorie alcoholic drinks or just one of the fru fru ones
4) drink water any time else and between drinks and eating
5) I always think - it this worth it? If it is I get it, if not I skip it
6) stay away from sugary desserts!
7) eat 1/2 of what is on your plate and don't eat until full! Eat slowly and savor!
8) try to exercise when on vacation, at least walking everywhere!

Cytherea

I always keep count in my head when I can't get on. For instance, the hardest thing for me to stay under on any given day is fat. So even if I don't have access to a computer all day, I check the label really quick when I'm eating and add up the grams of fat in my head so I won't go over.

What I find is great about vacation is that you tend to be more active and eat better quality food, so you don't have to keep track as closely. On vacation, you are constantly walking around exploring, or swimming in the ocean/lake/pool/etc., just getting out there. Even if you aren't on the treadmill, you are still burning. And everyone wants to eat good food on vacation, so even if you eat in restaurants every day, the quality is better than a restaurant you'd stop by casually at home. And you can still make those good decisions- get veggies on the side instead of fries. Get the appetizer size instead of the full meal size. I was so worried that I'd gain weight when I was on vacation a few weeks ago, and I was exactly the same weight when I got home, even though I had eaten whatever I wanted AND had lots of yummy alcoholic drinks. Despite all the good food, every day we were walking- around the resort, around the city, hiked to a waterfall, went on some trails... so I was good!

I also find that sometimes, I don't need to eat as much as I used to, even when I give myself a free day. This past weekend I was at Disneyland with some friends, so I told myself that since we'd be walking so much, I wasn't going to care what I ate. I ate a hot dog. Got some pineapple juice. We did the fancy place for dinner, and I barely ate half of my short ribs! Got some popcorn before we left. And that was it! I wasn't hungry at all, and once I added in all the food and exercise to my diary that night, realized that I ate HALF of what I could have! It was a good feeling!

I know that even when I eventually reach my goal, I'll still be on this site in maintenance mode. It has become second nature to log everything, and I can't imagine not doing it anymore. But even now, not being able to get on all day, or even for days at a time, doesn't bother me, because I've learned so much already.

FireRox21

I, too, don't feel I am ready to go at this without logging everyday. This past weekend I was down in the dumps, didn't log my foods, and paid the price on the scale at the Dr's office yesterday. I really do try to make healthy choices if I'm out of the house, but I find eating healthier is HARDER when I'm home!! My fiance and I live with my parents who DO NOT eat healthy and I'm surrounded by chips, snack cakes/cookies, sodas, and loads of candy. I will try to avoid those foods, but during stressful times, the temptation is too great.

I know that I cannot use MFP forever. It is a tool, not a crutch, but I just need to do some more soul searching to figure out why I let myself slip up when I know better. I do think too, that I've become TOO dependent on my HRM. I will not exercise without it so I know how many calories I have burned (and earned). I know that my HRM will eventually need a new battery and I won't have it for a few days or weeks, but I currently feel like I can't do anything without it!

I really like the OP's list of how-to's. I should print it and read daily!

And don't even get me started on portion sizes as someone above me mentioned. I, too, was serving out half of the container instead of 1/2 cup. Breakfast cereal is a portion size black hole for me. Who on Earth eats 1/2 a cup of cereal for breakfast??? That's like 5 flakes drowning in an ocean of milk!!!!

Overall, I know that this journey is 90% psychological (at least for me), but that's why I use MFP to keep me grounded and honest with my numbers.