Taking a week break from logging food - What results have YOU had from a logging break?

anewell28

I just was curious of what a week break from logging has done for different people and what mentality they have had going into it. What eating habits did they notice or scale change etc. happened?
Just looking for an interesting discussion!

elphie754

Weight gain

lynn_glenmont

elphie754 wrote: »

Weight gain

Ditto.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Graelwyn75

I didn't log most of my life and maintained a weight at the lower end of the BMI scale. I only started logging here really because I became very interested in the data and because I was heavily into fitness and training. It is more a habit thing now than anything else, and perhaps, because I am not sure I currently wish to go back up to my 'regular' weight.

JaydedMiss

Weight gain.

Nony_Mouse

Depends whether you mean not logging but still being conscious of what you're eating, or not logging and not worrying about cals at all. Two very different things.

A third thing is a structured diet break, eating at maintenance, but still logging. If you just wanted the mental benefits, you could just do a week, but for the full physiological benefits you really need 10-14 days. More on what, how and why here: https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/ Even just as practice for maintenance, this is an excellent tool.

I recently did a 10 day diet break, lost weight.

newheavensearth

Rapid expansion.

sijomial

Maintenance.

I don't find maintenance without logging at all hard. Even when I was fat I was still maintaining - just at the wrong weight. You can still be calorie aware without food logging.

sardelsa

Nothing different. Sometimes significant weight loss in the beginning of I wasn't careful

JustRobby1

The only time I have really gone "off the reservation" since joining a little over a year ago were vacations. During these times I don't log and drop off the radar to my friends list entirely except for a couple people who I now know outside of MFP. Do I gain a few pounds? Yup. Do I care? Nope.

It's not like I do not know how to lose them again, and I do just that. It's good to take some time away from routine, eat some great food, hang out with friends in an exotic locale, and party my nuts off. It's called living life. Besides, since I am good 99% of the time in my day to day life, those 2 weeks of PTO I get each year are a drop in the bucket in the grand scope.

callsitlikeiseeit

i maintained for a year without logging anything. want to lose the rest of the weight, so stated back up recently.

CrazyMermaid1

Weight gain

Kst76

Always weight gain

Lesscookies

I've managed to lose almost 33 pounds now without logging or using a food scale different things work for different people.

counting_kilojoules

It depends. I've stopped logging because I was out of internet range but still being careful of my intake and lost weight and I've had bad periods where I've stopped logging and gained weight. I've also stopped logging and just maintained my weight for a while. In general it depends on the person, what their goals are and how accountable they're able to be to themselves whilst not logging. One size doesn't fit all (not even within one person!)

wxlaw

Took a week break due to stress and ended up gaining weight. Was eating out most of the time in that week and I couldn't really estimate the calories ate.

Kst76

Lesscookies wrote: »

I've managed to lose almost 33 pounds now without logging or using a food scale different things work for different people.

It's because you have a good eye for it. You are still honest with yourself. More so than I am when I don't log.. I wish I didn't need to log my food.

amusedmonkey

Weight gain for me as well, but if I'm logging "in my head" I can manage a week without weight gain.

lucerorojo

I still logged but when I went on vacation for two weeks last month, I upped my calorie intake--I set MFP to 1 lb. per week instead of 2 lbs. to lose. Actually I changed it the week before--so I ate 500 calories more (at least) for three weeks. I changed it because I was stressed out the week before my vacation and found that I was not eating well--I was undereating because I was so stressed that I could not get my food organized. It was worth it. It took the pressure off for that week, and while on vacation I did not feel deprived or worried if I had some drinks or food that I couldn't log. I basically maintained for that time. I did lose .5 lbs. for the two weeks I was on vacation, but I had a few days of wine tasting, parties, etc. I did log but I don't think I was very accurate for those days. I've been back on the 2 lbs. per week and lost over 3 lbs. in the last two weeks, so I'm pretty happy to be back on track.

I would recommend that you decrease your weight loss goals for a week or two, or eat at maintenance but keep logging, if you feel you need a break.

Rooskie73

I will be at Disney World from the 19th-26th. I probably won't be logging while I am there, but I will be conscious of what I am eating. We plan to share meals, and we will have healthy foods in our room & backpacks. Lots of walking and water, water, water.

goldthistime

I rarely log food intake anymore. As long as I eat my protein and fruits and veggies, and get my exercise, I stay on track. Occasionally I let other things take priority and I gain a little weight, but with a bit of focus (but still no logging), it comes right back off again. A few times I have really struggled and started logging again in hopes of getting back to my good habits, and so far, it has always worked.

Gisel2015

Three years ago, I left MFP for almost 6 months and kept the weight within the normal +/-2lbs range that I set for myself. However, I was very “aware” of the kind of foods and the amount that I was eating and I also kept exercising. I came back because I wanted to keep better track of my macros.

In general, I don’t log while on vacation, and except for water weight due to travel, I also keep my weight in check. Sometimes I even lose weight while on vacation because I am more conscious of portion control since I don’t have the logging part of the equation helping me to track the calories.

There are many people in the forums that are already on maintenance, just like I am, and keep their weight in check. In my opinion, a lot depends on how much you learned while losing, your relationship with food, motivation, and control.

lorrpb

I lost 125 lbs then been maintaining 1 year after I stopped logging. I logged only for my first 3 months, 25 lbs. I eat consistently (same things) and learned to manage eating out. So the things I learned while logging stayed with me.

SafioraLinnea

Depends how long it's for but generally maintenance or a small (3-4lb) gain followed by maintenance.

SCoil123

In July I went to Europe for 2 weeks and took a break. Mentally it was great for me! I didn’t log, didn’t wear my Fitbit, and swapped my regular intense 2hr weights/boxing workouts for 15 min morning yoga.

I did come back a few lbs heavier but it was water weight and within a little over a week I was back to normal. I was plateaued for a few months before the trip and am now down 5lb from pre-vacation weight with 5lb more to go to goal.

thunderchild007

6.51bs on and so not *kitten* worth it. Thar was my wight in after not logging last week.

KiwiGirl38

I just had a week off due to going overseas for a holiday. I set my goal to loose .25 kilos and I was able to eat an extra 1800kj per day. It made a difference eating more. I also walked alot and ate some of those kj's back. I ended up loosing 700 grams and came back slightly lighter.

skymningen

I would like to throw something in here... A lot of people say they instantly gained weight when not logging a week. But this observation might be biased. Many of us take a break from logging because other things take over. Vacation, depression, stress at work, having a baby, you name it. That already sets you up to be thrown out of your rhythm and is connected to having fewer choices of food/ choice to prepare it yourself / choice of portions served to you. That does not mean that the break from logging alone made you gain weight, it was the break from your structure in total. That can be different if you just take a random break but keep everything else on track.

amusedmonkey

skymningen wrote: »

I would like to throw something in here... A lot of people say they instantly gained weight when not logging a week. But this observation might be biased. Many of us take a break from logging because other things take over. Vacation, depression, stress at work, having a baby, you name it. That already sets you up to be thrown out of your rhythm and is connected to having fewer choices of food/ choice to prepare it yourself / choice of portions served to you. That does not mean that the break from logging alone made you gain weight, it was the break from your structure in total. That can be different if you just take a random break but keep everything else on track.

That would be correct, and for one week it's likely not going to make that much of a difference if you're careful with your choices. "IDGAF" kind of logging break is potentially more likely to lead to weight gain. My experience, however, with longer periods of not logging is that it's harder for me to diet because I tend to want to undereat "just in case" and it's more stressful because I'm not sure if I can "afford" that piece of high calorie something I want, which leads to food blowouts that make it harder for me to lose weight. For maintenance, I find not logging much easier. I notice a calorie creep the longer I'm not logging and I find myself needing to take corrective "fast days" more often (when weight goes above my set maximum allowed). I also personally feel logging puts me in a better mental state for calorie control and I'm happier on it.

celiah909

For me it equaled weight gain. I wasn’t ready to not be tracking & quickly fell right back into old eating habits