Will I have to log forever?

Onedaywriter

I wanted to lose approx 113 lbs to get to top end of government published weight range for my height. I’m 6’2” tall and wanted to get to 195- started about 308. I got to 205 without logging but was stuck there for about three months. So I started logging etc and reached my 195.

Seems like that only last five minutes though! I stopped logging thinking I had a good handle on consumption and even if I was off a little I was now in “maintenance.” My weight went back to 206 in a couple of months!! Granted it was holiday time and I expected to gain a few lbs.
Tried to lose again but after seeing no movement for a couple of weeks I went back to logging. Now I’ve lost a few lbs already.

So my question for those who reached their goals and stayed there - do you think I’ll have to log forever?

sijomial

Maybe yes - some people do have to log to stay in their chosen range.
Some people also choose to log but don't have to.
Some people log some of the time.
Some people (like me) don't have to log their food to maintain weight or correct weight drifts. I don't hate it BTW, I just don't get any benefit from it. I do need to stay mindful of my calorie balance though.

That was a longwinded way to say maybe!

Probably a good idea just to carrying on logging for a while and when you choose to experiment stopping logging continue weighing yourself but monitor your weight and set an upper limit that triggers action before a drift becomes a major slide.

amusedmonkey

Maybe, maybe not. If you manage to find a system that helps you keep the right balance of calories without logging, then you won't have to log if you don't want to. This may take some experimenting, but it's doable for some people. For people like me, portion creep happens very gradually I don't even notice it if I don't log, and it makes things harder than they need to be having to constantly yoyo diet on diet off. Controlled yoyos are one thing, it's forced yoyos that I hate, so I would rather keep logging. I also like the freedom of food choices that logging gives me, so there is that.

GregInORL

I log all my work days and probably hit about 50% of my days off but I’m loosely aware of it, still use my daily ish weigh ins and trend data to adjust. Might get to a point where I use just the scale and trend weight to adjust up an down, but I intend to loosely track unless I need to take more deliberate action to stay within my maintenance range

tuckerrj

I invest the 3 or 4 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day to log my food on MFP. It takes very little effort to weigh or measure my food while preparing it. This 15 or 20 minutes total each day is well worth it to me, first when I was losing the weight and again now that I'm maintaining. I stick with restaurants that have calorie (estimates) on their menu so I can get a fairly accurate count when eating out. So I don't look at "logging forever" as a terrible burden to bear.

VictorSmashes

You will only have to log so long as you haven't found your rhythm. I can get away with not logging and I will basically just maintain now (within 5 lbs) wherever I'm at. Doesn't help when I'm still trying to lose 80-100 lbs but it goes to show that no, not everyone has to log to maintain. You have to figure out what works for you though. Pay attention to serving sizes, how many of these serving sizes in combination that you are eating per meal, and how many meals you are consuming per day. Those will give you rough guides. I don't think about it personally, but those were some of the things I would consider during times where I wasn't specifically trying to lose weight.

ghudson92

It really depends on the individual.
Logging for me is so ingrained that I simply cannot stop. Even on the rare days I say I won't log (my birthday or Christmas) I find myself putting a rough guess in. I am just a bit anal I guess, and like routine and discipline and numbers.

If you find logging a chore then you will need to find a way to confidently measure your calorie intake. There are people who do it, but I think it takes a lot of trial and error.

That was another long-winded way of saying maybe

Onedaywriter

Thanks all! Seems like it’s possible for some but not others. ! I’m hoping that either I get so used to logging it won’t seem like a nuisance anymore- or I get so good at watching/planning I won’t need it. For me, it does seem to keep me honest with myself. I think that I was probably having like a million little snacks when I wasn’t logging, but now that I have to take out the phone and estimate an extra little scoop of peanut butter or something, I just skip it.

cmriverside

Onedaywriter wrote: »

Thanks all! Seems like it’s possible for some but not others. ! I’m hoping that either I get so used to logging it won’t seem like a nuisance anymore- or I get so good at watching/planning I won’t need it. For me, it does seem to keep me honest with myself. I think that I was probably having like a million little snacks when I wasn’t logging, but now that I have to take out the phone and estimate an extra little scoop of peanut butter or something, I just skip it.

And that sums up my thoughts about it too.

I've tried to not log.

I can't do it.

Luckily I have most of my meals and foods vetted now so I can log food pretty quickly. It's worth the time and effort for me...I really don't like that bathroom scale but I don't mind using a food scale and logging. No idea what that's about.

nxd10

I've logged for seven years. It rarely affects what I eat because I know my pattern well now. But it keeps me mindful and in line. Studies show most people can lose weight. It's a lot harder to maintain it. I find logging it helps.

babyluthi

Yes😊

cupcakesandproteinshakes

Maybe. I have lost and maintained with and without logging. I do find there is a 10 pound creep up over the course of about a year if I don’t log.
I don’t like logging particularly and so I’m not at the moment. But I am likely to go back to it. At the moment my intention is to maintain. If my weight does creep up it won’t be the end of the world because I’m at the lower end of a healthy weight for my height and am doing a lot of lifting so would hope to increase my muscle mass if I do put on a few pounds. Just trying to find a balance that’s right for me and my mental and physical health.

I do weigh myself every day though. That’s my check without the logging.

staticsplit

I go back and forth. As of now I log about 4-5 days of the week. I'm very loose with it though and do a lot of guessing, but it helps me stay more mindful and actually eat meal shaped things instead of half a bag of pretzel pieces for lunch (I mean, I still do, but not as often).

cmriverside

meal shaped things

Amen. I'd far rather have a block of cheese and bread, but that sat fat number stops me.

cms3613

It's hard! IMO it is a life style change. After awhile, we know how many calories are in the things we eat. We need to be vigilant and not over eat... (speaking for myself...)

emmaprocopiou

When I log I lose.
I’ve been on mfp since 2012 and I haven’t logged for the last 2-3 years and guess what the weight crept back on so gradually but now I’m at my heaviest and having to start over again. ( my profile pic is when I was light last time)This time it’s got to stay off , I’m 40 now and I do not want the health issues that can come from me wanting indulgent foods.
This time when I hit my goal I need to weigh myself once a month to stay within a range and mindfully log ( keep an eye) on the calories I’m eating. If I go over I’m going to log more stringently before I get to this state again.
You may be able to not log if you still eat the same things but I find our brains have a skewed idea if portions and forgetful of what has been previously consumed.

cwolfman13

Onedaywriter wrote: »

I wanted to lose approx 113 lbs to get to top end of government published weight range for my height. I’m 6’2” tall and wanted to get to 195- started about 308. I got to 205 without logging but was stuck there for about three months. So I started logging etc and reached my 195.

Seems like that only last five minutes though! I stopped logging thinking I had a good handle on consumption and even if I was off a little I was now in “maintenance.” My weight went back to 206 in a couple of months!! Granted it was holiday time and I expected to gain a few lbs.
Tried to lose again but after seeing no movement for a couple of weeks I went back to logging. Now I’ve lost a few lbs already.

So my question for those who reached their goals and stayed there - do you think I’ll have to log forever?

I've been in maintenance for over 6 years and don't log anything. I usually put on about 10 Lbs over the winter and holidays, but I take it off in the spring. Basically I have certain rules for myself, and exceptions to those rules and so long as those exceptions don't become the rule, I'm fine.

I eat well for the most part nutritionally, exercise regularly, and monitor my weight on the scale weekly. 10 Lbs of actual weight gain is my intervention point. When I need to cut some weight it's usually a matter of cutting out a few snacks, and that's about it.

lilawolf

I kept my ~30 pounds off for years without logging, then life happened. Even when I got divorced, got a promotion, moved to China, moved back, had a bout of vitamin D deficiency fueled depression, I managed to keep it to a 10 pound gain. Should have trimmed it here, but I was still happy at that weight.

After getting chronic migraines which come with increased appetite and complete and total exhaustion, I ended up almost 35 pounds up. I WISH I'd had the mental strength to log during this time to at least slow the creep.

I find that coming back to it, I pretty much know how much to eat still, so the habits and "eye" for it are still there if I'm mindful. I'm still logging right now to make sure that I maintain focus, and also to make sure that I eat ENOUGH for the killer workouts I'm doing.

Anyway, for you, I would say log for at LEAST a month once you get to maintenance. Get used to that number of calories. Very roughly log high calorie days like holidays and a random day here and there as a sanity check. Weigh yourself with something like Libra which smooths out the daily fluctuations and when your "real" weight gets more than 3-5lbs high then start logging seriously again

lilawolf

cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »

Maybe. I have lost and maintained with and without logging. I do find there is a 10 pound creep up over the course of about a year if I don’t log.
I don’t like logging particularly and so I’m not at the moment. But I am likely to go back to it. At the moment my intention is to maintain. If my weight does creep up it won’t be the end of the world because I’m at the lower end of a healthy weight for my height and am doing a lot of lifting so would hope to increase my muscle mass if I do put on a few pounds. Just trying to find a balance that’s right for me and my mental and physical health.

I do weigh myself every day though. That’s my check without the logging.

We'll just call this recomp shall we? Some people aim to do this

lilawolf

I'd also like to say that, depending on your workouts, that it might not be the scale that matters. I'm THREE sizes smaller at this weight than I was the last time I was here! Last time I started at 172 size 14 and found my ideal at 145 size 6. Now I'm 172 size 8. I have no idea what my goal weight should be. I have goal pants lol. Take photos and measurements because 5 pounds up after a lot of recomp, weight training etc, might be the new good/goal.

CSARdiver

You can think of this in two ways - That you have to log forever or that all you have to do is log (a few minutes/day) and maintain your goal weight.

I think in terms of developing habits.

While in caloric deficit did you take time to remove "bad" habits that caused you to eat in surplus? Did you replace these habits with "good" habits to help you eat in deficit or maintenance?

Some people can do it, but I note that most who are successful are active in some sport so there's a good amount of padding on the CO side of the equation.

gothchiq

It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

Onedaywriter

I just did (too much lol!) math.

According to MFP at slightly active I would need 2480 cals for maintenance. I work out 5-6 times a week burning approx 450-600 cals so I typically add that in as I do it.

Now, trying to lose 1 lb a week, I’m eating approx 2200-2300 cals/day. This is to lose 1 lb/week approx (2480-500(for weight loss)+350(approx daily exercise). I am losing again - I’ve already moved about four pounds in < 3 weeks.

What astounds me is that it is likely that when I wasn’t logging I was eating 3800+ calories to gain ten pounds in ten weeks while working out!! I knew I was snacking here and there but wow- did those little snacks add up!!

cheryldumais

I lost 2 years ago and still log daily. I have relaxed a bit in the sense that I don't weigh all my food I guestimate but I believe I will always need to log my daily food. My observation has been that those who lost smaller amounts tend to maintain more naturally. Those of us who lost large amounts seem to be in more danger of slipping back to bad habits. I could be totally out to lunch on that but it just seems that the worse your old habits were the easier it is to fall back in to them. Either way it's a small price to pay.

speyerj

Onedaywriter wrote: »

What astounds me is that it is likely that when I wasn’t logging I was eating 3800+ calories to gain ten pounds in ten weeks while working out!! I knew I was snacking here and there but wow- did those little snacks add up!!

And that is why I have come to terms with the fact that I may have to log forever. I, for one, cannot be trusted with eating a "reasonable" amount of calories when I don't log. But perhaps if you are very mindful of your snacking and you continue to weigh yourself at least a couple of times a week, you won't repeat this cycle.

wmd1979

gothchiq wrote: »

It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

Diatonic12

Just because you've reached most or all of your goals doesn't mean you won't need most of those very same structures that got you there.

Katmary71

I see myself logging for life, I honestly can't imagine not weighing before eating or while making a recipe and when I'm out I'm mentally trying to figure out calories. I think if she stole my scale and I couldn't get a new one I'd stick to my main meals knowing they're in my calorie range. Trying out new recipes and eating other's meals would be the most difficult, I was floored when I logged eggs Benedict and saw calories after a brunch which I rarely have!

Maxxitt

wmd1979 wrote: »

gothchiq wrote: »

It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

Well think about it. Your calorie maintenance level is about twice what mine is - if I have an extra 15 grams of cereal in the morning (the difference between what my measuring cup says is a cup and what the gram#/cup on the box says), cut my bread a bit thicker for toast, decide I would really enjoy a glass of OJ (a mere 150-200 calories total) - doing that more days a week than not will cause me to gain weight. This is the plight of older, smaller people

magnusthenerd

wmd1979 wrote: »

gothchiq wrote: »

It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

It looks like there are limits to how much appetite will rise in relation to increased energy expenditure.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29897822?fbclid=IwAR2sHS301q7igWvdVR64QwUD6-N58rGBbr1TYPgO6IXdQDVwmkpxMXlYrYc
^Flock found that putting a group on 1500 calories of exercise created a 500 calorie deficit, but at 3000 calories of exercise, it was a 2,000 calorie deficit. That suggests around 1,000 calories a week, appetite stops having a relationship to exercise calories out.

There's also the math in how much of an overcompensating deficit an active person could generate to do a "one day diet" and go back to maintenance with no disruption to Leptin (it seems to take 2 or 3 days for the body to respond to sustained deficits). So a 3500 calorie person could have a very light day of 1,500, losing over half a a pound of fat versus the 2,000 calorie person on 1,500 losing 1/7 a pound of fat.

sijomial

wmd1979 wrote: »

gothchiq wrote: »

It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

Personally I find maintenance far easier with a big calorie allowance boosted by high activity levels and a lot of exercise - it does make a difference for me but of course that's not universal.

It allows me to eat in the style and portion sizes that I enjoy the most (roughly speaking 3 meals and 3 snacks a day) so I hit a fairly natural balance. I could of course eat more than that c. 3,500 but don't feel the need or desire to.

In winter when activity and exercise drops (especially cycling volume) I find it harder and most of winter I skip breakfast to compensate but still gain a few pounds which I lose again in Spring as my cycling volumes steps up.

For most of my (long!) adult life my desired eating level has exceeded my actual needs and I've had to watch and restrict my eating but taking up long distance cycling (most of which doesn't greatly boost my appetite) has meant my output has caught up with my preferred eating level.