Sticking With It

grind2dagreen

Hello, my name is Ashaunte Stroman and first off I love this app and all it's features and gadgets. My only issues is remaining consistent with inputting what I consume day in and day, even when it's healthy. I can log but the very specific details needed so data could be accurate is very time consuming and not fun. I'm usually very disciplined but for some reason I have my great months consistently and then just fall off at times. Any tips or ideas to help keep me true to the logging because I love when I log and can see what's going on.

malibu927

I've never found it time consuming at all. A couple minutes at most with each meal.

A lot of people will prelog their day.

arrghmatey1

I pre-log quite a bit.
I also use a computer verses a cell phone or tablet.
I find it to be more concise and quicker.
I found that the phone or tablet makes it a chore for me.
Another thing I noticed about this time around (many failed past attempts) is that I am not looking at this as a forever thing this time.
What I am saying is this after 223 days I see logging as a tool.
I just don't log.
I keep other records and I am teaching myself about my own personal nutrition.
It is like learning a second language .... look at a plate of food and know the hows, whys and wheres so to speak with little conscious effort..
I don't want to be a "chronic" dieter.
I want to lose my weight and move on with the skill set to maintain that new weight.
That's right I want to be one of those hateful people who seem like they can eat anything and never gain a ounce.

lorrpb

Whst do you find time consuming? Most people have a fair bit of repetition in their diet so after a couple weeks you can copy from previous meals. Do you use this feature?

WickAndArtoo

I felt that way in the first few months also, but then it just became second nature. On my phone anything I have ever logged before comes up automatically when I begin to type, so by now it's pretty easy for me to add stuff without a lot of extra work.

Also you can create "meals" that you eat often and also use the recipe builder which does all the math for you once the ingredients are entered.

I have found making healthier choices is so much easier now that I have been tracking a long time, because I know how many calories things I eat are before I enter it based on the past, and I am able to make a logical decision of whether it's worth it or not. So in my opinion logging 100% of my foods is totally worth it, even if I have gone over for the day.

fiddletime

I've regained twice on mfp. Frustrating, and both times I felt confident that I "had it" and stopped logging. Now I've just reached my maintenance zone after 8 months to lose 16 pounds, with 4 to go. I don't want to gain again. It's that simple. I want to stay in a 4# range and if I go up, I just do what I've been doing and tighten things up. IF a year goes by with good maintenance I just might consider not logging. Maybe. So, just do what you know how to do- log and lose weight. The time spent logging is a tiny price to pay to keep your head in the game.

MichelleSilverleaf

I treat it all the same way I would treat taking medication; yeah it sometimes sucks, yeah I don't like it, but this is something I have to do to get better and so I do it.