pseudo-logging

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  • hellodangergirl
    hellodangergirl Posts: 15 Member
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    How good is your memory? Maybe try logging the day after or at the end of the day, that way there's no immediate pressure to eat less during the day. Also try manually adjusting the calorie goal to something so high you're unlikely to reach it (10,000?) so there's no looming end of calories to mess with your head.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Try just listing what you've eaten in the Food Notes sections of the food diary. You'll have a log without the numbers.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
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    I don't really understand why you wouldn't just log everything but not care if you go over if you want to see how many calories you've been taking in. Eat the 1.5 servings and then just not pay attention. You say you aren't cutting calories but then you say you don't have enough calories left after afternoon snack...that doesn't make sense.

    I also just read that you want to just record food so you can see where to make changes by baby steps. How will you know if you don't know how many calories those foods contain?
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    I don't really understand why you wouldn't just log everything but not care if you go over if you want to see how many calories you've been taking in. Eat the 1.5 servings and then just not pay attention. You say you aren't cutting calories but then you say you don't have enough calories left after afternoon snack...that doesn't make sense.

    I also just read that you want to just record food so you can see where to make changes by baby steps. How will you know if you don't know how many calories those foods contain?

    see.... Mel gets it. :drinker:
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    Maybe this will help:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    I could be wrong but I think OP was saying she wants to get an honest baseline of what her eating habits are now but when she sees the calories she changes her habits and so she isn't getting an accurate baseline. From what I read her goal is weight loss but she wants to establish what her eating is now so she has a starting point.
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
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    I could be wrong but I think OP was saying she wants to get an honest baseline of what her eating habits are now but when she sees the calories she changes her habits and so she isn't getting an accurate baseline. From what I read her goal is weight loss but she wants to establish what her eating is now so she has a starting point.

    No you aren't wrong.. along with everyone else who actually understands what the OP is trying to do.
  • aerochic42
    aerochic42 Posts: 822 Member
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    Not that anyone cares, but I'm replying anyways as an update. Yep I went for the baby steps plan and yes I know this will take longer, but I'm hoping I can stick with it longer.

    Last week I used pen and paper just to list all the food I'm eating in general without concern of measuring and counting calories just to get the habit of logging in any form. This week I'm still using pen and paper but am measuring it all as I would eat it normally and still not counting calories (developing the measuring habit). If things are going well towards the end of the week I'll start entering it digitally to get my calorie counts on my baseline diet if not then next week. By then I will have developed an idea of where I can start cutting calories easily without starving or depriving myself.

    Even pen and paper logging without measuring or counting calories has helped my eating habits, as I'm to lazy to pull out the notebook to log a cookie or extra food between meals so I just don't eat it. I'm not depriving myself ( i still ate cookies, just only when I had room and desire to log); I'm just being smarter regarding the sheer amount of food entering my mouth. These are substainable changes.
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
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    Awesome of you to give us a quick update! I'm so glad you are getting into the swing of logging. That habit alone takes a good bit of time to master, so I think you're smart for doing everything in stages!

    Good luck and I wish you continued success!
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    Good Luck hope you have success

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  • A_Rene86
    A_Rene86 Posts: 141 Member
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    sigh. If you're saying you know you won't have enough calories left for dinner after your afternoon snack, and your goal is weight loss, then obviously the solution is not going to be not logging your calories. That's turning a blind eye to the problem. You already know what the problem is when you say you have 1.5 servings of cereal. Cut down your portions earlier in the day so that you have enough calories at the end of the day left, or increase your activity level to give yourself a larger margin. Not logging your calories is just ignoring the problem and you will get more frustrated because you won't lose weight.

    She isn't wanting to cut calories right now. She wants to see how much she is eating while NOT dieting, so she can make changes LATER to create a deficit that works for her.

    She just wants to see what normal days look like for her before beginning a weight loss program. Get it now??

    You can be as snotty as you want, miss been-here-three-months, but the point is, it doesn't work that way. She already knows she's eating more calories than she is setting for herself to lose weight. It doesn't make any sense to ignore the calorie counts and look at a day's worth of food and la-la-la. She needs to start the way we all do, with her activity level set, add in her calories as she goes, and cut portion sizes down to keep her total calories below her goal for the day. That's how she will reach her overall goal, which is to lose weight. She already knows how much she is eating now while not dieting, she's been doing that regularly every day up until now. If she's wanting to lose weight, she needs to make changes now. These little games are just a way to put off making changes until later and keep doing what she's doing.
    She may have been here for three months, but that appears to be long enough to understand the OP's question and attempt to help.

    Even if "we all" started the same way (which isn't true at all), the OP is not required to fall in line. There are no rules about how one must start.

    The OP is doing what she does for her reasons. And that's okay.

    What she doesn't need is anyone's approval.

    Amen. Length of time here has nothing to do with being able to read, understand, and respond to a post/question in a helpful manner. Beating the OP up about making excuses (as if you know anything about her) isn't going to help anyone!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Good for you, OP! :)

    It's your weight loss journey and you do it your way. If someone else has a problem with that, let them have their problem. It'll happen here on the boards and in real life. You'll be happier just letting them have whatever problem they have with your weight loss and believe it or not, so will they. Some people aren't happy unless they have a problem, lol.

    Keep up the good work! :)
  • HellaCarriefornia
    HellaCarriefornia Posts: 102 Member
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    Good luck to you. This is how I started out as well. I just logged to see what my patterns and habits were and what steps I could take to make changes.

    In response to the topic you originally posted a few days ago, if seeing the calorie count go over makes you discouraged, you could just manually go in and custom pick a random calorie amount and adjust it later when you are ready to work within a specific weight loss range.

    Keep it up!
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    Only you know your own body and the best way you will be able to stick to a healthy eating plan. I too started out slowly at the beginning of 2014 but I did log all my food into MFP. After a few weeks, I studied the calories I ate, the fat, etc. and then tackled how to make healthier versions or substitutions. After a few weeks of that, I saw where I was and determined what foods had to go completely, which ones were just on occasion and what others were healthy and helped fill me up and satisfied me.

    Finally, at the end of April, I was situated diet wise and then started adding in the exercise. Now, I have lost about 15 pounds and have another 15 to go. I always allot myself 100 calories each day for whatever I wanted so I did not feel deprived. Most days, I do not eat that 100 calorie treat. And on the days I do, there is no guilt because it is built into my diet plan. I also allow myself one stupendous cheat meal a week.
  • JenniferIsLosingIt
    JenniferIsLosingIt Posts: 595 Member
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    Maybe you could try just keeping a pen-and-paper log of what you eat throughout the week, then at the end of the week enter it into MFP. That way you can keep track of what you're eating, but won't know until later the calories/nutrition info.
    [/quote

    Great Idea!]
  • Archerychickge
    Archerychickge Posts: 606 Member
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    Mybe I'm missing something, but isn't the point of using MFP to change the way you eat to begin with?

    why wait? Why do you need an idea of what you are eating? For me, once I was truly ready to start my weight loss journey, I knew I was eating too much and needed to change immediately. I didn't need to have any baseline to know I was eating too much and by how much. I needed to change NOW.

    Sounds to me like a bit of a delay tactic, but maybe I'm wrong.

    Sorry if that came across as less than encouraging, but when you make up your mind once and for all to change, nothing should get in the way.
  • joanna_82
    joanna_82 Posts: 151 Member
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    Hi OP

    Just to say hi and well done for taking the step to change your diet.
    I am in recovery from binge eating and keeping a non calorie food diary was my start to address my diet.
    I did this on my phone as a list for a month, then joined mfp when I felt able to not be triggered by counting calories.
    I'm now 100 days on and have kept my diary, made small but significant changes and feel great.

    For me, this method worked, so I hope it helps you.

    Good luck

    Jo
  • rdmitche1
    rdmitche1 Posts: 400 Member
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    I don't really understand why you wouldn't just log everything but not care if you go over if you want to see how many calories you've been taking in. Eat the 1.5 servings and then just not pay attention. You say you aren't cutting calories but then you say you don't have enough calories left after afternoon snack...that doesn't make sense.

    I also just read that you want to just record food so you can see where to make changes by baby steps. How will you know if you don't know how many calories those foods contain?

    That is exactly what I was thinking? You don't want to see the calories, but you are paying attention to them????
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    I don't really understand why you wouldn't just log everything but not care if you go over if you want to see how many calories you've been taking in. Eat the 1.5 servings and then just not pay attention. You say you aren't cutting calories but then you say you don't have enough calories left after afternoon snack...that doesn't make sense.

    I also just read that you want to just record food so you can see where to make changes by baby steps. How will you know if you don't know how many calories those foods contain?

    That is exactly what I was thinking? You don't want to see the calories, but you are paying attention to them????

    Yeah, I tried that route earlier. watch out for some retaliatory responses.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
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    I don't really understand why you wouldn't just log everything but not care if you go over if you want to see how many calories you've been taking in. Eat the 1.5 servings and then just not pay attention. You say you aren't cutting calories but then you say you don't have enough calories left after afternoon snack...that doesn't make sense.

    I also just read that you want to just record food so you can see where to make changes by baby steps. How will you know if you don't know how many calories those foods contain?

    That is exactly what I was thinking? You don't want to see the calories, but you are paying attention to them????

    It sounds like she is trying to build in repeated behavior (tracking foods) without modifying her behavior first, so it will become a habit, and then layer on her behavior changes.

    Or - she can be doing it to track the influence of specific macros. If I had been tracking my food prior to my current goals - I would know how much protein I was consuming, how many carbs, sugar, salt, iron and begin to see patterns in my energy, sleep patterns, and weight just using the macros and calories as a measure.

    For example, I know I never get enough protein - yet, when I recently did a hydrostatic test - I learned that I have less than 22% body fat, and have 107 lbs. of lean mass. To me, this is incredible that I've been able to keep that up with probably 50 g of protein daily prior to tracking (I'm guessing). If I had measured and tracked prior to dieting, I would be able to have more data to find out the true impact of diet on my personal body composition. Instead, I'm going to have to wait 6 months or a year to find out how 'successful' my changes in diet are in my long term goals.

    Well - that's assuming she likes to analyze. And might be a bit of a nerd.

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