Need a new way of looking at this.
Replies
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pedrozamatt wrote: »I found that finding the right foods to eat can help, and I’d say that snacking on those foods and drinking a glass of water without sitting down to a meal is a good habit.
Think frozen, microwaveable meats, and fruits and vegetables. Make quick, pack quick, and eat quick. Don’t forget water helps with food digestion, so drink plenty of it1 -
Iwantahealthierme30 wrote: »This is why I don't have a food scale, it can get obsessive. I look at it like a game, weigh twice a week and take measurements. You don't have to do this for the rest of your life.
My advice would be the exact opposite of this.
1) get and use a food scale
2) weigh daily
3) you DO have to do this the rest of your life
I’ve lost 85# and kept it off for over a year by following the above.5 -
Iwantahealthierme30 wrote: »This is why I don't have a food scale, it can get obsessive. I look at it like a game, weigh twice a week and take measurements. You don't have to do this for the rest of your life.
My advice would be the exact opposite of this.
1) get and use a food scale
2) weigh daily
3) you DO have to do this the rest of your life
I’ve lost 85# and kept it off for over a year by following the above.
So many people think they just have to count calories till they reach goal - no wonder so many people regain. That's part of why I'm waffling - I know I need to do this for the rest of my life and it feels like a big pill to swallow. But looking at it day by day makes it easier.
Thanks for your advice and congrats on the weight loss and especially the maintaining!1 -
I’ve lost 100+lbs and have been at goal over 11 years. I lost the last 40lbs by joining Weight Watchers. That’s where I learned to track. I made goal and kept tracking for 5 more years. It took 3 try’s before I could maintain without tracking.
I didn’t mind tracking. I looked at it as a hobby. I used pen and paper. There weren’t so many gadgets when I was doing it. I found tracking on the computer a needless complication. I never gave a thought to whether it was normal. I was thrilled that it worked. I worked to hit my number. If I ate too much, I tacked it. If I forgot to track, I went back and did my best to fill it in. I don’t think I missed a day except for vacations. I don’t look on what I did regarding tracking as obsessive. I was 100 lbs overweight. That was a real problem.
At one point I just assumed that I would track for the rest of my life. Then I started experimenting with not doing it. I think my current success at no tracking maintenance has nothing to do with intuition, it has everything to do with good habits. It took about 5 years for the habits to set.6 -
CourtneyUT wrote: »Iwantahealthierme30 wrote: »This is why I don't have a food scale, it can get obsessive. I look at it like a game, weigh twice a week and take measurements. You don't have to do this for the rest of your life.
My advice would be the exact opposite of this.
1) get and use a food scale
2) weigh daily
3) you DO have to do this the rest of your life
I’ve lost 85# and kept it off for over a year by following the above.
So many people think they just have to count calories till they reach goal - no wonder so many people regain. That's part of why I'm waffling - I know I need to do this for the rest of my life and it feels like a big pill to swallow. But looking at it day by day makes it easier.
Thanks for your advice and congrats on the weight loss and especially the maintaining!
1. I had a plateau for a bit but I am now losing weight again without a food scale so I don't have one.
2. Weighing daily could make you crazy with all the fluctuations
3. So you will die if this site ceases to exist?!? Come on now, no one said I will stop right when I get to goal but I know how many calories I'm supposed to eat and I've been doing this for 63 days, I figure once I'm doing it for a year or more, I will learn how much I need to eat to go forward. I am only cooking for myself. Yes, there's a challenge when you cook for other people and maybe the OP has that challenge as well but I won't.0 -
I don't know why weighing and measuring your food would be considered obsessive.
I mean, when you make a recipe, that's what you do right?
You measure quantities, and try to do so accurately, so that your food tastes how you want it to taste.
This is just measuring quantities, so that your body looks and feels how you want it to look and feel.
I mean, you track your spending right? Maybe not every penny, but you keep a general awareness of your spending habits, and change them when necessary, and measure the impact of them right? You spend less when you realize you are spending too much. You check your bank account to make sure there is enough in there. No one thinks that's obsessive, I don't know why people think this would be obsessive.
You're right, alot of people don't track their calories. Alot of people are also miserable and struggle to lose weight.
Track what you are comfortable tracking. Watch the results. Did you lose what you thought you would? Good! You have some "intuitive eating" in you! Did you not? Then tighten up the tracking.
Tracking my calories takes about 10 minutes of my day. I spend about as much time brushing and flossing my teeth a day. If that's worth 10 minutes a day, isn't my whole body?
Good luck and I hope you find a solution that works for you!
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Do your balance your finances to make sure you pay your bills and stay within your budget, rather than spend intuitively? It's just good sense to use the available tools to stay on track rather than to flounder for no good reason.
Calorie counting is just body care like brushing my teeth or washing my hair. If I have to be obsessive to stay in the normal BMI range, then that's a positive, useful obsession.
okay, weird, I just said all the same stuff, but in a very long winded way. I should have read your post first!1
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