Is it possible to maintain weight without counting calories

alpine1994

I go back and forth with it. I counted calories during my weight loss and most of my maintenance. I gained 7lbs since Thanksgiving and I was eating anything and everything (my coworkers brought baked goods into the office all the time and I didn't feel like saying no!) and not counting cals. Now I am trying to undo the damage by counting again and it's tough. I am always hungry and thinking about food and I had definitely gotten used to eating way too much. It's nice to take breaks from counting every now and then but I know that for me I generally gain during that time. Like other people said, everyone's different!

KarenBoehlke

Yes, but you still need to be mindful of what is going into your mouth and it's proportion. I have done it, but I need to weigh myself daily to keep me from thinking "Oh, what's one more cookie, I can burn that off later."

PaytraB

I did it in steps:
I first counted calories closely when I started to maintain and watched carefully what a portion size or meal size was.
Then I stopped weighing & measuring and "eyeballed" it and continued to track my estimates in my diary & weighed myself monthly to see what would happen. I did this for about 6 or so months and didn't gain weight.
On Jan 1st, I stopped keeping a diary and will continue to weigh myself every month to see how this phase of maintenance works. If it does, I'll be confident that I can "eyeball" my food correctly in the future.
Maintenance is hard. It takes awhile (at least for me) to find the right balance without the weighing and measuring. Take your time and you'll be able to find your balance.

dgbrash2

I have occasionally skipped/dropped logging calories, partially from my work schedule, and partially because I skip a day or two or a weekend, and, by Monday, have forgotten 'what' I ate, so then I couldn't remember what to catalog. I have, w/ MFP, been able to register and catalog 'meals'. So now, when I do log my calories, it is usually by meal, rather than by individual items, entrees, and/or sides, etc. Catalogging by 'meals' makes things a LOT easier! [after logging your calories for a certain meal, go to the 'Quick Tools' option under your 'Food Diary', and click the 'Remember Meal' option, then give that meal a name - I use the entree and then abbreviations for the sides as my meal name.] When logging meals, I have included enough 'sides' that, if I didn't have all of them for that meal, I just delete the ones I didn't have from that particular day's meal. I DO, however, step on the scales EVERY/EVERY OTHER morning. My weight normally varies 1-2 pounds at most (currently at 170, and am 5'11"). And for Thanksgiving and Christmas? 00 gained. I will say that when there is something I want to eat, and I 'know' I may be close to my calorie goals by the end of the day, I will only eat a bite of the tempting food or substitute my current craving (and calories) for something in a later meal/snack. That way, even if I am over in calories, it's not such a big deal, and I can adjust the following day, or exercise to make up for the excess calories. Amazing how your mindset (and, sometimes, craving) changes when you realize how much exercise/calorie count that candy bar, or fancy coffee, or whatever, costs you, in the game of logging calories. More than once, I have decided, 'it's just not worth it!', and ditched the idea of eating the snack and ruining my calories for the day.

Dawn810511

I haven't been on here very long and I only have my calories set to 1200 but I am finding out slowly what I can and cannot eat and I don't always have to think "oh that's too many calories" or "oh, is this okay to eat?". I hope one day I will be able to be in complete control and not have to count them because it is very annoying.

wrk2hrd

If you think it's going to weight on you, or otherwise bad for you, then don't consume it.

PaytraB

I haven't been on here very long and I only have my calories set to 1200 but I am finding out slowly what I can and cannot eat and I don't always have to think "oh that's too many calories" or "oh, is this okay to eat?". I hope one day I will be able to be in complete control and not have to count them because it is very annoying.

Learning to do this is great. If you can keep this up, you'll be able to maintain when you reach your goal weight. You'll just have to relearn what a new, maintenance portion is and you'll be set to go. Keep up the good work.

raiderrodney

Sure it is...I just tend to get slack when I don't

sweetdixie92

I'm sick of counting calories and am wondering if it's possible to maintain my weight without doing it?

Absolutely! People never even counted calories until fairly recently - and the funny thing is, people have gotten fatter. It comes down to portion control and knowing what's in your food. If it's a fatty, greasy, or buttery food, just skip it - or eat a very tiny portion. Make sure you eat slowly too. Your enzymes can work more efficiently, and you'll notice yourself getting full, as opposed to cramming it down and realizing you ate too much because you didn't give your stomach a chance to process it. It's a healthy habit to also eat just until you're full and stop. We tend to eat more just because it's yummy and we can. Just try to listen to your body - we weren't designed to be fat after all - and it's normally your mind telling you to overeat.

richardheath

I haven't tracked for ages, and have maintained for about a year and a half. I'm mindful of what I eat and will weigh myself occasionally just to make sure I'm still OK. I fluctuate between about 168 and 172.

EvaStrange

I usually only gain weight if I grossly overeat (like, all day long with hardly any break in between snacks) and abandon my exercise routine at the same time. I'd therefore say it's totally possible!

However, my typical diet is high-carb, low-fat (well, low in comparison ). I might put on weight more easily if I ate fatty foods all the time. Cutting back on fat makes me lose weight fastest; my guess is that it works the same vice versa. As unhealthy as overindulging in sugar is, it doesn't seem to have the same effect on my weight as fat has.

nxd10

Yup. I've done it my entire life.

After a while you just get used to knowing what you're body needs and don't over eat. If you over eat, you work out a little more. I don't know. Maybe I'm a special snowflake. I'm sure others will weigh in.

I said that until I was 40. Then it wasn't true. My eating was the same but my metabolism was not. Then menopause and bingo - gone.

Could I do it again now that I know my new balance? Maybe. But why? Most people regain because they stop doing what they did too lose the weight and go back to old habits.

If I were going to stop logging, I would wean myself off it and do random couple day spot checks to see how accurate I was being. Your scale will help too.

(BTW, Snowflake, why d you need this site to maintain then? This is a serious, not sarcastic, question. I know it sounds snarky.)

Francl27

It depends on how active you are and how much you love 'unhealthy' foods, I think. A very active person will be able to keep weight off without trying, even if they don't eat that well. Same for someone who naturally has no problem eating healthier foods, only eating when hungry, and being very reasonable when eating sweets (for example).

On the other hand, someone like me who needs a treat (or two) every day, and always has issues with wanting to eat even when I'm not hungry, is very likely to gain it all back if not logging.

So yes, definitely possible, but probably not for everyone.

ILoveGingerNut

It's just about being sensible. Nothing happen by chance. Everybody loves a treat.
I pretty much doubt that all people not overweight log their calories. Oh, by the way, I only had a PC for about 15 years. How did people maintain a normal weight before the internet????
My granma never logged. My mother neither. They just watched their diet.

sharebear2012

Yes you can maintain and not count, but be careful with portion size and choice. Just because you are not counting does not mean the food has zero calories. And as everyone said weigh yourself regularly.

Jenn842512

I can't stand counting calories. Even over a 60+ lb weight loss a never did it too reliably. You learn what's good for you and what's not, you listen to your body, and BEST of all, you stay super active you you're always earning those calories anyway!

manhn1

I generally don't count calories as I tend to eat things over and over and over again. I only eat what I like and have never been much for variety anyway. At least during the week, my meals are pretty uniform. If I go to a restaurant on the weekend, I have general go-to meals for each type of cuisine. Going to house parties is probably the hardest thing for me because I can't prepare ahead of time and it's harder to eyeball, especially if it's not a buffet type of dinner party.

I mean, do people really eat all this variety of food that requires them to count calories every single day? I realize that not every apple or slice of bread will be the same size, but it's still an apple or a slice of bread.

amaysngrace

I don't think so, unless you have good metabolism or eat the exact same stuff everyday. I mean, the reason I gained weight was because I was unaware of how many calories I was consuming. For the first 25 years of my life, I could eat without counting calories because I had a high metabolism, but once I started skipping breakfast and lunch and only eating dinner and then pigging out for dinner, my metabolism slowed down and I was always in starvation mode and the weight secretly piled up on me, until I was a whopping 238 pounds.

So, once I get to maintenance mode after I lose another 40 more pounds, I will continue to count calories. People always say that you have to burn more than you consume. But, how would anyone know exactly how much it is they are suppose to consume, if sites like this one, did not help you find out the exact numbers?

sarahmichel101

Anything is possible right? But I find that I am better when I do count. I honestly do not notice when I am over eating day to day. I never really feel full. I am a bottomless pit! And without recording what I eat it is so much easier to snack 24/7. I don't know how I will feel in a few years, but for now the activity of counting dedicates me, and distracts me in the evenings so I don;t crave to snack too much. The only things I like to do better than eating are talking, and planning. Keeps me busy!

amaysngrace

I can't stand counting calories. Even over a 60+ lb weight loss a never did it too reliably. You learn what's good for you and what's not, you listen to your body, and BEST of all, you stay super active you you're always earning those calories anyway!

I must be weird then because I loooove counting calories. It's my favorite thing to do on here! I even will plan my diary several days in advance because I love to do it so much It's fun to me, I don't know why, lol. I'm a foodie though, so that might explain it.

RoKnockz

It's somewhat easy. Most people eat the same 10-15 foods every day. Once you know the calories of those foods, and you know your maintenance caloric needs, it's easy to estimate how close you are to that amount.

edwardkim85

Yes, my parnets have done it their whole lives... Both in their 50's and fit... but you will need a scale.

Step on a scale every week or two.

If you put on 2kg or so, start your diet IMMEDIATELY.(don't think it's water weight and it will go down, etc. It won't).

step on scale a week later, if you dropped that 2kg, then good, if you dropped only 1kg, diet more.

Once you're back to your normal weight, don't step on scale for another couple weeks.

Repeat.

edwardkim85

People that say,

" don't worry about the weight, worry about how your clothes fit"

That doesn't always work.

I could fit in the same jeans and clothes from 200 --> 240 lbs.

It only works for people who have a small frame.

MickeyCastello

I guess, for me, it's possible but not probable. I worked too damned hard to get where I am, and don't want to let it slip even a little bit.

Xiaolongbao

Yet another thread that shows.... wait for it... we're all different!

Some people can maintain without counting. Some people can't.

Personally I've always been active. Always eaten healthily. And you know what, I got FAT anyway! Somebody else used the phrase "bottomless pit" in their reply and that's me too. Will I have to count calories forever? Who knows... things change but what I know right now is that if I don't log my foods I don't lose weight. It's that simple. I've just spend 7 months not logging to prove it :-( (obviously that wasn't why I didn't log - moving countries and starting a new job was the cause, putting on weight was just the outcome).

Now I'm certainly not prepared to say everyone else needs to log - I'm surrounded by skinny people who've never counted a calorie in their life - find what works for you.

pinkraynedropjacki

Yep. I do 4:3 eating & I dont eat anything on my fasting days (40 hours at a time) and then on my 'normal' days I dont bother counting at all.

47Jacqueline

I've been on maintenance for about six months now and I still feel more confident if I count calories. I hope I will get to a point where I don't have to do it all the time.

Vailara

I'm kind of doing it at the moment, although I throw in a bit of calorie counting every now and then. I aim to eat three meals a day, watch portion size and don't snack. I also weigh often (OK, daily), so I can check whether I'm gaining.

I feel that I need some sort of control on my intake, or I'd gain again. Calorie counting would work, but it's nice to have a break from it.

florentinovillaro

I think that all depends on your activity and the amount of food you eat. If you're good about portions, and you exercise a ton, it would be easy to get by not counting.

But as the saying goes "If it's not being monitored, it's not being done".

There are those who manage, and there are those who need to be managed.

I think if it's your goal to lose, it would be more efficient to count because you're watching each and every bite and step you make.

It's easy for me to get by not counting (at home), my menu rarely changes week to week, but the moment I get invited to a dinner party or a luncheon, there goes the farm.

ktsmom430

For a lot of people, of course it is.
Unfortuanately, I am not one of those people. I will have to monitor myself for the rest of my life, and will do it gladly to be healthier than I was 2 years ago. I know the calories and portion sizes of food that I eat now, but I still have to log everything that I eat. Just the way it is for me.