Where do you stop tracking?

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Replies

  • Hamiltonfamily2018
    Hamiltonfamily2018 Posts: 81 Member
    @wmweeza lol thanks! Go Hawks! Maybe next year will be better. However sounds like there may be some drama going down with Russell Nooooooooooooo. I mean it’s a little sad we haven’t been making it to the playoffs.
  • Hamiltonfamily2018
    Hamiltonfamily2018 Posts: 81 Member
    @AnnPT77 I always find you so insightful and interesting! Appreciate that.

    Thank you everyone :) here is to a fit fun week!
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I can see how for some people (my former self included) that tracking and weighing/measuring everything can become obsessive. I have used MFP off and on since 2012 (lost a good amount of weight and kept it off give/take 5 lb), and have been using it again for 10 months since last April. I also did WW and counted points at different times of my life, and started counting calories off and on 30 years ago (at the age of 14).

    I kind of look at it this way: some people are more bottom-up processors, meaning they can maintain a healthy weight just by listening to their body cues, eating when hungry, stopping when full, etc. Then, there are people like me (like a lot of us here, probably) who are more top-down processors: we actually use the more developed part of our brains to help us know what a good-size portion "should" look like and how much we should be eating.

    As someone who has a long history of restrict/binge cycles, anxiety and overall disordered eating and thinking about food, at some times in my life tracking points or calories could lead to obsessive thinking about them and food. Because of that, at times I would be hesitant to track food because I COULD get obsessive about it. I really tried to follow more of the principles of Intuitive Eating, but while I was able to manage for the most part, a bit of weight started creeping back on. The problem is, I really don't know what "eating until satisfied" really means. I can tell when I'm actually hungry now and when I may want to or am eating for other reasons and overall am eating more mindfully, but I've also realized I need an outside way to hold myself accountable. Tracking also forces me to become more mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth.

    When I started to track again to see if I could lose about 8 pounds, I started off with just the intention of tracking what I ate and not with the purpose to cut back calories, but to make myself more aware of what I was actually eating. I also knew I didn't want to religiously measure and weigh things as 1: I didn't think I'd want to keep up doing that for life and 2: I was afraid that would lead to more disordered thinking, in my case. It didn't take me long to want to cut back calories for a slow weight loss goal, and I do measure with cups every now and again. I was resistant to measuring with a digital scale (besides for baking/cooking purposes) because I was worried that would mean I was too "obsessive." However, I just recently started to do this because 1. I'm trying to see if I can lose a bit more fat(mostly for vanity reasons), and I know at the size I'm at now I have to be precise and 2. I'm genuinely curious. I weighed an apple today, and it turns out I was underestimating the size/calorie count by about 50%. Oof! The thing is, I was pretty relaxed about it and not upset. I'll just have to make adjustments. I also know I'm not going to weigh and measure ever single thing for the rest of my life, just initially and every now and again. It probably also helps that I'm now on an SSRI to help with that anxiety about food and calories.


    Again, I think it's very individual, and hopefully people will start to become aware if they are becoming obsessive about it. For example, if someone only eats food if they can measure and track with complete accuracy, then I personally feel that's too obsessive.




  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,906 Member
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    I have been tracking ever since I started MFP about 8 years ago. I don't weigh everything, since I am maintaining successfully without needing to, but I do log everything i eat as well as all my exercise. I was a yoyo dieter for most of my life, gaining and losing the same 40 lbs. over and over. Every time I lost weight, I would eventually go back to my old eating habits and the weight would come back. By logging consistently, I maintain an awareness of exactly what I am eating and how it relates to my weight. I know how much extra I should eat to maintain my weight after doing a hard workout. I know whether I can have a bowl of ice cream or just a banana for dessert. I have some days that are over on calories and some that are under. It balances out. But I don't get into the kind of mindless indulgence that sabotaged me in the past.

    This. Exactly. (I even started January 2013 LOL). And I like having my exercise logged because it makes me feel like I accomplished something positive....like a high five to myself 🙂
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ridiculous59 wrote: »
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    I have been tracking ever since I started MFP about 8 years ago. I don't weigh everything, since I am maintaining successfully without needing to, but I do log everything i eat as well as all my exercise. I was a yoyo dieter for most of my life, gaining and losing the same 40 lbs. over and over. Every time I lost weight, I would eventually go back to my old eating habits and the weight would come back. By logging consistently, I maintain an awareness of exactly what I am eating and how it relates to my weight. I know how much extra I should eat to maintain my weight after doing a hard workout. I know whether I can have a bowl of ice cream or just a banana for dessert. I have some days that are over on calories and some that are under. It balances out. But I don't get into the kind of mindless indulgence that sabotaged me in the past.

    This. Exactly. (I even started January 2013 LOL). And I like having my exercise logged because it makes me feel like I accomplished something positive....like a high five to myself 🙂

    I didn't log for about two months last fall and did notice that I was eating more and exercising less. I gained about 5 pounds.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    OP, I can totally empathise with you because it’s one of those things that are like a double edged sword. You love it and hate it at the same time. Personally, tracking was really good for me and really bad for me because I learned how much I needed to eat and how much protein I needed, but I admit that it got obsessive after a while. I did it for 3 years, where the first 2 years I underate (I ate 1500 calories which is seen as a ‘normal’ number) and ruined my health. I had a lot of issues going on with food and my relationship with food was not good. I have a history of ED. I’ve found therapy to help, but it wasn’t until I listened to Tabitha Farrar that I realised that I was misusing calorie counting. I would stress out if I went over my calories and I would exercise just so I could eat more. If I went over my calories then the next day I would restrict myself. I would feel exhausted/embarrassed asking my family members what they put in their food so I could weigh it and track it. These were all issues that I’d been dealing with. I now eat normally. I don’t even eat intuitively because I don’t like the silly rules they have. I now know if I’ve overeaten, I don’t need an app to tell me that. I can literally feel the extra food in my body. I also know if I haven’t eaten enough protein (I aim for 100-110g). It’s so freeing and liberating to not see food and numbers tied together all the time. I listen to my body, and just eat more mindfully. As some one who has yo-yo dieted for 17 years, this is so liberating. I think that counting calories is a tool to help you along the way, but it’s your BEHAVIOURS and HABITS that determine your long term health (and I’ve established those healthy behaviours). Obviously, just wanted to add that I guess I’m lucky in the sense that I enjoy eating mostly whole foods and I’ve never been obese- Just a little overweight. I do agree that other people just need to do it for life and that’s okay for them, especially if they have been obese and lack the hunger/satiety cues. Each to their own.

    Will I ever track calories again? I might do it again but only loosely, where I mostly guesstimate my food because as a perfectionist, weighing and tracking every morsel was and is a bad move for me!
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    "Hamiltonfamily2018 wrote:
    one Ted Talk I watched called “Life is too short too short to weigh your cornflakes”

    Speaking for myself, weighing my cornflakes probably extended my life. Certainly the quality.

    I'm not a big fan of some of the stuff put out by Ted Talks, too focused on pulling emotional strings. Her anorexia was driven by a bunch of very unhealthy rules she used to guide her eating habits. Her problem was having unhealthy goals.

    A good story but the title was clickbait with little help on changing bad eating habits.
    Here's the link if anyone is interested

    https://youtu.be/gZpcTVqpaPw
  • Hamiltonfamily2018
    Hamiltonfamily2018 Posts: 81 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    OP, I can totally empathise with you because it’s one of those things that are like a double edged sword. You love it and hate it at the same time. Personally, tracking was really good for me and really bad for me because I learned how much I needed to eat and how much protein I needed, but I admit that it got obsessive after a while. I did it for 3 years, where the first 2 years I underate (I ate 1500 calories which is seen as a ‘normal’ number) and ruined my health. I had a lot of issues going on with food and my relationship with food was not good. I have a history of ED. I’ve found therapy to help, but it wasn’t until I listened to Tabitha Farrar that I realised that I was misusing calorie counting. I would stress out if I went over my calories and I would exercise just so I could eat more. If I went over my calories then the next day I would restrict myself. I would feel exhausted/embarrassed asking my family members what they put in their food so I could weigh it and track it. These were all issues that I’d been dealing with. I now eat normally. I don’t even eat intuitively because I don’t like the silly rules they have. I now know if I’ve overeaten, I don’t need an app to tell me that. I can literally feel the extra food in my body. I also know if I haven’t eaten enough protein (I aim for 100-110g). It’s so freeing and liberating to not see food and numbers tied together all the time. I listen to my body, and just eat more mindfully. As some one who has yo-yo dieted for 17 years, this is so liberating. I think that counting calories is a tool to help you along the way, but it’s your BEHAVIOURS and HABITS that determine your long term health (and I’ve established those healthy behaviours). Obviously, just wanted to add that I guess I’m lucky in the sense that I enjoy eating mostly whole foods and I’ve never been obese- Just a little overweight. I do agree that other people just need to do it for life and that’s okay for them, especially if they have been obese and lack the hunger/satiety cues. Each to their own.

    Will I ever track calories again? I might do it again but only loosely, where I mostly guesstimate my food because as a perfectionist, weighing and tracking every morsel was and is a bad move for me!


    This is where I am too!! I too am not interested in intuitive eating as a whole- however I am more interested to see where my “set weight” more or less ends up. I know I will range between 2,000-2,400 by not tracking and that’s still putting me most days in a very small deficit that is maintainable and while moving my body in a way I can and want to continue forever. I don’t want to lose weight by restricting too much, I don’t want to keep buying food that is “just for me” as in low calorie tortillas etc, I too don’t want to ask “what’s in this” or think too much about it anymore. I just want to eat what I want and until I’m full. Honestly I think I should settle between 150-160 and that’s fine by me. I have never “dieted” in my 90 pounds lost, I just ate less and moved more. When I put on the 30 pounds this year it was because I didn’t move and ate myself sick more often then not from living in lockdown- no more. Logging was great just to see where I’m at and what my healthy calories are from my hunger cues; they seem pretty in check honestly. Once my set weight settles in I can decide if I want to lose some or just hang there... personally I think it’s completely normal to juggle 5-10 pounds and the scale is a false indication of fat anyway.

    NOT SAYING if one decides to track that it’s wrong. This is just where I’m at. I can be an obsessive person and coming across these articles really helped me personally take a step back and look at the habits I was forming that I never had really done until tracking; I didn’t like it-

    Some people can handle booze, some people can handle tracking- I think I may be better off without both :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    edited February 2021
    It's not the counting. It's the counting together with the full complexity including benefits and side effects of the why and how you go about performing it

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