Wanted: friends who don't log food daily

ChocoCheeseaholic
ChocoCheeseaholic Posts: 55 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I've realized that while tracking my calories and macros has helped in many ways, it has also resulted in some bad habits. For me tracking has become a numbers game and while pre-planning my day I sometimes obsessively play around with food combinations in an attempt to be perfect. Pre-planning my day also means I'm very easily derailed if the situation changes, which it often does. While I think it's great for someone just starting out, or if you have specific goals that almost necessitate tracking, for me personally as someone who just wants to be generally fit and happy it's not letting me form the habits I need to be successful in the long run. I don't see myself tracking for the rest of my life and need to work on listening to my body's own cues and just making the right decision more often than not.

So, I'm looking for friends who have moved away from daily logging and can share some insight and support. I'm looking forward to the mental break but nervous about losing control. It takes a lot of self awareness but I think I'm ready!

Replies

  • mom2fabfive
    mom2fabfive Posts: 207 Member
    I log food sometimes but often I don't. I have learned how to eat clean so I tend to log when I feel like I am slipping a bit or if I want to see how I am doing on my macros. I am logging today for that reason. I like to support others in their journey.
    Tara
  • ChocoCheeseaholic
    ChocoCheeseaholic Posts: 55 Member
    Anyone? Surely there must be others on here who've learned to ride without training wheels!
  • ReeDunbar
    ReeDunbar Posts: 13 Member
    I log daily but it is not because I need to. It is to be an example for others who may look at my diary and need ideas about the types of food that I eat. I am currently going through (NASM) National Academy of Sports Medicine to become a CPT so MFP is really for motivating others who truly desire it. Feel free to add me as a friend if you like.
    Take Care and good luck in your fitness journey:-)


    ~Ree
    Super Fit With Ree (FB)
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I am so glad you posted this, because these exact same thoughts, almost verbatim, were running through my head this morning. I like the tools on this site, and some days I do need to log my calories, but doing it every day at this point is actually hurting me rather than helping me. And I think I have learned enough to keep my calorie count under control with limited assistance. So I am in!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    me, and I wish people would stop weighing every bloody day at the same time too.
    blah!
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I don't log food at all, I only quick add calories and even that I only do on the days I'm going outside of my normal routine just to keep an eye on things. I'm not trying to lose any more either though. I track my exercise not to record cals burned either, but so I can look back at my week and know I hit it every day - if I look back at the week and missed a few days, I get my butt back in gear.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
    I'm not logging as of next week for the first time in 5 months. Scary!
  • Linda09189
    Linda09189 Posts: 80
    tracking just keep you accountable, and it's for your reference only...it's not like you can't deviate if you need to....I prefer to track you can see it written down what you ate and what you might need to change to lower calories or balance you program better
  • kanamebella
    kanamebella Posts: 2 Member
    I dont track. I just make sure I eat healthy. Because if I go over my daily goal I upset myself
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    The only tracking I do is my belt loops as they go down :)
  • dnamouse
    dnamouse Posts: 612 Member
    Feel free to add me :smile:
    I'm not logging food in October as a trial. I'm at maintenance weight and to be honest, logging every day was messing with my head a little :explode:

    I do always log workouts though, so I can keep track of that in my schedule. And the plan after this month to log food every now and then to make sure I'm on track.
  • mandygivens
    mandygivens Posts: 50 Member
    I totally DO NOT LOG FOOD! And I will tell you why... because I refuse to diet. Recording your food just seems to be another diet to me. Sooner or later, you have to stop. Like any other diet, it is a crutch to help you restrict what goes in your mouth and make your waist line go down. I found that the more I exercise, the better (and less) I eat! I eat more when I feel like I need it, but I don't eat when I don't feel like it. I found that the more fit I become, the less I can fit into my belly. I tried to log food at one time... I obsessed over everything I ate. I felt guilty for everything. Healthy or not! I would skip meals for fear of going over my calorie allowance. I was always frazzled about food.

    I track my exercise, not to see how many calories I burn (because I am not so sure anyone is accurate about that) but because I want to be able to look back and see what I have done on certain days. Have I made any progress on my push-ups? How did I manage to skip a whole month of exercising???? Those are the things I worry about. I don't want to guilt myself because my husband buys me some yummy pumpkin spice kisses to keep in my nightstand and I ate three of them or that my kids gave me a hand full of their popcorn- wait- how many calories was that? Was that about 1/4 of a cup?

    Alright, I sound like a lunatic. But I am a bit sensitive since I lost over 70 lbs a few years ago and AFTER I lost all that weight a thin personal trainer who has never been fat a day in her life- told me what I was doing was "not good enough" and I needed to restrict my calories and write down what I eat every day to show her- please girl, I'm gonna punch you in the face.
  • mandygivens
    mandygivens Posts: 50 Member
    Oh- and please take no offense if you DO track your food intake. I have no problem with other people doing it, it just messes with my head too much.
  • ChrisS30V
    ChrisS30V Posts: 157 Member
    I stopped logging over a month ago as for me it had worn out its usefulness and I was becoming overly obsessed with numbers. Now the only time I look at my diary is to view the nutrition facts for some of my recipes. You're more than welcome to add me, and I'd love to chat with you about moving away from logging.

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