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

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:)

FitCurves444

Not really. In fact, I often stop counting and only return when I need to lose a few pounds. I am counting now.....

diana5066

I find that I gain as soon as i stop keeping track.. It is the only way for me to lose or maintain

257_Lag

I hope to stop counting when I get to goal and then set a number that if I ever see again I will start counting again. It's a tool that I will use when I need to in my hopes.

cwolfman13

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.

weighing and measuring for sure...but like I said earlier...after awhile you should have a pretty good idea of what your typical day's food looks like. I logged for a month or so into maintenance just to make sure I knew what that looked like calorie wise and to make adjustments here and there...but really, it's all about applying proper nutrition and getting your fitness on...maintenance usually takes care of itself when you're doing that...your body's natural desire is to maintain weight. You have to consistently over or under eat to override your body's ability to maintain.

ChristineS_51

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.

I expect to be calorie counting for ever, haven't quite got to my goal yet, as I have slipped back into some bad habits :grumble: ... but above is such great advice! Thank you!! :flowerforyou:

NikkiSixGuns

Yes. Just like I'll always keep track of the money that I'm spending so I don't blow my monetary budget.

Been maintaining for just shy of 3 years, and have tracked calories the whole time.

RllyGudTweetr

I don't see the problem with continuing to do something that works. Could you clarify?

heykatieben

Not the rest of my life, but at least years. Long enough to understand what a sustainable diet is like, and until those portions are a really strong habit.

heykatieben

^^ And long enough to change my set point. Each time I lose weight and reach my goal, I stop tracking, and gain most of it back, but the gaining back seems a little slower each time, like my set point is lowering and I'm developing healthier exercise habits at least (not sure about diet habits. ) So maybe eventually I won't need MFP, but it will be a while.

darrensurrey

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)

Pretty much.

I think I would get enough protein if I ate 3 palm sized portions of protein plus a palm of carbs and enough salad to put make me think I've had enough salad for each meal plus breakfast (porridge plus honey). So I just have to add some more carbs if I'm bulking. And knock off the carbs if I'm cutting.