Losing Weight Without Logging

OldAssDude

I have been maintaining pretty good over the past couple years without logging any food. I did log for the first couple years and lost about 60 lbs, and used that time to teach myself how to eat better, and once I did that, I could maintain without logging.

I still want to lose another 25 lbs, and wanted to see if I could lose without logging.

In the past month I have lost 5 lbs without logging. So I guess I can...

Maxematics

I really do think that for some people once they log for a while, they get a good sense of how they should eat and they no longer feel the need to log food. For others, they try to go without logging and their portions creep up and they gain weight. Others log because they have different weight/fitness goals and some just like having the data.

I stopped logging in November after four years of logging. I did take a few logging breaks in the past as well once I hit goal but never more than a month or so. I also decided not to weigh myself at that time and just focus on getting stronger and even more fit. I thought I maintained my weight but I finally weighed in at the beginning of February and to my surprise I lost another 3 pounds. I'm 5'3" and 111 pounds right now, so I started logging again to make sure I'm getting in enough calories to maintain my weight. I tend to overestimate my portions otherwise.

apullum

It's pretty common for folks who have been maintaining for a while to use that experience and what they see on the scale, instead of logging. I personally have continued to log while in maintenance, but I also prefer a to keep a smaller maintenance range, and having detailed data helps me do that. There are successful maintainers here using both approaches.

For newbies who may be reading and want to lose weight, though, I strongly recommend weighing and logging all solid food. Remember that we (the people posting here so far) have been weighing and logging for many years. It really does take a very long time to be able to "eyeball" food with any degree of accuracy, and people who don't have extensive practice are usually very bad at it.

Also, newbies should keep in mind that maintenance is different from weight loss. Having a maintenance weight range means that a few errors in logging probably aren't a big deal unless you start creeping out of your range, but a deficit (especially a small deficit) will be decreased or even wiped out by logging errors.

garystrickland357

I’ve been in maintenance for about 6 months now. I log every day but it’s admittedly sloppy. I do use the Happy Scale app and watch weight trends. If my weight goes up, I tighten my logging until I’m back where I want to be.

Congrats on hour accomplishment.

neugebauer52

Well done! I don't trust myself yet to do that and fully use all assistance from MFP and its members. I am "only" with MFP for a year now and still have to lose a rather big amount of weight. I certainly hope that one day in the very distant future I will be on maintenance and that I will be able to control my daily calorie intake as every healthy human should be able to do.

rainbow198

Good job!

I've never logged, but I do keep track of my meals in my written food journal and I am mindful of my calorie intake.

I lost half of my weight doing that before I discovered MFP so I figured if it isn't broke, don't fix it so I kept going with it.

I'm still keeping track of my food this way after many years of maintaining and it's still working great for me.

Good luck with losing those last 25 pounds!

vanityy99

Awesome. You learned how to lose weight and maintain without using a crutch. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

brenn24179

wow I hope to do that one day, I am beginning to know how much to eat, about 1/2 what I use to. I also worked on my emotional eating by journaling and that seems to keep me from overeating. Also talking to myself, You don't want to wake up sad and disappointed when on that scale!

Unknown

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kshama2001

vanityy99 wrote: »

Awesome. You learned how to lose weight and maintain without using a crutch. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Lol, logging is a tool, not a crutch.

My father could do math in his head. I need pencil and paper, or better yet, a calculator. Is that calculator a crutch or a tool? Was my father morally superior to me?

vanityy99

kshama2001 wrote: »

vanityy99 wrote: »

Awesome. You learned how to lose weight and maintain without using a crutch. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Lol, logging is a tool, not a crutch.

My father could do math in his head. I need pencil and paper, or better yet, a calculator. Is that calculator a crutch or a tool? Was my father morally superior to me?

Tool- crutch, has the same meaning to me in terms of using something to help you out. Nothing wrong with that.
But this is how threads get derailed and locked so have Have a good one. 😊

L1zardQueen

kshama2001 wrote: »

vanityy99 wrote: »

Awesome. You learned how to lose weight and maintain without using a crutch. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Lol, logging is a tool, not a crutch.

My father could do math in his head. I need pencil and paper, or better yet, a calculator. Is that calculator a crutch or a tool? Was my father morally superior to me?

https://www.filtod.com/writing/229-tool-vs-crutch

lynn_glenmont

L1zardQueen wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

vanityy99 wrote: »

Awesome. You learned how to lose weight and maintain without using a crutch. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Lol, logging is a tool, not a crutch.

My father could do math in his head. I need pencil and paper, or better yet, a calculator. Is that calculator a crutch or a tool? Was my father morally superior to me?

https://www.filtod.com/writing/229-tool-vs-crutch

I'm not convinced.

Tool (n.) – An object that adds or makes your current strengths more efficient or allows them to be shown in the best light.

Crutch (n.) – An object that fills in the gap of your weakness and allows you to function temporarily at a higher level than you are capable of without it.

This just begs the question (in the proper use of the phrase). One's ability to do something today could equally be described as one's current strength or one's weakness (compared to some greater level of ability that may or may not be achievable by that person).

The problem with "crutch" is that it is a negatively-loaded term, conveying, as L1zardQueen pointed out, an assertion of moral superiority for people who don't use a crutch.

rickiimarieee

OldAssDude wrote: »

I have been maintaining pretty good over the past couple years without logging any food. I did log for the first couple years and lost about 60 lbs, and used that time to teach myself how to eat better, and once I did that, I could maintain without logging.

I still want to lose another 25 lbs, and wanted to see if I could lose without logging.

In the past month I have lost 5 lbs without logging. So I guess I can...

During my process so far I haven’t been logging. At first when I started a year and a half ago, I did log but I still weigh my food and everything else. But I’m able to keep track of my calories without logging. So far I’m 37 pounds down.