Weighing and logging.....forever??

juliebowman4

Once you reach maintenance, how many still weigh and log everything?
I'm hopeful that my end result will be a much better ability to eyeball portion sizes and calories as well as having a strong desire and personal accountability to keep moving forward, not backwards.

Besides.....the thought of weighing/measuring and logging my food forever, makes me a little sad.

sijomial

I never weighed everything to lose weight, just the more significant things, calorie dense or hard to estimate.

I don't log anything at maintenance these days but it took a while to learn that skill.

Still weigh my porridge though as I want it like Goldilocks, "just right" (and not exploded all over the microwave....)

cmriverside

I come and go on logging. Right now I'm still trying to hold on to my lowest weight in years, so I'm logging. I've been on MFP since 2007 when I lost my weight, but I've had very long periods when I did no logging and maintained for a while. I always start to get portion creep in the winter. For the first few years I would gain 10-15 pounds every winter. I would tend to not exercise as much and start eating more around the holidays.

The last two winters I said, "Nope." and have maintained and even lost a little. I can eyeball really well - but if I don't log it, I start eating more little by little and it's no longer an option. I use my scale for things like cheese, yogurt, meat, potatoes, grains, but not for other things like lower cal vegetables. I hate losing that same 10 pounds every Spring. It takes me five minutes a day, why wouldn't I do it? Such a payoff.

That said, a lot of people don't log and do fine. My calories are so low due to my age and lower activity in general that I have to be careful.

rankinsect

Yup, I will weigh and log everything. I don't dislike it at all - if anything it's just second nature. I plan my meals in advance and just use the scale to measure out what I chose the night before, it's super easy.

Lynzdee18

For me, think yes....

I keep myself accountable for what I consume if I don't mindlessly eat....

rileysowner

juliebowman4 wrote: »

Once you reach maintenance, how many still weigh and log everything?
I'm hopeful that my end result will be a much better ability to eyeball portion sizes and calories as well as having a strong desire and personal accountability to keep moving forward, not backwards.

Besides.....the thought of weighing/measuring and logging my food forever, makes me a little sad.

Some can do without, others cannot. I, through experience, know I cannot. Frankly, for the minimal amount of time it takes me to measure my portions, I am not bothered by the need of log the rest of my life.

seska422

The thought of weighing and logging forever doesn't make me any sadder than the thought of brushing my teeth, showering, clipping my toenails, etc. forever.

I'm not to maintenance yet but I've lost weight before and regained it. If I want to keep the weight off this time, I'm going to need to track my calorie intake. Today's technology and food labeling laws make tracking so much easier than it used to be.

If you are someone who can maintain without tracking, that's great. If you aren't, tracking really isn't that onerous, is it?

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

I admit I get so tired of feeling like I just have to weigh every single thing I eat. I remember a time when people could lose weight and maintain without all this trouble. I am certain it is totally possible to say, "this is a reasonable portion of this food" withh out having to weigh and measure and log. I also believe our idea of a normal portion size has been horribly distorted. Restaurants serve mammoth sized portions of food, if you go to a fast food place the drinks are insane. A medium is enough for 3 people. Ask for a small and that's still an insane amount of soda. Everything is always bigger and better! Now 25% MORE! etc..... I think our idea of a normal serving used to be very different. We have grown accustomed to food and drinks being unbelievably large and if the serving isn't massive we feel cheated. We have to get back to knowing that a scoop of ice cream really shouldn't be the size of a basketball. A burrito needn't be the size of a toddlers torso. So forth an so on. Weighing and measuring does help us see what a serving size actually is. And maybe some folks can go with out really measuring all of their food and drinks. It would be easy enough though to slowly slip back into having just a little more, and just a little more again until we get back to old habits. It's just one of those things.

juliebowman4

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »

I admit I get so tired of feeling like I just have to weigh every single thing I eat. I remember a time when people could lose weight and maintain without all this trouble. I am certain it is totally possible to say, "this is a reasonable portion of this food" withh out having to weigh and measure and log. I also believe our idea of a normal portion size has been horribly distorted. Restaurants serve mammoth sized portions of food, if you go to a fast food place the drinks are insane. A medium is enough for 3 people. Ask for a small and that's still an insane amount of soda. Everything is always bigger and better! Now 25% MORE! etc..... I think our idea of a normal serving used to be very different. We have grown accustomed to food and drinks being unbelievably large and if the serving isn't massive we feel cheated. We have to get back to knowing that a scoop of ice cream really shouldn't be the size of a basketball. A burrito needn't be the size of a toddlers torso. So forth an so on. Weighing and measuring does help us see what a serving size actually is. And maybe some folks can go with out really measuring all of their food and drinks. It would be easy enough though to slowly slip back into having just a little more, and just a little more again until we get back to old habits. It's just one of those things.

"A burrito need not be the size of a toddlers torso"
Lmao

zyxst

I have to because I can't be trusted to eat the amount of calories my body needs without gaining weight. I like to eat and enjoy eating and it's a PITA for me to turn down foods that aren't in my budget. Weighing and logging is a habit for me, so it's not a painful process.

Many can maintain without weighing and/or logging.

Sloth2016

I'll probably brush my teeth every day forever too.

kommodevaran

I hit my goal weight 23 months ago (I've been worrying if it was going to last, because I have lost and gained before, so I feel like I've maintained for only five months), and I stopped tracking over a year ago, but I count and weigh and log in a spreadsheet. I hardly think about calories anymore - I just weigh and plan to get it "just right" like sijomial (I even weigh water and coffee when I make coffee), to streamline my shopping so I can get as much variety as possible, and to avoid waste.

And I weigh myself every morning. I weigh the same as I did when I was 12.

My experience, when I just got over the worrying, has been that this is easy. I have returned to eating habits from when I was young - eating real food and only at meals. I have also stopped habitually overeating at meals, because I portion out when I cook/serve myself, and I have learnt what an appropriate meal looks like and how "full" feels like, and I don't want to go beyond that. I also only eat food I truly like, so I look forward to eating (and don't want to spoil my appetite) and I feel satisfied when I've eaten. That's enough to keep my weight stable.

AjRogers2

You should get to know the right sizes after a while so you shouldn't need to do it. I lost 75 pounds and didn't log anything and only restarted recently. I'm only doing it to break through a plateau that I sat at for a year. Once I break through I probably won't be logging anything. This time I'm logging to ensure that I make appropriate choices for protein, fat and carbs not just calories.

fiddletime

I've reached maintenance twice, stopped logging twice, and gained most of the weight back. For me, I can't stop logging. I easily slip up that way. I thought I could, and now I have 14 pounds to lose - again.

JessicaMcB

I have been working on maintenance energy balance for about a month and think that weighing (both myself and the food) will need to be a forever habit. Unique situation obviously but I have OCD and now the thought of not logging/being in logging imprecise situations is so much harder for me than not logging would ever be

juliebowman4

JessicaMcB wrote: »

I have been working on maintenance energy balance for about a month and think that weighing (both myself and the food) will need to be a forever habit. Unique situation obviously but I have OCD and now the thought of not logging/being in logging imprecise situations is so much harder for me than not logging would ever be

Me too! (OCD)
So far, my weighing and logging hasn't been affected at all.......but new/different compulsions seem to pop up about every 6-12 months, so one never knows.

nitromaniac

I've just been logging for about 3 months, but I have never weighed out portions. It's working for me so f,ar and I am hoping that by being able to eyeball portion sizes I can continue that without logging after I reach my goal.

Rocknut53

Lynzdee18 wrote: »

For me, think yes....

I keep myself accountable for what I consume if I don't mindlessly eat....

Me too. I can't even remember when I've weighed so little...over 32 years ago and then some! I will weigh and log my food forever if that's what it takes to maintain.

pearso21123

I stopped tracking about 6 months ago. I was just so tired of needing to weigh and measure everything that went into my mouth. I was scared to death but figured if my weight started to creep up, I could start tracking again. I've slowly lost weight over the last few months. I take an official "weigh-in" once a month so I can catch any problems early, but so far no intervention has been necessary. It helps that I know MFP will be here if I ever need to start tracking again.

Machka9

I stopped weighing and logging things regularly about 9 months ago. I have a few days where I do and then a few days where I don't.

I've spent most of my life at my current weight (low end of my BMI) so I feel like I've just returned to my usual way of eating.

Francl27

After 3 years I'm pretty good at estimating, but I still weigh and log for my own peace of mind. It's much easier for me to do that than to keep worrying that I'm eating too much and stress out every time I'm going on the scale (which I really don't have to do anymore).

Let's face it, even if I wasn't logging, I'd be adding the calories in my head anyway!

SideSteel

I don't log anymore.

Derpy_Hooves

I don't log when I'm at my optimum weight, however when I go over that weight (I give myself a 2kg margin), I start tracking again. I'm on a logging streak now again but I should be back on track soon enough.

tcunbeliever

I expect I will log forever just to make sure I get enough protein and iron...I have a tendency to neglect those...

snowflake930

I have to log as well. I am good at judging portion sizes, so I don't weigh or measure my food, but logging keeps me aware of how much I am eating. This is the way it has to be for me. I know myself, and I would end overeating and gaining back all the weight I lost. That's not gonna happen.
I could easily eat 3-4 times (probably more) the number of calories I should have been eating pre MFP.

RogerToo

juliebowman4 wrote: »

Once you reach maintenance, how many still weigh and log everything?
I'm hopeful that my end result will be a much better ability to eyeball portion sizes and calories as well as having a strong desire and personal accountability to keep moving forward, not backwards.

Besides.....the thought of weighing/measuring and logging my food forever, makes me a little sad.

Hi Julie
I still weigh things where the entire package is not one portion this reason.
If I do not weight the frozen vegetables how can I tell how long to Microwave them for and I use them daily for convenience and that I believe they are actually closer to field to frozen state compared to picked fresh, Packaged, shipped and wholesaled then distributed to the store "Fresh" Vegetables. I believe that most frozen vegetables were processed and frozen with 24 hours. "Fresh" vegetables are most likely several days away from the field. Not to mention I can get 5 or 5..5 pound bags of frozen vegetables from CostCo cheaper compared to fresh. Frozen Fruit OTOH I do not like the texture.

I do not log but I do try and keep my 3 smallish meals within a certain calorie range and likewise for the three small snacks I use throughout the day. Those fall in Mid Morning, Mid Afternoon and evening Dessert.

An example Breakfast would be a Banana before I head out for my morning walk, followed by a Protein Shake when I return and a later a bowl of cereal, using the one serving size that works out to be around 100 to 120 calories of cereal and and 4 ounces of 1% milk that is 50 calories and Sweetener.

Good Luck
Roger

CorneliusPhoton

I don't weigh or log anymore and I am maintaining just fine. I do, however, eat a lot of the same things frequently, so it's pretty easy for me to know my portion sizes. I weigh myself every morning just to check in and see how things look. If I go over my target by a few pounds, I might start measuring food again until I get back to where I like to be. Try it out for a couple weeks. Just try eating like you have been and don't track it. Watch the scale.

My biggest issue with not logging is not always eating enough protein or fiber.

Hornsby

I only weigh foods when I feel like I need to.

jemhh

You folks who don't weigh and/or log--do you track in any way (in your head, counting protein grams, etc.) or do you just go by fullness cues or something else?

LeslieB042812

I think that there is a lot of variation in what works for you, as shown by all the responses here. Some people can maintain their desired weight through eating sensibly. For me, for whatever reason, my natural state tends to be about 30 pounds heavier than my desired state, so I find that intuitive eating alone doesn't work for me because bit by bit (a few extra almonds here a dab more olive oil there) the weight will creep back on.

I know that I need to keep logging as long as I want to keep the weight off, but I don't have to be as rigorous about it as I do when I'm losing. I can do more guestimating and I can skip a day or two logging here and there. The trick is finding the balance of enjoying life, while still not gaining, that works for you. Good luck!

Rocknut53

jemhh wrote: »

You folks who don't weigh and/or log--do you track in any way (in your head, counting protein grams, etc.) or do you just go by fullness cues or something else?

That's a really good question. I'm looking forward to the responses so perhaps I can approach maintenance from a different perspective.