Do you plan to track for the rest of your life?

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  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
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    At this point I feel like yes. I have been maintaining for 4 months now and I think that if I didn't track that the weight would creep back on. Maybe after I maintain over years I'll change my mind.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    I plan on watching the scale once I hit my goal weight. If I gain 5 pounds then it is time to start counting calories again.

    Ditto. I'll keep a close watch on the scale and how my clothes are fitting, and nip any gains in the bud by tracking as needed. Hopefully it'll become second nature at some point, but who knows.
  • ThisGirl2013
    ThisGirl2013 Posts: 220 Member
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    I have only been doing this for a couple weeks on MFP and a few weeks on top of that from other calorie counter websites. MFP is the best though and I can already feel like what my intake is. You do just start to recognize calorie intake and feel when you are full when you apply portion control. :) So, my answer is no, I will not plan on doing this the rest of my life. For now, it is nice to have the support and accountability because I am so new at it. When I am REALLY strong, I will say hasta la bye bye and hit the next chapter of my journey :)
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Yep. :bigsmile:
  • UndefinedLoser
    UndefinedLoser Posts: 36 Member
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    I think I'll eventually stop tracking when I'm able to automatically know what and how much I'm eating. I believe tracking (when done consistently and correctly) makes room for automaticity so you don't have to keep a food journal nearby for the rest of your life.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I got to my goal about 10 years ago. I logged for a bit after, then stopped. Any time my weight increases a few LBS I log to get back on track. And, now that I'm going through "the change", I'm logging everything because I don't want to gain a bunch of weight.
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
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    I haven't given it much thought honestly. Now a lot of my food choices are habit and I don't think about it much. I was able to maintain a weight of 125 (90lbs lost) without tracking (overall eating a healthy and balanced with my normal workout schedule) for about 5 months. Now that I'm trying to lose the last 10 pounds I'm tracking again. I hope that I'll be able to maintain my goal weight like I was able to maintain 125 without tracking.
  • Carolyn_79
    Carolyn_79 Posts: 935 Member
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    I just recently stopped logging as an experiment. I was finding it mentally draining because I would get wrapped up in the numbers; For example, I'd reach my daily goal of 1800-2000 calories or whatever but I was still hungry, but felt I couldn't eat because then I'd be over. It was stressing me out so I stopped. I'm very active with lifting and training for my half marathon so if I'm hungry then I'm eating, end of story. It's been nearly 2 weeks now and I'm happier and my clothing still fits exactly the same so I think I'm fine to continue this way.
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
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    For the most part yes, I may skip days when i need a break or when I'm eating places without nutritional information available. I didn't track and it got me overweight. If I stop tracking, I'll doubt how much I'm eating and either overeat or undereat and neither is healthy.
  • olDave
    olDave Posts: 557 Member
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    Ya...I plan to keep tracking.
  • sandiki
    sandiki Posts: 454
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    Long as I feel I need to.. or till Alzheimer's sets in.
  • squindles
    squindles Posts: 350 Member
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    I plan on watching the scale once I hit my goal weight. If I gain 5 pounds then it is time to start counting calories again.
    ^^^^THIS^^^^
  • Proyecto_AN
    Proyecto_AN Posts: 387
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    NO
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    Probably. Everyone's so darn nice here, why would I leave?
  • Maris_Swan
    Maris_Swan Posts: 197 Member
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    Yes.
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
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    I will say this I really wish I didnt have too track for the rest of my life. I was 3 pounds from my weight goal and I stopped tracking now i am 7 pounds from my goal. I just dont think I can do it at my age without tracking. It sucks I know but I rather feel fit an be fit.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I lost 80 lbs before I started tracking. The only reason I started was because I joined MFP - I don't think I needed to for my progress, but I'm glad I did. It's given me more of an idea of what I'm actually eating. I've recently stopped tracking my calories because I'm not sure I need to. I'm going to carry on just eating sensibly and working out like I was before I joined. But people should do what works for them.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Yep.
    This.

    Once you hit goal weight, you don't automatically go back to eating more and magically not gaining it back.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    I'm at maintenance and I keep tracking. It helps me stay there. I give myself some days when I don't track but only once or twice a month. I like the information it gives me and the control I have when I'm doing it. I certainly know a lot more than I used to but it's nice to just enter it and move on and have the data there for me to see at the end of the day, end of the week or whatever.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
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    I like tracking and I plan to continue. It's a huge help with meal planning for me. :smile:

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