Will you ever stop logging/tracking?

amsparky

Hey all,

I'm curious. Do you guys ever think you will get to a point where you don't have to log EVERYTHING? If so, how will you know you are at that point?

I'm getting to the point where I am just fine tuning things and realized that it doesn't really matter how many calories I burn. I know I'm working hard - why keep track. With the food, I eat a lot of the same things over and over, so as long as I watch portion control, I should be ok. But giving myself that "freedom" seems daunting.

I'm just curious what your thoughts are. Have a healthy day!!

craftykat12

I think will always have to keep up with mine, If I quit I'm afraid I will not keep the weight off, and it's not that hard to keep up with.

jamaicanlady

I've thought about this too. I actually stopped tracking my "calories burned" already because I'm doing New Rules and I don't think it's that important for strength training. In terms of eating, I still log because I'm no where near my goal of 25% body fat. I think I will stop logging once I get there and I feel comfortable with my body. I think I've kinda figured out what I can and cannot eat and how much without going over calories.

kathyms13

never, im totally obsessed by my calls now and this is my way of keeping them on track.

mstawnya

When I stop tracking, I slowly creep back into old habits. Eventually, I hope to stop tracking during the week when there are less temptations.

thistimeismytime

You know, I really really HOPE to be able to stop someday. Not in the next year or two, but I would hope not to be counting calories when I'm 70 or 80 years old. I'd like to just learn how to eat appropriately and maintain the weight I'm comfortable with. It's not something that I'm really close to accomplishing though, so who knows?

kathyms13

You know, I really really HOPE to be able to stop someday. Not in the next year or two, but I would hope not to be counting calories when I'm 70 or 80 years old. I'd like to just learn how to eat appropriately and maintain the weight I'm comfortable with. It's not something that I'm really close to accomplishing though, so who knows?

im 65 this year cant see me stopping at 70 if i do its the dementia cos ive forgotten what ive had lol

TheVimFuego

Absolutely, I'd be disappointed in myself if I couldn't,

I want an idea of what is good for me and then be able to follow that and let my body deal with the subtle variances based on a good framework.

Nutrition should be instinctive, I am grateful for MFP for giving me a clue about my intake but I sure as hell don't want to be tied to it.

GauchoMark

My plan is to maintain for a good period of time by tracking food, then after I have proven to myself that I am at the right calories, I will just go to watching my weight and %fat. If those go up for a couple of weeks I know I need to tighten up some. I don't see the point of collecting all of this data daily forever when all you are trying to do is maintain. I know my weight will fluctuate a little over time, but as long as I don't let it get out of control again, it is always manageable to lose (or gain) 5 lbs.

carriempls

I lost 50 pounds in 2009 and plateaued so I decided to maintain for a while. I was happy with my progress (even though I wasn’t to a healthy weight yet) and decided to give “losing” a break.

I stopped logging and managed to maintain just fine. If my clothes would start to get tight I’d go back to weighing myself and tracking my calories if I needed to lose a few pounds again.

This time around, I expect it to be the same way. I will track as long as I need to lose and for the first month or so of maintenance so I can understand my optimal maintenance calories. Then I’ll go to winging it.

I will probably always check in on calories when I need it, but after a while you really do have a sense of what you’re eating and can figure it out in your head.

amsparky

Interesting to see the different responses. I would like to not have to be so crazy and anal about calories, but it's terrifying. LOL

Krys_140

The last time I stopped tracking entirely, I gained 20 pounds back from the 40 I'd lost, and I lost all motivation to get back to the great habits that helped me lose the original 40.

So, I think that what I'll do is quick-add cals, or at least make daily notes about what I ate, and track my weight on a weekly basis. If I start to creep up for a few weeks at a time, I'll log everything to "right the ship" and get back to proper maintenance.

michellekicks

I stopped logging and managed to maintain just fine. If my clothes would start to get tight I’d go back to weighing myself and tracking my calories if I needed to lose a few pounds again.

This.

I lost almost 60 lbs in 2002/03 and maintained just fine for a couple of years using this method. The reason I put it back on again was a pregnancy in which I abandoned all my good habits learned and put on 70 lbs. Only 35 of which came back off after. But I digress... I would just eat normally and weigh daily. If the weight started creeping up (you will find you have a threshold weight) I'd just start tracking for a week or two and it would come back off.

stfuriada

Not really. I find the whole thing fascinating, so I will continue to log out of curiosity.

LaurieEReid

No. I find it too easy to fall back in to bad habits and 'this doesn't really count' eating. I have no will power.

bunnylvr

No, I've become to obsessive compulsive about it. I tried it for like a week and it didn't work. I told myself that I wasn't going to keep track and not log, but I end up keep track in my head or not eating enough because I'm worried I've already had too many calories for the day.

MaraDiaz

I don't intend to stop, no. I've regained weight every time I've lost it. Logging, among other things, may be the difference between going back down that well worn path and changing direction for good.

nermal6873

I'd like to eventually stop tracking, but I plan on weighing in weekly probably forever. That way, I'll know if I need to start tracking again. I've been on maintenance a few months now and am still too scared not to log.

Jenlwb

I tried for a while last year (although i still logged exercise), and found my sweet intake increasing, and portions growing. But really the reason i started logging again was to track protein for my lifting- as a pescatarian I need to make sure i keep up the protein numbers.

I do find I obsess more about food when i'm tracking, which in turn makes me eat more... would be nice to stop tracking, but i find i still can't judge things myself, some days i feel i've eaten loads but i'm under, and some days the opposite.

Plus I'm a control freak so i enjoy this!

almostatgoalweight

I don't track my intake, so it's not an issue for me. I can generally tell how much I'm eating from the level of hunger, a general feeling of what I'm eating, and my weight. I weigh daily so that makes things easier. When I reach goal weight I plan to weigh myself daily for at least the first year.

davidr730

I don't plan on stopping. It's an easy way to keep myself honest.

magerum

Nope, going to log until I drop. I know what happens if I don't. It's not that hard or tedious.

Bob314159

I'll be logging for another year for sure, I would suspect I will need to log forever. I would weigh myself every day regardless, to ensure I was aware of fat creep.

I find its too easy to forget little things, I take 10 almonds and then on impulse take another 10. When I log, I remember that extra 10 and see the impact.

Lee716

The last time I stopped tracking entirely, I gained 20 pounds back from the 40 I'd lost, and I lost all motivation to get back to the great habits that helped me lose the original 40.

So, I think that what I'll do is quick-add cals, or at least make daily notes about what I ate, and track my weight on a weekly basis. If I start to creep up for a few weeks at a time, I'll log everything to "right the ship" and get back to proper maintenance.

This is the perfect solution for myself as well. I like knowing where I stand calories wise and it prevents me from overindulgence. Ignorance does not equal bliss when it concerns my weight.

cmurray234

If I don't log, I eat too much. I consider the 10 minutes per day or so of work worth it to keep the weight off. I look at it as part of my chores like doing the dishes or vacuuming.

krisiepoo

I lost 60+ pounds a couple years ago, I was about 15 pounds from my goal weight and stopped tracking. Now I'm about 55+ pounds from my goal weight. I will never stop because I don't want to be a yo-yoer the rest of my life.

It's for good this time. I've set myself up to win

BigGuy47

When I started last August I tracked for 3 months. Lost about 2 lbs a week during that time. I stopped tracking for 6 months, lost on average 2lbs a week during that time. I recently started tracking again because I'm nearing my goal weight loss for the year - I want to stay on target. I'll probably stop tracking again at some point. If I put on weight I'll restart the tracking to get back on course.

I think once you have a solid understanding calories, portion sizes and which foods are dense with calories it's possible to manage without constantly tracking. For me it was a good excercise to not track for awhile, it tested my ability to manage my intake without the assistance of a tool.

beansprouts

I plan to continue to log until I drop.

Illona88

I am going to stop logging once I got into the habit of eating like this and I roughly know how much of what I need to eat in a day.
I don't think it would be very good for my sanity if I kept logging everything I eat every day.

Renae_Nae

I plan on tracking maintance for about a month after I'm "done." After that I'll continue to weigh-in every week and when I see the scale move then it's back to tracking, plan and simple. I want to learn how much and what to eat. I want my body to be able to "feel" whether I need to eat or not.

Kiwen34

At this point, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to stop tracking my food and calories. When I didn't track, I slowly krept up from 325 pounds to 450. I am back under 400, now that I am tracking and making myself be accountable for all my intake and seeing what I am eating in print, makes me upset with myself and I push my self more to keep on track. Tracking my food intake just helps. But I also use this method for my finances.