Do you expect to count calories the rest of your life?

sugamonstaa

I don't really have issues knowing what I'm going to eat and even fitting in some "bad" stuff into my diet as long as I get a majority of healthy food in and not feel guilty if I know how many calories and macros I'm eating. I always weigh my food when I can and everyone looks at me weird. It's kind of a hassle too.

DebbieLyn63

If I expect to keep the weight off, yeah.

sugamonstaa

I'm guessing it's easiest to NOT COUNT when you're just maintaining weight. I don't have to count to stay the same weight....it just comes naturally (before I started lifting and cutting)

tapirfrog

Yes.

TheFangsKittie

Well I can tell you losing 4 stone and then not counting or caring results in gaining it back plus 7lbs. So yes..its something im always going to have to do.

bkw99508

If that is what it takes to help me maintain (once I get there).

hastingsmassage

You will. I lost 120 lbs since 2nd of Feb 2013..stopped counting for a day and deleted my old MFP...here I am again:)

sullus

Occasionally.

At maint, I'd keep an eye on the scale .. if it creeps up a little, a couple days of calorie counting will be in order ..

Otherwise, there's no need.

EDollah

Not precisely, but I do expect to ballpark estimate calories, just to make sure I don't egregiously exceed some daily threshold.

ninjakitty419

I hope not. It is sort of annoying. I dont mind doing it now to lose but by the time I hit goal I hope that my eating habits will have shifted enough that I will naturally stay at or around the same weight. If not, then I will be back!

danibu98

Every time that I have stopped I have gained the weight back, so yes. I have to.

aklove907

I intend to weigh my foods when I can, and count calories yes. I have found that calories add up VERY quickly and keeping track helps me alot. To each their own though!

zyxst

If I expect to keep the weight off, yeah.

mikeykhan2003

Not exactly, though I do have an emergency contingency in my maintenance plan (not there yet) that triggers at certain size or weight thresholds; and you can bet that if that happens I'll be counting again.

maasha81

I actually enjoy logging my meals so I don't mind doing it.

jasonalvear

If I expect to keep the weight off, yeah.

^

BarbellBlondieRuns

I have two options:
1. Count calories
2. Be fat.

I'll count calories. At least 5 days/wk. Basically forever or until I'm too wrinkled to care about being fat.

andrewj87

I'm not sure, at this point it's kinda hard to stop analyzing how much of what is in what... almost second nature...

kathystrauss1

Yes I really do. I tried not counting for the first 50 years and that didn't work out so well.

trudijoy

Yes and no. I expect to use it as a tool for the rest of my life but I have a goal range in mind. My plan is to hit the bottom of the goal range, maintain that for a couple months, then stop counting. If I go out of the top of the goal range, I'll start counting again. My goal for life is to never stay out of the goal range.

CheeksBryant

I would say yes

CindaWhite

I expect to have to be aware of what I eat for the rest of my life. Whether or not it will require meticulous counting, weighing and measuring remains to be seen. But if that is what it will take then yes. I will doso forever. I cannot and will not go backwards. I am not dieting, I am making a lifestyle change. I figure by the time I get to maintenance it will be pretty much a habit and a little guestimating will probably occur. And, like another mentioned if I gain a little I will get more meticulous until I am back on track. I want to see my grandchildren one day and while I am old enough to be a grandmother today, my kids are not old enough to be parents...so I will do whatever I have to do.

CW

eileen0515

Yes

Carnivor0us

No, just carbs.

And keep an eye on the scale.

mmm_drop

Yup.

stephcbms

Yes, I'm not sure I could stop now and don't want to. It helps me a lot!! but when I maintain if I miss a day every now and again I won't freak out. But yes, cause I don't ever want it to get out of hand again.

sugamonstaa

I don't have any issues with it. I just hope when I go to maintenance I won't have to worry so much like when I'm cutting.

It's so much easier to maintain or even gain weight than to lose.....ugh. I'm trying to drop my body fat a bit to show some lower ab definition.

cwolfman13

If you think counting calories every single day is the "lifestyle" that everyone speaks of, you are most certainly missing the boat. You should be using this time to learn how to eat...learn portion control...learn what your calories look like and how much of whatever you need to fuel your body. You should be focused on proper nutrition and fitness...that is the "lifestyle"...fitness and proper nutrition should be your life time endeavors.

I've been maintaining for 7 months and do not count...I apply the things I learned while I was losing to my day to day life...I continue maintain a diet rich in nutrient dense foods...lots of veg, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats...and as importantly, I continue to rock my fitness.

Maintenance is actually really easy...your body naturally wants to maintain weight...the biggest mistake people make is simply going back to old habits...and they so closely associate their fitness with weight loss that they fail to set independent fitness goals...and they just stop working out once they've crossed some arbitrary finish line and reached some arbitrary scale weight.

Take this time to learn...and then apply your knowledge in maintenance...and for the love of god, get your fitness on...it is as much or even more important in maintenance than it is for losing.

crevices

im in maintenance and im still counting, i dont really know why. i guess it makes me feel secure and sure that i wont let go easily. either way, ive gotten so used to it ill probably be looking at labels before i eat stuff etc and counting in my head for the rest of my life now that i know the effects it has lol

ElizabethFuller

I think so, but maybe by the time I get to target I won't need to?
I've lost weight and then put it back on before, I really don't want to do that again so maybe weighing, measuring and counting for ever is the better option.

brendapalmer146

yes. it just has now become a habit. I am determined to never go back to where I was for the last 3 yrs ever again. So if it means it takes me 20 mins a day to open up my app and log my foods and exercise than it is what it is. I dont really find it all that annoying and like seeing where Im at. I can almost guarantee you that I would have gained 5 pounds back in the last few months if I decided to just eyeball and throw what I want into my mouth. And than it would just continue on...it's all personal choice. Some people do fine without logging, I am going to be that person that needs to be accountable and Im ok with that:)