What can I do to motivate myself to keep my food log?

cayman05
cayman05 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
What can I do to motivate myself to keep my food log? I know it works, but I still slack off. Need advise on what others are doing.

Replies

  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    my husband logs his lunches and sometimes breakfasts in advance when he knows what he'll be eating. we have a lot of repetition with his meals, and i weigh everything for him. obviously it's easier when he eats a frozen meal.

    do you find it complicated or difficult in some way - do you have a handy digital scale? are you using your phone or the computer or both?

    honestly, you've got to want to do it. i keep a written log with times as well as my log here on MFP, and i find it VERY helpful.
  • markjacobs1987
    markjacobs1987 Posts: 162 Member
    A couple things can really help you with this. One is to find an accountability partner who will keep you accountable and keep you on track. Another is to remember your "why" for why you are doing this. If you have a strong reason for doing this it will help you overcome those desires to slack off or eat something you shouldn't.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    When it was new I treated it like my job. It's just something I did because I wanted the results-- no need for motivation.

    Now it's a habit.
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
    It helps me if I plan ahead one day in advance, then when I get to that day I just adjust as needed, but alot of the work has been done already so I make sure I finish the job and log everything. Which reminds me, time to start putting together some meals for tomorrow!
  • Teresa_3266
    Teresa_3266 Posts: 298 Member
    I HATE keeping a food log, so I quit 5 months ago and just sort of eyeballed and assumed I was eating OK. I put on 20 lbs. I'm back to daily tracking. I like to do most of my tracking for the whole day at breakfast. MFP is the easiest food tracker I've ever used and for me there is no excuse. Just do it!! :wink:
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 Member
    I think of we just go by motivation, most of us would be gone by now. IYou have to treat it like anything else in life that needs to get done, like brushing your teeths... Not necessarily fun or exciting, but a task that need to be done and that's it.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    My motivation is that keeping a food log works for me. I usually log the whole day first thing in the morning while my coffee is brewing, then make adjustments later in the evening if I made any substitutions. It only takes a few minutes a day. Basically, I put the motivation to do this in the same category as having the motivation to balance my checkbook, pick up dog poop, and floss my teeth. It's a mindless, but necessary part of my daily life.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,217 Member
    I don't want to go to work.
    I don't want to clean my house.
    I don't want to change the kitty litter.
    I don't want to do the laundry.
    I don't want to keep a food log.

    How do I stay motivated? I don't. I just do it because if I don't my life wouldn't be quite as nice. Take it out of the "I need to be enthused and motivated" section of your life and put it in with the necessities.
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    I log my food before I allow myself to eat it. This site is SO EASY to use. Just imagine what we did before this came along.
    I am thankful and motivated because I am not using a notebook and pencil...
  • Janette3x4
    Janette3x4 Posts: 135
    just knowing that it works should provide you with any needed motivation. I do it because I find it challenging to log correctly and then to stick to my food for the day. Having a scale makes it fun. OK, I am a weirdo! ????
  • dewell2
    dewell2 Posts: 36 Member
    If you are a meal planner, log everything at the beginning of the day. That way it's one and done. If u have a smart phone using the bar code scanner makes it easier.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    I use the phone app. I'm using the phone all day for all kinds of time wasting bull****, so just logging food (many of which get repeated from day to day) is extremely easy. The app is on the "front page" of my phone

    Some useful features:

    As you type in a food that you've eaten before (Recent item), list shrinks automatically
    When you do a search, you can see the calorie counts of all the results without clicking into them
    Scanning feature

    And so much more
  • Fairy_Farts
    Fairy_Farts Posts: 166 Member
    Invest in a shock collar. Amazon has several to chose from:

    http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Pet-Supplies-Dog-Training-Collars/zgbs/pet-supplies/2975428011

    You're welcome! :flowerforyou:
  • Serenitynow29
    Serenitynow29 Posts: 119 Member
    I use the phone app. I'm using the phone all day for all kinds of time wasting bull****, so just logging food (many of which get repeated from day to day) is extremely easy. The app is on the "front page" of my phone

    Some useful features:

    As you type in a food that you've eaten before (Recent item), list shrinks automatically
    When you do a search, you can see the calorie counts of all the results without clicking into them
    Scanning feature

    And so much more

    Add to it, pre-log the food and if that isn't up your alley, take a pic of everything before you eat it.

    Good Luck!
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
    Add friends with the caveat that you want to stay accountable, and ultimately you also have to want to do it to meet your goals, otherwise it's not happening.
  • ChristineRoze
    ChristineRoze Posts: 212 Member
    I don't want to go to work.
    I don't want to clean my house.
    I don't want to change the kitty litter.
    I don't want to do the laundry.
    I don't want to keep a food log.

    How do I stay motivated? I don't. I just do it because if I don't my life wouldn't be quite as nice. Take it out of the "I need to be enthused and motivated" section of your life and put it in with the necessities.

    Hahaha This is basically it.

    I actually get excited when I log these days because it's a visual aid to my weight loss. I know how much I will be losing by what my diary says and that is what keeps me motivated. The same goes for when I over eat on junk and I can see the damage it's doing and so I make sure I keep that low. For example my work always has cookies on the staff room table and after I logged it (200 calories each!!) I stopped reaching for them haha
  • georgiagreeneyes
    georgiagreeneyes Posts: 69 Member
    As others have voiced find what works for you whether it's meal prepping and logging in advance or tracking on your mobile device throughout the day. Log every bite that, it works for a reason... that being said you have to be motivated and willing to hold yourself accountable. Feel free to add me if you need a tracking buddy!

    If you find it intimidating to log an entire day, perhaps start small and just work on logging breakfast and snacks at first... then a few days later when you've got the swing of things add lunch to your tracking list... once you've become accustomed to that add dinner and you'll find slowly but surely you'll start to make these behaviors a habit. Keep up the hard work, the day will come when you don't even have to think twice about logging your meals, t'll just be second nature!
  • yosassi
    yosassi Posts: 30 Member
    I agree with everyone who suggested using the phone app! It makes everything extremely easy. I find it easier than using the website. I also find that making friends sign up increases accountability. Having any sort of buddy system works!
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
    If you really need motivation then well, what motivates you? Books? Movies? Games? Clothes? Going somewhere particular? Exercise gear? Hair done, nails done, spa, etc? What motivates you? Pick something, let yourself have something small for every 10 days something better for every 30, something fantastic for every 90 and so on. May work for you.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Don't wait to feel motivated. It's a choice. Do you want the benefits you get from doing it, or not? Do those benefits outweigh the costs? If so, just do it. Like others have said - make it one of those things you just do. Stop giving yourself the opportunity to avoid it. Keep doing it until it becomes a habit, which will probably not take very long.
  • jan3h
    jan3h Posts: 55 Member
    Just do it.
  • sticky130
    sticky130 Posts: 101 Member
    Invest in a shock collar. Amazon has several to chose from:

    http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Pet-Supplies-Dog-Training-Collars/zgbs/pet-supplies/2975428011

    You're welcome! :flowerforyou:

    This made me spit my coffee at the screen ROFL!!

    I use an app called PACT. It's linked into MFP and so it knows what you are doing. I have to log at least 1200 cals a day for it to count as a logged day and if I fail to do it I get fined $5. It's quite a motivator for me!! If I do successfully log I get about 20c a day (WOW!) You can choose how many days you want to complete so it does give you a bit of leeway.

    I must admit, I'm quite motivated to log everyday as I'm enjoying the side effect of losing weight which I also find quite motivational, I just though it was quite good to be able to earn a bit of extra cash for doing something I'm already doing.

    Maybe I'll have enough by the end of the year to buy a small book! lol
  • amreadarrens
    amreadarrens Posts: 43 Member
    Just tell yourself you can do it...
  • Nojoke81
    Nojoke81 Posts: 131
    It doesn't get much easier than keeping a food log on an app that does all the work for you.

    You just have to be bothered to do it.
  • joepage612
    joepage612 Posts: 179 Member
    my smartphone is almost 6 years old and really slow. MFP takes ages to load and I literally have to wait like 90 seconds after pressing any button, because of memory lag. Its dreadful. But I log my calories.
    For things that I eat daily or often and know 100% calorie amount,
    :smile: i use the ADD CALORIES feature instead of finding the food item and selecting it or entering it.:smile: This makes it less obnoxious.
    I think MFP is intellectually stimulating.. I look up the graphs and lists and whatever else is in it just for fun. It has replaced words with friends and facebook for my nerotic phone checking disorders. I love MFP.

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