Losing weight and not needing to weigh food
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OP, is this the type of post you intended
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10441909/newbie-maintainer#latest0 -
So what I'm hearing is your way is right and everyone should find it as easy to weigh as you do? And my way is wrong because it didn't work because I shared that I gained back my weight and had 100 lbs to lose, for reasons I didn't come close to sharing, but than was fat shamed at one point?I could just as easily say I feel sorry for people who have 100+ pounds to lose to begin with but that isn't reflective of how I actually feel and it would be quite callous of me to do so.
This is the point of my whole post, there is more then one way to lose weight, and some people feel like they have to weigh when they don't. They are also way more likely to give up because of the hassle of weighing everything.
You quoted my post so let me respond to that by saying:- No, me choosing to weigh food isn't the only "right" way. It's pretty much the most accurate way to do things, but it's not the only way. People achieve weight loss in many ways such as high carb, low fat; low carb, high fat; extreme restriction of certain food groups; calorie counting; etc. Some of which aren't even necessary. Person A thinks to lose weight, they must ban donuts. After a month, they go on a dozen donut binge and give up with weight loss. If Person A knew about calorie counting and a food scale, they could have fit a few donuts into their weekly calories, thus making weight loss a lot easier on themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- You were "fat shamed" by me? No, you weren't. I wrote that I could say that I feel sorry for people with 100+ pounds to lose meaning that people who have more weight to lose have a higher margin of error to play with when it comes to calorie counting and, therefore, have less of a need to use a food scale than those with less weight to lose. I then went on to state that feeling sorry for people who have 100+ pounds to lose is not actually how I feel and it would be callous of me to feel that way. So what you did was took what you wanted to out of that and projected your own guilt onto it, even though your own initial post was judgmental and combative in nature. I don't pity people for their weight because there is nothing to pity; they are still the same person regardless of what their weight is on a scale.
You say the point of your post was that there is more than one way to lose weight, but it really wasn't reflective of that at all. In fact, nothing in your initial post is indicative of you taking that stance. It's not just me interpreting it that way either; every other person that responded is taking your post the same way. I'm going to point out exactly how this reads to me:
"I see some people making a 2nd job out of measuring and weighing. (Negative and judgmental feelings against people who weigh food.) When I lost 100 lbs in 2 - 3 years. I didn't weigh my food once. (I didn't have to do what THOSE people had to do.) I'm not saying it's not helpful at times. I did have an idea of my measurements (a cup of food was my most common) but eating healthy and giving myself alittle kcal cushion was what worked. (Fair point, but this still took measuring.) I feel sorry for those people that weigh everything, all the time. (I was able to get by with just a measuring cup and some calorie padding. I feel sorry for people who want to be more accurate about their calories. Also, no explanation as to why, you simply "feel sorry".)
I know when you are closer to your goal weight it can make more of a difference. But after gaining back the weight I lost (in a 2 year span, for reasons like not logging at all) I have been able to lose another 30 lbs, still not weighing. (All right, so if you know it makes a difference when close to goal weight, there should be no feeling sorry for people. Less room for error calls for more precision. You gained back the weight you lost and relost 30, so you never had to deal with the precision issue.)
I think sometimes people make too much of a deal about measuring. Has anyone measured their food and logged
routinely for 8+ years? My concern is my goal, to eat healthy and do what I need to to lose weight and than keep it off, and be able to keep that up for decades (i.e. the rest of my life). I can't imagine weighing food for so long. I thought, after losing 100 lbs, I had an idea of portions, but it turns out I did not if I wasn't logging my food. (Weighing food gives many people the best idea of what actual portion sizes look like. This way when they do feel like taking off the "training wheels" so to speak, they have a better idea of how much they can eat without having to weigh, measure, log, or flat out guess.)"
Nothing about this reads to me as "There are many ways to lose weight, but some people feel like they have to weigh food to get results. I feel like that would cause some people to give up." and if that was the intention of your post, it could have been written as such with follow up questions such as "Those of you who weigh your food, why do you feel that it is so helpful? Have you done it for an extended period of time? Has it ever made you feel like giving up?" This is in the debate section and there is nothing about your post that even calls for debate. It's just like "Hey, I didn't use a scale and lost some weight. I feel bad for people who use a food scale to lose weight. I couldn't imagine ever doing that. The End."
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Hmm, in an effort to figure out the point of this thread, I went back to the first post:I see some people making a 2nd job out of measuring and weighing.
Really? Or are you IMAGINING that people are spending that much time on it. I realize some find it burdensome and I don't think everyone should do it (or needs to), but for me it takes no extra time to weigh my food while cooking. Logging takes a little extra time and trying to estimate what I eat at a restaurant does, so I don't plan to always log, but even when I'm not I occasionally weigh things and for some foods (like oatmeal and pasta and ice cream) I do regularly weigh out portions as a self-check. If this extra 5 seconds or so is a "second job" you must have a very unusual first one.
Also, when I used to bake (something I rarely do now, so, wowie! extra time), I would weigh ingredients, and didn't find it burdensome then.I feel sorry for those people that weigh everything, all the time.
Of all the things in the world, this is a really strange thing to pity people for, especially if they are happy and given that it's a chosen activity that they could stop doing if they disliked it/thought it wasn't worth it. Don't you see how condescending this sounds?I know when you are closer to your goal weight it can make more of a difference. But after gaining back the weight I lost (in a 2 year span, for reasons like not logging at all) I have been able to lose another 30 lbs, still not weighing.
I know I can lose without weighing, but if I am close to goal weight (currently I am) and have a goal of trying to maintain and then gain muscle without regaining significant fat, there are reasons to try to hit a precise calorie goal (I'm not really doing that at the moment, as I am trying to get back to logging and figure out my real TDEE, as I stopped logging for quite a while). I switched to weighing when I didn't need to be so precise (I was still easily losing 2 lb/week) because I find it much more bearable and fun to log when weighing. If you find weighing to add to the pain, that's fine, but just remember people are different. Many of us enjoy the added detail and accuracy and much prefer weighing to estimating.Has anyone measured their food and logged
routinely for 8+ years?
Don't know, don't care, don't see how it's relevant. I probably never will. IMO, something isn't useful only if you plan to do it consistently forever.I thought, after losing 100 lbs, I had an idea of portions, but it turns out I did not if I wasn't logging my food.
Okay. I actually do have a good idea of portions and find logging more annoying than weighing. I spot check weigh, as noted above, when not logging. I also sometimes weigh foods like vegetables to be sure I am eating as much as I think or just because I am interested in how closely I can predict the weight or what something new might weigh -- again, I may be weird, but I find this fun and a normal part of the cooking process (I've always hated using measuring cups).
I have maintained for 18 months and am starting to log again because for me it's motivation to keep a deficit (or I am hoping it will be), since like I said I find tracking interesting.
What was your real point in starting this thread if not to insult those of us who find weighing worth doing?8 -
I'm short and middle aged. I must weigh my foods because there is almost no margin of error. People with more leeway might be able to get away with not measuring sometimes.1
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I have an appetite that far outweighs my physical abilities therefore I need to log and weigh most of my food to stay even. Can I do it without weighing? Yup, but I would probably under-eat rather than over-eat trying to get portion sizes correct. Weighing wasn't really necessary the first 50 lbs or so I lost (I was 120 lbs overweight at the beginning) but as I got closer to my goal it became much harder to lose the weight without being more accurate in my measurements. If you are able to lose the weight at the rate you want without weighing your food, then I'd say good for you! If you can't though, weighing and logging can help. The real trick will be transitioning into not weighing or logging food at maintenance, and that is going to take some time for me. Likely another year. I've been at maintenance and in a recomposition phase for a few months. It's working but wouldn't be if I wasn't weighing and logging everything.0
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I like using a mix of weighing and portioning.
Anything individually wrapped, I don't weight (like granola bars... except is instant oatmeal since I know that my brand can be way off). Anything I cook, I weigh while cooking. But once it's cooked I say I eat 1 portion of it, regardless if that portion is more or less than I think. If I end up eating the whole recipe, I figure it'll balance out. I've recently started backing off of weighing everything. I no longer weigh my apples.. sort of. I weight 1 of them in the batch and use that weight for all of them. When I buy a new batch, especially if it looks like a different size, I weigh it.
However, I'm tall enough and heavy enough that I don't really need the specifics of weighing. Once I lose 10 lbs, I'll likely need to go back to weighing pretty much everything.
My theory is I probably don't want to weigh food all my life... so I want to try to teach myself how to control my weight without weighing all of my food. But I will still track it.
I lost 25 lbs before never weighing anything.. but I also overestimate the calories in the food items when doing this. That's not something everyone will do. And I actually get to eat more when I do weigh my food. However, since starting to weigh my food, I've found calorie counting more stressful. So I'm slowly working my way back to not weighing since I actually had more success with that and have really been struggling (mentally) lately. It's a brain game for me. Less of a physical one.
I think people should be open to trying new things. If not weighing their food isn't working for them, then it's time to start. If weighing isn't working for them... maybe new ideas are needed. They may or may not still include weighing food.1 -
Yeah... I was just trying to point out that it was still possible to lose weight without weighing food. Even when very close to the goal weight. I didn't realize it would make some people lose their *kitten*.This seems to be an emotional subject. But weighing and logging food works for all walks of life.
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Yeah... I was just trying to point out that it was still possible to lose weight without weighing food. Even when very close to the goal weight. I didn't realize it would make some people lose their *kitten*.This seems to be an emotional subject. But weighing and logging food works for all walks of life.
but actually its you getting yourself upset.
also as i said before you didnt right your OP well1 -
I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."0
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I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."
could be this line. lol
I see some people making a 2nd job out of measuring and weighing. When I lost 100 lbs in 2 - 3 years. I didn't weigh my food once.3 -
I think folk don't get why you feel sorry for us food weighers. what is there to feel sorry for? also no one wants pity for something that A works and B is their choice. just saying.2
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I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."
What reason would there be to feel sorry for someone weighing other than you feel they have it tough?1 -
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BreezeDoveal wrote: »Therealobi1 wrote: »I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."
could be this line. lol
I see some people making a 2nd job out of measuring and weighing. When I lost 100 lbs in 2 - 3 years. I didn't weigh my food once.
Well of course, someone in another thread said weighing and measuring things was a job.
Can't op feel sorry for people that work as cooks?
yep she can.
my face would be sweating all day long if i had to work in a kitchen0 -
Doesn't weighing food usually come up when someone is all, "halp...i'm eating 2 calories per day and not losing weight?"
Of course it's possible to lose weight without weighing food...but some people really suck at estimating portions.5 -
That's not really what you said.
Also, I suspect everyone knows that.
But hey "it's possible to lose weight without weighing food" wouldn't be a debate. "We should pity those who weigh food," is. Win/win!4 -
I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."
I dunno. Why did you claim to feel fat shamed when someone said they pitied you for needing to lose 100 lbs (according to you)?
People frequently don't like to be pitied and saying "I feel sorry for you" (as opposed to feeling that inside and not expressing it) is not usually a positive statement.1 -
I started weight loss in 2007. I lost 65ish pounds. I've kept it *mostly* off.
The first 40 pounds, easy peasy. I weighed myself, logged my food (by guessing mostly) and that was all.
The next 25 pounds, not so easy. I had a very thin margin of error because I actually want to eat the right amount of food, and I don't want to under-eat (or over-eat.) That's when I bought a food scale. For the record I also bought a HR monitor, but I stopped using that within a few months.
When I hit goal, I stopped logging. Portions continued to increase without my knowing it, extra calories are easy to sneak in, and I started to gain again...just like OP.
However, I never got up more than 15 pounds in the last (nearly) ten years. When I started to gain I would go back to the food scale, food logging and my body-weight scale. Finally tired of re-losing that 10-15, I buckled down and use all three tools daily now. It's the only way for me. It takes me all of five extra minutes a day and I don't ever want to have to lose those last ten pounds again.1 -
Yeah... I was just trying to point out that it was still possible to lose weight without weighing food. Even when very close to the goal weight. I didn't realize it would make some people lose their *kitten*.This seems to be an emotional subject. But weighing and logging food works for all walks of life.
This thread didn't go how you expected it to, so now everyone else is losing their you know what but you're still the rational one. LOL. There is a saying that goes "If it smells like poo everywhere you go, you should probably check the bottom of your own shoe". It's pretty apropos here.15 -
Maxematics wrote: »
Yeah... I was just trying to point out that it was still possible to lose weight without weighing food. Even when very close to the goal weight. I didn't realize it would make some people lose their *kitten*.This seems to be an emotional subject. But weighing and logging food works for all walks of life.
This thread didn't go how you expected it to, so now everyone else is losing their you know what but you're still the rational one. LOL. There is a saying that goes "If it smells like poo everywhere you go, you should probably check the bottom of your own shoe". It's pretty apropos here.
this made me chuckle.
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Maybe if you had weighed your food you would have seen that you could have eaten more and you might not have relapsed and gained back your weight?
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I'm also curious why people are so offended by what I feel sorry for? It's not like I'm saying, "Man, those starving people in Africa and people that weigh their food really have it tough in life."
1. Most people here are not offended. Most people think you're ridiculous for doling out pity and attaching emotion to something that's a neutral, emotionless tool. Do you feel sorry for someone who chooses to do their crossword puzzle in pen instead of pencil? They're both writing implements that help you complete a task. One lets you erase your mistakes; one lets you see the letters more clearly. Choose what works for you.
2. A few of us are offended because your feeling sorry for us using different tools than you did implies we're still "doing it wrong." I don't weigh all my food. I don't consistently log. But when I do, I'm doing it for a reason that goes beyond weight loss or maintenance. I'm doing it to prevent an eating disorder relapse. If I manage my food and portions correctly through weighing and logging, I feel less temptation to purge or starve myself. I don't want your pity that I went through that because I'm a stronger person for it, and I most certainly don't want your pity for using tools that keep me healthy.
3. Weighing is common advice to people in a plateau so they can be sure they're eating what they think they're eating, and it's common advice to newbies because if they start off weighing this process goes faster and smoother. People can choose to take that advice, or they can keep doing their own thing (as you did) because we're all adults and are hopefully intelligent enough to do what works best for us. *babyunicorn*ing on advice that helps a good number of people just because it's not what you did is tunnel vision.8 -
I hate weighing my food. I lost my first 40lbs without ever using a food scale. Just eyeballing stuff....but I was also set at 1200 calories. about 4 months I realized I couldn't keep going at 1200 and started to eat back my exercise calories and set my calorie goal higher....and I plateau'd for a YEAR.
After being hard headed for a year and not losing but know damn well why, I finally got the food scale. I don't using for everything any more because I do hate it, and I'm really good at eyeballing meat and veggies and liquids. I use it religiously for flour, rice, grains and beans because I can jam 2 cups of rice in a 1 cup measurement. My baking has also gotten a lot better from weighing my flour.
I think the OP might have seen some of the numerous threads where people say their weight loss stalled, which lead to the inevitable "are you weighing your food" question. Yes, it's tedious to see those threads, over and over and over. But, the question always has to be asked because it's the most likely answer...someone is taking in too much food without knowing it. Don't look for a zebra in a herd of horses. Sure, there could be a zebra but it's most likely another horse.2 -
Op if your way works for you then that's great!
But why did you gain back the weight if this was so simple and easy for you????????????
I lost all my weight and kept it off. Learned portion control and moderation. Weighed my solids and measured my liquids. So don't feel bad for me, I was able to keep my weight off9 -
Kind of off topic, but I find it interesting (not good or bad) what people hate and don't. I don't hate weighing food at all -- maybe because it fits with how I cook, maybe because I used to use it for baking, so it doesn't seem weird. I do blow hot and cold on logging -- sometimes I like it, sometimes I really don't (and that's why I typically don't at maintenance). I particularly hate logging things like stews or other items where you really have to use the recipe builder. Okay, more simply, I hate the recipe builder. I also really hate estimating restaurant meals and have stopped even bothering -- I now guess at what seems a reasonable calorie amount with some cushion and log it.
Similarly, I didn't like trying to estimate burn from exercise, so went to TDEE.
I also hate and won't pre-log -- I like to play it by ear when cooking, to the point of deciding on dinner based on what's in my refrigerator when I get home (I know roughly and of course know the protein) and combinations that come to me during the day. (I can get close enough to the goals that matter to me -- protein, calories, lots of vegetables, reasonably balance of fat/carbs for my preference -- on the fly.) Yet I get that pre-logging doesn't feel burdensome to and even works wonderfully for others.
Does anyone else want to share what they like and have tried and rejected as not for them and any theories as to why? ;-)2 -
mskessler89 wrote: »This pity for people who weigh their food seems to be the new "So sorry you have to log your food, you should learn to eat intuitively!" It's annoying as hell.
None of us are counting calories for the sheer thrill of it. It's ok for people to acknowledge that reality. If somebody else is glad they don't need to do it the same way you do, that doesn't take away from your journey.
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I mostly weigh my food. However, I do take shortcuts:
1. I pre-log my food, so I don't log the amount I weighed, I weigh the amount I logged. I typically don't correct errors of a few grams, but big errors I'll adjust.
2. I don't always weigh every condiment and such. Often I will weigh the first few times and average those, and assume I will use about the same every time. I weigh high-calorie things like peanut butter every time.
3. I don't weigh single serving prepackaged food. I know any individual package can be off but I figure it averages out over time.
Really, though, since I use my scale to assemble recipes, it's faster than measuring cups and less to worry about in terms of dishes.
You don't need to be supremely accurate as long as you're incorporating feedback from the bathroom scale to fine-tune your calorie goals over time. That said, simple weighing of food gets you into a much better place with regard to accuracy.
Anyhow I certainly don't need any pity. My techniques are quick, easy almost to the point of being automatic, and help me achieve great success.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »mskessler89 wrote: »This pity for people who weigh their food seems to be the new "So sorry you have to log your food, you should learn to eat intuitively!" It's annoying as hell.
None of us are counting calories for the sheer thrill of it. It's ok for people to acknowledge that reality. If somebody else is glad they don't need to do it the same way you do, that doesn't take away from your journey.
They can be glad they don't do it the same way I do without telling me I need to do something else or feeling sorry for me for doing what it takes to keep myself healthy.1 -
Great, it's this OP again
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I thought if I exercised about 4-5 days a week and ate what I thought was relatively less, I'd lose weight. Doing that I lost maybe 4ish pounds, regained and then stuck at 210. Before doing that, I lost weight easily by counting calories/measuring. I started counting and measuring again and these past few months I've lost about 15 pounds. Until I have a real grasp of portions/how much I'm eating, it's much easier for me to lose weight now that I'm measuring than when I'm not.1
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