Unfriend MyFitnessPal

Seat12v

So my main goal at the moment is to be physically able to not have to relay on logging my meals every day of the week I'm just wondering is it manageable to just be sensible with your meals choices and just control your fork? And still achieve the same goals?

harper16

Yes. I don't count calories, use a food scale, or log my meals. And, I'm slowly and steady losing weight just by being more aware of my eating. MFP is a great community and I get motivated and inspired every time that I log in.

If you don't see the results you'd like it might not hurt to start logging your meals and using a food scale. I know at some point I might again be okay with doing both.

Strudders67

It is - if you can accurately guestimate the weight of everything you ever eat and know how many calories everything contains. Most people, even with years of logging, find that very difficult and typically under-estimate how much they're eating.

Perhaps try it a different way to start with. Note how many calories you think each meal is. Then weigh and log everything and see how close you are. Try that for a week.

briscogun

Sure lots of people do that, especially once they lose the weight and transition into maintenance.

But lots of people have trouble with "Intuitive Eating" and struggle. MFP is a tool just like a hammer or a calculator or anything else. Some people need the help of a tool and some don't.

Do what works for you.

cmriverside

You ask,

is it manageable to just be sensible with your meals choices and just control your fork? And still achieve the same goals?

For me? No. I lost my weight 13 years ago. (About 80 pounds)

I've tried not logging. It doesn't go well for me. Pretty soon my pants are tight and I can't remember the last time I didn't have peanut butter and jelly for lunch and I have dessert five days a week.

It's just as important to me to track nutrition as it is to be sure I'm eating enough but not too much.

My own best thinking is what got me to 220 pounds. It's not a good look for me.

AnnPT77

Strudders67 wrote: »

It is - if you can accurately guestimate the weight of everything you ever eat and know how many calories everything contains. Most people, even with years of logging, find that very difficult and typically under-estimate how much they're eating.

Perhaps try it a different way to start with. Note how many calories you think each meal is. Then weigh and log everything and see how close you are. Try that for a week.

That can work for some people, sure.

So can becoming more mindful of eating, eating slowly, stopping when feeling (subjectively) 80% full, for some people.

So can sticking with eating patterns (keto, low carb, IF, whatever) that for a particular individual cause noticeably reduced appetite/hunger/cravings, for some people.

So can relying on certain standard meal patterns (example: grape nuts & single-serve yogurt for breakfast, salad with and Lean Cuisine for lunch, varied dinners with a plate focus (half plate non-starchy veg, quarter-plate starchy side, quarter plate lean protein)), for some people.

And those aren't the only options.

Calories need to be managed, to manage weight. One need not necessarily consciously think in calorie terms to do that.

I'm old enough to remember when calorie counting was totally impractical (calories not on labels, hard to find out, only paper & pencil for logging). People still lost and maintained weight (most knew that calories were the reason, but they didn't know much if anything about the counts). In my own life, my dad, after retirement, gained weight and didn't like how he looked in a Christmas photo. He lost weight (I don't know exactly how much, but obvious multiple tens of pounds), and subsequently stayed at a healthy weight for the rest of his life (20+ years) by watching the scale and managing portions and treats if his weight got higher than he wanted it to be.

Me, I'd by far rather calorie count, for many reasons. But for folks who don't want to, there are lots of options to try.

Diatonic12

Reaching our dream weight and moving onto maintenance takes focus. No one notices when we stay the same so if you don't rely on a cheering section of compliments or comments to see you through, it entirely possible to unfriend my fitness pal.

One or two years in, you might think you've got it made but when you're no longer looking the body and mind can start fighting so hard against you and you're eating it all back. It it weren't true you wouldn't see so many starting over and over again.

Many become overconfident once they reach their dream weight. Those old eating patterns start gliding gently by until one day they're strong as a roaring lion. You're fighting tooth and toenail to get your old mojo back.
You've just hit the pause button mentality.

You start over thinking that getting a fresh start will be the magic bullet. At that point, being mindful, intuitive eating, listening to what your body tells you, following your hunger cues, do whatever works for...all of these things lack any real direction.

If you're in touch with your body's hunger cues you don't need direction or a road map to get you there. Listening to your mind and body is a superpower. The rest of need to implement a strategy.

What's good for the MFP bee hive is good for all of the bees. Some are busy flapping their
wings trying to keep the hive nice and cool and some just enjoy flapping their lips. Connection matters. Bees know it.

brittlb07

Personally, whenever I step away from MFP, I eventually gain weight. I’ve had this app since 2010 and guess what? I’m back again! 😂 But I think it’s natural to go through periods of focused weight loss. If you are willing to know you may need to revisit the app to get back on track, then unfriend it! I have had to step away several times because I was almost too obsessed with calories it was impacting my mental health. Unfortunately I have an all or nothing personality.

lgfrie

Some people can, some people can't.

I have an extremely binary relationship with food. I am either:

A. Counting every single calorie and cutting off the food spigot when I hit my caloric quota for the day

or

B. Gaining weight.

The instant I stop counting and logging, I start gaining. And not the proverbial "yeah, weird, I put on 4 pounds a year when I don't pay attention." I'm talking like 4-8 pounds per month, when I'm not counting and logging.

I'm all for intuitive eating if it works for people. I hear some people can train themselves to eat slower, more mindfully, and to sort of do what animals such as cats do - eat the amount of food they're supposed to eat. Cats don't have food spreadsheets and apps, and rely on ghrelin and whatever those satiety/hunger hormones are to regulate their food intake. Apparently the design works, because most animals are in shape, and in theory humans could be too.

Except for my cats. They're obese. So, bad example.

Anyway, you can either do intuitive eating or you can't. The simplest way to find out would be a test. Take a scale reading and then skip the counting and logging for a few weeks. Watch your fork and try to eat mindfully. Then get on the scale and see what happened. You'll know pretty quickly if it's a method for you. It'd certainly save you a bundle of time and effort if it works. I know it'll never work for me, but if it could, I'd give it a try, for sure.

kshama2001

For me it depends on my job and lifestyle. I don't have issues with my weight when I have an active job and lifestyle, but it's a struggle with a desk job and when there's more hyper-palatable food in my house than I would choose.

kimny72

Seat12v wrote: »

So my main goal at the moment is to be physically able to not have to relay on logging my meals every day of the week I'm just wondering is it manageable to just be sensible with your meals choices and just control your fork? And still achieve the same goals?

The answer to that question will be different for everyone. There are many people who started logging on mfp and then after awhile were able to eat the correct cals without logging. Other people might do better cycling on and off, using the time on to relearn the lessons and the time off as a break from logging. And for some of us, logging is simply a necessary habit. For me, when I stop logging everything starts to unravel. Luckily, I can practically log in my sleep now so I'm happy to continue doing it.

The only way you'll know is to try. You could start out logging some days and not others, to see if not logging is comfortable and if you are in control on those off days, and then go from there. Whatever you decide, good luck

LiftandSkate

For me, not if I want to lose weight. I can maintain my weight pretty easily, but losing requires tracking for me.

TonyB0588

Seat12v wrote: »

So my main goal at the moment is to be physically able to not have to relay on logging my meals every day of the week I'm just wondering is it manageable to just be sensible with your meals choices and just control your fork? And still achieve the same goals?

After logging for a long time, you should know what a sensible meal looks like. Some people's behaviour is a lot better when a policeman is around. If you're not policing yourself by having to enter reasonable numbers on a chart, it is possible you might lose your self control due to lack of accountability. Only you would know what you're able for in that aspect.