End Goals?

Hey y'all

I hope you are well! I have been doing EM2WL since June 2012 and I am still loving it. However, since it is now a new year I made a promise to myself that I would give up calorie counting for good - now I know what I really need to do to feed my body and take care of it.

I just wanted to know if this was anyone else's end goal? and if anyone has already done this and what their results are with it?

I just want to feel free and I do feel confident that I can do this.

xx

Replies

  • SweatpantsRebellion
    SweatpantsRebellion Posts: 754 Member
    I used to feel like my end goal would be to not have to count, but after being with EM2WL for awhile, I've realized that when I get closer to goal weight I'm going to want to do a few bulk cycles so that I can get the definition in my body that I want. That would obviously require my tracking calories so that I eat the right amount during bulk and the right amount during cut. That being said, I would like to work towards only needing to track a few days a week eventually. But for me I feel like I may slip into old habits - undereating or overeating if I'm not careful. I think it's easy to do because there's so many little things that can throw off our appetites - reactions to medicaitons or supplements, illness, stress, etc...So while I DO want to get to the point where I don't track every day, I think I will probably always want to continue tracking a few days a week indefinitely. That I can live with I think!

    I'm not at all trying to discourage you with your goal. I think we all have to do what fits best with our own goals, lifestyle, etc...But I'd definitely be sure that not tracking is compatible with other goals that you currently have.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    That's great that you feel ready to give it a go without logging, I'm sure you'll do great and I look forward to hearing how you get on.

    I like to hope that one day I will not need to do this but I think it's still a long way in the future for me.

    This is partly because, like SweatpantsRebellion I intend to do some recomping so I need to monitor my bulk/cut cycles until I have reached a level of muscle and definition that I am happy with.

    Secondly I have had a poor relationship with food for many years so although I have now been eating much better for nearly a year (I also started last June) and although I feel on top of things now, I know I am still going through the healing process and that it is going to take time.
  • laccy40
    laccy40 Posts: 136
    For me, my goal is defo to be able to stop logging. I want to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise. I don't want to start obsessing about the body beautiful and I need to be careful because I do have obsessive tendancies. I'm at early days yet, but I practice by cutting or pouring a portion then weighing it to see how close I am. If I'm under I make myself add more. If I am I over I keep it. I already go through the whole day then log everything after dinner and see what I reached. Some days I get to have a treat other days I realise I was a total scoff that day! But every week I feel I'm building my knowledge. Good luck to the op, I hope to join you one day.
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
    I doubt I will ever be able to give logging for good.

    As I get older and as I change my workouts I will always have different calorie goals. My workouts are different in the summer than they are in the winter and I need to make sure I am eating enough. I would like to eventually get to where I don't have to everyday, do it more as a check in or if I get lazy during maintenance and need to reel it back in, but I have pretty much accepted that I will never have one consistent calorie goal and will always have to keep an eye on things.
  • kitka82
    kitka82 Posts: 350 Member
    In order for me to be able to stop tracking my food daily, I have to eat pretty consistently from day to day. That means having a good grasp of portion sizes and not varying things too much. I'm an emotional eater, which means I also use food as a means of entertainment. Which means I'm eating different foods like, every week. I don't think food should ONLY be fuel, but it shouldn't be too much more than that, you know?

    I don't intend to track every single day. But maybe it would be helpful during periods of increased stress, and whenever I have a goal outside of maintenance (building mass, cutting, training for an event, etc).
  • GetFit1129
    GetFit1129 Posts: 35 Member
    I will never quit logging my food. That is one thing I stress so heavily in the nutrition classes I teach. Log your foods and log your work outs. Logging food is not so much about keeping up with calories and it is just keeping up with what you are eating.

    I have a special food log I give to my clients. It ask for the food you eat and then to make a note how you felt after eating the food.

    I follow body for life which is more portion control, but I rely heavily on MFP or another means of logging my foods. I use my food scale and measuring cups to this day and I have been eating clean since 2003.