Do you accept that you'll have to log for the rest of your life(or atleast the foreseeable future)?
Replies
-
This is the first time I have ever logged my food. I hope I can keep this up. Only on my second day. I started with a personal trainer on Thursday.10
-
I don't see the problem is logging or not logging food but rather that you "slack off and regain 7, 15, 30 pounds".
That you don't intervene until you have re-added a whole lot of weight is what you need to fix IMHO.
30lbs didn't happen overnight, it's the mindset you need to get right first. There are more ways than just food logging to reduce your intake but first you have to decide you need to.
(I haven't logged my food in years, but I have to intervene when I hit my upper limit to stop a drift becomming a slide.)
i understand most of my issue is that I get frustrated. Logging, What I can/can't eat calorie wise, Weighing even. All of it just really catches up and I quit because mentally I get into a spiral and it ends up sending me into a depression.
Which is why I'm concerned about making it as simple and non stressful as I can since I'm going there again, it sucks
Yes I have anxiety, yes I'm getting help for it.
I understand. I weighed my food and managed a 75 lb weight loss. Woke up one morning only 15 lbs from goal and just couldn't do it anymore. My anxiety was out the roof. I ended up gaining about 60 lbs back. This time around I knew that I had to do something different. I set out to learn about portion control. I also gave a lot of thought about what I wanted my food to look like not just for losing weight but for the rest of my life. Meal planning and batch cooking has helped me tremendously. When I cook I go ahead and divide my portions out. I do still calculate the calories in my recipes so that I know how many servings I can get out of it.
When I started back losing I was using MFP to loosely log my meals to see if my estimates were close to what I wanted. I now use a food journal that I just jot down what I eat. As long as I don't have to use that scale I am good to go. I just can't go back to using it now...maybe I will have to when I quit losing as I get close to goal weight or maybe I will just choose to be happy with the weight where ever it ends. So far I have lost 28 lbs with this method. I am actually losing a little faster than what I planned but I figure that in another 15 to 20 lbs it will even out.
Good luck. I think logging is a wonderful thing for those that can but for those of us that can't we have to find other methods to accomplish our goals.
6 -
I think I need to for awhile longer. I notice when I do log I tend to eat more 'normal' meals because it makes me be more mindful. When I don't log it's easier for me to grab handfuls of random things. I might maintain my weight but my macros can be pretty unbalanced, and then eventually weight creeps back on. Or sometimes I get stressed and don't eat enough, so it's a way to catch it on the other end, too.
I'm relatively loose with it though, just trying to get an idea of what ballpark I'm into. When I'm on holiday and some weekends I don't log.3 -
I don't track much anymore and if I do, I am not very strict. Vacations, holidays, eating out are never logged. I have been in maintenance for 9 years so I have a good hold on my diet (as a way of eating), and I have a good relation ship with food. I hope that things don't change in the future because weighing and logging every morsel that I cook and put in my mouth is not a way of living for me. However, people has to do what ever is necessary to keep their weight under control.5
-
I might be a freak. But I enjoy logging. I esp enjoy it when I realize I am UNDER for the day and can have an extra treat or so.
To me it's important to make sure I eat enough as well as not too much on a longer term basis. 18 -
not a binary choice between highly detailed and accurate logging and no logging at all though.
Perhaps somewhere on that spectrum might be your personal sweet spot that gives you the control you want without the onerous pressure of weighing every last scrap of food?
I think this is a really important point - it isnt all or nothing.
Yes I have continued logging in maitenance ( over 5 years now) - but I dont weight lettuce leafs,cherry tomatoes etc or do before and after banana peel maths, every mandarine ,cappacino, egg etc is just the same size and law of averages wins out, I do bar codes, I do guestimates.
I take a couple of weeks a year off if I go on a vacation.
Some people compare this to cleaning your teeth - but that is something we all do ( I hope!) and not an optional thing like logging which works for some and not for others.
I think a better analogy is shopping lists - some people shop fine without them, some people wean off them, and shop intuitively, others keep using them.
Following my example about logging - I have gone from the equivalent of writing "low fat milk, xyz brand, 600ml cartons x 3, 2nd aisle, tops shelf of fridge" to "milk" - I dont need all the detail but I do still write it on the list.6 -
OP - is your goal really to stop calorie counting, or just to not log in the app?2
-
suzannakmoran wrote: »It would be lovely if we just got into the habit of automatically eating the right types and amounts of foods every day without logging, but hey, I'm over 50 and haven't magically developed that habit quite yet (and I for one have been fighting my weight and impulse eating since I was 11), so I for one am not counting on good habits to protect me. Maybe if I'm in goal range for 6 years I'll change my mind. But I've never been there more than a year.
Every time I have stopped doing logging and weighing, pounds have crept or sometimes flung themselves back on. I think for me, slacking in logging and weighing is a sign that I'm already starting to slack in paying attention to nutrition and exercise, not a cause of it.
So yep, I think it does indeed have to be part of my life forever. Fortunately, I find it kind of interesting if not quite fun.
This is me as well (age 53). I’m only successful maintaining if I log, but honestly, I can’t imagine being 80 years old and weighing and measuring everything I eat. I feel that, somewhere along the way, I need to learn how to eat “normally” without logging. I’m not quite sure how to go about that, though.4 -
I log my food for the data! I like looking at monthly trends & comparing.
I used to weigh 228-237 for decades, and for 7 months (Dec-June) my average wt was under 155lbs (top of my maintenance Range). I got sick & it lasted 6 weeks. Scale went up, and I’m now turning it around. Currently 156.
I don’t get clear hunger or not hungry signals, so I will track & weigh unless that happens in the next 6 lbs. I don’t mind it. I know it’s my lifeline, my secret weapon.
If I do develop a reliable approach to food/exercise in the coming months/years, I’ll reassess.
No reason to worry about “doing it for the rest of our lives.” Just today!4 -
Yes.0
-
I fully accept, and embrace, the idea that logging is the easiest, quickest, simplest way I have ever been able to maintain. I’ve maintained ~30 years, sometimes erratically with no grace or style points (binges and overrestriction in the mix), sometimes approaching an even smoothness (with consistent intake). All my experience boils down to what cmriverside says:cmriverside wrote: »When I stop I tend to eat way more. I need to see those numbers. It's well worth the five minutes per day.
If I found a simpler easier way to accomplish the same thing, I’d do that instead.17 -
Yup. But, I don't feel the need to weigh every little thing anymore. Like, if I'm eating a sandwich, I'll log two slices of bread instead of 54g. Same with cheese, and anything else that's pre-sliced or portioned into single servings.
I also run a few times a week, and on those days, I might have an extra snack that night without logging it. I don't log my exercise either, so I figure they just cancel each other out. This wouldn't have worked while I was losing weight, but in maintenance, I feel I don't need to be nearly as precise.
I am TERRIBLE at gauging how much any cut of meat/poultry/fish weighs. That's what's holding me back from ditching the food scale.
8 -
no, I do not accept that fate. I've learned so much losing weight and totally realize now how I gained it. I now know what to eat, what not to eat. I realize the evils of processed foods, the hidden fats in restaurant and fast foods. I've learned so much about nutrition and what the human body needs for health and longevity. I've learned the simple wisdom in drinking a lot of water.
I'm not helpless. I just got lazy and didn't give the proper attention to what I was putting into my body. So, no I am not going to log my food forever.7 -
I'm willing to do whatever it takes for me to keep off the 80+ pounds I lost.
One of those things is planning my food ahead of time and keeping track of what I eat in my journal.
It only takes minutes a day, it allows me to literately eat whatever I want and it keeps me on track.
This works very well for me (6+ years of maintenance without any regain). I see no reason to stop, plus it has not been a hindrance in my life so I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.29 -
The way I look at it is that I had a medical condition: obesity. I was morbidly obese (BMI 42). That contributed to other medical conditions: high cholesterol, high triglycerides, PCOS/borderline insulin resistance, migraines. And it was putting me at higher risk for T2D and heart disease, both of which run in my family already.
Now I am managing all of those conditions without medication, and MFP is the tool I use to manage them.
Therefore, I think of MFP like a medical device. It is something I use every day to manage my health conditions, along with exercise. I would much prefer managing my conditions this way rather than the alternatives of taking medication and remaining at higher risk for other problems.35 -
I accept that I'll have to be cognizant and accountable of/for my intake from now on. Right now that doesn't include logging my food but does mean I hop on the scale each morning and adjust if I don't like where my trend is heading and keep mental track of my intake.
Someday, I'm sure I'll probably want or need to log again for nutrition purposes. It's just another tool in the toolbox. No big deal.8 -
I’m a type 2 diabetic. I need to know my net carbs in order to manage my blood sugar effectively, and logging is the simplest tool for doing that. And as an added benefit, it means I know I am staying within my calorie needs. I intend to log for the rest of my life.
It’s very easy for me to add a little bit here and a little bit there and end up with 800 calories of sandwich and 300 calories of salad and toppings, when I intend a 400 calorie sandwich and 100 calorie salad. Some foods such as spaghetti and meatballs, it’s the opposite and I eyeball fewer calories than I really could manage. Knowing exactly what I’m eating lets me relax.13 -
I am also a T2D, and I manage my glucose levels with my diet. I expect I will always log.6
-
It honestly doesn't bother me. Helps me eat soundly and also helps me plan my meals so I feel more in control of what I'm doing. I do log everything as it's a habit now4
-
I may not log every day anymore (about to go into year 4 of maintenance), but I anticipate continuing to log to some extent indefinitely.
It only takes a few minutes a day. It helps me stay at a healthy weight, which has been a huge life-quality (not to mention health-quality) improvement. It helps me make sure I'm ticking the nutritional boxes (most of the time ) on sub-infinite calories, which itself helps my body composition and health. For me (unlike for some people) it's not even a tiny bit emotionally or psychologically fraught. (It's about as emotional as brushing my teeth.)
So much benefit, at so little cost in time expended: I'm sticking with it.10 -
I'm not to maintenance yet, but history over the past 5-8 years has shown me that I cannot give up my weigh-ins, and logging when I will need to nip things in the bud (which I know is going to happen) is probably going to be a requirement the rest of my life.
Maybe this would change if I got a super active job and was on my feet doing physical labor all day again, but I don't see that very likely to happen, and even then I'll need to keep an eye out for scale creep. As long as I have a desk job, regular logging and tracking will be a requirement. Every time I quite, the numbers start to creep up again (I just like to eat far more than I use sitting on my butt all day).0 -
Nope. I don't, generally, and don't plan to.0
-
I don't log that often now -- off and on at Cron to see my nutrients, especially if I'm experimenting with something like 100% plant based or lower carb or what not. So no, I don't think I need to log, although I still weigh many foods as a spot check or just for fun. I also find logging for a while can help me if I feel in a rut.
That said, if I decided I did better logging I wouldn't consider that something I had to accept, as in a bad thing.
For example, I am much more consistent with exercise if I am training for something, have a formal (self-created) plan, and keep track of what I actually did each day. I find it helpful. For me that's fun, not a bad thing. Same with logging during the times I am doing it.4 -
I've been thinking about this because I've wondered if I could stop and still be successful and honestly I don't think I can. It's always been count calories to lose weight, slack off and regain 7, 15, 30 pounds. I accept that I'll have days where I won't or cant log, maybe even longer. But if I don't want to regain what I'm holding onto now I HAVE to log enough so my portions and snacking won't creep up like they always do without accountability of logging. It's so easy to think that "one bowl" was the same as it was a year ago except wait, you got a bigger bowl so it's 3 cups of soup not 2! Or your breakfast of one slice of toast has now grown to two because "it won't hurt".
I guess from here I just need to learn how to make long term logging successfully simplistic and ride it out for a very long time, It sure beats having to lose the weight again and again.
@Addictead the only way to know is to do an n=1 trial and find out. After under eating and going hungry and experiencing a 100%+ regain of the weight lost for 40 years I totally stopped trying to lose weight ever again. I made improving my health my goal (specifically lower joint and muscle pain).
On a hunch from out of the blue (if there is such a thing) I stopped eating calorie sources containing added sugar and or any form of grain and make up many of the lost calories with coconut oil, nuts and dairy. I tracked only my weight. For the first 45 days I did not lose a pound but my pain level started to drop after 15 days. Lost 50 pound in about a year and I have maintained that 50 pound loss for the past 4 years.
I eat when I get hungry until I am full and there is nothing I log other than weight and that is more to track my level of hydration.
There is nothing wrong with logging like there is nothing wrong with cleaning the blinds every day. I do neither because I have not found a valid reason to do either in a medical sense. Now if cleaning blinds daily was part my my daily physical activity then that would be a different story.
It is our lives so we get to do it any way that it meets our physical/mental needs. Best of success in finding "Your Way!"5 -
I haven't posted for a while, but this is something I am interested in. I think tracking for me, is a great cognitive tool. When you have a WOE that is far outside the American norm, it might not be necessary to weigh everything, but humans are horrid at remembering what they put in their mouths. I am NOW a true believer in a lower reward, lower energy density diet is effective. Its actually too effective for me. I am trying to push to a happier weight/bf right now. I can't eat! My stomach is telling me to, but belly won't let me! Lol...I'm reloading this week, so no "extra" for me, but to increase weight, I have to. Nuts i tell ya! Carry on...5
-
Well, I stopped logging and the weight has creeped back up on me. So, here I am back tracking again. It keeps me focused. I no longer want the perfect body at my age, I just want a healthy one and my goal is to loose enough to be in the healthy BMI range.5
-
psychod787 wrote: »I haven't posted for a while, but this is something I am interested in. I think tracking for me, is a great cognitive tool. When you have a WOE that is far outside the American norm, it might not be necessary to weigh everything, but humans are horrid at remembering what they put in their mouths. I am NOW a true believer in a lower reward, lower energy density diet is effective. Its actually too effective for me. I am trying to push to a happier weight/bf right now. I can't eat! My stomach is telling me to, but belly won't let me! Lol...I'm reloading this week, so no "extra" for me, but to increase weight, I have to. Nuts i tell ya! Carry on...
@psychod787
Can you tell me more about this, please:
“Lower reward, lower energy density diet”3 -
When I reach my goal weight, I’m thinking of not logging for two weeks and then weighing. Then I’ll log until I get back to my goal weight.
I’m certain I won’t eat any obvious bad foods, but I may start “lazy” eating, where I snack on things out of boredom. That’s where logging helps me.
If I were to gain say 5lbs per month whilst not logging, that would be nice. Maybe then I’d do two months off, one month on.2 -
ResolutionMan2016 wrote: »When I reach my goal weight, I’m thinking of not logging for two weeks and then weighing. Then I’ll log until I get back to my goal weight.
I’m certain I won’t eat any obvious bad foods, but I may start “lazy” eating, where I snack on things out of boredom. That’s where logging helps me.
If I were to gain say 5lbs per month whilst not logging, that would be nice. Maybe then I’d do two months off, one month on.
Dont understand? Weight cycling?1 -
i'll probably always log, but i won't weigh everything forever.2
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions