Maintaince- Still tracking calories?

Options
2»

Replies

  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Options
    I tracked religiously for months once I hit maintenance...
    Then I became a little obsessed with hitting my macros and stopped enjoying food and fitness, so I stopped logging for a while and really found my footing again.
    I'm back to logging now but I tend to take'r easy on weekends. If I don't log, I don't freak out.
    It's all about what helps you! :bigsmile:
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    Options
    I still track unless I'm on vacation or something and have restaurant meals and buffets that are just impossible to track with any accuracy. But regular day to day stuff, yeah I still track.
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,047 Member
    Options
    I guess ill track maybe during the weeks, and take a break on the weekends so i can have some fun w/ friends or family..or not track on holidays as such. Thats what im leaning towards. I find now im stressing at times to stay under on calories all the time, especially wanting to hit my goals before the holiday event sets in..(Mine usually starts for Thanksgiving)
  • damonmath
    damonmath Posts: 359 Member
    Options
    My diet has barely changed... so It's not really necessary, but I do it anyways to keep from going over.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Options
    This may sound a bit 'extreme' but losing weight is the 'easy' part.... the maint is the real challenge, so I intend to keep logging until I've been at my GOAL weight for a year.... but that's just me.

    My plan too. HOPEFULLY by then I teach myself how to judge for myself, but things change.
    HOPEFULLY I'll have the patience to track as long as I need to.

    But 2 factors wonder if I will be able to judge for myself.
    1) food today is way different than it was 30 years ago... it's not just common sense anymore and tracking helps me see hidden sugar, sodium, etc. I wonder what food will be like in another 5, 10, 25 years...

    2) You get fewer and fewer calories each year to maintain the same weight. There is a BIG difference in the amount of calories a 20-year-old gets and a 50-year-old gets to maintain the exact same weight.
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
    Options
    I still track everything,even to gain weight slowly to see what changes occur,its important to know what your eating to keep from falling off track,I currently am set at gain .5 a week its been over a month and I've gained nothing ,but have lost more fat % which shows that I've replaced fat with lean muscle mass,as I continue to try to build lean muscle I don't want to gain any fat back so I keep close tabs on what o eat ,I recommend keep tracking your calories .
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
    Options
    As time goes by you should have gained a knowledge of the exercise & food ratio you nerd to maintain until then don't gamble,it also helps to know by heart what type of calories you take in at that point you will have a better grasp on how to maintain without tracking,I track my calories also for friends to view my diary trying to set a good example on the types of calories to focus on,other than that I'm pretty good at not NEEDING to track but I still do
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    Options
    I've experimented with not logging, and I'm not ready yet. Part of the reason is that I lose weight too easily, so if I tried to just be 'good', I'd keep shrinking!
  • keyer23
    keyer23 Posts: 114 Member
    Options
    I lost 43 pounds between August 2010 and January 2011. Since that time I have continued to track on a daily basis. I have stayed +/- 2 pounds ever since. I'm confident that continuing to count the calories has allowed me to maintain my weight loss. I worked too hard to get it off to let it creep back up on me!
  • maryloo2011
    maryloo2011 Posts: 446
    Options
    I've been in maintenance since May...I'm slowly trying to ween myself off this. But now really I just log what I eat when I get home at night to see if I fell within my goal for the day. Helps me with my calculations.

    Ditto.

    I am trending to not logging as soon as I eat - but if I happen to have 5 minutes of downtime at the end of the day, I input everything out of curiosity. I'm not 100% confident that I'd eat enough if I didn't track.
  • catshark209
    catshark209 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Options
    I plan to track for the rest of my life, like I plan to watch a speedometer when I drive.

    THIS
  • M_lifts
    M_lifts Posts: 2,224 Member
    Options
    i still track, been on maitainance since april. it helps me keep track plus its mostly on my phone. i plan to keep track for as long as i can- as its quick and easy. after jan i will prob reduce my time on the forums/website but plan to keep tracking.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
    Options
    I've been on maintenance for not quite a month, and I will keep on logging as long as I can keep the interest up, or when I feel I have reset my eating habits well enough not to need it anymore. Or I could just keep on logging forever, cause I am rather anal about a lot of things (I measure out my breakfast cereal in the morning using my kitchen scales!)
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Options
    I find tracking most valuable when I train really hard - because damn, I'm hungry! And I know I can eat wayyy too much!

    Otherwise it's a matter of knowing your portions, knowing your macros, and getting to know what a "normal" day's food looks and feels like. You'll start to know when you are around your maintenance cals and will have a pretty good idea of when you go over/stay under. It becomes habit and intuition.

    That said, logging doesn't hurt. It keeps me on track so I do it....

Categories