Tired of logging every little bite!

Nykkismommy21

Hi everyone. So lately im feeling a bit discouraged,tired or unmotivated to log all my food into my diary.And I absolutely hate feeling that way. I have lost 13lbs in the last 45 days or so...but I do notice that somedays I feel like logging is such a chore. It might be the days im eating more than I should. But I think my calories might be set to low anyway. Idk. I don't eat junk food though. Just more of the health stuff. But ugh sometimes logging it all gets to me. How do you guys stay motivated or how do you ensure to get it all logged in?!

janejellyroll

I pre-log the day before so I just have to adjust weights the next day. Logging is the best way I've found to maintain my weight loss, so it isn't hard for me to stay motivated. I'd rather spend a few minutes logging than gain the weight back.

Why do you think your calories might be too low?

mlrtri

Right now I am staying motivated because I am seeing it work. It isn't fun but it is less fun being overweight. So I am choosing to log. It sounds like it is working for you.

cmriverside

I got frustrated in the beginning, too. I would get too hungry and then have a mini-binge and logging it was hard on my ego. It felt like failure.

If you think your cals are too low, adjust your daily goal and see if that helps you stay in your calories. I find logging to be a soothing thing, I don't like not knowing. I found that if I don't log, I start eating too much and not even realizing it. If I log it, I'm more apt to stick with the plan.

katnadreau

I pre log everything in the morning, and adjust weights on food as needed. I usually give myself at least 100 calorie buffer in case I underestimate how much I think I will want. Makes it feel less like a chore.

usmcmp

I'm also going to suggest pre-logging and thinking about raising your calories.

impyimpyaj

Hey, I'm going to chime in here without reading the rest of the thread other than the OP. I was on here a couple of years back and I had great progress. I lost something like 30 pounds and it was awesome. But then I got tired of being a part of the forums, so I stopped. Then I got tired of logging, so I stopped. Then life happened, and I had some stressful life changes, and I ate my feelings, and now I'm right back up to my highest weight, so I'm back here because I know this is what works. Don't quit. Keep going.

What worked for me when I was working it was to pre-plan my meals and snacks the day before. If something needed to change, like if I had to change what I made for dinner or whatever, then I would be flexible, but it helped to see right up front what food I had planned so that I didn't have to think about it in the moment.

MegaMooseEsq

Well, it sounds like you have several options here. You could do something about your diet: move to a smaller deficit or take a maintenance break (go-to link: www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/). Alternatively, you could pre-log, as others have suggested, or try quitting logging for a while but still weighing yourself regularly. Assuming you want to stay in a deficit, not logging means you have to watch your weight trends carefully, but it's certainly possible. The worst that happens is you start trending upwards, catch it within a pound or three, and start logging again.

RuaidhriC

I agree with those who recommend pre-logging. It can done all-at-once, so you aren't time to logging-in a million times. They also have a "My Meals" option where you can check-in complete meals, instead of logging-in the same things 1,000 times. If you eat the same meals more than once a week, it's a godsend! Another alternative is to carry a small scratchpad with you. Write down your meals/snacks throughout the day, then just enter them once at the end-of-the-day.

melissaulmen

It does get difficult, but the results are worth it.
I know it will sound boring, but I eat a lot of the same foods over and over. So instead of putting everything in separately, I just copy the meal from the previous day. If there are a few things different you can delete items, and add new ones. Makes it a lot faster for me.
I also made meals out of the foods I eat a lot. That way when logging you don't have to add each individual item.
Stay strong, it sounds like it is working for you.

Remember - The process will not be easy, but it will be worth it!

kristen8000

If you've lost 13lbs in 45 days you might be going about it too aggressively, which would cause burn out.

Logging is sometimes a pain - I get you - but it works. If I don't log, I get messy, I don't weigh my portions, I eye ball things and overeat. And I know, for me, I like being thin. So for me, the inconvience is worth it.

You might want to evaluate your #'s. Could you eat more and still lose, just a tad slower? Heck, I lost almost 9lbs in 37 days I thought I was losing fast! The point of this whole thing is to not burn out and give up.

shaunshaikh

I stay motivated because I know that logging religiously helps to get me results and keep me honest.

1. It also helps me understand exactly how much I'm eating when I eat, so that I better understand appropriate portions
2. It helps to keep me accountable. If I did not log every bit, then I am allowing myself to erase my deficits.
3. It helps me to plan out my day. Like others have said, many times I will pre-log my meals, so that way my approach to eating becomes more of executing a plan rather than reacting to what I'm doing in real time.

I don't know where you are in your health journey, but in my case if I had figured out all these things naturally, I wouldn't be here trying to lose another 40 pounds or so.

Friend me if you need someone to help keep you motivated!

debtay123

I feel like logging on the ONE thing that has made such a difference- when I just skip logging or eat a meal and just "guesstimate" then I am usually way off and the weight starts to creep up- I think logging does hold you accountable to yourself- it that makes sense. ITA with everyone who says to prelog do it for a day or for a few days at a time then just change as needed. good luck!

kommodevaran

You don't have to log to lose weight. But you have to eat less. But you can't eat too little. You've lost quite a bit quite fast. What's your height and weight and calorie goal? And you have to ask yourself a difficult question: Do you resent logging because it's tedious (and you'd eat appropriately anyway) or because it means that you can't just mindlessly eat whatever whenever in unliminted amounts? And are you eating "healthy" food you hate because you think you have to?

Me? I log what I eat because I plan my meals and it's just as easy to keep it as I eat than to erase it, and it's interesting to look at, and it reminds me of what I like to eat, and it helps me get structure and variety, balanced meals, and save money. BTW, I'm a big fan of meal planning if that was unclear

MossiO

I feel like, by tracking, I finally have some control over food instead of it having the control over me. I intend to track for the rest of my life. I fought it at first, but now it's just second nature.

kelseyllhunt

I always pretrack my food in the morning, partly because I'm a single mom who works full time, and it takes a lot of the guess work out of my day. That way, if I want to treat myself, I already know if I can or not. Makes it so much easier, and gets the logging out of the way first thing

Heather4448

Sounds like prelogging and meal planning may be your best bet.

NEOHgirl

I've been doing it with one system or another for the majority of the past 9 years, so to me it's no different than brushing my teeth - it's just something that I do, because I know I have to. Otherwise, everything I am putting in my mouth is just guesswork, and I would have nothing to analyze later if I don't get the results I want or expect.

As far as your calories being too low, you might be right; 13# in 45 days is an average of 2# per week, and that is the highest level you should be going for. You definitely have room to adjust your target loss to 1-1.5# per week in MFP. You should gain some calories back on your daily target, and that might help you sustain your weight loss without feeling so deprived.

BTW - start WW in 2008 at 230#; switched to MFP in December 2015 at around 210# (after losing & gaining again with WW while dealing with some leg injuries). and as of this week I'm at 163.1#. As much as a chore as logging might seem, it truly is important. Good luck.

PAV8888

Logging is somewhat time consuming, but it allows me to eat the most amount of food that I can while meeting my goals.

And I wasn't meeting my goals without logging.

So it allows me to succeed; thus motivation!

Unsustainably large deficits and a way of eating that is too restrictive and unsuitable for the long term may be part of many people's weight loss experiments, but they do tend to lead to burn out and giving up.

The process of logging (recording what was consumed) should not be conflated with chosing what and how to eat, or the size of the deficit one aims for.

Are you sure that *logging* is the problem?

kimny72

As someone else used to say all the time here:

Losing weight is hard. Being overweight is hard. Choose your hard.

Having said that, a month and a half in and losing at a pretty aggressive pace, you may have hit the wall. Unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 2 lbs/week is really fast. Maybe take a week of not logging and just trying to estimate your food. Then come back with a slightly easier goal.

Is it the logging that's bothering you or the measuring? Maybe practice eyeballing portions and see if you can do a week on/week off sort of thing.

I have always felt freed by logging - no more worrying if I'm eating the right amount, or wondering if I have room for dessert or not - yay! But I know other people find it wears them down. You have to find the right balance for you.

hesn92

I feel ya. Mfp is the only thing that has worked for me in the past (lost 25 ish lbs about 5-6 years ago) but for some reason I just can't get back Into it.

kshama2001

Nykkismommy21 wrote: »

Hi everyone. So lately im feeling a bit discouraged,tired or unmotivated to log all my food into my diary.And I absolutely hate feeling that way. I have lost 13lbs in the last 45 days or so...but I do notice that somedays I feel like logging is such a chore. It might be the days im eating more than I should. But I think my calories might be set to low anyway. Idk. I don't eat junk food though. Just more of the health stuff. But ugh sometimes logging it all gets to me. How do you guys stay motivated or how do you ensure to get it all logged in?!

I rotate between a few breakfast, lunches, and snacks, so I can just copy them from one day to the next or pick them out of Recent or Frequent. I have more variety for dinner, so that can take a little longer. I cook, and I log while my OH does the dishes

How much weight do you have to lose? Some of the problem may be because you are losing weight too quickly. How tall are you and what's your daily calorie goal?

boredloser

I tend to pre-log a day in advance and then make adjustments and changes along the way

nowine4me

I eat a lot of the same foods frequently, so over time, I've built up a pretty good database which makes logging much easier. I also create meals for the restaurant meals I eat most frequently and recipies for the things I cook most often. I pre-log the whole week on Sunday so I can plan meals with good macros and calorie balance -- a bit like a puzzle or game. And on days like today when I eat something I don't eat frequently (like sushi), I just Google the closest thing I can find and do a quick add.

It gets MUCH more streamlined over time.

ladyhusker39

I wonder if it's not the plan you've set for yourself that you're struggling with and that maybe logging is just the excuse to bail on it. Change your plan to something more sustainable and you should be ok. You've already been given some excellent suggestions above on various ways you can do that.

rheddmobile

Logging gets easier and easier as time goes on since more of your regular foods are already in the recent list.

Using all the features makes it easier too. Use the restaurant tab for restaurant menus, use the recipe builder, save meals you eat frequently, use the barcode scanner for packaged items. If you have a scale with a tare function, you can just set your plate on the scale, load one food on it, tare it to zero, load your second food, and so on. Using all the functions I can log my food in just a few seconds now. Eating at the Korean restaurant? I always have dae ji bul go gi, two dumplings, a portion of rice, soup, and BBQ sauce. But instead of logging all that I just select the whole meal. Eating spaghetti? If I type "spa" it brings up the noodles, and if I select the noodles it asks if I am also eating Parmesan, spinach, a salad, dressing, meatballs, and sauce. Bought a new food? Scan the barcode. Breakfast? Same as yesterday, just slide right to add it.

If the problem is that you hate logging because you don't want to be reminded that you are eating too much, raise your calories or add some exercise.

shipratsn

To be honest it was annoying for me too at the beginning. But when I saw the impacts of diligently data entry, it became a part of my day which now I can not even miss deliberately.

Nykkismommy21

janejellyroll wrote: »

I pre-log the day before so I just have to adjust weights the next day. Logging is the best way I've found to maintain my weight loss, so it isn't hard for me to stay motivated. I'd rather spend a few minutes logging than gain the weight back.

Why do you think your calories might be too low?

Sorry i havent been on much lateky..I think they may be to low because I dont include the 4-5 miles I walk 5 x aweek. I only eat back some of my dvd workout calories.

Nykkismommy21

MegaMooseEsq wrote: »

Well, it sounds like you have several options here. You could do something about your diet: move to a smaller deficit or take a maintenance break (go-to link: www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/). Alternatively, you could pre-log, as others have suggested, or try quitting logging for a while but still weighing yourself regularly. Assuming you want to stay in a deficit, not logging means you have to watch your weight trends carefully, but it's certainly possible. The worst that happens is you start trending upwards, catch it within a pound or three, and start logging again.

I think thats what I have been doing lately. The taking a maintenance break, for the last week,which seems to be working. I havent gained . I just havent lost either. I think I was feeling a bit burned out. I also am tired of eating the same things lol which i really love anyway, but im a vegetarian who needs cooking lessons or easy recipes. I need to eat more veggies. I think what I discovered was I need to learn how to meal prep too,because im kinda busy with the kids ,so I just grab what i need when im hungry. Sorry im rambling now!

macclone

I keep my meal choices limited to make it easier. For example, I have three main breakfasts - fiber cereal, eggs or a protein shake. Lunch is sliced chicken and pepper jack cheese on wheat bread with spicy mustard everyday. Snack are cheese stick, banana or protein bar.

Nykkismommy21

kommodevaran wrote: »

You don't have to log to lose weight. But you have to eat less. But you can't eat too little. You've lost quite a bit quite fast. What's your height and weight and calorie goal? And you have to ask yourself a difficult question: Do you resent logging because it's tedious (and you'd eat appropriately anyway) or because it means that you can't just mindlessly eat whatever whenever in unliminted amounts? And are you eating "healthy" food you hate because you think you have to?

Me? I log what I eat because I plan my meals and it's just as easy to keep it as I eat than to erase it, and it's interesting to look at, and it reminds me of what I like to eat, and it helps me get structure and variety, balanced meals, and save money. BTW, I'm a big fan of meal planning if that was unclear

Hi my current weight is 183. I started on mfp at 196. Was set first at 1200 sedentary. Then started walking my son to school and picking him up,so I moved to 1390. I walk 4 miles a day and don't try to eat those calories and I workout or was working out 20 minute body shred 5x a week ,until i got a cyst on my tailbone that left me on the sidelines for a week. Anywhoo those calories i eat. I have a first goal of getting to 150. And its funny because I had told myself i wanted to lose 20 lbs by Christmas time,i was ok going slowly but surely. I think i got happy with results and kept pushing and got burnt.