Do you log everything?

geoffv

I log everything

Theres no point in having a "perfect record" of your food intake if its not a perfect record

At the end of the day you're only cheating yourself if you leave stuff out.

We all need to come to terms with what we eat, whether it be good or bad, that way we can maybe make better choice next time.

cerysrhi

I try to log everything everyday but I will admit to having the odd button out of my son pack and not logging that or when my husband says try this and I have one mouthful my intention is to log quick add calories to account for occassions when these mouthfuls happen quite often through the day but that has not been the case thus far

MacMadame

The only time I don't log is if I'm out of town and don't have good internet access. Then I write it down in a little notebook but I rarely transfer it to the online log.

One thing that helps is to log throughout the day so (a) I'm not trying to remember what I ate 1/2 a day later and (b) it's less overwhelming.

sabrinafaith

the only thing i don't log is sugar free gum because it burns more calories to chew than the gum contains lol

SeasideOasis

I log everything, even if I will be unhappy with all the red. This way, when I get on that scale and it hasnt moved (or it goes up ick), I can remind myself ,'Hey Summer, did you really need that extra slice of pizza?' I definitely do it to keep myself accountable.

monicaP413

I log everything. It really helps. I had a day the other day that I went over by almost 400 calories, but then was able to fit a bit of exercise in. In the beginning we are all going to have good and bad days. I am trying to learn how to eat the right things at social functions, and logging everything is helpful. I think it will also keep me accountable and I won't want to eat that second piece of cake or that 4th piece of cheese because I know it will put me over. I am also starting to learn how many calories everything is and if I know before what food is going to be there, I can plan. If I don't know, then I can guess and do extra jumping jacks later! Sorry so long, I think I was talking myself through your question!! =D

karenjoy

I log everything, it matters to nobody but me. People who don't log are only lying to themselves. The success of logging everything is that it makes you accountable for what goes in your face, the best way to lose weight is to log and be honest about it.Portion size etc.

Elle408

I don't think i'll ever understand those that don't log because they've gone over... surely that's the point?

Anyways, I log EVERYTHING! Even if it's two cherry tomatoes that are like 6 calories, I log.

I also believe in pre-planning. I plan what i'll be eating the night before and then the next day there's no worrying about what I can and can't fit in to my allowance. Occasionally things change because i'll go out to eat or something, but I just sit still and spend five minutes shuffling calories about and fitting things in until i'm happy! I find my calorie planning quite satisfying! It's like a giant game that I get to win!

Val_from_OH

I truly intend to log everything, even on bad days, just to hold myself accountable. But sometimes... I blow it so badly, that there is no point in logging. It would take an hour to get everything into the log, and that is just an hour of beating myself up for being careless, unmotivated, or whatever caused me to overeat. So on those days, I quit logging and just start fresh in the morning. I think it is more productive to put that bad day to bed and try harder the next day.

red5

You are right about only logging during the week! I find that on Saturdays I am usually way to busy! I have all 5 kids home and we usually end up doing something! I don't have the app for my Blackberry either. Last Sat I was gone from 8:30 am until midnight there was no time to log anything. I know for a fact I was not over my calories though! I did a crosstraining X class and just about died and then went to an indoor waterpark running up stairs and riding a tube down for 4 hours and then ate a chicken breast and rice with steamed veggies! So I don't think you absolutely have to log everyday as long as you are aware of the decisions you are making.

Barelmy

I'm of the "log everything" mindset. Even when I'm not making great choices, it's good to be aware of what the "cost" of that delicious morsel is. So - I logged it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Same. If you know what you're eating, you can work around it, and let yourself have treats within your limits, rather than stretching them.

BuceesNana

I log everything, even the occasional beer. I won't know if I am on the right track without it.

surv8r

Everything, Every day...

k80mac

I get Friday in, and am pretty good about backtracking on Monday to log in what I had Sunday. Saturdays end up being a toss-up. If I can remember, then I do. Being accountable for me is helpful b/c you lose track of just how many "little" calories you take in and snack on here and then. Running errands etc on Saturday - kids to this and that - grab what you can, when you can. That stuff adds up quick for me!

givprayz

I agree with everyone that logging everything is the ideal Is strive for, and most days I do log everything, but like different people said, there are some things that don't get logged. A single bite of a dessert from my daughter, tastes of the meal I'm cooking, pot luck meals when I can't even remember everything I had a dab of, and the rare buffet meal. I try to log what I remember and put in extra calories if I think I forgot stuff, but as long as I'm in the ballpark, I'm not a fanatic about it. Even when you know what you ate, and have the calories written on the package, you still could be off by 15% just by errors in processing and the fact that not every carrot has the same calories. I'm looking at the big picture, so the exact number of calories or an individual day's fat is not as important to me as my net calories over 7 days, or my fat intake across 30 days. Will there come a time when I won't log everything? Yes. But I need to get down to within about 8 pounds of my goal before I will even consider letting whole days go unlogged.

bayles1

Log it all every day.

jessicamichalski

I log everything, to the point where sometimes it actually annoys me...I want to hold myself accountable...I also know that if I log everything, it makes me think before I eat something if it's worth the time to log it

MooseWizard

I log everything, almost to a fault and often to the chagrin of my friends and family. (yay Android app!) There have only been 2 days since November that I did not log everything, and they were not 'cheat days' or anything of the sort, but rather I simply forgot to log a complicated meal within a reasonable time and forgot the details.

onebadrg

I have been logging everything for over a year now. Some days I might miss because of snowboarding, but I try to log everything. You don't know what you are taking in unless you calculate your intake, sure you can guess but that one meal or snack you feel isn't all that much can turn into many and soon enough you are now well over your goal.

If I do go over I balance me next day if needed. If I eat Dark Chocolate I log it, if I have a cheat day I log it.

Cheers

reander

I usually log everything and anything. The exception for me was this Saturday, when I had Indian food and really couldn't figure out the calories of the food.

If you're not logging something the only person you're fooling is yourself.