Need some advice...or encouragement!

kimw2010

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting (at least in a very long time ....maybe ever)....I am getting so frustrated with myself! How do you all stay up with your food log?! I will do really good for a few days, maybe a week and then just forget to do anything! Anyone have suggestions?

I do have the alerts set to remind me ...but it doesn't do much for me lol

Thanks everyone!!!

Fursian

I will do really good for a few days, maybe a week and then just forget to do anything!

Are you able to figure out why this is for you?

For me, early on when I was first starting to log my food in the diary on here, there would be times when I'd go out to eat and didn't know the calories so wasn't sure how to log it and then because I wasn't writing that meal in, it somehow turned into not writing any other stuff in for that day as well. Ultimately just becoming overwhelmed and shutting down.

I'd also had cheat days where I wasn't sure of the calories which was another roadblock. For these examples, I just ended up finding the best estimate by looking online for a similar dish and picking the higher calorie option (if there was a few).

Some things that I hope might help,

Pre-planning your meals for the day ahead might be one option.
Attach the task of logging your food to an already established task that you do each day.

You mention that you have alerts set up to remind you, what do you think is internally going on for you in that moment?

Corina1143

Make it part of your routine. Note on your pj's, so you do it every night?

Note on your toothbrush?

On the fridge?

Make it a rule—no food in your mouth until you log it?

For me, very much a creature of habit, it just came naturally very soon—I only forgot a couple of times. Maybe just a little more patience with yourself?

kimw2010

Thank you both! Honestly, don't know what my "block" is other than when I have days with a lot of pain or feeling sick ....I don't log that day and then just can't seem to get back in the routine....

Fursian

That's a tricky situation, during times of sickness. Hopefully that pain and sickness is short lived!

I know in the past if I didn't start off the week solid, there would be a chance that my brain would think why bother, I'll just start again next week. The spiralling of things slipping and the domino effect. Perfectionism and the all or nothing thinking played into this very much.

Something that I think helped me with getting back on track was to see each new day as a total fresh start. It was a mental shift, something I definitely didn't start out with, but it effectively stopped the past from derailing the present.

Corina1143

Now I understand. Yes, when you don't feel well it's much harder to make yourself log, when all you want to do is rest and feel better. But prelogging helps a lot. If you only eat half, it's easy to change the next day. Make an effort to remember so you can. Save reminders, empty packages, apple cores, banana peels, in a container by the trash to remind you to log them tomorrow. Or just jot quick notes on a piece of scrap paper. The trick is to get right back to logging as soon as you feel better. In time, as logging gets easier and quicker, you'll find yourself logging even on bad days.

AnnPT77

How long have you been at it? I think it got easier to get back on track as I got more experienced with logging, so that it took me less time, thought and energy to log.

I'd also point out that calorie counting isn't the only route to weight loss, though I think it's a really good one, and more predictable. But it isn't for everyone.

I'm old enough to remember when calorie counting wasn't a practical route - there weren't apps, there weren't even spreadsheets, food labels and restaurant chains didn't have all the calorie/nutrition information, there was no internet to look up calorie data. People lost weight anyway. I did, my dad did and he kept weight off long term, too.

How? They worked on their habits, gradually doing things like less frequently eating things they knew were calorie-dense - like fried things, baked goods, and candy - or eating them in smaller portions. They kept going with that until the scale started dropping, then stuck with it. It can work.

As far as logging being difficult when we don't have the emotional or physical energy or mental bandwidth, I get that. I like Corina's idea of noting on paper to log later. Sometimes with more complicated things, and when it can be done politely and discreetly, I just snap a photo of my plate with my phone (no flash!), keeping something standard-sized like a fork in the photo to help with portion estimating later.

Honestly, the occasional off day is not a big deal. It takes time to develop a new habit, and we can give ourselves some grace about that. If you're certain calorie counting is the right path for you, keep working at it. If you miss a day, let it go, don't beat yourself up, just get back to it as soon as you can - next meal or snack, if you can, but next day or whatever. Keep striving toward logging more days than not, eventually logging all days even if you have to rough-estimate sometimes.

I don't know about you, but for me, guilt or self-blame for missing would make me less likely to get back on course, because I don't like those icky feelings and would subconsciously avoid them by skipping more. For me, more productive is just to think about why the skip happened, consider whether there was some better way to handle similar circumstances next time they arise - maybe some of the things folks above suggested. In many ways, weight loss is problem-solving, figuring out how it works best for us as individuals.

Best wishes for success - hang in there, the rewards are worth the effort!