Is logging sustainable long term?
Replies
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Live_life_well wrote: »Hey,
Like many of you, I joined this site because I wanted to make a lasting change in my diet and to hopefully lose a couple of pounds in the process. I have been logging religiously over the past 20 days and it has gone well.
The main issue for me is that I don't see this process as sustainable long term. (1) I feel like an accountant every time I eat, (2) Every meal feels like a business transaction with legal paperwork to sign, (3) I went from eating out twice a day to once in 20 days as my usual spots don't allow accurate logging, (4) I no longer judge food by just its taste - everything is a real estate deal with calories replacing money.
Anyone else having success with logging but wary of it being something that they can stick to long term?
Items 1, 2, and 4 - I don't feel like an accountant every time I eat, meals don't feel like business transactions, and I select food by its taste as well as calorie content. The difference between your attitudes toward logging and mine are related to the values and thoughts we associate with the process of logging. If you want to make permanent changes, you need to be cognizant of what you're putting into your mouth and make choices accordingly. Logging is one way to do this - another is to change the values and thoughts you associate with the process of logging and eating. Or, find another way to manage your input without logging (fancy way of saying that is "internalize a normal way of eating"). That's a behavioral issue rather than a nutritional issue. You might want to read the Beck Diet Solution which covers the behavioral part and will be helpful no matter what approach you take to weight loss.
https://beckdietsolution.wordpress.com
http://diet.beckinstitute.org
The other thing I'll point out is that you can save favorite foods for repeated use, and use the bar scanner with packaged foods. Logging becomes easier over time, not harder. After using MFP for several years, total time I spend logging food per day is probably two or three minutes at this point.
Item 3 - As sgt1372 says, close enough for jazz. Or don't sweat the small stuff. Find something similar in the database and log that. A few meals where you're not 100% accurate here and there aren't going to make any difference.5 -
Only you can decide whether it's sustainable for you. It is for some people and it isn't for others. It was not for me. But I still met my goal and have maintained the loss for 2 years without logging.2
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I think the key is to find things you like and once you've eaten them, they are already in your log, so just find them and relog them. My issue is weighing stuff, but that's a minor hassle. Like others have said I go ahead and log my breakfast and lunch in the morning and then I know what I can do for supper, when I'm not at work and most likely to struggle.0
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I'm approaching a 1,700-day streak of actually logging every day (not just accessing the site), and I've been in maintenance for the entire time (except maybe the first 60 days, where I changed a lot of my eating habits and dropped 12lbs). I have decided to stop several times, but it is really just a habit now and only takes up 10-15 minutes of my day, so I have just continued to do it, with no end in sight. I mostly just monitor my protein totals / % to ensure I'm getting enough.6
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Live_life_well wrote: »
The main issue for me is that I don't see this process as sustainable long term. (1) I feel like an accountant every time I eat, (2) Every meal feels like a business transaction with legal paperwork to sign, (3) I went from eating out twice a day to once in 20 days as my usual spots don't allow accurate logging, (4) I no longer judge food by just its taste - everything is a real estate deal with calories replacing money.
As to #4, how do you spend your money? Do you budget for your necessary expenses and save up for extras & splurges, or do you just randomly go around buying whatever catches your eye? Everything requires a value judgment- can I afford it right now? Is it worth what it's going to cost me? Calories are no different. It doesn't (usually) mean you have to skip the things you really want, but you do have to plan a little (or go deeply into debt). Logging is just the equivalent of balancing the books.
Personally, #3 doesn't strike me as a huge sacrifice (it pains me to pay extra for something I can easily do at home, particularly breakfast), but it seems like your approach could be less extreme. Even though accuracy contributes to success, perfection & rigidity are not required.
Is logging sustainable? Is brushing your teeth sustainable? I don't think about it- I just do it. But as others have said, it may or may not be necessary for you long-term or continuously. Most of us who have been at this a while (more than 20 days
) can eyeball a dish/meal and give you a pretty good estimate of the calories involved. The problem can be, over time, that our judgment may start getting skewed again and calorie creep sets in, which can be addressed by another stretch of logging. No biggie. 
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I've been logging for 16-17 mos and have rarely missed a day, but I'm not at goal weight. I don't think it's that much of a hardship, especially if you save meals that you eat regularly (my lunch salads are one click) and use the scanner function for packaged foods. Most mornings I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to eat for the rest of the day. Since dinner is usually my biggest meal, I try to plan backwards from that so I know what I've got left for lunch and (my usually small) breakfast. Maybe it would help if you gave yourself a day off every week?0
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Been logging for 6 months. I feel it is sustainable for me. After logging for a month or so it became second nature. I do look at food as numbers and feel as though I'm on a food budget some days. But that has been good for me. I never thought twice about portions, calories or nutrition before. It's been a real eye opener for me and a great education! Logging keeps me accountable and I imagine that it always will!1
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I have logged every day since January of 2015. I find the process freeing and don't find that it impairs my enjoyment of life. It's just part of my life now. It's much easier than the cycle of weight loss followed by regaining that I went through before I began logging.
But for the purposes of your post, it doesn't really matter what *I* think of it or how sustainable I find it. If it's not sustainable for you, then it's not. Nobody else finding it easy or a great tool for maintaining weight loss is going to change how you feel about it.4 -
Live_life_well wrote: »Hey,
Like many of you, I joined this site because I wanted to make a lasting change in my diet and to hopefully lose a couple of pounds in the process. I have been logging religiously over the past 20 days and it has gone well.
The main issue for me is that I don't see this process as sustainable long term. (1) I feel like an accountant every time I eat, (2) Every meal feels like a business transaction with legal paperwork to sign, (3) I went from eating out twice a day to once in 20 days as my usual spots don't allow accurate logging, (4) I no longer judge food by just its taste - everything is a real estate deal with calories replacing money.
Anyone else having success with logging but wary of it being something that they can stick to long term?
Items 1, 2, and 4 - I don't feel like an accountant every time I eat, meals don't feel like business transactions, and I select food by its taste as well as calorie content. The difference between your attitudes toward logging and mine are related to the values and thoughts we associate with the process of logging. If you want to make permanent changes, you need to be cognizant of what you're putting into your mouth and make choices accordingly. Logging is one way to do this - another is to change the values and thoughts you associate with the process of logging and eating. Or, find another way to manage your input without logging (fancy way of saying that is "internalize a normal way of eating"). That's a behavioral issue rather than a nutritional issue. You might want to read the Beck Diet Solution which covers the behavioral part and will be helpful no matter what approach you take to weight loss.
https://beckdietsolution.wordpress.com
http://diet.beckinstitute.org
The other thing I'll point out is that you can save favorite foods for repeated use, and use the bar scanner with packaged foods. Logging becomes easier over time, not harder. After using MFP for several years, total time I spend logging food per day is probably two or three minutes at this point.
Item 3 - As sgt1372 says, close enough for jazz. Or don't sweat the small stuff. Find something similar in the database and log that. A few meals where you're not 100% accurate here and there aren't going to make any difference.
Also per item 3 - you're still pretty new to this, but it actually is possible to eat out regularly and still lose weight via calorie counting, and the longer you go, the more confidence you'll get in your ability to estimate. Depending on your goals, you may need to cut back, but probably not as much as you have so far. I went from eating out for lunch and dinner maybe 5-6 days a week to bringing my own lunch most days and eating out for dinner only 1-2 a week. I tend to go to mom & pop places and log based on a similar meal from chains like Applebees or TGIFriday's. I try to moderate my portions, but I'm also not ordering based on what I think might be the lowest calorie item on the menu. It really does work out in the long run if you keep an eye on your numbers and are conscientious about it.1 -
Not for me. Logging makes me overly focused on my food and weight and I get a bit obsessive. I found that I have a sense of how many calories are in meals and how much I burn from physical activity without logging and I know how to lose weight. I also enjoy food more when I'm not counting calories. I think that it's different for each person.3
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I've been logging everything since the start of 2011. It doesn't stop me from enjoying food, even to excess on occasion... It does let me "budget" what I'd like to spend my calories on and let me moderate my intake over the long term so I can have occasional splurge days without worrying.
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Don't think about what may or may not be 1 or 3 years down the road, take it one day at a time. If you get to a point that you've reached a goal and feel that you've outgrown the need for MFP, then that is the time to make that decision, but cross that bridge when you get to it. Now is not that time, so don't think too much of it.3
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Live_life_well wrote: »Hey,
Like many of you, I joined this site because I wanted to make a lasting change in my diet and to hopefully lose a couple of pounds in the process. I have been logging religiously over the past 20 days and it has gone well.
The main issue for me is that I don't see this process as sustainable long term. (1) I feel like an accountant every time I eat, (2) Every meal feels like a business transaction with legal paperwork to sign, (3) I went from eating out twice a day to once in 20 days as my usual spots don't allow accurate logging, (4) I no longer judge food by just its taste - everything is a real estate deal with calories replacing money.
Anyone else having success with logging but wary of it being something that they can stick to long term?
I always considered this a learning tool...I never intended it to be a forever kind of thing. I always thought it akin to training wheels on a bike...eventually, you just learn to ride and the training wheels come off.
I started when I was 38 and lost my weight over the course of about 8-9 months...hopefully I'll live to a ripe old age...the idea that I would log for the next 40-50 years seemed pretty ridiculously unrealistic.
I learned a lot when I was losing and applied what I learned when I went to maintenance...I've maintained more or less going on 5 years this spring...I maintain healthy eating habits as well as regular exercise habits. My normal now is much different than my normal 5+ years ago...if you think you can just go back to your old ways, you'll likely have another thing coming.
I typically put on 5-10 Lbs over the late fall through early winter which is due in large part to the cycling season coming to an end and me becoming less active...I usually start getting back into the swing of things in January/February as my first cycling event is usually in mid April and the weight comes right off when I start training again and all of the holiday festivities and whatnot have come to an end.
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I've logged just about every single day since April 2011. It's easy for me!0
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For me, I have been on this site before, logged and lost weight, then stopped logging and gained the weight back (probably have done this 3 times). So this time, I'm not stopping. I lost the weight and I will continue to log so it doesn't come back. Just my own experience, if it is out of sight it is out of my mind and the weight will creep back up.0
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Logging gets to be second nature after a while if you keep going. It's always an estimate with calories in and out. I know I should be more careful with weighing and measuring (I don't) but for me even more than the numbers, it's a food "diary" ... I can look back at what I ate when, and it helps me remember that day and see trends over time.
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People lose weight all the time without logging. Is it sustainable? For some people. Others will not sustain their loss.
Logging is a tool. It is a sustainable practice if it helps you. If not you have to find of different way of doing things.
You know you have to take in fewer calories than before whether you log or not. You have to make changes if you want to lose weight. If you want to eat out more start choosing lower calorie foods and drinks when you eat out or only eat half of what you used to. Learn calorie counts of foods and drinks you often consume. Learn more appropriate portion sizes.1 -
I had your same concern. How would I live like this, always being so obsessed with every morsel and beverage. Are the calories on the menu? What if it's not a chain restaurant, they won't have calorie information. I started in Feb 2017. Logged til August 2017. I lost about 65 lbs in that time. I also learned about food and that's important. You won't always be able to know the calories in X dish, but you know what is generally a better choice. I haven't logged since August. Made it through my bachelorette party, bridal shower, wedding, rejoices via food/drink that I didn't HAVE to worry about the damn dress fitting anymore, an all inclusive honeymoon, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still down an additional 10lbs from August. I was warned by a friend. He said DON'T stop doing exactly what you've done to lose the weight. For him, he lost a ton and then stopped logging and went backwards. He needed to log to be held accountable, to see with him own eyes. I, so far, don't need to. Everyone is going to have different needs. Hang in there.1
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Logged for 825 days today. Keeps me accountable, and it doesn't take but 5 minutes a day. A lot of the time I prelog my day and it is even faster for me.0
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I don't see it as any different from watching how much money goes into your checking account compared to how much goes back out... And I have become comfortable with the fact that I will likely log calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight, once I reach goal. But I'm fine with that. It's amazing how people don't want to spend time and effort on their bodies but will spend it doing just about anything else, no matter how useful (or useless) the other things may be... Do you want to invest in your health or just hope it works out for the best?3
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I don't see it as any different from watching how much money goes into your checking account compared to how much goes back out... And I have become comfortable with the fact that I will likely log calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight, once I reach goal. But I'm fine with that. It's amazing how people don't want to spend time and effort on their bodies but will spend it doing just about anything else, no matter how useful (or useless) the other things may be... Do you want to invest in your health or just hope it works out for the best?
I don't hawk my checking account. I know what I direct deposit and what I spend. I'm not rich nor in debt. I get your analogy, but some people may not need to spend the time and effort involved in long term logging. Indeed they are fortunate. Some may need to. Neither is right or wrong. It's dependent on what will work for that specific individual. And there's only one way to find out...there lies the rub for each of us.2 -
I don't see it as any different from watching how much money goes into your checking account compared to how much goes back out... And I have become comfortable with the fact that I will likely log calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight, once I reach goal. But I'm fine with that. It's amazing how people don't want to spend time and effort on their bodies but will spend it doing just about anything else, no matter how useful (or useless) the other things may be... Do you want to invest in your health or just hope it works out for the best?
I don't hawk my checking account. I know what I direct deposit and what I spend. I'm not rich nor in debt. I get your analogy, but some people may not need to spend the time and effort involved in long term logging. Indeed they are fortunate. Some may need to. Neither is right or wrong. It's dependent on what will work for that specific individual. And there's only one way to find out...there lies the rub for each of us.
I think it's a very good analogy. Some people have enough money in their accounts that as long as they spend reasonably, they can check their statement at the end of the month and be confident that they are not overdrawn. Some are one careless purchase away from being overdrawn and need to pay attention to each debit. You probably know which you are!3 -
rheddmobile wrote: »I don't see it as any different from watching how much money goes into your checking account compared to how much goes back out... And I have become comfortable with the fact that I will likely log calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight, once I reach goal. But I'm fine with that. It's amazing how people don't want to spend time and effort on their bodies but will spend it doing just about anything else, no matter how useful (or useless) the other things may be... Do you want to invest in your health or just hope it works out for the best?
I don't hawk my checking account. I know what I direct deposit and what I spend. I'm not rich nor in debt. I get your analogy, but some people may not need to spend the time and effort involved in long term logging. Indeed they are fortunate. Some may need to. Neither is right or wrong. It's dependent on what will work for that specific individual. And there's only one way to find out...there lies the rub for each of us.
I think it's a very good analogy. Some people have enough money in their accounts that as long as they spend reasonably, they can check their statement at the end of the month and be confident that they are not overdrawn. Some are one careless purchase away from being overdrawn and need to pay attention to each debit. You probably know which you are!
Agreed on good analogy. I get it. Only one way to find out which person you are.0 -
I think it completely depends on your personality type. I don't mind the daily logging and the longer you do it the easier it gets because I tend to eat a lot of the same foods. I do find it tedious at times; especially if I'm cooking a new recipe and need to weigh and measure everything out, but I figure it's just a small price to pay to help reach my goals. I love the accountability of logging my food intake and it really does help me to stay on track with portion control. I don't know if it's something I will continue for life, but I've always had the most success in dieting by logging my food.0
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Logging is super benifitial. And if you have staple meals you eat almost daily, it becomes a breeze. Been logging for like 410 days straight and it's just becomes second nature. You don't even think about it. And I contribute weighing and logging my food to all my success.
-from someone who has lost over 100 pounds and still going within a year and a half. Keep up the logging!0 -
I have done it on and off for several years personally. Once I get in good routines I log less, but if I start getting off track I find logging to be a great way to remind myself WHY things are off track.0
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I don't see it as any different from watching how much money goes into your checking account compared to how much goes back out... And I have become comfortable with the fact that I will likely log calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight, once I reach goal. But I'm fine with that. It's amazing how people don't want to spend time and effort on their bodies but will spend it doing just about anything else, no matter how useful (or useless) the other things may be... Do you want to invest in your health or just hope it works out for the best?
One need not log to be invested in their health and wellness...just because one doesn't log doesn't mean they're just hoping for the best.
I haven't logged in years...I'm very much invested in my health and wellness...I'm certainly not just sitting around hoping everything works out.
Most of the people in my circle of friends and family are lean, healthy, and fit...not a single one of them logs a food diary.4 -
It depends on how many calories the food is Lounmoun, if someone is eating more than their body needs they will not lose weight and are likely to gain. One must have an iron will and a good eye for portion sizes to lose weight without tracking.0
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