Yoyo Weight ~ Tracking Calories

imgritz

I track my calories and lose 20 pounds. I think I formed good habits, stop tracking and start gaining weight. I don't know why I am not consistent in caloric tracking.

Any tips on being consistent?

janejellyroll

I simply decided it was something I was going to do each day, like brushing my teeth or washing the dishes.

You have to just do it.

imgritz

I agree that consistency is the key.

I set the alarms from MFP on my phone. The alarms are becoming white noise.

cc3833

Wish I had some wise advice. But... I'm 6 lbs down this month and well I was here 2 years ago and 40 lbs lighter. This time I'm treating it differently. I actually stopped cutting things out of my life. I just find it so much more satisfying that I can eat whatever I want when I track my calories. No guessing, no games, no guilt or weight gain. But I'm in the same boat as you. Just thinking of it as something I just do. I'm about to put food in my mouth... well I take out my phone and plug it in. If I'm at a restaurant... I play around with the logging and see what I can have without going over and still enjoying the meal I planned. Like getting a meal cut it in half. Half dinner today and already pre-log the other half for lunch or dinner the next day. It isn't second nature. It's just something I have to be conscious of doing.

I guess now I just associate eating with taking my phone out and logging. Smart phones I think make this a lot easier than having to write things down or try to remember and do it when you get to a computer.

ladyhusker39

I think the biggest thing is when you lose weight and them stop doing everything you did to help take the weight off. If you just go back to old habits of course you're going to gain again.

You don't necessarily have to track forever or all the time. You can stop tracking calories but still monitor your weight. If you see that the number is starting to creep back up you can go back to tracking for a time to bring the weight back down. It's not an all or nothing game. It's a lifelong commitment and needs to be treated as such to achieve long term success.

seska422

I got into the habit of logging before anything caloric went into my mouth. That not only means that everything gets logged, it lets me evaluate the nutrition and portion size before I've actually done the consumption.

It took a while to get into the habit but, after a while, I did. If I'm not near a computer or phone, I at least write down what I'm planning to consume in a little notebook that I carry around.

If I want to keep weight off long term, I'm going to need to keep tracking. It's a small inconvenience with the big reward of not having to lose these pounds again.

kommodevaran

I have tracked calories before, and I lost a good bunch of pounds, and believed I had formed good habits, but then I just went back to the habits I had before, and regained. In retrospect I can see that I had just learnt how to track calories, and what foods were low calorie. I hadn't learnt to eat, move and think like a normal weight person. I still preferred the foods I used to eat, and I didn't see the point in moving just because the gym I used to go to, was no alternative for me anymore.

After I found MFP, lots of thing changed. I learnt how to enjoy all foods in moderation. I stopped fearing food, food groups and nutrients. I discovered I was a good cook. I found out that meal planning was going to be my main hobby for the years to come. My food preferences changed, my attitude towards food and eating changed, what amounts of exercise I believed I need, changed, the way I see and feel my body, changed.

I don't track in my food diary now, because I don't need it anymore. Calorie tracking without judgement taught me how to eat appropriately for my size AND according to my tastebuds. I eat like I'm supposed to without it. I still plan and log in a spreadsheet, which is much simpler, quicker and more intuitive, and accurate enough for my need. I also weigh myself daily, to prevent weight creep and anxiety.

Could it be that you DON'T WANT to track your intake? Could that be because you DON'T WANT to stick to what you think is good habits?

fiddletime

If I stop logging I regain weight. This is my third time here. I'm not leaving when I hit the "magic number" on the scale. I'm just going to keep doing what got me here. I don't trust myself when I'm not counting calories!