Do you plan on logging forever?

i am over 400;
i am GOD.

I think what I'm trying to do is cultivate a new normal for me so that I can maintain a healthy weight by eating normally and doing normal activity, and I want to be able to do this without actively keeping a log of everything I eat or do.

That said, if I had to I think I could log my intake indefinitely. It hasn't been that difficult or invasive, for me. But I don't want to rely on it.

Once I have maintained my goal weight for a while, I will probably only log when I need to get back in line or just check in to make sure I am still on track. I don't want to think about calories every day for the rest of my life.

Between here and I use to do weight watchers I have recorded for Seven years now. Some times I would go a month without and holly smokes I gained weight because you really need to see what you put in your body. I will record for life I have lost over 40pds.

I'm at maintenance and not logging. I really made a point when I was logging and counting to really learn how to eat, what to eat, portion control, etc so that I could go into maintenance knowing how to get my nutrition on and being able to listen to my body and know what I need.

I eat the same way as I did when I was losing...just more calories. Food wise though, it's pretty much the same stuff save for a few extra treats here and there. In my experience, the really crucial thing has been keeping up with my training and exercise. I think this is where many go wrong...they associate training and exercise with the desire to lose weight...so they go to maintenance and they stop exercising or become more inconsistent, etc.

When I went to maintenance I made sure I had new goals...nutrition goals and fitness goals to keep me motivated and paying attention.

Also keep in mind that you'll likely put on a few pounds upping to maintenance due to your glycogen stores being replenished. Don't worry about it or drop an extra few pounds now to compensate. Also realize that, just as your weight loss wasn't linear, nor is maintenance static. You have a floor and a ceiling and I personally fluctuate a good 3 Lbs floor to ceiling on a daily basis...it can be more if I've had a really high sodium day, intense workout, or having a little beer bloat.

I was planning to gradually phase it out once I reached my goal weight. Hopefully, I could get along without it. If I were to notice a considerable weight gain, though (like, 10 pounds,) I think I would probably start up again. My intent is to train myself to be able to get along without it, but if logging is what's gonna keep me healthy, then so be it.

According to findings from the National Weight Loss Registry, you have to continue to journal and exercise if you want to keep the weight off. You should not wait until you gain 10 pounds before doing something about it, but takes steps at no more than 2 pounds.

Makes total sense IMO. By the time you gained 10 lbs back, you're more likely to have changed your habits back for a while, which makes it much harder to get back in the bandwagon.

I have a ways to go but my plan is to log for a month or so @ maintenance and then stop logging but continue to weigh often and log it just as I do now. I plan to pick a number maybe 10 pounds over my goal and if I ever see that number then back to logging.

Yes!!!

I'll probably have to yes. When I leave it up to myself I gain. I don't seem to be able to judge it accurately without MFP or another calorie counter. And MFP is easiest to use.

I am hypothyroid and may continue to log even when I hit a safe maintenance level. I would like to be 10% body fat. For me, that would be 190-192 lbs. I am at 13% right now. I feel like I am monitoring my thyroid level and will try to keep up with as much as I can.

No. I have this amazing ability to maintain the same weight no matter what I do so long as I keep track of my weight and reign it in a little if needed. However, that also means I have lost 10lbs in 6 months because my body LOVES to maintain so getting to the goal weight in the first place could very well take forever...

I log every now and then as a sanity check and sometimes for a stint of a few days, but I don't want to depend on it. I do pay attention to meals as units of my diet and think about the rough numbers, so I know about where I am. I will pay attention to the scale and weigh often even when I have maintained for a while. I think it may be more important during the first big loss (assuming you have one) where you get from unhealthy back to healthy. For me that was over 50 pounds and I still want to lose a little more even though I am back in the healthy zone now. I have pretty much given up weekday daytime snacking and I think that will be permanent. That does make keeping rough numbers a lot easier.

I view weight like debt: once you get your debt paid off, does that mean it's time to stop budgeting and logging your money? Nope. Gotta keep on keeping on. So when I get my weight off, I absolutely plan to continue logging for as long as I'm able, because every time I stop logging my food, my weight creeps up & up & up, slowly but surely. I don't want it to get ahead of me, I want to stay accountable and responsible, and logging my food & exercise has been the only think keeping me grounded.