Logging in on everything!

MissMetal696
MissMetal696 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 14 in Getting Started
well I have been eating fairly healthy for a week now, exercise soon to come after good eating habits have set in. I find it hard to log what I eat daily, to me I think is there a point if you're watching what you eat and read labels all the time? I would love to take that extra 30 seconds to add to my tracker daily but sometimes it's annoying. Does anyone else feel this way?

Replies

  • SweetP27
    SweetP27 Posts: 218 Member
    edited January 2017
    Logging is my reality check! DITTO!
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    Well worth it in the long run.
    Starting on my 3rd week today, down -8 pounds.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I tend to prelog. I think about what I'm going to eat, and estimate portions. That way I have an idea of areas I need to work on. Such as am I low on protein? Does my breakfast/lunch not leave me enough room for dinner? And then as the day goes on, I edit quantities or make changes as necessary.

    It takes less time, the more you log. Why? Well, 2 reasons that I can think of. First you get better at it, more efficient. Second MFP saves your recently used foods. I tend to eat alot of the same things over & over again, so having them in my history means those entries come up when I start typing the name of an item.
  • kwasson123
    kwasson123 Posts: 13 Member
    Yes, logging helps me out. I have found i eat close to the same thing everyday. So, Ive saved my "work lunch", "work breakfast", and "work snack" to make it a little easier.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I don't think I'd have ever got to goal if I hadn't have logged consistently.... however 4 years on I no longer need to log as its instinctive/habit now to know how much/what to eat (haven't logged food in over a year and still maintaining nicely).
  • LisaEatSleepRun
    LisaEatSleepRun Posts: 159 Member
    I also pre-log, usually the night before, just so I can tweak where needed. I find it much easier than logging at each meal or snack and it helps me keep on track.
  • sparks9777
    sparks9777 Posts: 1,010 Member
    LifeLongFoodLvr wrote: »
    MissMetal696 wrote: »
    well I have been eating fairly healthy for a week now, exercise soon to come after good eating habits have set in. I find it hard to log what I eat daily, to me I think is there a point if you're watching what you eat and read labels all the time? I would love to take that extra 30 seconds to add to my tracker daily but sometimes it's annoying. Does anyone else feel this way?

    Um no. MFP is a calorie counting site.

  • sparks9777
    sparks9777 Posts: 1,010 Member
    Use a food scale
  • l911jnt
    l911jnt Posts: 164 Member
    it can be tedious but I have to do it to keep going and get it right. I just discoved the scanner so I love that lol.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    I'm on a calorie logging site, logging calories and I'm down 125 lbs because of it. I don't mind taking a few extra minutes out of my day for that result.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Weight loss is a little annoying. Either do it, or don't. If you lose weight without tracking-great. But if you're stuck, log log log.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    I pre-log as well, and don't mind. It's like a game of Tetris. How can I exactly meet my calories, while getting as close as possible on the macros I care about? Sort of fun. :)
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    The majority of time I spend on logging is when I'm cooking/prepping (I batch cook/prep into pre-portioned amounts)- after that I just have to select from my recipe list. It's so easy to over eat when not logging.
  • 7ElizabethAnn7
    7ElizabethAnn7 Posts: 22 Member
    Some days I pre-log some days I just enter as I go. Either way logging is a very freeing for me. I don't have to guess. I don't have to wonder. There is no angst towards the end of the day as to where I am at with my goal. Ultimately it is very freeing and completely lightens the mental load of the food and beverage portion of creating a healthy lifestyle.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,165 Member
    I have eaten "fairly healthy" my whole life. That didn't stop me from eating more than I needed and getting to almost 200 pounds. Logging may be kind of tedious for the first couple of weeks, but once you start doing it it gets a lot easier. There will always be people who don't need to log, but I am not one of them.
  • MikilouB
    MikilouB Posts: 56 Member
    I find that it is necessary and helpful...I didn't get to over 200 pounds by being aware of how much I was eating, despite eating "healthy." So far I have lost 75 pounds and I attribute it to weighing, measuring and logging religiously. It takes just a few minutes and helps me stay on track. I plan to continue this much of the rest of my life. Helps me be accountable to me!!
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    It was annoying at first. It gets less time consuming. I also pre-log either the night before or in the morning. It takes 5 minutes out of time I'd be browsing facebook. If it's too much of a pain for you to log your food, then just do things your way and see how it works out. What's the point of using a calorie counting tool if you're not going to count? A quick browse through success stories will show you that this works. Your way isn't going to teach you portion control. You can still eat too much healthy food. Plenty of people have gained weight eating fairly healthy. So, if eating intuitively fails you, come back and try it our way. It takes a little more time, but it's like a muscle. Things get easier the more you flex it.
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    I gained weight eating healthy. Logging helps me keep my calories in check. Totally worth the tiny amount of time I do it each day.
  • omakase619
    omakase619 Posts: 226 Member
    You can customize meals if you eat the same thing frequently.
  • jayjsee
    jayjsee Posts: 46 Member
    I think once you start eating the same type of foods, it becomes easier to track and you'll already have an idea on the calories and nutrients they have.

    But I've been logging for quite sometime because I love to eat a little too much so I want to keep track of not eating a week's worth in one day lol.
  • rdfaria
    rdfaria Posts: 4 Member
    Not logging what you eat is like going on a long road trip without a map. Sooner or later you'll get lost and just give up.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    If you aren't going to log everything, just use the feature to quickly add your estimate of the calories. I find tracking helps me on the exceptions, like when I ate a full bag of Doritos. Logging 1,400 calories made the transgression sink in.
  • cesszeld
    cesszeld Posts: 1 Member
    Honestly, I totally get where you are coming from. This is probably my fourth attempt with My Fitness Pal because I would give up after a few days. Logging stuff was irritating and I hated figuring out the portions. I also don't think I was mentally ready to change. Without getting into it, something clicked last week and I've been at it for 7 days now. Doesn't seem like much, but this is the first time I have actually enjoyed logging in my stuff. There's something kind of fun about it. Maybe I have issues, lol. But really, figure out why it's so annoying. Maybe you're not ready. Maybe you don't need it. Maybe calorie counting just isn't for you.

    I'm never going to weigh my food or use a scale. That's not practical or anything that I could stick with long-term. I am eating now like I want to eat in the future. No weird diets or fads or extra work. Just legitimately healthy, hearty foods (with the occasional cupcake). I looked up how to eyeball foods and I base my logs on that. Good luck and don't worry about the people giving you crap about it.
  • CanadianMissy
    CanadianMissy Posts: 39 Member
    I log everything. Heck, sometimes I even log for the NEXT day so I can ensure that I make good choices. Or, let's say I am going to a celebration or out to dinner or something. I log my foods for that day so I can be sure to fit it all in the allotment. It really helps!
  • her4g63
    her4g63 Posts: 284 Member
    I pre-log (a week in advance) and weigh everything. It holds me accountable and then I don't have to think about doing it later on and it super helps with grocery shopping. If I eat a little more/less, I adjust. But I try to stick to exactly what I have on there since it was meticulously scheduled.

    I kinda get strange joy out of doing it. Like, hell yeah I'm BA for making it all fit, hitting all or at least most of my macros, and then I'm gonna enjoy the heck out of these tasty meals coming up.

    Been doing this for years. It's helped me lose ~121lbs and simply part of my "lifestyle" now. (:
    Good luck!
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    Some people do very well never logging anything. If you are good enough at it that you can keep a mental tally of what you have eaten and what you have left then no need to log. I recall a time when people were able to maintain their weight and lose weight without all of these tracking apps etc... sure these things make it easier but it is possible to do it with out keeping a strict log.
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