Anyone else not logging food?

freelancejouster

I'm one of those people who seems to keep coming back to mfp and rarely sticking with it (though one time I did make it to within 10 lbs of my goal). A few times I injured myself - I shouldn't really be allowed to play contact sports - but mostly I just get so preoccupied with food and being under calories that I start feeling obsessive. And obsessive can't be healthy, so I get off mfp for awhile and when I come back, I find that I've gained most of it back.

So this is what I'm trying this time - not logging my food. Not focusing on food or what I eat except for to try and snack a little less and maybe eat a little less pizza.

I'm on most days. I'm exercising on average three days a week and I'm updating my weight periodically. And it's working for me so far.

I was just wondering if anyone else was taking this approach or knows of anyone who is? I can probably do this alone, it'd just be so nice to not have to.

gdreeves71

download app on your phone so you have no excuses not to log. it really DOES help me. Sometimes I log in what I'm planning on eating and getting the heads up on whats too high in carbs or fat so I can stop the madness vs. feeling guity

freelancejouster

It's not really a guilt thing, more of a preoccupation.

I'm not looking for a way to log, I don't want to log this time. I'm looking for other people who might be doing the same.

caracrawford1

Personally I have to log, because, although I do see results at first without logging, they do slowly taper off to a standstill, and without logging its harder to figure out why.
Do you at least try to weigh your food? Do you have a rough idea of how many cals you are eating, your TDEE, your BMR?
You can guesstimate-- for example a deck of cards is supposedly equivalent to a serving of protein if that works better for you. I do believe that even without logging you still need to have some system of checks and balances not just "eating less". Good luck.

gagajenks

I check everything first and see what the calories are etc and how many I have left for the day, but yes, I log everything.

bigsistruck

I don't log anything on here, I've tried that before and it didn't really help me with anything. It actually made me think more about how limited I was in my eating and made me kinda miserable. I know what I'm going to eat all day and I just stick with it, and I know what workout I'm doing and I stick with that too. I pre-plan really well so it's not necessary for me to sit and log in a bunch of information that I've already added up anyway.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

My first weight-loss journey (before pregnancy), I lost 90lbs without logging a thing. HOWEVER, I was also working out like a maniac - martial arts, running, hiking, etc. That coupled with a good diet of healthy foods and I dropped the weight like crazy.

Now that I'm a mom and have less time to work out, I tried to lose weight the same way as before and found it just didn't work for me anymore. The calories I burn from exercise now just aren't enough without keeping track of my food intake.

I guess what I'm saying is that if it's working for you not to log, and that's what you're comfortable with, go with it. You may find however that your situation changes, and you may need to come back here and start logging. Just be open to making changes along the way.

ETA: I find I'm a bit obsessive too but I don't think it's a bad thing at this point.

TheCurvyJ

I don't log food. I use MFP to track my weight and exercise. Foodwise, I stick to some simple philosophies and found that the tedious task of guessing and/or weighing food to come to some kind of rough estimate that may or may not be correct to be discouraging to me. I've done fine without counting.

gdreeves71

I guess as long as you know good/bad things when eating you won't need to. But if you feel you're not progressing it may be a good idea to log

dfranch

I think I'll always log, it is so easy for me to underestimate my calories. It only takes a few minutes a day, so why not.

eventinely

I can relate to what you mean. I to have been logging on and off sporadically for 3 years. Like you I had some physical as well as emotional setbacks and just found myself becoming occupied with other things. I never logged in for more then a week at a time before so last week I decided to try just remembering to log in and today I am on day 11! I'm not concerned at this point with logging my food if I feel like it great if not also great. I am trying to log my exercise though just as a reminder for me to be more active on a regular basis. My bigger reason for coming here anyways was to try and find some support and other people that understood having to lose a lot of weight and find some others hopefully who had hypothyroidism and insulin resistance like myself not to keep track of everything I eat down to fighting for 5 minutes to get the exact number of cherries I ate right. Feel free to add me for support, which is really the most important thing anyways.

wibutterflymagic

I'm on here pretty much daily, give or take, but I haven't logged my food in weeks. I feel it really depends on the type of lifestyle someone is leading as to whether you need to log. If someone is eating a bunch of junk and not eating healthy food then they need to be logging because they have to watch their portions and could go way over extremely easily. If someone is making their meals and is eating healthy vegetables, lean meats, few carbs then logging isn't really needed unless they have no idea about portion control. For those of us that have been doing this for a while we also start to learn what decent portion sizes are and don't have to log as much because we just know what is what. If I feel I'm not progressing and think something is out of wack with my food then I may log again for a while just to put me back on track but like I said if someone is eating healthy without all the prepackaged, premade, chemical laden foods then logging isn't really necessary as you can eat more wholesome fresh foods then processed stuff and still reach your goals.

ghosthackexe

there have been some times when i didnt log but imo always logging will help

lcchomsky

I think after you've logged food for a while (at least 6 months or so) you have a pretty good idea of what you should be eating, and how many calories are in the foods you eat, that it might be okay to stop logging. Maybe try it for a while and see if it works. At this point, logging has worked so well that I would not want to take any chances with stopping.

NowIsMyTime2013

OP, I so understand what you mean. I have the same sort of history. I started out on fitbit--did the log in thing then stopped. I came here last year--did the logging thing then stopped. Now, I am back.

This time I started out logging things every meal. That wasn't working because I spent too much time worrying, counting, etc. However, one good thing came out of it before I yet again walked away. I decided to see if there was some sort of compromise I could make with myself. I found one, and it now goes like this: I pay attention to how many calories everything has. I have found foods and a way of eating that I can live with. (Thanks to the things I had already logged.) I have found quantities that work. (Again, thanks to the logging I had started.) I keep a running mental record of what/how much I eat, then log it once a day. I should be eating somewhere between 1400 and 1500 calories. I try to stay around 1200 mentally. That way I have some extra calories to play with in case my mental tally is off, or I forget to log a snack. I know, it sounds a little crazy, and lots of people can point out I am going about it all wrong. But, so far, it is working for me. I'm not so obsessed and can enjoy my meals. I don't feel "weighted down" by the logging process. I can still see where I have weaknesses, etc. and can work on those. I have lost weight. And, it all can be a part of my life without interrupting my living.

So, I have to say I am logging my food--just not in the typical way. Instead of being obsessed, I have found patterns I can live with. I think that might be the secret. Work at being health and finding patterns to embrace if they are good--or run away from if they are holding you back.

I don't know if this is very helpful or not, and I do know that I am just rambling now. Sorry. I just thought I would put in my humble 2 cents worth about having to find a personal path--regardless of what others think.

Choboman

Logging helps me keep track and stay focused, but if that's not your thing then good luck with your own approach. The other way I've had some success in the past is just by keeping healthy fillers handy everywhere I go (in the car, at my desk at work, on the table by my chair at home...) with carrots, lettuce, celery, bottles of water, etc, and building up a habit of trying to stay full all the time on those things. Minimized the problems from nervous eating, and I was less likely to go to dinner hungry and overeat because I felt starving.

Whatever approach you take, good luck and have fun!

bethanyboomstick

I think I'll always log, it is so easy for me to underestimate my calories. It only takes a few minutes a day, so why not.

This. There have been many times where I enter something in and it's calorie count is way higher than I expected. It would be really easy for me to bust my calorie limit.

lessismoreohio

I'm logging most days. The crux of the program is logging; the logging teaches you what is healthy, low carb, low sodium, etc. I truly beleive that you'll need to log to be most effective and efficient at MFP.

MyProgressISYour1Proof

I don't log and feel I am fine with not logging. I eat serving size and do measure my food. I'm working on body composition and fat loss. I'm doing my best right now and I used to get OCD with the logging.....ask some of my longest friends on here...I used to count gum...

bfergusonii

After I log my breakfast, I usually go ahead and pre-log what I am going to have for dinner. That gives me a good idea of what I have left for lunch and snacks.

Overall I probably don't spend more than 2 minutes a day logging so it is neither a burden nor an obsession.

girlviernes

I don't think you need to log to lose at least a good portion of the weight. I previously developed for myself patterns of eating that worked very well which were for me to follow the food plate, eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and cut out 98% of processed foods. However, I think my downfall is that I didn't keep a way to stay accountable. I stopped weighing myself and gradually became more and more distracted from my goal. I think that if you have a significant amount of weight to lose it does take a lot of focus and being slightly obsessed because it is not a normal or easy thing to do! It is so easy to go back to old habits. I think if you aren't going to log you should think about other things you can do to stay accountable over time. Otherwise, don't focus on weight loss but instead on making small, healthy changes in your life and accepting your size. That is also a legitimate choice you can make based on your own priorities.

salgal33

I usually log in the morning for the whole day. That way I know what I can eat and when.
Logging is the only thing that keeps me accountable. I took a break a couple months ago and my weight crept up a couple pounds. Started back and promptly lost about 4 pounds in 2 weeks.
Yeah I can start obsessing too, but I find if I plan smart for the whole day I can stay on track.
For me, no planning = overeating.