Maintaining but no logging what i eat at all

ferderickt911
ferderickt911 Posts: 38 Member
edited 1:15AM in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Im a bit busy person and no time to log all what i eat accurately, can i still maintain weight without logging exactly at all? What i do is other alternatives like portion control on what i eat and listening to myself. Thanks in advance for the answers
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Replies

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    edited January 2017
    Detritus_1965 wrote: »
    Logging is a crutch.
    It's sole purpose is to become unneeded. If you already are there: Congrats!
    Wish I could say the same for me.

    ^What?

    OP, there are a lot of people on MFP that don't log food and maintain their weight. Some log a few times a year as a spot check on how they're doing.
  • codename_steve
    codename_steve Posts: 255 Member
    I've been maintaining for 4 months without logging.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2017
    Yes you can. If you found a method or strategy for portion control or moreover keeping your calories in and calories out in balance, sure.

    One day I will be there, but I am ok with logging as part of my management.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,162 Member
    One common approach includes setting a maintenance weight range (or ceiling). If one goes over the top of the range for more than a couple of days, one cuts back eating a bit until dropping down to at/near the bottom of the range.

    (I still log because I need to. Not everyone needs to. I do use a maintenance range as well - a "belt & suspenders" kind of approach ;) .)
  • ProsDontDie
    ProsDontDie Posts: 2 Member
    I log so I don't have to play the guessing game, if I went for my hunger cues I'd be eating at a huge surplus (I love food)
  • Coltsforlife84
    Coltsforlife84 Posts: 33 Member
    logging is like training wheels
  • rickc74
    rickc74 Posts: 416 Member
    I've been maintaining within a few pounds for about a month or so. I still log, because it is what has worked for the last ten months and I'm used to it. At some point in the near future, I'm going to try not logging for a bit and see how it goes. I'll still weigh myself daily, to keep myself in line, and because I can't imagine not doing it. To me, the ideal plan is maintaining without logging. If it doesn't work and I put on a few pounds, I'll go back to logging, because I know it works.
    I understand the crutch analogy. I got overweight by not knowing better, or by not paying attention to it. Logging was a tool, or crutch, that helped me learn how to eat. Some people will want or need to use that tool long term, and that is fine. Some people will learn the best way for them to eat, and move on without the tool, and that is fine, too.
    Do what works for you. Best of luck to all of you :)
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited January 2017
    There was a time when no one logged, weighed, or measured a darned thing and the majority of us were a healthy weight. These days it seems like we have to be a slave to the scale and fitness app in order maintain or lose. I firmly believe we all could go back to that and be perfectly okay. We have been brought to believe that we can't. There is nothing wrong with logging and keeping tabs on our food, but I don't think it's something we all must do for the rest of our lives. I find lately that when I go to weigh out a portion of most food, that I get it almost exactly right with out having to add or take any away from what I scooped on to my plate as it sits on the scale. I think after a certain period of time doing all this meticulous weighing of food we begin to get better at understanding what a normal serving size actually is and we condition ourselves to serve that reasonable amount. Also that our bodies adapt to that amount and we would feel it physically if we went over by too much.

    All that being said I say try it out. If you find yourself slowly gaining, then take a little off of what you are serving yourself. Tweak what you do and you will find your groove without the weighing and logging.
  • mrsd1969
    mrsd1969 Posts: 14 Member
    I am so impressed by all of you who can maintain without logging. I reached my goal weight 14 mths ago and not only do I still log but I still weigh out all of my food. If I didn't do that I know I would be right back where I started. How do you learn to let go?
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    mrsd1969 wrote: »
    I am so impressed by all of you who can maintain without logging. I reached my goal weight 14 mths ago and not only do I still log but I still weigh out all of my food. If I didn't do that I know I would be right back where I started. How do you learn to let go?

    I believe trial and error is the key. Also a little mindfulness. During times when I wasn't over weight and was just eating as I wanted to eat I stayed within about a 3 pound window. If, as someone up top mentioned, I felt my clothes getting tighter or saw the scale rising I just ate less and tried paying better attention to how much I was serving. It is easy to lose faith in ourselves once we have allowed our bodies to take such a hit from over eating regularly. If you want to try it you have nothing to lose. baby steps as it were, help people. Start with not logging on the weekends, and see how you do. Add in more days. You could do it. You just have to trust yourself again. I plan to stop logging once I reach my goal weight. I am nervous about it but I know I went the first 30 years of my life never weighing or logging anything and did just fine, so I am certain I can do it again.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,185 Member
    @ferderickt911

    I have been maintaining for over 6 years with not too strict or consistent logging or weighting. I don't log when on vacation unless I am cooking and the food items are already part of my food list (not too often), and I don't carry with me a food scale anywhere. I don't log restaurant food unless my choices are already in the database or if the restaurant has the nutritional information (I eat out two or three times a week). I don't log meals when eating at friend's house.

    At the present time I am logging more because I am recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I can't exercise yet with the exception of rehabilitation exercises. So the reality is that I am logging because I am border line bored :s . I weigh myself few times a week and I set an upper and lower weight range. My range is only 2 lbs because I am a very short and small person (I am also OLD), and I don't have too much room to wiggle. If I go over or under that range, I modify my "diet." After awhile we became more aware of portions size and of the nutritional information of our choices.

    In my opinion it all depends on your relationship with food (do you or did you binge, are you a person that can't resist certain foods, are you an emotional eater, do you prefer to eat out or have fast food rather than cooking the meals yourself?), your motivation, goals and discipline. And I suppose that if you had a lot of weigh to lose, you may need to be more vigilant so you don't fall back into bad eating habits, if you had any.

    Try and error and vigilance will do the trick. MFP is a very good tool that can became a crutch, if you allow it. Only you can decide what is best for you.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    mrsd1969 wrote: »
    I am so impressed by all of you who can maintain without logging. I reached my goal weight 14 mths ago and not only do I still log but I still weigh out all of my food. If I didn't do that I know I would be right back where I started. How do you learn to let go?

    If you're used to weighing your food you'll know roughly by eyeballing portion size now.

    Although I no longer log foods I tried and sort of failed my first few years at maintenance - went back to logging again til back in goal range (never got more than a few pounds over highest goal number) but I felt I always wanted to get to the not logging stage.

    Something just clicked eventually. I instinctively knew to stop eating when full and listen to real hunger cues. I really think it took me eating a certain way for a few years for it to become the norm.

    To not log I still have to be careful of my portion sizes but the main reason I find it easy to maintain now without logging is that I eat mostly same things and I know I can eat around 500 calories in snacks each day. So mentally I track those snacks as they can sneakily mount up. If I do that all is well :smile:
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    @ferderickt911

    I have been maintaining for over 6 years with not too strict or consistent logging or weighting. I don't log when on vacation unless I am cooking and the food items are already part of my food list (not too often), and I don't carry with me a food scale anywhere. I don't log restaurant food unless my choices are already in the database or if the restaurant has the nutritional information (I eat out two or three times a week). I don't log meals when eating at friend's house.

    At the present time I am logging more because I am recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I can't exercise yet with the exception of rehabilitation exercises. So the reality is that I am logging because I am border line bored :s . I weigh myself few times a week and I set an upper and lower weight range. My range is only 2 lbs because I am a very short and small person (I am also OLD), and I don't have too much room to wiggle. If I go over or under that range, I modify my "diet." After awhile we became more aware of portions size and of the nutritional information of our choices.

    In my opinion it all depends on your relationship with food (do you or did you binge, are you a person that can't resist certain foods, are you an emotional eater, do you prefer to eat out or have fast food rather than cooking the meals yourself?), your motivation, goals and discipline. And I suppose that if you had a lot of weigh to lose, you may need to be more vigilant so you don't fall back into bad eating habits, if you had any.

    Try and error and vigilance will do the trick. MFP is a very good tool that can became a crutch, if you allow it. Only you can decide what is best for you.

    I don't binge, I didn't binge, I can resist certain foods, I'm not an emotional eater, I don't eat out but once or twice a month, haven't had fast food in decades, and prefer to cook. And there is still nothing wrong with me logging my foods. I see so many comments that seem (and I apologize if I'm misunderstanding) to indicate I'm some sort of failure if I can't 'move on' from logging or choose to continue to log. I'm gonna do what works for me. You do what works for you, but I'm not some sad, pathetic person in need of a crutch or having a bad relationship with food just because I continue to log. I repeat, it is a tool that no one should feel ashamed to use, indefinitely if they want. It is NOT a crutch.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I prefer to log, especially in maintenance, because I can identify overeating or undereating much quicker than I can by using weight as a measurement as it will take longer to identify a trend via weight. Also, when I am doing heavy triathlon training, I've found my hunger cues doesn't keep up with my burn.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    edited January 2017
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    Wynterbourne wrote: »
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    @ferderickt911

    I have been maintaining for over 6 years with not too strict or consistent logging or weighting. I don't log when on vacation unless I am cooking and the food items are already part of my food list (not too often), and I don't carry with me a food scale anywhere. I don't log restaurant food unless my choices are already in the database or if the restaurant has the nutritional information (I eat out two or three times a week). I don't log meals when eating at friend's house.

    At the present time I am logging more because I am recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I can't exercise yet with the exception of rehabilitation exercises. So the reality is that I am logging because I am border line bored :s . I weigh myself few times a week and I set an upper and lower weight range. My range is only 2 lbs because I am a very short and small person (I am also OLD), and I don't have too much room to wiggle. If I go over or under that range, I modify my "diet." After awhile we became more aware of portions size and of the nutritional information of our choices.

    In my opinion it all depends on your relationship with food (do you or did you binge, are you a person that can't resist certain foods, are you an emotional eater, do you prefer to eat out or have fast food rather than cooking the meals yourself?), your motivation, goals and discipline. And I suppose that if you had a lot of weigh to lose, you may need to be more vigilant so you don't fall back into bad eating habits, if you had any.

    Try and error and vigilance will do the trick. MFP is a very good tool that can became a crutch, if you allow it. Only you can decide what is best for you.

    I don't binge, I didn't binge, I can resist certain foods, I'm not an emotional eater, I don't eat out but once or twice a month, haven't had fast food in decades, and prefer to cook. And there is still nothing wrong with me logging my foods. I see so many comments that seem (and I apologize if I'm misunderstanding) to indicate I'm some sort of failure if I can't 'move on' from logging or choose to continue to log. I'm gonna do what works for me. You do what works for you, but I'm not some sad, pathetic person in need of a crutch or having a bad relationship with food just because I continue to log. I repeat, it is a tool that no one should feel ashamed to use, indefinitely if they want. It is NOT a crutch.

    @winterbourne: My comment was an answer to the OP's question and not directed to you or anybody else, so you have no right to comment in such a way. If you took it the wrong way, well maybe you have a chip on your shoulder. If logging is what you like to do, go for it and congratulations on your success and discipline.

    I didn't say that logging is something to be ashamed of and I didn't call anybody pathetic; however, if I think that logging and weighting maybe a tool or a crutch, it is my opinion and I have the right to verbalize it or write about it. If you don't like it, well, tough.

    The OP question has been asked several times already and people always give different answers. I am sure that you wouldn't agree with most of them. Some members expressed the need to log for ever because they don't trust their judgment in portion controls, some are afraid to go back to old eating habits, and others love the structure and relish seeing their calories in their dairy. All is good (except your posting and rant).

    Then please direct your attention to the six words I wrote before what you bolded instead of telling me what I have the right to say. A simple, "you misunderstood" would be more appropriate than telling me, "you have no right to comment in such away" or accusing me of having a chip on my shoulder. Did I or did I not write the words, "and I apologize if I'm misunderstanding"??

    This is my last comment on the matter.
  • shetland
    shetland Posts: 55 Member
    If you can be honest with yourself, you have been logging enough to know portion sizes by sight, etc. then you should be fine. Just stay away from the mindset that if you didn't log it you didn't eat it! Ideally you have been learning proper portion control throughout this process so perhaps you are past needing to log.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Wynterbourne wrote: »
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    @ferderickt911

    I have been maintaining for over 6 years with not too strict or consistent logging or weighting. I don't log when on vacation unless I am cooking and the food items are already part of my food list (not too often), and I don't carry with me a food scale anywhere. I don't log restaurant food unless my choices are already in the database or if the restaurant has the nutritional information (I eat out two or three times a week). I don't log meals when eating at friend's house.

    At the present time I am logging more because I am recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I can't exercise yet with the exception of rehabilitation exercises. So the reality is that I am logging because I am border line bored :s . I weigh myself few times a week and I set an upper and lower weight range. My range is only 2 lbs because I am a very short and small person (I am also OLD), and I don't have too much room to wiggle. If I go over or under that range, I modify my "diet." After awhile we became more aware of portions size and of the nutritional information of our choices.

    In my opinion it all depends on your relationship with food (do you or did you binge, are you a person that can't resist certain foods, are you an emotional eater, do you prefer to eat out or have fast food rather than cooking the meals yourself?), your motivation, goals and discipline. And I suppose that if you had a lot of weigh to lose, you may need to be more vigilant so you don't fall back into bad eating habits, if you had any.

    Try and error and vigilance will do the trick. MFP is a very good tool that can became a crutch, if you allow it. Only you can decide what is best for you.

    I don't binge, I didn't binge, I can resist certain foods, I'm not an emotional eater, I don't eat out but once or twice a month, haven't had fast food in decades, and prefer to cook. And there is still nothing wrong with me logging my foods. I see so many comments that seem (and I apologize if I'm misunderstanding) to indicate I'm some sort of failure if I can't 'move on' from logging or choose to continue to log. I'm gonna do what works for me. You do what works for you, but I'm not some sad, pathetic person in need of a crutch or having a bad relationship with food just because I continue to log. I repeat, it is a tool that no one should feel ashamed to use, indefinitely if they want. It is NOT a crutch.

    I think your taking it wrong. Like calorie counting, crutches are a tool to help people who need them. I think that's a big part of the comparison right there. For many people, this is a learning experience; logging your good and counting your calories teaches people about portion size and about food and energy budgeting.

    As somebody who's been injured, there's nothing shameful about needing crutches. That's slightly offensive.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I started logging in October because I saw my weight creeping up and I wanted to make sure I didn't gain weight during the holidays. Before that I had gone for over a year without logging and without gaining much weight. I'm getting lax about doing it again, so I'll probably just stop because I think lax logging will cause me to overeat. When I'm not logging I tend to think more in terms of whether I'm hungry or not rather than whether I have more calories left that I can eat. If I'm lax about logging then those calories may be deceptive.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited January 2017
    There is offense about the "crutch" comment and I do not understand why. A crutch is something needed for support in order to keep from caving in and falling down. There is nothing derogatory about that. It is all a matter of perception. Someone else compared weighing/measuring and logging to using training wheels. Again, something used to help someone stay up instead of crashing or falling down. Nothing derogatory about that either. How any person chooses to receive a comment is entirely up to the individual. Perhaps some people feel bad about not trying to give it a shot with out logging and weighing etc.... Nothing wrong with that either. Some people may never feel comfortable not using that "crutch" or "training wheels". Some will venture out then venture back in. What ever helps helps someone stay where they need and want to be is great in my opinion. Some people feel like they can't trust themselves to stay on track, others feel they will just not be good at eyeballing a good portion size, others may just be a creature of habit and just want to keep weighing, measuring, and logging because they are in the habit and it has become a part of their daily routine. While others may be weighing, measuring and logging in order to keep up with a diet which has medical reasons and they need to watch carbs, fat, sodium etc.... No matter the reasons saying it is a crutch is not derogatory.
  • fitin50s2
    fitin50s2 Posts: 111 Member
    edited January 2017
    I guess it's personal choice. If you feel the need to log - do it. If not - don't.

    For me, I always felt like the largest benefit from logging and redesigning a lifestyle to include a work out plan was part of the learning / discovery process with the ultimate goal of letting go of needing to log food or exercise.

    The learning experience from the process gave me the confidence to do this without having to rely on logging. I did consider it a crutch for myself and once I got to maintenance I dropped logging food.

    It did feel like taking the training wheels off at first. So far, so good.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,154 Member
    I think part of the problem with calling it a crutch or training wheels is that it seems to imply that if you are doing it right then you shouldn't need those things. Especially when they don't give any advice, they just state that it is a crutch. If they offer good advice and refer to it as a crutch I don't know that people would take it that they are saying they are weak. Personally I don't think that it is bad to rely on crutches if you need to. But no one should feel like somehow they haven't successfully managed to maintain because they still log daily. I'm still logging because I am still trying to figure out what my maintenance calories are. But I may always log because I like having the data and it is just such a part of my routine that I see no reason to stop. Maybe some would think I'm weak for relying on a crutch. But I don't care. I'll do what I want.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    There is offense about the "crutch" comment and I do not understand why. A crutch is something needed for support in order to keep from caving in and falling down. There is nothing derogatory about that. It is all a matter of perception. Someone else compared weighing/measuring and logging to using training wheels. Again, something used to help someone stay up instead of crashing or falling down. Nothing derogatory about that either. How any person chooses to receive a comment is entirely up to the individual. Perhaps some people feel bad about not trying to give it a shot with out logging and weighing etc.... Nothing wrong with that either. Some people may never feel comfortable not using that "crutch" or "training wheels". Some will venture out then venture back in. What ever helps helps someone stay where they need and want to be is great in my opinion. Some people feel like they can't trust themselves to stay on track, others feel they will just not be good at eyeballing a good portion size, others may just be a creature of habit and just want to keep weighing, measuring, and logging because they are in the habit and it has become a part of their daily routine. While others may be weighing, measuring and logging in order to keep up with a diet which has medical reasons and they need to watch carbs, fat, sodium etc.... No matter the reasons saying it is a crutch is not derogatory.

    To call something "a crutch" is typically a derogatory term. A non-derogatory term would be "an aid". Sure, there's not much difference in the actual meaning, but sometimes communication is improved if we stop to think about the history of how various phrases have been used.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    There is offense about the "crutch" comment and I do not understand why. A crutch is something needed for support in order to keep from caving in and falling down. There is nothing derogatory about that. It is all a matter of perception. Someone else compared weighing/measuring and logging to using training wheels. Again, something used to help someone stay up instead of crashing or falling down. Nothing derogatory about that either. How any person chooses to receive a comment is entirely up to the individual. Perhaps some people feel bad about not trying to give it a shot with out logging and weighing etc.... Nothing wrong with that either. Some people may never feel comfortable not using that "crutch" or "training wheels". Some will venture out then venture back in. What ever helps helps someone stay where they need and want to be is great in my opinion. Some people feel like they can't trust themselves to stay on track, others feel they will just not be good at eyeballing a good portion size, others may just be a creature of habit and just want to keep weighing, measuring, and logging because they are in the habit and it has become a part of their daily routine. While others may be weighing, measuring and logging in order to keep up with a diet which has medical reasons and they need to watch carbs, fat, sodium etc.... No matter the reasons saying it is a crutch is not derogatory.

    To call something "a crutch" is typically a derogatory term. A non-derogatory term would be "an aid". Sure, there's not much difference in the actual meaning, but sometimes communication is improved if we stop to think about the history of how various phrases have been used.

    I don't agree completely but I do see what you are saying. I don't feel it was meant in a derogatory way here.
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