Maintainers...did you keep a food diary?

Annzatgoal
Annzatgoal Posts: 16 Member
in Success Stories
I'd love to hear from those who have reached or are approaching their goal, to see how many have regularly journaled their food intake. Wondering, too, if you continue to record your meals now that you've reached your goal? I lead a first Place 4 Health group, and trying to help participants see the value of this discipline has been a struggle, but I've read the majority of those who've successfully lost weight incorporated the food diary as one of their main tools.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i would love to know too, i am close to being able to maintain and i am not sure if i should keep logging and if so for how long before i try to break myself free from this for a while and see if i can do it on my own? I really don't want to have to log for the rest of my life.
  • shmunster
    shmunster Posts: 538 Member
    I got to my goal weight logging every single day, and have been maintaining for 5 months now, and still log every day
  • thingeringer
    thingeringer Posts: 241 Member
    Bump
  • KyliAnnHobson
    KyliAnnHobson Posts: 551 Member
    I still log every single day and have no intention of stopping. I actually enjoy logging and I like to get my macros just where I want them. I like pre-planning my day and the sense of control I feel. I think it's been the single most helpful tool in the course of my weight loss.
  • schlange11b
    schlange11b Posts: 105 Member
    I have been logging more so now that I am at goal. This is for several reasons, actually.
    1. I want to make sure that I do not get in the mindset of "I am at goal, I can eat however I want."
    2. I feel that one can always make improvements (cutting bf%, building more muscle, etc), and tracking calories and macros is essential to this.
    3. Honestly, kinda just got into the habit of it. Drives my wife crazy at times. :)


    edited for grammar
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    On maintenance since January 2011. Logging everyday (weekends and holidays too), even when I am on vacation. I don't care if the values are estimated and I am off (+/-). Logging keeps me accountable.
  • CarrieAbbey
    CarrieAbbey Posts: 378 Member
    I'm at my goal weight too and I log everyday. I usually take Friday and/or Saturday night "off" from logging just so I can give myself a mental break. But the next morning I'm back on doing my thing. For me it keeps me on track so I don't stray.
  • RaeN81
    RaeN81 Posts: 534 Member
    It all depends. I have maintained with and without a food journal. What is cool about a journal is that you get into "food habits" and eventually you have a pretty good idea of what you can eat to maintain and hence you can have the freedom to go without it. You can look back and see what you ate while you were doing well. That being said, it can be easy for negative habits to come creeping back in and for pounds to come back on, so going back to logging can be beneficial for a while as you get back to your routine. Personally, once I had good habits in place from consistent journalling, I did not need to do it anymore. I have been doing it lately though due to heavy training and because I decided to shed a little more weight.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    I'd love to hear from those who have reached or are approaching their goal, to see how many have regularly journaled their food intake. Wondering, too, if you continue to record your meals now that you've reached your goal? I lead a first Place 4 Health group, and trying to help participants see the value of this discipline has been a struggle, but I've read the majority of those who've successfully lost weight incorporated the food diary as one of their main tools.

    Thanks!

    I stopped logging my food about 3 weeks or so ago. It just became a habit and I don't have "cheat days" so I just eat well everyday. I am still losing and am about half way to my goal...
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    I surpassed my original GW and am now 4 pounds from my new GW. I don't find logging obtrusive anymore and actually like holding myself accountable and mindful of what I am choosing. For so long I just ate out of emotion, habit, poor coping skills...so I enjoy making conscious choices, of what to put in my body, these days. I plan to continue to log until I have maintained my goal weight for atleast 6 months and then I will reevaluate.... I may do it for a lifetime... It's really not that hard to do...
  • freew67
    freew67 Posts: 348 Member
    I am only about 7-8 lbs away from hitting my main goal. Once I go into maintain, I still plan to keep my log well into the future. For me, its more about just making sure I stay on track and keeping me honest. Since I use the app on my droid, its not like its hard to log each day. My sister said it best, "We will prob be counting calories the rest of our lives."

    http://freew67.blogspot.com/
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    If I want to stay the same yes, for the rest of my life. Otherwise the weight will slowoly creep back on! :(
  • JeanneTops
    JeanneTops Posts: 2,636 Member
    I've maintained a healthy BMI for over a year now - the longest I've ever gone in my life. The way I see it is:

    1. I've got sixty years of bad habits to overcome. That's not going to happen in three years. I'm going to give it 30 years and then see.

    2. The easiest person in the world to lie to and to fool is yourself. There's always an excuse to tell yourself and a reason to close your eyes to what you're really eating. Weighing, measuring and logging are the only ways to stay honest.

    3. Logging what I eat plus daily exercise is a lot easier than losing 100 pounds AGAIN.
  • shmunster
    shmunster Posts: 538 Member
    It doesn't bother me thinking about logging well into the future, I'd rather log than be the weight I used to be
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    I haven't reached my goal yet, but I plan on logging calories forever. I'll be ninety and still counting my calories. I know myself too well to trust that I would be accountable for everything I ate unless I track. I don't want to gradually slip back into bad habits.
  • Tamishumate
    Tamishumate Posts: 1,171 Member
    yes for almost two years now!
  • stang_girl88
    stang_girl88 Posts: 234 Member
    I havent reached goal yet this time around. But when I do, I will have to keep logging. Every other time I have lost weight and reached goal I would stop tracking my food after a while and have always gained it back. I have lost a significant amount of weight, I think four times now and well, I am here trying to lose it yet again lol.
  • Looking4ward
    Looking4ward Posts: 23 Member
    Went on maintenance about 3 weeks ago.

    Still logging daily - and still losing inches.
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,233 Member
    Been maintaining since March 2012. I still log almost everyday, to keep me honest. I could always lose, just could never keep if off. I have had a few days here & there that I didn't log, just to see how I would do. Not ready to give it up, if ever. Knowing I have to log it keeps me aware of what I am eating.
  • emmamiso5
    emmamiso5 Posts: 44
    Bump
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    I log every day and plan on keeping track of my meals/exercise everyday for the rest of my life. It's the only way I stay accountable and can be sure that I stay on track.
  • dongarvin
    dongarvin Posts: 41 Member
    I'm about 3 lbs away from my goal weight and I can't see NOT logging. It's only taken me about 100 days to get where I want to be but logging what I eat daily will really help keep me on track.:drinker:
  • capperboy
    capperboy Posts: 99 Member
    There really is no difference between weight loss mode and maintenance mode.
    Both have to be managed with the same tools the only difference is the amount of calories one can consume at a given exercise level.
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
    I do. Maintaining is often a lot harder (at least in the beginning) than losing the weight. Sometimes I wish I could give the calorie counting up, but I don't trust myself that much yet.
  • Maagrie
    Maagrie Posts: 49 Member
    I've been at my goal for 3 months now and log every day. It's part of my lifestyle now.
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    I have been maintaining for 4 months now and still log everything. I tend to estimate a little more often, but I like to log and I like knowing I am eating the right amount - not too much and not too little!

    If I ever stop logging, I will always keep weighing and set a weight limit on the scale that if I go over it several days or a week in a row, I will start logging again.
  • camrunner
    camrunner Posts: 363
    I very rarely wrote it down, but I always kept track of the calories in my head. I never paid attention to the macros.

    I'm finally starting to not obsess so much over my calorie intake recently, but it's only because I'm exercising so much.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Ive just hit my goal. I don't think I'll stop logging.
  • dvelocity
    dvelocity Posts: 309 Member
    I lost 80 pounds by writing down what I ate. I kept it all off for years as I continued to write everything down. As soon as I stopped writing things down the bad habits began to emerge. Portion sizes got bigger, snacking got worse, foods that were limited to every now and then became everyday foods. Geting back in the habit was hard. I had many attempts to get back in the game. For whatever reason I just could not.

    I have just recently been able to be consistent. I hope that it continues.

    I now have 100 pounds to lose.

    I will have a food journal for the rest of my life. I am pretty sure of it.
  • stephanie_pephanie
    stephanie_pephanie Posts: 24
    Yup at maintenance for 2 months now and still logging. I like it - keeps me honest and my food journal always listens to how I'm feeling - saves me boring other people!!!

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