Weighing and logging.....forever??

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.

CorneliusPhoton

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?

Portion size, mainly. Also choosing foods that I know pack the most punch nutrition-wise with adequate protein, fat, and fiber. I like to eat lower carb, so I treat the least nutritious (in my opinion) carb foods as treats.

Intermittent fasting. Eating all my meals in a 6-hour window makes it easy to stay within calorie goals. I get 2 fairly large meals and a snack. If I add some exercise to my day, it's even better because those meals are even larger.

I sometimes do the plate partition thing... about 1/4 to 1/3 of the plate = protein, the rest of it veggies.

cwolfman13

I haven't logged anything in about 3.5 years...keeping a diary for me was just a tool to help me become more aware. I don't weigh and measure everything...never did...I weigh and measure the things I need to weigh and measure.

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?

Not really...for me a lot of it comes down to just eating really well from a nutritional standpoint. I dislike the term "clean" but yeah...I eat mostly whole foods and my wife and I cook most of the time...we both brown bag our breakfasts and lunches 99% of the time and just eat really well. Not that it's impossible to overeat, but it's much harder to overeat than it otherwise would be.

We don't keep much "junk" in the house and when we do feel like having that stuff, we tend towards single servings...i.e. a small single serving bag of chips, etc. We also don't eat out all that often...usually a couple of date nights per month and pizza night with the kiddos about once per month.

Both my wife and I work office jobs, but outside of work we like to stay active. We both exercise regularly and I spend quite a bit of time on my bike as well as a couple days per week in the weight room...but beyond that, we just try to be active...whether it's a family hike in the mountains or spending a few hours at the zoo or a family bike ride down by the river...we'd just rather being doing something than not. To that end, we don't watch a lot of t.v. or movies...maybe 4 hours per week or so and that's about it.

Machka9

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?

1) I go by what I used to eat all those years I was slender. I know what I ate then ... and I know what I was eating when I gained weight. I do have a pretty reasonable idea of the calorie count of the food I eat.

So far, it's just a matter of ... don't have that that handful of cashews at work, don't devour a bag of chocolates immediately after work, and watch my portion size at dinner. Those were pretty much the only changes I made while I was losing 25 kg ... and making those changes was more or less returning to the way I used to eat a few years ago, and the way I ate most of my life.


2) I weigh myself every single day. Maintenance isn't a matter of staying exactly the same weight all the time ... there's an acceptable range. If I get up toward the top of that range, it's time to rein in the eating a bit. As I mentioned above, I know what I can drop from my diet in order to drop the weight a bit.


3) And of course, there's exercise ... lots of it. Exercise means I don't have to be really strict with my diet. I can have pizza for dinner like I did last Saturday after cycling 124 km. I can't have pizza every night, but I know that when I have indeed put in a good effort, I can have the yummy extras.

Hornsby

I weighed things religiously for about 4 months. That gave me enough confidence in my estimating so I am always adding in my head and keeping up with the day's totals. So I will always count I guess. Just don't always log.

CorneliusPhoton

After weighing and logging for months, it gets to be like "OK ALREADY! I know how much a serving of cereal is!" Plus, it starts feeling a little crazy logging the same things over and over again (I cycle through a lot of the same meals weekly - it helps with cooking for 3 people, all chock full of food issues). If I eat breakfast, it is always either Cheerios with chia seeds and protein powder, something with eggs, or a green smoothie. Thankfully, it is easy to find your recent / frequent entries in MFP. Lunches and dinners are a bit more diversified than breakfast, but I honestly think I know how to control my portions enough to maintain my weight. And I know that I cannot go back to being sedentary.

I would like to lose another 5 lbs or so. I have increased my exercise a bit to see what happens. I have a feeling that with so little to lose, I'm going to have to get back to logging and shaving off those calories here and there.

Rocknut53

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

After weighing and logging for months, it gets to be like "OK ALREADY! I know how much a serving of cereal is!" Plus, it starts feeling a little crazy logging the same things over and over again (I cycle through a lot of the same meals weekly - it helps with cooking for 3 people, all chock full of food issues). If I eat breakfast, it is always either Cheerios with chia seeds and protein powder, something with eggs, or a green smoothie. Thankfully, it is easy to find your recent / frequent entries in MFP. Lunches and dinners are a bit more diversified than breakfast, but I honestly think I know how to control my portions enough to maintain my weight. And I know that I cannot go back to being sedentary.

I would like to lose another 5 lbs or so. I have increased my exercise a bit to see what happens. I have a feeling that with so little to lose, I'm going to have to get back to logging and shaving off those calories here and there.

I'm where you're at. I wouldn't mind losing 5-10 more pounds, however, I'm happy with my weight now. I just don't trust myself yet to be diligent enough to make the best choices so the scale will remain on the counter. I have just started, after a couple months at maintenance, to not weigh everything. Time will tell. And I hear you about being sedentary...not allowable any more.

gothchiq

If I don't weigh and log, the fat starts creeping back. So, yes, forever for me.

amyk0202

I'm short & fairly sedentary. I am a dysfunctional eater. If I don't log, I gain. I don't mind it. I actually like it. It gives me control without the wild & unhealthy swings towards binging or restriction. I have a number I need to eat in order to maintain. I weigh & log everything. It's routine now & takes very little time or thought. I weigh myself every morning & enter it into Libra. Libra tracks my stats & tells me that everything is on track. Life is good.

sunman00

I think you're going to find lots of different answers from lots of different people.
I overate for 50 years so when I started to log I thought I'd never stop, as my default position is to overeat, it was a habit/ lifestyle.
I reached maintenance after a year and kept logging for another 2 to stay where I'd got to. then I found I could 'let go of the handlebars' for a while and stay the same weight and that's as it's continued.
now, if I take a vacation or after the Christmas holidays or something I feel like I've lost a bit of control I log again for a week or 2 to remind myself of what daily intake SHOULD feel like
good luck.

xmichaelyx

I don't weigh when maintaining. I still weigh myself and if I gain, I cut back. If I lose, I eat a bit more.

I only weigh food and count calories when my goal is to gain or lose weight.