Lost my balance

eimaj5575

Hello, I have used MFP for a few years, hit my goal and have been maintaining for years now. Have not actually logged my food much bc I havent really needed to. I learned how to eat and have done it for years now. Flucuated between 117 and 120 and was perfectly fine with that. But now I have lost my perfect balance and i started to gain weight. I weighed in at 125 this morning. I know its not a huge deal but Im dreading where this is headed. Gonna try to log again now but now I feel unmotivated to log since I havent had to do it for so long. Anyone else out there that has stopped logging for some time but then started again? Any tips for motivation to do it again?

nxd10

First, as you say, it could be an odd fluctuation.

I never had a problem with weight and lost weight easily after both my kids. I kept eating the same and maintained a stable weight for more than 20 years. I slowly adjusted my eating to less and less. Then, despite that, I started putting on weight, which is how I wound up here.

Your body really does change with age. You HAVE to adjust your eating (or increase your exercise) as you get older to maintain.

ndj1979

reduce your daily calories by about 50 and see if that gets you back in balance...

ottermotorcycle

Maybe you don't have to start counting again? Why don't you just count water - make sure you're getting enough spaced throughout the day - and make that healthy choice to skip fattening treats? If it's only 5 pounds you've got to lose, you may not have to go back to logging to do it

David_AUS

Your body goes through changes through life some people say "every 5 years a new cycle begins". If you have been at a homeostatic weight for sometime your body will quickly respond to drop back to your natural weight.

It appears that you are very aware of how your body usually responds and you have identified this as a change so it is appropriate to do something.

I think if you set a specific goal so you are not committing to a "long term relationship of counting calories" Treat this as a self "check-up".

May I suggest set up a 2 week goal - eat as per a normal week and log everything as you normally would and align this with how your weight changes "up or down" - if you started now this would be 2 weeks of tracking (last week gain 5-7 lbs - 2nd week +/- xx lbs with tracking of foods). If you see a trend upwards you are now armed with some information to make changes in the 2nd week of closer tracking. Is your sodium high causing water retention? Have you introduced something new to your diet like extra fruit, dairy, bread etc.... has something changed in your life which means you are not as active? Modify / replace / remove the items you see may be affecting you and introduce in week 2 and see what impact this has.

sijomial

If you are dead set against logging and just want to alter your calorie balance slightly then you need to make a small and sustainable change to either your food intake or your energy output.

Perhaps just start weighing calorie dense food to ensure your portion sizes haven't crept up?
Are there some food treats you could cut down the frequency of having?
Can you change your diet slightly to make one meal a day slightly lower in calories?
Skip a meal when you aren't hungry perhaps? A lot of us eat out of habit rather than need.
Cut back on quantity or frequency of alcohol?
Can you add in some extra activity on a regular basis? Include a walk into your daily routine or commute?
Take up a new sport or activity you enjoy?
Consciously spend less time sitting down/inactive?

eimaj5575

Thank you everyone for your input. I have started logging again for the past 3 days and have realized that my eating propotions have gotten alittle high and since I havent had alot of time the last month to get the normal amount of cardio in I see where my problem is. The higher propotions were fine bc I was running alot but just havent had the time to do so. Getting back at it and it was a good awakening to log again and almost as suprising as the first time I ever logged. Making the adjustments and already seeing some results. I like a challenge so thats how I looking at this.

SARgirl

I had the same exact thing happen to me over the past few months. I had been maintaining for about 2 years and not logging as much and doing ok but then around the holidays I was a slacker and wasn't doing as much exercise as I normally do and the weight crept back up. It took me about a week or so to get back into the routine of logging again but once I did I also noticed that my portions were out of whack. I also joined a new gym and am back into my routine of working out. You'll lose the extra 5 pounds in no time:)

nxd10

I had the same exact thing happen to me over the past few months. I had been maintaining for about 2 years and not logging as much and doing ok but then around the holidays I was a slacker and wasn't doing as much exercise as I normally do and the weight crept back up. It took me about a week or so to get back into the routine of logging again but once I did I also noticed that my portions were out of whack. I also joined a new gym and am back into my routine of working out. You'll lose the extra 5 pounds in no time:)

Really good thoughts. It's little decisions that get you. A check in can be good.