What do you do when you don't want to calorie count?

drunktruck

If I don't count every calorie, I make sure to have small portions. Portion control is key, as long as you're not referring to a binge of candy or something.

LeslieTSUK

Just plan a week in advance,
fill out ya meals in ya diary for a full week, then print it out, and just make a note of any extra's or things you have skipped to modify day after when your back to the mundane counting mode.

Plus fact it there on paper ready means ya not have to count as it already counted.

tracylbrown839

Ever have a day when you didn't want to count the calories?? I just felt that way this morning but here I am....I know if I didn't then I would have been completely off the bandwagon....what do you do to make you calorie count when you don't want to?

I think there is a difference between not wanting to count your calories or to formally track your exercise, and not wanting to comply with eating sensibly, in appropriate portions and taking daily activity of some sort. So, be clear on the distinction.

Many people have maintained their weight or even lost weight simply by being mindful to eat a bit less and to do a bit more.

Portion control can be "eyeballed". A portion of meat is about the size of your palm. 1/2 a cup of pasta or potatoes is a serving. So, if you have weighed and measured things in the past, you do get to know what an appropriate portion is.

Some of this can also be facilitated by using plates and bowls that are normal sized. For example, I have some bowls that hold 1 cup. Plates that are "over-sized" are just begging for you to fill them.

The same goes for activity. If you take a walk for half an hour or three quarters of an hour on your lunch break, you don't have to wear a heart monitor to know that this was a good thing to do.

So, I think you know, in your heart, whether you have eaten sensibly, in appropriate amounts, and whether you have been active or not, whether you happened to measure this precisely or not. In fact, if you like, use it as a type of challenge, if you like. Don't log today but live well, following a lifestyle that you know is good for you..... because if you use not logging as an excuse to stuff your face or to sit on your *kitten* it will show up ..... on the scale.

lolly715

If I don't want to count, I don't count. Sometimes I just don't feel like it and I say, "The hell with it" for a while.

But I never stop counting because I want to overeat! I don't skip logging to "cheat" on the diet without a record.. Not logging doesn't mean I'm eating cheeseburgers, French fries, ribs, fried chicken, blizzards, Oreos and cake, lol.

I'm still eating the same amounts of the same stuff. I'm just not logging it.

This. I was sick a couple of weeks ago and really didn't feel like getting online (even in the app) just to log my calories. But I was still eating as much of my regular food as I could manage, and not cheating.

I also don't log when on holidays. Still try to make sensible choices at each meal, but not going to track every single mouthful like I would when I'm at home. Might gain a couple of pounds, but can get those back off once I'm back in routine. So I don't worry about it.

blueberriesnyoga

So often, I wonder if I really need to count calories. So, then I stop..and gain weight. Counting calories really works for me, and I have to stick with it in order to lose or maintain weight.

When I don't want to count calories, I ask myself if I want to gain weight. That's why I'm back on MFP.

A suggestion would be to have at least one buddy to keep you accountable in this. Best wishes to you!

coffeeshopgeek

Ever have a day when you didn't want to count the calories?? I just felt that way this morning but here I am....I know if I didn't then I would have been completely off the bandwagon....what do you do to make you calorie count when you don't want to?

I think there is a difference between not wanting to count your calories or to formally track your exercise, and not wanting to comply with eating sensibly, in appropriate portions and taking daily activity of some sort. So, be clear on the distinction.

EXACTLY!

If I want a junky day, I either accept the consequences (a possible gain) or I do exercise to cover the junk I might want to eat. The food is sometimes worth it (say a wedding or a special date with the hubs) but taking a nice long walk/hike is almost always enjoyable and easy to do.
If I just feel lazy, I keep track of it anyway because it really isn't all that hard and I need to quit being so lazy and stubborn.

Wenchiness

I never want to calorie count. I do it because I have to for MY health and well being. Tired of being fat chick...changing it. That takes work and one part of that work is logging the calories up to and including IV fluid bags.

sardelsa

Honestly, sometimes it does get exhausting especially if I am out (at a family or friends, or out for dinner) and I have to keep track of every little thing I eat and end up guestimating but mind you I have A LOT to log.

On the days where I am out and it is almost impossible to log or know what goes into my food, I do a quick add cals but that is rarely.

If I don't log... I will lose weight (I am on a bulk) no bueno for me - so I just keep going.

MelodyandBarbells

If I don't feel like logging - first thing to do, load the app. The streak must live on

The non logging desire usually passes. I could be logging my food at midnight the next night from memory. Usually I still weigh the food since the scale is right there in the kitchen so I enter whatever I remember

There haa been at least one vacation where I consciously didn't log. There were just too many goodies to log, almost every meal was out and it would have been too complicated and not worth the benefits to try to track that one week. I still tried to keep calories lower ...but not really and returned right to it when I got back

vkdarling

I do it anyway

dazwan

I don't bother... then I feel guilty and enter a few days later.

I'm the same with recording my weight, almost as if not recording an increase makes it not real. I do it anyway these days and convince myself the scales are broken on the days I put on a lb or two (they work just fine when I'm losing weight )

Screwedntattooed

I say i'm bulking :big smile:

Mexicanbigfoot

I do it anyway.

I have learned a lot about myself on this journey so far, and I know that I am not one of those people that can "estimate" my portions or count on myself to make healthy choices without logging.

I try to pre log my days the night before to take the guess work out and my husband has been a huge support and he always helps me prep meals.

ghosthackexe

I remember when i didnt want to calorie count..... but then i decided to lose weight so i do it anyways ^_^

rgrady33

I gain weight.

^This

Palamedes

Like a little green alien once told me: "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."

Log and lose the weight or maintain. Do not log and accept the weight gain. That is the way of the MFP.

hansel2001

you are so true on this some times we need to take a break. If you just keep track of what you ate it helps I have done this and when I look aback I did make a lot of healthy choices.

lorib642

Ever have a day when you didn't want to count the calories?? I just felt that way this morning but here I am....I know if I didn't then I would have been completely off the bandwagon....what do you do to make you calorie count when you don't want to?

It sounds like you do want to. Maybe think of all the progress you have made. We can't make you. Is there a reason you don't want to? An obstacle? Is there something that would make it easier? I am still trying to figure this out so have no suggestions.

feexbee

Once in awhile when I feel the need to "take a break" I'll just do portion control , only eat when hungry and stop eating when full. I'm good at keeping track of calories in my head anyway so I always have a loose tally going on. Once you really get good at counting it becomes second nature and you don't have to depend on an app so much. No biggie.

I believe this completely. This is what I do! I totally understand what you mean. Ignore the haters, girl.

farfromthetree

The only time I dont want to log is if I am at a party and I know I will be induging in all of the appetizers. It is nearly impossible to log accurately. I skip dinner if I know I am going to do this and call it a cheat meal. I just go right back at it the next day.

jameshealthlog

I just shrug, eat what I want, add it up the next day & accept that that I wont be losing as much as I maybe could have. Which is ok, its not a race and there is no finish line its a lifelong change. Only advice I would give is leave the guilt behind, enjoy your day, accept it as a part of your diet and nutrition instead of a "day off" and make some different choices tomorrow.

sherambler

I have days like this all the time, but I'd urge you to just keep pushing yourself to log and count calories. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most diligent or consistent in my logging. Hence, why I've only lost 12 lbs. Sure, there are some other factors, but in looking back, I wish I had taken the time in previous months to log my food. It's tedious sometimes and a bit of a pain, but without forcing myself to do it, it can't become my new habit or my new way of living. Those few extra minutes could've meant more pounds lost. I find, more often than not and especially if you're in the beginning of your weight loss journey, that one day off doesn't stay just one day. It becomes two and then three...because it's so easy to fall back into old habits when we haven't fully worked out or committed to the new ones.

If you still want a day off from sticking to your calorie range, then do that. But I would determine a new calorie range for the day (maybe 500 or 600 calories extra) and log to ensure that you don't go over that amount. That way you can still feel like you're taking a break without actually taking a break.

jameshealthlog

I've just re-read the post. Do you mean actually logging or aiming for daily goals?

I must admit log every day, ill normally put my breakfast and lunch in the night before as i know what I'm taking to work etc. Dinner I'll do at lunch time. I log every day because it screws up my weekly average and i need to wait a whole week before it sorts itself out.

As I mentioned before i wont always try to stick to daily goals and on those days I'll often add it all up the day after. It always gets logged though, no matter how awful!!

zchastain

I do my best to track anyway. If I overeat because of poor choices or good choices (like MAN, those ribs are GOOD) then I log the food, take the hit, and try to do better the next day.

If I just don't track at all it's a guaranteed gain, particularly if it's for several days in a row. Even when I try to eat good food in moderate proportions I doubt I'm really staying under my true TDEE.

girlviernes

I think you can be successful either way. But the question is where is the not wanting to count coming from? If you are also wanting to eat things off your plan, I would say buckle down and log. If you feel like eating like you normally do (aka at a deficit) then taking a day off can be OK and may make calorie counting more sustainable in the long-run.

stacyjh1979

I personally enjoy tracking my calories. I guess I am a little bit of a numbers geek by nature anyway. I often log my food ahead of time and that helps keep me on track as well. On the rare occasion where I have a kind of crappy eating day (still within my goal but more "junk" that normal) I notice I don't want to track it however not tracking it is not going to change the fact that I ate it so I find it is better to be honest with myself and fess up to it in my logs. If I'm not thorough and honest with my logging I am not going to be able to look back and see what I did right or wrong and where I can improve.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I do it anyways. I encounter things every day that I would rather not do, but I know they have to be done. This is one of them.

DvlDwnInGA

Get fat.

Become a gym rat and workout enough to burn at minimum 2000 cals a day while I am there.

Seriously, looking back at how I was eating before logging my calories, I don't even know if the 2000 cals in the gym a day would cut it.

People who counted cals prior to having smart phones and calorie counting apps had to carry around notebooks to keep track of their daily calories. This site and app make it so easy. So what is the problem?

independant2406

I count anyway.

SabrinaLily

I suppose you can just eat what you know to be good, based off of past tracking and keep a mental tally but BEWARE! Every time I did that, I WAY overindulged, didn't track and fell off the bandwagon immediately. Does this mean you will? Certainly not. But I'm tracking every day, even when I know I'm going to go over because somehow, it still keeps me in check and keeps the habit of logging so the next day- I'm still on the bandwagon.