What do you log?

Greenrun99

I log items with calories in them, and I add for exercises anything that would be considered a workout (no walks, no cleaning, no yard work).

iechick

I've been in maintenance for a few months now and don't track anything. I eat intuitively-eat when hungry, stop when full. I also eat a mostly whole foods, plant based diet so that seems to be helping keep the calories in check as well. I do still measure out serving sizes of higher calorie foods-like nuts etc. Otherwise I just eye ball it. I do track my exercise here, since this is the main reason why I joined mfp.

DeeDeeMee

As we look at other people's logs, we really need to take it with a grain of salt, we don't know what their daily routine is. For example, when I first started I had myself set as sedentary and logged cleaning a lot. Because that's my job. People probably looked at my diary and thought why is she logging 4 hours of cleaning? In reality I actually spent 7-8 hours that day doing a thorough deep cleaning that left me exhausted, sweaty, and in need of a shower.

Now that I have learned more, I know that my daily routine is not sedentary at all. I usually count myself as active and only add back specific exercise calories when I do a focused exercise. People learn more as they go and they tweek things here and there to make the system better for them.

You have a good point Gracielynne. I see some people logging a couple of hours of housework a day and I think "Holy #$%^!" Their house must be completely and utterly spotless all the time (our house isn't massive, but I'm pretty OCD and it doesn't take me that long every day to keep the place looking really good). But if they've set their MFP to sedentary and cleaning is their job then it would be very different.

engodwin

As we look at other people's logs, we really need to take it with a grain of salt, we don't know what their daily routine is. For example, when I first started I had myself set as sedentary and logged cleaning a lot. Because that's my job. People probably looked at my diary and thought why is she logging 4 hours of cleaning? In reality I actually spent 7-8 hours that day doing a thorough deep cleaning that left me exhausted, sweaty, and in need of a shower.

^Great point! (Honestly, I don't really look at anyone else's log. I am here to encourage and be encouraged - not judge) :happy:

I know I'm like a year late (and a dollar short) but I was looking into this bc well idk what is going to work for ME yet, and I'm just getting ideas.

But I know that I've made a commitment to log my vitamins and water bc I am not great at remembering those pesky vitamins and I am chronically dehydrated (according to the good 'ol MD).

I love the person who posted that she logs everything she eats - even those three chips! LOL You go on with your bad self! But, I don't think I'm going to be that fanatic about it... I understand that it can be important, but I think I would get bored or overwhelmed with tracking if I had to log every grape/chip that went in my mouth. Is that a crazy mindset? Besides - I don't usually snack throughout the day (that much) unless I'm at an event with tables of food. (Forth of July Cookout anyone?) On a daily basis this isn't a huge issue for me.

I, like many others, only track planned exercise. Again if I logged everything little thing (making the bed, cooking, etc.) I'm sure I would give up (again) in no time!

Side note - my BodyMedia "thingy" should be here today *YIPPIE* so I may not have to log activity at all... We will see how well that little guy works soon enough.

VladaLucia

I log everything that goes into my mouth except water and gum. I haven't logged vitamins so far, but I will definitely start now. I always log coffee, tea and diet sodas even though they don't do much of a difference on my calorie count, because I like being able to look back at my days and get a clear view of how it actually went and why. For example if the count is unusually low, I can see it's because I went a bit overboard on low calorie drinks and therefore wasn't hungry, so this gives me a better understanding of my body, which I like.

If I make a salad and have access to a scale, I will weigh each ingredient even though the piece of cucumber might only be 3 calories etc, because I like having a clear view of not only the calories, but also the nutrition part of the day, so I tend to avoid using the "quick add calorie" since it messes up everything.

As for exercise I don't do much, and I always underestimate (if I even log it) because I'm more interested in what I actually eat, so I want the weekly totals and averages to be what I ate, not NET calories. But sometimes I will log it and just keep in mind that the average is really NET, so I don't go around think I've been that good, haha.

Despite being so fixated on details in my logging, I never take my calorie intake/outtake/NET too seriously, because I know that calories are very complex, not to mention our bodies. Our bodies react differently to different calories, certain foods may increase our energy/metabolism for the day more than others etc, so I take these numbers with a grain of salt (metaphorically speaking ofc.) and make sure I always listen to my body and how I feel more than look at the summary and let my expectations based on those numbers overshadow my body's responses.

Go_Mizzou99

I log everything when I gain a few pounds and need to get back on track.
When at goal, I log nothing.
When close to goal, I usually log everything up to supper, then stop logging as I am basically lazy and know the numbers so well that logging it will change nothing.

LSinVA

I don't log anything that I would normally do. If I did a lot of heavy housework or was running around doing a lot during any given day, I'll just shorten my workout to 20-30 min.

On the other hand, I log everything when it comes to food. I do log my vitamins since depending on what I take and how many, it could be upwards of 30 calories for those alone. I feel like I need to be strict with myself right now as I'm only six weeks into my weightloss attempt. If I hit a plateau in the future, I'll have an exact of idea of what's going on.