Why is it easy gain the weight back when you stop logging in?

Tanie98

I'm currently eating at dificiet and when I look at my calories to mantain my weight I think to myself wow , they're plenty. And I will have more calories to play with. Yet when I get too comfortable the weight creeps on. How easy is it to eat over 1900 calories ?

cmriverside

For me going to Maintenance meant 2000 calories. My body quickly adjusted to that and for the first few weeks I had quite a lot of hunger/appetite. That dies down, but it's still exceedingly easy to let portion sizes creep larger, and to have extra food here and there.

I have to log my food. I'm 12 years into Maintenance and every time I tried to not log food I started to ease off my plan and I would start gaining.

It's easy for me to over eat. It's what I naturally want to do. For me logging and weighing myself are necessary.

whmscll

I could easily eat over 1900 calories every day just with mindless snacking in front of the TV at night.

elisa123gal

I think the reality is.. most people regain their lost weight. Or some of it... and it just takes diligence and constant attention to keep it in check.

MikePTY

It's very easy. Sometimes when people are "dieting", they eat foods that are not very calorie dense, so after meals with just a few hundred calories, you can feel full. But the reality is there's a lot of food out there, especially if you do not prepare it yourself, that is super calorie dense and very easy to rack up thousands of calories without even trying.

I maintain at 2900, and if I wasn't watching what I ate, I could easily go over. After all, that's how I gained the weight in the first place.

88olds

Once you’re in the habit of 1900, then 2000 is pretty easy. A second helping of something, a cookie or two now and again, a glass of wine. Pretty soon you’re gaining a lb per month. Not hard at all.

sardelsa

It really depends on how you feel on 1900 calories. That amount would not be enough for me and it would be pretty easy to go over since I maintain on much more than that (based on my stats and activity level). Many people find then need to continue to log their intake to be successful.

kristingjertsen

My experience is that I need to continue to weigh and measure my food if I want to keep losing weight or maintain my weight. I lost 56 pounds at age 49, then over the next 2 years gained 30 of it back once I stopped tracking with MFP (busy with school, work, family, two surgeries, and menopause derailed me). I began using MFP again in January and have lost just over 11 pounds over the last few months. What is really making a difference is my adoption of a whole foods, high vegetarian protein, low oil, low sugar vegan diet. I don't get hungry because the fiber fills me up, my blood sugar is steady, and I have learned to recognize when I am 80 percent full and stop eating when I get there (easier now that I understand that I won't be hungry again in an hour or two). Very happy with my new way of eating, but I still plan to track fat (oils, nuts, seeds, avocado) and carbohydrates (grains, rice, pasta, potatoes, beets,sweet potatoes) once I get down to my goal weight (19 more pounds to go). Most vegetables are so low in calories that I don't both to track them now.

The most important thing I have learned after many years of struggling with weight management is that I am not a naturally thin person. I can manage my weight with healthy eating and exercise, but I have to be proactive to prevent the weight from coming back. Tracking helps keep me honest.

magnusthenerd

If you aren't doing at least at little bit of consciously managing your weight, then the unconscious patterns that had you at a higher weight before will tend to lead back to that same higher weight.