Does it ever end?

smartin1450
smartin1450 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I successfully lost about 30 lbs two years ago and have managed to keep it somewhat in check. I seem to have trouble eating at maintanence and gain a few lbs back here and there, then I count again and lose them. Are there people who learn to eat and don’t track that can maintain their weight? I feel like when I’m counting calories, especially when at a deficit, I think about food and eating way too much. I don’t know, it feels like and endless cycle.

Replies

  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I feel like I will have to measure to keep on track for life.
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    I don't track, and I've been in maintenance for 3.5 years. I'm keeping an eye on portions, especially the high-calorie food, but not sweating it, really. I have dessert every night, i try to include exercise. It's cycling for me, so i use bike to commute to work as much as i can and do my long rides when I have time and feel up to it. Generally, i love veggies and fruit and i eat mounds of it. I step on the scale every day to keep accountable, but it also gives me a very good idea of the up/ down trend. So i do agree, it's an endless cycle of eating but making sure that it's not too much. I'm at peace with it, it's worth it because i don't want to ever go back to the way i was.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I've maintained my weight for almost 3 years and can't see a time when I can stop tracking in the foreseeable future. I accept that my weight will continue to fluctuate up and down for many different reasons so don't have a goal weight but a goal range. Once my weight falls outside of this range of several kilograms I will knuckle down and either lose or gain the necessary weight to have me within the range again.
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
    Same as what @Lillymoo01 said. I have a range rather than a set weight and fluctuations within this Doesn’t matter so much. I’ve lost 24.8kg (54.6lb) but it took a long time and slow going to get there. I don’t track as much anymore, I’ll have weeks where I do and where I don’t. I feel like the usual meals I eat I’ve learned how many calories off the top of my head they contain roughly, not precisely, but that’s through learning and past experience of constantly logging, weighing and learning from the forums
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I've been maintaining within a good weight range for years without food logging.
    Mindful eating, monitoring my weight, making small adjustments if I need to correct an upward drift works for me.

    It also helps that I'm very active and I exercise a lot so I get to eat a lot closer to "what I want" level for most of the year.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,024 Member
    God bless people who don't have to track anymore, but I will be one who tracks for rest of my life. For me, it allowed me to lose ALMOST 100 lbs in less than a year, so why would I quit doing it? It's not that big of deal and is routine now.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    I have been pretty fortunate to have maintained for about 5 years now. I let it slip from time to time (usually seasonally...winter is always a bit of a struggle) but reel it back in when I notice my pants aren't fitting me in a way I am content with.

    I found a staple of foods that I navigate to, and meal timing that matches my nutritional needs and body demands. I continue to visit the gym often, and try to always be working toward a fitness goal.

    I do log from time to time, either when I am trying to reel it back in, or just curious about my macros (I like to try different ratios and see how my body reacts). I don't think I will ever stop logging completely but I certainly am not nearly as focused on counting every calorie, every day as I used to be. I learned a lot during my weight loss, and formed some good eating and fitness habits that just won't allow me to get back to my old self.

    good luck
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I've stayed in the Normal BMI range for 6 years. I absolutely have had to come back and log for a little.. about once every 6-10 months. Here's my chart. I hit normal BMI in June 2014. All of the mountains after 2015 are moments when I realized my weight crept up and I needed to log for a few weeks, about 7 times in 5 yrs.
    https://preview.redd.it/rvp03a8l1ii41.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=603ba732d86fc7722640cd39123426b498f9bba2
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    smartin1450 wrote: »
    I successfully lost about 30 lbs two years ago and have managed to keep it somewhat in check. I seem to have trouble eating at maintanence and gain a few lbs back here and there, then I count again and lose them. Are there people who learn to eat and don’t track that can maintain their weight? I feel like when I’m counting calories, especially when at a deficit, I think about food and eating way too much. I don’t know, it feels like and endless cycle.

    Going on seven years or maintenance more or less and I haven't logged in that time. I usually put on about 10 Lbs in the winter when my overall activity dips, but I take it off in the spring when my activity level increases with nicer weather and temperatures.

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