Transitioning Back to Normalcy?

widmer3

Hi guys. So I've been following my diet extremely carefully for nearly two years now. Tracking everything I eat. Counting calories. Running, lifting, walking. I've been on low carb. I've been on keto. I've tried paleo and LeanGains. I've done it all, and to be honest, I'm tired! I want to be a NORMAL person again, just healthy. I'm a healthy weight (5'2", 117 lbs, probably around 20% bf), and I just want to stay this way.
Has anyone here stopped counting calories and being obsessed with it all? My lifestyle is beginning to stress me out big time, and I know that's raising my cortisol levels and just making my fat cling to me even more. Help?

twinmom_112002

I stopped counting in May after my second half marathon. I just couldn't find the motivation to do it. Over the summer I felt like I put on a ton of weight and started eating a little more mindfully but couldn't get back to logging everything that crossed my lips. This morning I got on the scale for the first time in months (I was afraid to do it) and surprise, surprise I am the same weight I was last year. In fact looking at my graph my weight has been stable since around February.

My advice is to eat mindfully but maybe not log everything and see how it goes. You might be surprised like I was. The habits of the last 2 yrs (eating good portions and exercising) will help you maintain without the constant vigilance.

ChrisS30V

Hey there, I was in a situation very similar to yours not too long ago. I found that even though I had lost all the weight I wanted and was in maintenance mode, I was still logging onto MFP every friggin' day and logging everything that went into my mouth. Not only that, but I was constantly rushing to the computer before every meal to make sure that I got the proper portions so I would hit my calorie goal on the dot.

Well, after about two months of that, I became mentally exhausted by the daily logging and stressing out over the portions I was supposed to get at each meal. I finally decided that enough was enough and I stopped logging. Before I did that, I looked over my log for the previous months' food and took a mental note of the foods and portions that I ate each day. I ate without logging anything for a week, saw that my weight stayed pretty much the same, and determined that I could handle it on my own.

It's been about a month since I stopped logging and it has definitely helped me a lot. I no longer find myself worrying about how many calories I need to eat a dinner or how many grams of broccoli I need to fix, I more or less just throw together a cup of this and a cup of that and don't put much thought into it. In all reality, you're not going to gain or lose weight because you forgot to eat 100 grams of cauliflower at dinner.

I say try it without logging for a week or two, or only log one meal a day so you can kinda ballpark what you need to eat the rest of the day without logging and keep an eye on the scale. I've found that the less you have to think about, the better.

BigGuy47

I stopped counting... It's been so long I can't even remember when I stopped.

I'm still mindful of what I eat. I still weigh my servings (it's become a habit). I exercise regularly. Still weigh myself to make sure I'm not gaining.

I would be cautious with being "normal". Many people go back to normal after hitting a goal weight. They go back to eating far too much. They go back to not exercising. In short they do all the things that caused the weight gain in the first place. And then they are surprised that they put the weight right back on again. I think it's critical to find a new normal. My new normal included eating more vegetables, smaller portions and an exercise regime. My old normal consisted of a sedentary lifestyle with a massive calorie surplus (Southern fried cooking mostly).

Counting cals is just a tool. Some plan on using the tool forever. Others grow tired of tracking and learn to get by without counting. You could just stop the madness and stop counting for 6 weeks and see what happens. You might be surprised that you can do just fine without tracking.

dougii

I stopped loggin daily some time ago....just go to be a bit too much. I keep getting the message that I have logged in for 5 days just about every week or two. I have been maintaining the same basic weight (+/- 8 pounds or so) for about a year now. I also don't get on the scale very often anymore. I guage how I am doing by what I see in the mirror and how my clothes fit. Having dropped from a 46 to a 36 inch waist I am please to say that my 36's are still comfortable a year later.

Having eaten well for two years you should have a very good sense of portion size and what foods you can eat a lot of or a little of to reach your normal daily intake. I still do some measuring (cup of this, cup of that) and some weighing of certain foods but I have broken the obsessive behaviour of having to track every last bite and check MFP to see how many calories I have left and what fits into that. If I start to see something I don't like in the mirror I log a bit more. My exercise has stayed about the same if not increased a bit over the same time period.....

Best of luck.

Rockstar_JILL

I lost my 80+ pounds BEFORE I joined MFP(Took me almost 2 years and did it on my own)....I just started logging in here back in January to give me the support and something to keep me focused. I stopped logging my food last month. I have gone up and down the same 3-4 lbs. I am fine with that. I did it before MFP and I have faith I can do it without MFP. I do love the friendships here and the motivation and cheering on! That is what I am doing here everyday now.

cwolfman13

When I was losing, I spent a lot of time learning how to properly fuel my body...proper portion control...proper nutrition, etc. When I got to maintenance I quit logging and maintained for about 6 months...I ate the same as I always did before, just a little more to maintain instead of lose. My exercise is just a part of my daily routine life...it had little or nothing to do with my weightloss and everything to do with my fitness...as far as weight control goes, exercise is far more important for maintenance than it is losing.

People who end up gaining their weight back usually stop getting their fitness on because they so closely associate exercise with trying to lose weight...and they also go back to old eating habits...eating **** and eating too much of it. If I were you, I'd practice eating "normal" for about a montha and log it to see what that looks like...don't deprive yourself...get your nutrition on, but also eat stuff you know you're going to eat going forward...you need to teach yourself sustainable diet (as a noun, not an action verb)

pcastagner

I find maintaining is pretty simple without logging, but I do keep up with the lean gains.

However when I have a "project going" I log. Right now I'm trying to gain weight while still fitting in my pants, using the lean gains approach. It's crucial for me especially on deficit days (rest days) to log, or I tend to undereat.

But maintaining is easy, and you may find that your hunger cues are now easier to notice, and you can listen to your body.

widmer3

Thanks everybody! Your stories have all been very encouraging. I think I'll try to not log for 2 straight weeks and see how it goes. I'll probably go through some sort of MFP withdrawal but I'll survive!!

pittdan77

Hope it works for you. I don't think I'll ever be able to do that. For me, food is an addiction. If I don't pay attention, I'll put it all back.

TheCaren

I struggled with fear of regaining my weight, and if I were to be completely honest, I continue to struggle with it at times. I was unable to force myself to eat at maintenance calories because I was convinced it would cause me to regain all the weight I'd lost. I have had to stop tracking food because it became obsessive for me (long after I'd reached my goal weight, by the way). I still get on the scale once a week (and sometimes more) and have to just hold my breath as I look down at that number, convinced it's going to show some hideous increase. It hasn't. Not more than the normal "PMS water weight" thing that I've had my whole adult life.

I still watch what I eat and I try to make good choices instead of bad ones most of the time. And when I eat "naughty" food, I do so in moderation and miracle of miracles, my weight has remained steady. And I give myself permission to enjoy food, and not just see it solely as a utilitarian means to an end.

carrieo888

For me, it's just data. I've never subscribed to any "diet," just smaller portions of what I usually eat. As I lost weight, I started focusing on my carb/protein/fats ratios to find my optimal levels; then started watching the micros especially to ensure I am getting enough protein to support my fitness goals. All those numbers, including the ones on the scales, are just numbers to me.

That said, I know it can be tempting to add judgements to those numbers ("the scale tells me I'm a fat pig!") which can lead to obsessive behavior. That would be like getting mad at yourself because a thermometer tells you you have a fever. If you can get to a place where it's all just empirical data, to be analyzed and acted upon, then so much the better. Otherwise, it may be better to take a break.

NavyKnightAh13

I finally this week because after logging for almost 600 days, and still fighting to lose the last little bit, I cut down the amount of days of logging food into my diary as well as exercise. I am scheduled to be going into the endo next week and honestly managed to lose 1.2lbs this week without the constant logging and obsessing. While I do still have a great amount to lose, going from 243 (i lost weight before returning to mfp) down to 175.4 in the span of 2 years and not putting it back on, has been an accomplishment in itself, not to mention the 13 5ks I have ran including an obstacle mud run.

The constant logging started stressing me out so badly that I was getting into a really bad mindset and I feel a couple weeks break from logging constantly (I will still log, just 3 days a week to keep it in check) might help me get back into a good mindset.

bcattoes

I stopped counting on the weekend a while ago. Actually I only log onto MFP when I'm at work, because I get bored. At home I'm never bored and can't be bothered.

But I never really changed my diet, other than a few nutrition related tweaks, so I really don't need to transition back to anything. I just need to stay on track with exercising. And I've tried not to go overboard with that. I basically just made changes I thought I could live with long term from the get go and let those changesdo what they would.