Maintaining Goal Weight...Still Count Everything?

amuhlou

When I started counting calories and using MyFitnessPal, it was under the assumption that eventually I'd stop counting but would still continue making good food choices. I'd still read labels and generally estimate how I'm doing each day, but just not record it. I don't want to count everything forever, but as I approach my goal I'm a little scared to just stop.

Just curious from those who have reached their goal and are maintaining--do you still count everything every day? If not, what do you do now and how did you transition away from counting everything so rigidly?

Edestiny7

Yes, I have been maintaining since September and I still count EVERYTHING. If I did not, I would surely overeat.

MissAnjy

I'm not there quite yet but i've thought about this as well. I will definitely count everything i put into my mouth. It's become a habit for me and I want to be aware. I want to maintain, not gain back because I wasnt paying close enough attention, BUT i think it's really a personal choice, and how much you do/don't trust yourself and your own judgement.

meggonkgonk

I'm not at maintenence but I have a bit of a plan- feel free to take what works for you:

1- I plan to count for about a month at maintenence, just to get used to what I "should" be eating
2- For 2 weeks after that I will write out all of my food in a paper diary and then log it in MFP at the end of the day or week -- just to see how I'm doing on my own
3- I will keep my weigh in 1x a week - if my weight seems to be going up consistently again, I will go back to the note book and/or straight counting on here as I eat.

I too could not imagine counting for the rest of my life. No matter what the benefits- I just couldnt do it.

BernieMBurke

I've been on maintenance for about six weeks now. I'm still counting (except when on vacation). I've been on this for around 10 months and have gotten used to logging, so I don't mind. One thing I'm still working on is eating more. My goal weight was 170 and I'm now at 165 even with gaining 4 lbs over the holidays. I'm getting better on the eating part. Unfortunately, I'm exercising a lot more than I used to. What this means to me is I still need to count until I get the balance worked out.

amuhlou

I'm not at maintenence but I have a bit of a plan- feel free to take what works for you:

1- I plan to count for about a month at maintenence, just to get used to what I "should" be eating
2- For 2 weeks after that I will write out all of my food in a paper diary and then log it in MFP at the end of the day or week -- just to see how I'm doing on my own
3- I will keep my weigh in 1x a week - if my weight seems to be going up consistently again, I will go back to the note book and/or straight counting on here as I eat.

I too could not imagine counting for the rest of my life. No matter what the benefits- I just couldnt do it.

That sounds like a good plan. I think when I first go on maintenance I'll still count and get used to what eating an extra 500 calories is like so I don't go overboard. If that works then I'll step down to casually logging what I eat.