Counting calories forever

cookieinbk82

I'm less than 10 pounds away from my goal weight. 7 pounds to be exact. Which got me thinking...do I have to count calories forever? I am used to counting my calories of MFP so it's not a big deal if I continue to count calories. I'm just wondering if everyone is going to count calories forever if not, when do you plan on stopping?

alereck

I think that after we’ve been doing this for a while we get a pretty good idea of what a 200 meal or a 500 meal looks like. After a few months of eating around 1600-1800 calories I know what a day like that looks like without having to log. Most days I log at the end of the day and have no problem staying within my calorie goal. I have continued to log because I am trying to slowly build muscle and I do not want to fall short in calories but once I get to where I want muscle wise I will probably stop logging.

I got to the point where the fear of gaining weight again is over. I take progress pics at least twice a month and I still weight myself almost daily. If I see a change I don’t like for a week or two I know I can always go back to logging and lose the weight.

snowflake930

I will never stop.
Yes, I do know what portion sizes look like, and I do know not to overindulge.
But...................I know myself. I need to keep logging to keep myself from straying back to where I was 2-1/2 years ago.
I will be counting calories forever.
That is me. Everyone may be different.

Francl27

Nope, I'll never stop.

luckydays27

I sure hope that I can stop but its been 6 months since I hit my goal and I still dont trust myself to stay on track all the time. I can do pretty well but I am sure that if I dont have a counter to look at, i will screw it up.

kit_liu

I have a good idea of the calories in all my food after counting religiously for a year now and reached my ideal weight. Ill probably keep counting till I'm confident with maintenance and just go back to counting again when I see my weight go up on the scales.

GBO323

There is a middle ground here. If you're at goal, take a try at not counting yet keep a weekly or monthly date with the scale.

Give yourself a range as the body will fluctuate +/- 5 pounds. If you get way off, then calorie counting is for you.

SezxyStef

simply yes...

maybe not as strict but yes...

Ideabaker

I always hope I'll be able to "eyeball" meals and stay within my maintenance range, but when I've tried for a few weeks, the pounds seem to creep back up.

Right now, it looks like I'll be logging my calories for the unforeseeable future to stay on track!

fizzletto

I'm coming to terms at the moment with the idea that I'll have to. 2-3 years ago I lost lots of weight (about 35 pounds) and after using MFP to maintain my weight for a couple of months, I said to myself "surely I don't need to count calories any more, I'm so used to this by now that I should be able to eyeball it, shouldn't I?"

Yeah no. I gained ALL the weight back, and honestly didn't realise I was overeating. (I wasn't weighing myself because I'd become slightly obsessed with the scale and my family recommended that I stop.)

So now I'm back here again 2 years later and have to start all over again. I'm going to have to track calories forever now I think, because I don't trust myself with being able to guesstimate how much I'm eating.

hirsh

i have been on mfp for a few years now, and every time i stop logging, i eventually start gaining weight. i think i am one of the sad cases of food addicts. if i don't stop and log, i may overeat and just stop caring in the moment. i wish i could just stop logging and not eat too much, but for me, the very act of logging makes me cool my big fat face.

rosebette

Yes, I've accepted that I'll have to. At age 55, if I'm plateau'ing at 1200, I have to keep very strict control. That being said -- I had a cheat day when I didn't track yesterday. But I can afford only one of those a week.

SherryTeach

I do not plan to stop logging. I know that it would lead to regaining the weight I lost. Since it takes less than 5 minutes a day, I don't see the problem. There are many routines that I perform every day; I'm not going to stop doing those things either. Just part of an accountable, organized life.

strassenkoenigin

I hope that I do not have to count for the rest of my life. I have been doing it now for a little bit over a month and I know exactly which food will add a lot of calories and which will not.
I have resigned to the fact that at my age I have to eat much less and that I have to avoid everything with flour in it. It makes me addicted and I cannot stop eating. I also only eat fresh food, absolutely nothing processed, no fast and no junk food.

ancurtis

I've been logging each day for over 800 days and for a bit longer before I got 'serious' about the everyday thing. It's part of my routine. I weigh right at 110-112 which is an ideal weight for me. I've been there for a while so my 1500-1600 a day maintenance is working. I like to log. Only takes a few minutes. Should I ever need to loose I wouldn't want to be out of the routine.

sun_fish

I hit my goal weight about a week ago, taking over 2 years to get there. My plan is to not log forever, but just like I had to learn new habits to lose, I am now learning how to eat without logging. I started 2 weeks ago taking one day to not log, last week I didn't log 2 days, and this week I am going to not log Mon-Thurs. I will probably stay with this for a few weeks, continuing to log on Fri-Sun (days where I have the biggest potential to go over). I'll see how that goes and continue to monitor my weight.

I think it is a very individual thing. My goal has always been to eventually not log, but nothing wrong if someone wants to.

Calliope610

At day 574, I still have 20-40lbs to lose. When I get where I want to be based more on body comp and strength than on a weight on the scale, don't know whether or not I will continue to count calories. But I do know that I will continue to weigh myself daily and make adjustments to my daily diet accordingly.

Tanie98

I am not planning on stopping

CindyMarcuzAdams

I think as long as mfp is here, I am here.

spa407

This would be me, too.

jrline

I am not planning on stopping I might miss a day here or there but I am not going to go back.

klkarlen

I'm going to keep logging when I get to my goal, because it keeps me accountable for what I eat on a daily basis, so I won't have a problem with the weight coming back.

serindipte

I stopped logging after 7 months of daily logging. I am currently testing myself to see how it goes and, so far, it's going well. I still keep a general idea through the day, not necessarily of the total but I know if I've had a light, medium or heavy meal and how to balance that with what else I eat. My weight loss has continued at the same pace it was when I was logging.

I may start logging again as I get nearer to my goal weight and my deficit narrows, but I do not plan to log forever.

I have continued to log in every day, I have a "test log" that I put in my food diary but I use it now to remind myself to be mindful of what I eat.

Derp_Diggler

I was logging for over a year but I stopped once I hit my goal weight a few months ago. Since then I have stayed within 3 lbs of that weight, and the gain has been due to extra wine and ice cream, and a little less cardio when I started a new job. Overall I think I have learned enough not to have to count for the rest of my life. Portion control, smart choices, and a little will power should be enough for me to maintain a consistent weight. I hope

Patttience

I hitnk you have to find some way of keeping yourself accountable after reaching goal.

I think i will at the very least have to keep weighing daily. If that's not enough i will food log because with that i know i can lose weight and moderate it.

I don't need to count calories but i like being to see how my macros go. However, think i'm starting to get the hang of even estimating those. Eating mainly whole foods helps. Is the key in fact.

singhal28

In the past I have reverted back after reaching my goal weight at least 20 times. I am a poster child of yo-yo dieting. This time I am more hopeful. with the help of MFP consistent logging and running weekly reports, I have better sense of my weekly intake. I am a food addict. In the past once I indulge for 2-3 days in a row, I would just give up and go back to overeating since I felt it's over. This time I look at my data for last 7 days or so and get a sense that all is not lost.
I am a data person and looking at numbers and graphs motivate me and give me a sense of control. With the help of motion chip in iphone and honestly logging what I eat, I think I can maintain this time. Time alone will tell. After all I have always failed in the past....lol.

SunofaBeach14

I come and go with it. When I need to drop weight though I definitely use it.

itsbasschick

why not? it helps keep track of protein, carbs and fat, as well as calories, vitamins and minerals. i logged in a notebook for a while before i found MFP. MFP is much faster and easier.

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pkw58

I have posted this before, but logging is comforting to me. It doesn't take so much time anymore, and I am fine with having to do logging as my safeguard to keep my eating in line and making sure my activity is high enough. I don't want to go back to being out of shape.

cwolfman13

I'm less than 10 pounds away from my goal weight. 7 pounds to be exact. Which got me thinking...do I have to count calories forever? I am used to counting my calories of MFP so it's not a big deal if I continue to count calories. I'm just wondering if everyone is going to count calories forever if not, when do you plan on stopping?

I don't know...have you managed to actually learn anything while you were logging or did you just obsess about the scale?

I've been maintaining for 16 months plus and don't log...logging and keeping a diary is like training wheels on a bike...you're supposed to actually learn to ride without them...it's kind of the point. If you truly turn that corner and make a lifestyle change then logging isn'e necessary. If you just revert back to old ways and the SAD then good luck..and yeah...you'll have to log forever....which really, c'mon...how realistic is that?

The only time I would consider logging is to actually drop weight...maintaining weight is really ****ing easy without logging so long as you're eating right and rocking your fitness...really ****ing easy.