Help with not counting calories anymore

leelxxsh

Hi everyone!

I'm getting really close to my goal weight and want to stop logging calories. I'm back at school now, which makes it harder to log, and I feel like I've learned enough that I can make healthy choices for myself. I want to come back in a few weeks or so and see what my progress is, but I'm not sure how long I should wait. Is one week enough? Is one month too long? I don't want it to be so short a time that the changes might just be normal fluctuations, but I don't want it to be so far off that I might gain weight without realizing it.

Thanks!

RedHeadBrains

Maintaining your goal weight can be a battle as well if you are not careful. It is so easy to lose track of what you used to eat if you are not logging it. I know it happened to me, my portion sizes slowly crept up in size and I didn't really notice until I started packing on the lbs again. I am sure if you are careful and maybe check yourself every week to see how your are progressing, and then maybe go back to tracking your food if it becomes a problem. Everyone is different though and there is no wrong or right answer that fits everyone's needs. I think if you are very mindful of what you are eating and keep checking yourself you will find a happy median.

missemmapeel

Congratulations on reaching your goal! That is wonderful, and I'm sure you are feeling pretty spectacular. I reached my goal a few months ago and do have some advice.

Maintaining your weight is something that you need to learn how to do, just like losing weight is. And this is for life. For me, I started with logging every week day and taking weekends off. After a couple months I relaxed to only logging if I feel my nutrition is slipping (for example, if I start eating ice cream every day). I also check my weight every morning on the bathroom scale. I only record it once a month, but if I gain more than a couple of pounds I go back to logging everything until I'm back at my goal weight.

Sorry to say this, but I don't think stopping cold turkey from MFP would have worked for me. It has taken me some time to learn this new routine and find what works. And my weight does still creep up sometimes, so I just have to catch it before it gets too high.

Hope this helps, and again- congrats!

PS- Feel free to add me, I'm always looking for new friends

justmary4cm

I don't think you can stop logging your calories if that is what you are used to at this point. It is so easy to let one thing lead to another especially if you are back in school and not focused on your maintenance but on the important work you must do there. I have found that it is much easier to maintain with accountability rather than just wild hope that you will keep portions small and make the right choices. I don't know you or your circumstances but speaking for myself, the creeping in of mindless calories is insanely easy. So at least for several months, I wouldn't change what I am used to doing. I would log in every day and do my meals. It is worth it in the long run...just my humble opinion.

Oh, I have been on maintenance for 6 years and lost 54 pounds originally.

TR0berts

Keep logging. Once you do reach your goal? Keep logging. After you've met your goal and have stayed at maintenance for several months, then you can experiment with going off logging.

jvbrooks

Sorry, how does being back at school make it harder to log calories? You're more likely to eat poorly at school (late nights, parties, etc), and updating MFP takes all of four-five minutes a meal, if you're working slowly.

I do not recommend quitting MFP like that. If you do choose to do so, I recommend still logging your weight every week. If it starts going up, come back.

NRSPAM

Congratulations on reaching your goal! I think maintenance can be just as hard, or harder than losing, in some ways. I wouldn't quit logging, atleast not yet. If you want to eventually quit logging, I would weight until you get used to seeing what eating at maintenance looks like. You're used to eating at a deficit, but you may not realize that eating at maintenance isn't that much of a difference. And trust me, from experience, the weight goes back on much quicker, and much easier than losing it does.

rybo

A month sounds good. My opinion, if you keep the majority of your foods whole, real foods, it's easier to not log. Or if you eat a big percentage of your calories from the same stuff and you know what that is, then its also easy not to eat too much.

Mcgrawhaha

im in maintenance, and i still log. its so easy to lose track of what your eating... i dont want to gain 100 pounds again!

leelxxsh

I definitely plan to continue weighing myself weekly to track my progress. My plan was to be a bit looser with the logging and not beat myself up if I missed a day or two, but if I saw the numbers start creeping up again, then I'd buckle down and be strict with myself again.

obrientp

Maybe try weighing everyday? Even with normal fluctuations you should be able to establish a baseline, and if you see the numbers creeping up and not going back down, you will know to start back at it.


Oops, you beat me too it!

TheRealParisLove

I take time off logging on occasion (maybe 6 weeks a year), but can't stop forever. I literally have no "sense" of what or how much I've eaten if I don't log it.

I've spent my whole life yo-yoing. Even now, after using apps in one form or another for 4 years, I still can't judge or guesstimate my calorie consumption. I just look at my food diary like my bank account. It's just something I need to keep track of, and if I don't I'm going to be in a world of hurt.

baptiste565

i stopped counting cals after 2 yrs of counting. i am maintaining nicely. its been great being like everyone else on the planet. lol

55in13

I am doing it by watching the scale and clothing fit closely and mixing in days of light eating as needed. If you were logging this, you would call it calorie cycling. I don't know if that will work for you or not, but there is an important make or break concept in there - if you can't be sure you are having a light day (calorie deficit) without counting and logging, then I think you should log. Also use patience; don't do extremely light days back to back.

harleygroomer

You should be to the point where you can SEE the calorie count in most foods. After having done this you know what you can have and not have--have some faith in yourself. And if it doesn't work, then start logging what you eat, but always ALWAYS keep a journal of what you are doing so you can see the holes that pop up.

toutmonpossible

Logging shouldn't be that be difficult if you've been doing it all along. But if you don't want to log, make sure that your meals consist of lean meats and lots of green vegetables. Starchy vegetables, breads, sugar, alcohol, and sweets should be kept to a minimum. Weight yourself three times a week so you can make a correction if your weight goes up.

Kids gain weight at college because they're stressed and don't pay attention to what they're eating.

CipherZero

I log, but measure a lot less, as I've gotten closer to my goal weight. As long as the scale is moving in the direction you want it to - whether that's up, down, or maintaining - you're doing it right.

If you fall off-track, you go back to logging to see what's going on.

BigGuy47

I feel like I've learned enough that I can make healthy choices for myself. I want to come back in a few weeks or so and see what my progress is, but I'm not sure how long I should wait. Is one week enough? Is one month too long?

Test yourself. Take a break from logging. Give it a month and see what happens.
I don't log, but I do weigh myself once a week and I weigh my food portions. It helps keep me on track.

DebbieLyn63

I was convinced I would have to log everything for the rest of my life, but after a year of consistent logging and measuring, I went on the 5:2 plan. I still planned to log everything on my off days, but I soon realized that I was easily staying within maintenance without much effort. I can go without logging for 2-3 days a week now and I do ok. I watch my weight closely for any continuous gains.

If I were you, I would pick a couple days a week to continue measuring and logging, just to keep yourself on track.

eileen0515

Statistically the odds are not in our favor to keep the weight off. It really is a small number, those that are able to not gain weight after weight loss. I guess there are some special snowflakes, but I will log, just as I did while losing. Sheesh if you have a smartphone nothing could be easier, and fast. Takes me longer to put on my shoes, than it is to log a meal.

stephiehampshire

When I reached my goal weight I stopped MFP cold turkey and because I didnt see what I was eating every day I just assumed I was making the right choices very quickly I put the weight back on and now here I am for round 2

I would recomend setting your goal at maintaining and continue logging for a few months until you are in a set routine that works for you and I would continue to weigh yourself once a week / month however often you currently weigh

I have decided that this time round its a change for life and to continue with MFP for as along as it is running,

Thats my personal opinion

Sabine_Stroehm

I don't think you can stop logging your calories if that is what you are used to at this point. It is so easy to let one thing lead to another especially if you are back in school and not focused on your maintenance but on the important work you must do there. I have found that it is much easier to maintain with accountability rather than just wild hope that you will keep portions small and make the right choices. I don't know you or your circumstances but speaking for myself, the creeping in of mindless calories is insanely easy. So at least for several months, I wouldn't change what I am used to doing. I would log in every day and do my meals. It is worth it in the long run...just my humble opinion.

Oh, I have been on maintenance for 6 years and lost 54 pounds originally.

I would say: if you simply ate at a deficit and used counting to get there, you may need a transition from logging.
If as you say you learned to eat right, then a combination of good sense, portion control, and making healthy choices 80% of the time should help you maintain.
If you also exercised to lose, don't stop that.
If you stop logging, mentally log for a while.
If you're at applebees and want to try something new, look it up on MFP and make your decision.

Check your weight weekly, keep an eye on things for a month (to account for monthly fluctuations etc.), and if the scale ticks up come back, log for a few days (or measure if that's what you did) and recalibrate.
If you eliminated any foods, remember to add them back slowly and know their portions and nutrition information as well.

You can do this! I maintained for over 10 years without any logging.
(then mid life hit and I counted for a year as a safe guard, now I'm just eating reasonable portions of healthy foods with the occasional splurge for something yummy that's not in my normal day to day diet.

ps: if you tend to eat the same things (the same 10 lunches, the same 20 dinner recipes etc...) over and over, it should be easier.

mamadon

Once I hit my goal, I plan to keep logging. If I have to do it forever, then I am up for that. I look at this as a disease (food addiction) that I will have to monitor for the rest of my life.

Sabine_Stroehm

Once I hit my goal, I plan to keep logging. If I have to do it forever, then I am up for that. I look at this as a disease (food addiction) that I will have to monitor for the rest of my life.

And the most important thing here is you know yourself.

That's the key.

I know what works for me as well (eating Slow carb, and low craP 80% of the time or more). We each need to find what works for us.

tanyaleighcummings

At some point if I stop logging I will still use my eatthismuch.com account. I put in my marcos/calories and block and foods I don't like and it creates a meal plan for me. If I am sticking to that, with my one rest day a week I am good. But I don't think I will choose to stop everything. I exercise quite a bit too. Someday I would like to stop weighing, my smart-scale seems to be an addiction to me. But I can't see myself keeping my 'tools' close at hand.

BigGuy47

Statistically the odds are not in our favor to keep the weight off. It really is a small number, those that are able to not gain weight after weight loss. I guess there are some special snowflakes...

Lots of special snowflakes in this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1083827-who-has-kept-weight-off-for-2-years

55in13

Statistically the odds are not in our favor to keep the weight off. It really is a small number, those that are able to not gain weight after weight loss. I guess there are some special snowflakes, but I will log, just as I did while losing. Sheesh if you have a smartphone nothing could be easier, and fast. Takes me longer to put on my shoes, than it is to log a meal.

I have seen no data to indicate that logging changes the odds. It seems obvious that it would, but that is only if you make assumptions about accuracy. I think it's all about commitment. Whether you manage it at the level of logging everything or just adjusting eating by watching the scale and belt is a personal decision.

twinketta

I have been maintaining for going on a year and what works for me is logging for 3 or 4 days then taking a few days from logging. This way it helps me to keep on track and reminds me of the calorie/macro contents of the foods I eat.

igotabulletproofheart

One week isn't enough, one month would be okay, but after that month you want to continue checking your weight every 3-4 weeks just to make sure your weight is maintaining.

I'd say the best way to stop calorie counting is portion control. Learn your portions and know when to stop eating. Listen to your body, don't give it too much fuel to work with and feed it foods it can work with -- don't work against it. The way I plan to do this when I hit my goal is to learn the weights of certain food portions, like a handful of cheese for me is 30g (I have small hands as I'm 5'2!) which is a portion size.

LorinaLynn

I started tapering away from logging when I reached my goal by not logging on weekends and holidays. That way, I didn't have to obsess over calories if went out to eat or to a party or had a few drinks, since that was most likely to happen on the weekend. That was over two years ago. Up until a month ago, I still logged most of the time. I'd take a break now and then when I felt burned out on it. I'm currently experimenting with not logging for the month, but I have no problem with going back to logging if/when I'm not happy with my results.

hottamolly00

What I've decided to do once I hit maintenance is to stop logging, but continue eating the same stuff I ate to get to that point with a few extra calories to make it maintenance.

It used to be that when I got to 172 pounds, I knew I needed to diet. Now, I've set that to 152 pounds (I'm 142.) Try that. Try setting a "too high" goal weight to keep yourself in check. It won't be the end of the world if you gain back a few extra pounds. Just adjust your limits to something less than it was when you began this journey, and if you get to it, start logging PRONTO.