For those who are maintaining

Are you still tracking? I'm taking a break from weight loss until sometime in September, when my life will hopefully be less crazy. I also want to be eating a little more right now, its ice cream season and I'm okay with staying the same weight for 2 months. No hurry.

I STOPPED tracking and I gained 4 pounds in about 3 weeks I started tracking again, but I'm wondering....is this how its going to be for the rest of my life? Or do you eventually get your brain trained as to how much you eat?

Depends on the individual we are all unique and special in our own way

I've learned what a typical portion size is and how I can combine foods to hit my calorie goals. I know all that. Doing it, however, is very different.

I continue to log to keep me on track. If I don't, it's just a matter of time before I fall back into some pretty terrible habits.

I log most of the time. Being cognizant of behaviour is part of the battle.

Nope. I'll probably go back to it in the fall, for whatever reason logging and I aren't friends in the summer. I know I'm eating fairly well most of the time, my weight is around the same, etc so I'm good for now.

I've maintained over 2 years. I don't log weekends, or vacations. I am not sure if I will always, I think it keeps me in check-Even when I am not logging I keep a mental tab running;-) in my head.

Stopped a long time ago just keep a rough estimate in my head.

Are you still tracking? I'm taking a break from weight loss until sometime in September, when my life will hopefully be less crazy. I also want to be eating a little more right now, its ice cream season and I'm okay with staying the same weight for 2 months. No hurry.

I STOPPED tracking and I gained 4 pounds in about 3 weeks I started tracking again, but I'm wondering....is this how its going to be for the rest of my life? Or do you eventually get your brain trained as to how much you eat?

When I went to maintenance I tracked for about 4-6 weeks I think...just to get a feel for it. Also, keep in mind that when you go to maintenance you're going to replenish all of your glycogen stores that are largely depleted as fast as they're restored when you're dieting...3-4 Lbs seems just about right for glycogen stores. This is why many people actually drop under their goal a bit before going to maintenance...knowing maintenance is actually going to be slightly heavier with full glycogen stores.

Also, if you just upped straight to maintenance and didn't do it gradually, this will throw your body into shock. It is recommended that you close your weight loss gap the closer you get to maintenance to slow it down...kind of like coming to a stop light...you don't want to just slam on the breaks and then hit the gas...you ease into it. I came in nice and slow to maintenance and then upped my calories over the course of about 3-4 weeks to avoid throwing my metabolism into shock.

I do not track anymore...I eat the same way I ate when I was dieting, just a bit more. Having tracked maintenance for a month or so helped me to see what a maintenance day looks like...what my snacks and meals and drinks look like. I've also learned to listen to my body...I train for endurance events and I also strength train...my body lets me know when it needs fuel.

I'd also add that you can't stop working out. That's what most people do...diet's over and they equate working out with trying to lose weight rather than setting independent fitness goals. If you stop working out, most likely you will gain the weight back every time. Fitness has to be a lifestyle too...

Lastly, just as your weight loss was not linear, maintenance is not static. You don't weigh exactly XXX Lbs all of the time; you have a floor and a ceiling and on average, the difference can easily be 3-5 Lbs. I have natural maintenance fluctuations between 180-185 and 175-180 on rest weeks when I drop a lot of water.

I stopped logging for about 8 months. I gained about 8 lbs. It was slow enough that I didn't really notice but then I started to notice my clothes were not fitting as well. So I decided to start logging again about 3 weeks ago and have already dropped a couple of the lbs I had gained.

This interesting to read. I have just started tapering to start maintenance, and am finding that I regularly don't want to eat all my calories. I appear to have a much better idea of how much I am eating. I still log, and think I will continue to do so for some time. Most importantly, I have made some good friends on MFP and enjoy the company!

I'm planning to log pretty much forever. It's not that inconvenient.

I plan on tracking for the rest of my life. Honestly, it takes seconds out of my day, and it's not a big deal at all.

So when upping calories to get to maintenance amount, what's the average increments? 100 cals/week for several weeks, 200???

I've been on maintenance for about 10 months now but I still log everything. I don't know that I really need to, honestly, but I'm just really obsessive about filling in boxes. :P

Of course you are going to gain a few lbs and appear a little bloated after you get out of the deficit because of glycogen and water, but it should go down. If not, and it requires a deficit to maintain your appearance, gain some muscle and you'll be taken care of.

Read this: http://gokaleo.com/2012/09/19/body-composition-that-last-five-pounds-and-how-to-deal-with-problem-areas/

I am not quite at goal but I am pretty comfortable where I am and cannot exercise in the summer, just can't. So am I still tracking? Not so much. But while I was tracking rigorously I got used to a set of meals and snacks that are now my go-to, and I think I've actually lost a little recently.

Short answer: If you can keep eating w/o tracking the way you were eating *with* tracking, then go for it. The purpose of tracking is to reign in bad habits and establish good ones, IMHO.