Should We Take Breaks from Logging?

kristelpoole

I'm wrestling with the idea of taking a break from logging my food, but I am struggling with that idea. I feel like part of me is getting too obsessed with the whole thing - to the point that I'm dreaming about MFP, calories and whatnot. I wonder sometimes if I'm doing it because I *have* to, because it's become a matter of control for me, or if I'm doing it to be healthy. I mean, I know that I am doing this with a good goal in mind, but I worry that I am obsessing. I talk about calories and food choices all the time, I get way too proud of myself when I create a low-calorie healthy meal, I feel the need to have the MFP site up all day while I'm at work and I have even started dreaming about it. I woke up this morning in a panic over calories. Ugh. And I haven't even lost any weight this year.

I need to find a healthy medium. Has anyone dealt with this? Is this normal? Or should I take a week off and just eat when I'm hungry and see how it goes..?

Thanks!

stuffinmuffin

I'm currently in maintenance and have been on MFP for a year now. A few weeks back I ended up ill (probably caused by over-exercising) and following that I eased up on the fitness and made the decision to come away from logging. however after a year of logging my food I soon realised that was the only way to keep me attentive to what I was putting down my neck. I gained 3lb during this time and whilst it probably was the mental break I needed I'm a bit gutted that left to my own devices I went back to the eating habits I had prior to MFP.
This works for me and even though maintenance gets boring because you are no longer 'achieving' anything, the sight of gaining on the scale was enough to remind me that the benefits of logging are better than not. I do however have a 'night off' a week where I go out for a meal and have drinks (go well into the red) but so long as it doesn't exceed my weekly net cals I know I wont gain weight.

It is a tough one but I didn't ever consider quitting logging before reaching my goal! Maybe the 'cheat/spike' day will help you? x

ninerbuff

IMO, consistency is the difference between a true champion and an occasional winner. I log to stay consistent.....................yes I win.


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lbetancourt

I took a break that went into about 2 months maybe without logging. I was in maintenance. I have gained 6lbs. I am back.

Good luck.

aoerther1

I agree that consistency is key. However, if you feel logging is starting to impair your functioning in other areas of life (work, family, social, etc.) then it might be time to revamp your system.

LorinaLynn

It depends on your goal. If you're aiming for something particular - whether it's to lose a certain body fat percentage, training for a sport, looking to gain muscle mass - then it's really helpful to continue logging. If you're not, then it might be beneficial to take a break.

Personally, I enjoy taking breaks. I barely consider myself an athlete - I run races and win a few awards here and there, but it's just a hobby, not my livelihood. I'm a work-at-home web publisher and artist. Perfection in fitness and nutrition isn't necessary. And sometimes it gets to be an unhealthy obsession for me.

I took one day a week off from logging for about 13 months, and have taken weekends and holidays off from logging since June of last year. A few random weeks without logging here and there. And a few month-long breaks, too. I don't think of those as cheat days or binges, and sometimes I probably eat less than if I were logging. It's more thinking, "I want to eat a few potato chips without counting out an exact portion," or "I want to eat dinner without adding the entire recipe into the database," whether it's something I cooked, dinner at a friend's, or at a restaurant.

The great thing is... nothing is carved in stone or irreversible. If you take a break and find you don't like it or it doesn't like you, go back to logging.

taso42

Breaks are good. Take a vacation or a weekend off. It's good for the soul.

riadastfu

Why would you?

Just be reasonable about your logging. I find it helps me stay on track and ultimately reach my goals. I don't see any benefits from taking a break, but that's just me.

PlanetVelma

Breaks are good. Take a vacation or a weekend off. It's good for the soul.

This! I don't want to log forever and I think it's important that we give ourselves a break. I sure in the heck don't want to go on vacation and worry about if I can log into MFP. I want to be on vacation - body, mind & soul!

Although if you see yourself slipping back into poor eating habits, than most definitely start again.

Personally, I've given myself a couple of weeks off from logging this month. I needed to find my mojo again. I was feeling frustrated and needed it. I'm still getting my regular workouts (and logging those!) and making wise food choices.

Hellbent_Heidi

I take breaks here and there. I have a two-week vacation scheduled later this year, and do NOT plan to spend my days making sure I log everything I eat.

I'm also basically in maintenance mode right now (would like to lose another 5 or so eventually), but I do like to test myself here and there to make sure I can do this without tracking every little thing....

kristelpoole

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I'm not at maintenance, or at least, not on purpose - HA! I lost 10 pounds last fall, gained back some and have lost all but 2 of those pounds basically. But my point is that my weight hasn't changed since last Thanksgiving and I've been logging. If I didn't log, I'd still likely eat just as healthy. Or healthier? No telling.

I just don't want to feel like I *have* to be on MFP or that I need it to feel comfortable with just being healthy. I don't want to rely on anything for that but myself. And I guess I'm also just sick of putting in all the work and not seeing the results I'm hoping for. But it's hard when it's only 10-20 pounds. I'm frustrated, I'm having a bad day anyway, and I am mad at myself for feeling panicked in my dreams about calories last night. [/pouty rant :ohwell: ]

runfatmanrun

I took a break for a couple of months. I started back recently because I am nearing maintenance and running more so I need to make sure I am eating enough in a healthy manner. Breaks are good because you need to be able to eat healthy without MFP in my opinion. Otherwise we would all get fat if we couldn't use the internet.

Sidesteal

Mental health is important too.

If you're feeling overwhelmed or burned out (or getting obsessive) about tracking then I'm 100% in favor of taking a break provided that you're able to resume the plan when you feel mentally ready.

devenwarvel

I totally understand where you are coming from! I felt like I was addicted to logging. It was all I could think of...it was becoming an obsession. I have quit logging. I feel that I have a pretty good idea of where I am on most days, mainly because I eat a fairly regular diet. If I am going to eat something "out of the ordinary" I will look it up. But for the most part I know that what I am eating keeps me in the range I need to be in. I don't feel the need to know the exact amount of calories I am eating each day. I think it was necessary in the begining, but now I feel I have the hang of it on my own!

myfitnessnmhoy

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I'm not at maintenance, or at least, not on purpose - HA! I lost 10 pounds last fall, gained back some and have lost all but 2 of those pounds basically. But my point is that my weight hasn't changed since last Thanksgiving and I've been logging. If I didn't log, I'd still likely eat just as healthy. Or healthier? No telling.

I just don't want to feel like I *have* to be on MFP or that I need it to feel comfortable with just being healthy. I don't want to rely on anything for that but myself. And I guess I'm also just sick of putting in all the work and not seeing the results I'm hoping for. But it's hard when it's only 10-20 pounds. I'm frustrated, I'm having a bad day anyway, and I am mad at myself for feeling panicked in my dreams about calories last night. [/pouty rant :ohwell: ]

You're obsessing, but the changes you are talking about making aren't going to help. In your posts, and I may well be wrong - I'm reading more of an obsession driven by the stall in weight loss, and the obsession with calories is a symptom.

I wouldn't urge you to stop logging food, but I would say that you need to deal with the underlying issue - the stalled weight loss.

Looking back through your diary, your food choices seem to be reasonably OK, but I see very low protein intake almost every day, and your carbohydrates seem high. I'd work on rebalancing that - maybe reduce the highest-carb things like the liquid bread, and up the eggs?

There are also days when you've met your caloric goal and yet NONE of your macros (protein, fat, carbs) are anywhere NEAR where they should be. That mystifies me. May 3 is a good example of this.

You seem to be getting exercise in, but you're not eating back those calories from what I see. Personal choice, but a plateau is a good time to try new things. I can't see what you are doing with exercise, but you might want to try changing it up if you aren't already - up the intensity, swap some strength and cardio around (whatever you're doing less of, do more of it), etc.

Anyway, the overall message is to shake your diet and exercise up to break the plateau, and I think breaking the plateau will help with the obsession about logging and calories.

Jo2926

Mental health is important too.

If you're feeling overwhelmed or burned out (or getting obsessive) about tracking then I'm 100% in favor of taking a break provided that you're able to resume the plan when you feel mentally ready.

This.

Its not good to be panicking, and I think that calorie counting is so easy to turn into obsession if you have that kind of personality (I do, so I'm not saying this in a judging way!)

I would probably take a break if I was in your situation, but would would keep eating healthy. I used to follow slimming world and when I need time 'off' I revert to its basic principles (unlimited fruit and veg, unlimited lean meat, fish, eggs, a small amount of bread or cereal for breakfast, and a small amount of milk for coffee. Then one small treat such as chocolate every day). I won't lose weight not following the plan 100% but I tend not to put on either, and its better for my mental health than calorie counting.

Good luck

kristelpoole

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I'm not at maintenance, or at least, not on purpose - HA! I lost 10 pounds last fall, gained back some and have lost all but 2 of those pounds basically. But my point is that my weight hasn't changed since last Thanksgiving and I've been logging. If I didn't log, I'd still likely eat just as healthy. Or healthier? No telling.

I just don't want to feel like I *have* to be on MFP or that I need it to feel comfortable with just being healthy. I don't want to rely on anything for that but myself. And I guess I'm also just sick of putting in all the work and not seeing the results I'm hoping for. But it's hard when it's only 10-20 pounds. I'm frustrated, I'm having a bad day anyway, and I am mad at myself for feeling panicked in my dreams about calories last night. [/pouty rant :ohwell: ]

You're obsessing, but the changes you are talking about making aren't going to help. In your posts, and I may well be wrong - I'm reading more of an obsession driven by the stall in weight loss, and the obsession with calories is a symptom.

I wouldn't urge you to stop logging food, but I would say that you need to deal with the underlying issue - the stalled weight loss.

Looking back through your diary, your food choices seem to be reasonably OK, but I see very low protein intake almost every day, and your carbohydrates seem high. I'd work on rebalancing that - maybe reduce the highest-carb things like the liquid bread, and up the eggs?

There are also days when you've met your caloric goal and yet NONE of your macros (protein, fat, carbs) are anywhere NEAR where they should be. That mystifies me. May 3 is a good example of this.

You seem to be getting exercise in, but you're not eating back those calories from what I see. Personal choice, but a plateau is a good time to try new things. I can't see what you are doing with exercise, but you might want to try changing it up if you aren't already - up the intensity, swap some strength and cardio around (whatever you're doing less of, do more of it), etc.

Anyway, the overall message is to shake your diet and exercise up to break the plateau, and I think breaking the plateau will help with the obsession about logging and calories.

Ha, well, May 3rd was a bachelorette party, so............ yeah... I had a wedding weekend where I had limited choices and drank a lot. That's not normal.

As far as protein goes, I typically get more than half my body weight in g. So, I weigh ~150 so I rarely go below 75g. I'm not really interested in eating TONS of protein everyday but I suppose I could try to increase it even more.

I've been doing a mix of exercise from HIIT sprints, jogging, weightlifting, dance, elliptical, kettlebells, etc. Maybe I need a more precise schedule to follow. Not really sure about that.

Jo2926

I've been doing a mix of exercise from HIIT sprints, jogging, weightlifting, dance, elliptical, kettlebells, etc. Maybe I need a more precise schedule to follow. Not really sure about that.

Do you enjoy any of it?

myfitnessnmhoy

Ha, well, May 3rd was a bachelorette party, so............ yeah... I had a wedding weekend where I had limited choices and drank a lot. That's not normal.

As far as protein goes, I typically get more than half my body weight in g. So, I weigh ~150 so I rarely go below 75g. I'm not really interested in eating TONS of protein everyday but I suppose I could try to increase it even more.

I've been doing a mix of exercise from HIIT sprints, jogging, weightlifting, dance, elliptical, kettlebells, etc. Maybe I need a more precise schedule to follow. Not really sure about that.

I'm not judging. My Cinco de Maya Saturday was probably worse. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

The point is, when you hit a plateau, that means your body has adapted to whatever you are doing. The only way off it is to do something different. Obsessing about calories you seem to have under reasonable control is not the thing to change.

When you change something, you run the risk of changing the wrong thing and gaining a little, but that's what sustainable weight loss is all about - learning and adapting to what your body needs, and adjusting things along the way.

Personally, I'd up the protein a bit, and up the exercise a lot more. Take some of that obsession and put it into an exercise plan, and make sure there's a whole lotta sweatin' goin' on!