I've stopped counting calories...

xxzenabxx

Anyone else stopped or taking a break?

madambutterfly91

Last year I took a break from counting calories because I was so busy all the time I didn’t have the brain power for it. I listened to my body and tried to make nutritious choices and I dropped about 30 pounds. Only reason I started counting again was because I wasn’t eating enough because of my depression and my body went into starvation mode.

malibu927

Any time I’ve stopped I gained weight so...

TenderBlender667

I've stopped for 3 days and I'm already paying the price. I don't think taking a break is worth it unless you know how to control your intake without counting calories. If you're an all-or-nothing person like me, I don't recommend it.

CaliMomTeach

I did for almost a month, and stopped weighing in too. I ate cake on multiple occasions and cheeseburgers and fries. I was shocked to find I did not gain weight. I went from 193 to about 140 pounds from July 2016 to May 2017. I gained and lost the same 4 pounds or so for a while. I was going for 135 pounds, but am thinking 140 is better for me. I will continue to play around with tracking and not tracking and see what happens. I just don't want to gain it all back, but 5 -10 pounds I can deal with easily I think.

xxzenabxx

madambutterfly91 wrote: »

Last year I took a break from counting calories because I was so busy all the time I didn’t have the brain power for it. I listened to my body and tried to make nutritious choices and I dropped about 30 pounds. Only reason I started counting again was because I wasn’t eating enough because of my depression and my body went into starvation mode.

That's how I feel right now. I'm not up for it but I will pick up on it in a week or so I'm sure. I won't be counting during Christmas time or New Years.

nexangelus

Taken two week break from logging and signing in here whilst on holiday. Will do it again in just under 2 weeks' time. Am still successfully losing weight no problems. See the thread on refeeds and diet breaks somewhere in the forums, I was not following the thread, so have lost track of it...

Found it, here it is:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks

TavistockToad

I've stopped for this weekend, and then am going to stay at maintenance for a while as maintaining a deficit and being hungry all the time isn't much fun at the moment!

Unknown

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xxzenabxx

nexangelus wrote: »

Taken two week break from logging and signing in here whilst on holiday. Will do it again in just under 2 weeks' time. Am still successfully losing weight no problems. See the thread on refeeds and diet breaks somewhere in the forums, I was not following the thread, so have lost track of it...

Found it, here it is:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks

Do you find the the two week breaks give your mind a break too?

cwolfman13

I haven't counted calories in 4.5 years...

xxzenabxx

CaliMomTeach wrote: »

I did for almost a month, and stopped weighing in too. I ate cake on multiple occasions and cheeseburgers and fries. I was shocked to find I did not gain weight. I went from 193 to about 140 pounds from July 2016 to May 2017. I gained and lost the same 4 pounds or so for a while. I was going for 135 pounds, but am thinking 140 is better for me. I will continue to play around with tracking and not tracking and see what happens. I just don't want to gain it all back, but 5 -10 pounds I can deal with easily I think.

Yes I've found that my weight will continue to fluctuate and that's normal. I want to get to the point where I can lose weight without tracking. Right now I know I'm not at that point yet.

xxzenabxx

TavistockToad wrote: »

I've stopped for this weekend, and then am going to stay at maintenance for a while as maintaining a deficit and being hungry all the time isn't much fun at the moment!

I find weekends hardest to track anyway since I'm always eating out or eating at dinner parties and I never know how much calories are in the food. Exercising some sort of portion control helps me though.

robertw486

I really only logged food for a short period, and was as concerned with eating enough to properly recover from longer cardio sessions and such as I was with total calorie intake.

Do what works for you. For me being conscious and mindful of what I eat usually works, and I can more or less know my weight within a couple pounds without even getting on a scale. For others they might enjoy knowing exacts or what direction they are heading. There is really no right or wrong if you are at or moving towards your goals.

franky716

YepItsKriss wrote: »

madambutterfly91 wrote: »

Last year I took a break from counting calories because I was so busy all the time I didn’t have the brain power for it. I listened to my body and tried to make nutritious choices and I dropped about 30 pounds. Only reason I started counting again was because I wasn’t eating enough because of my depression and my body went into starvation mode.

Since starvation mode isn't a real thing from not eating enough, if your result was you gained weight through your depression it was because you were eating too much

I agree with this....Starvation mode is given way too much importance...You have to go without any food at all for several days for that to even be a factor....Unless you're stuck on a mountain after a plane crash then It's an over used term in the west.

malibu927

franky716 wrote: »

YepItsKriss wrote: »

madambutterfly91 wrote: »

Last year I took a break from counting calories because I was so busy all the time I didn’t have the brain power for it. I listened to my body and tried to make nutritious choices and I dropped about 30 pounds. Only reason I started counting again was because I wasn’t eating enough because of my depression and my body went into starvation mode.

Since starvation mode isn't a real thing from not eating enough, if your result was you gained weight through your depression it was because you were eating too much

I agree with this....Starvation mode is given way too much importance...You have to go without any food at all for several days for that to even be a factor....Unless you're stuck on a mountain after a plane crash then It's an over used term in the west.

There's a difference between starvation mode (where people assume they will not lose/end up gaining from eating too few calories...this can happen, but it takes a lengthy period of undereating enough to bring your BMR/TDEE down) and actual starvation.