Don't want to calorie count forever....

Jgonz1203
Jgonz1203 Posts: 20 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm 2lbs away from my goal weight-loss. This has me wondering about how to come off of My Fitness Pal when I choose to. I don't want to calorie count forever, but I feel almost like a sense of panic when I think about not doing it anymore. I've never really had to lose weight, or maintain until now. I went though high school and my young adult life always staying about the same weight eating what I wanted. I gained a ton of weight during my pregnancy, and I kept that weight for almost 9 years after until recently when I said "enough is enough".... Since this is the first time I've ever had to lose weight or maintain a weight loss, it has me panicked about not calorie counting, and gaining the weight back.....

I guess the point of this post (other then to vent my fears a bit) is to ask if anyone has ever gone off of the calorie counting thing, and how did it work out for you? I do not want to do this forever! :frown:

Replies

  • Jgonz1203
    Jgonz1203 Posts: 20 Member
    No one has an input? No one?? lol :ohwell:
  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
    I think once you've calorie-counted for awhile, you learn what you can/can't/should/shouldn't eat and just go from there. I've learned that about some portions; I used to weigh everything because I had no clue. Now there are certain things where I can eyeball them and be pretty much spot on as to the portion size.

    I think you'll probably only have to "check" foods you're unfamiliar with...good luck and congrats on almost reaching your goal!!!!!
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    I think once you've calorie-counted for awhile, you learn what you can/can't/should/shouldn't eat and just go from there. I've learned that about some portions; I used to weigh everything because I had no clue. Now there are certain things where I can eyeball them and be pretty much spot on as to the portion size.

    I think you'll probably only have to "check" foods you're unfamiliar with...good luck and congrats on almost reaching your goal!!!!!

    Agreed. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to once a month or once every few months keep a food log and double check, just to be sure your portion sizes don't increase. I think it's easy to add a little at a time until your old sized portion becomes much larger!
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    I don't want to balance my checkbook either. but I do.

    Why stop tracking?
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    What about mantaining for a bit here on MFP? When you're ready to go you can just eat as much as you did (approx.) when you were on maintainence on here.
  • organic0gf
    organic0gf Posts: 87 Member
    Before I injured my back and gained 80 pounds, I either did aerobics or walked up and down a steep mountain every day. I *never* had to count calories back then. I was fit and trim and stayed that way no matter what I ate.

    Oh, also I have seem some basic guidelines on portion sized.. e.g. a serving of protein could be the size of a deck of cards, etc. I'm sure someone here knows where to find the rest of that table of info. I think there's only about 4 or 5 you have to remember.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
    There is a section for those who are now maintaining their weight, you might find it helpful to follow with some of them.

    I also don't plan on logging/counting calories for the rest of my life, but, at the same time, I'm not ready to be done with it either.

    Do you have any other fitness goals now that you are at your goal scale weight? For example I'm still interested in losing fat, and gaining lean mass, so, I will be starting a new workout routine in the next week or two to help me achieve that. I'll likely have to tweak my eating habits slightly to reach my new goals.
  • mom9198
    mom9198 Posts: 83 Member
    I don't want to balance my checkbook either. but I do.

    Why stop tracking?

    Sometimes we do things because we like the results. :bigsmile:
  • albertine58
    albertine58 Posts: 267 Member
    I would keep using MFP for a while to find the right caloric intake for maintenance - I've heard it requires some tweaking! When you find a happy balance and a calorie intake/exercise level that keeps your weight steady, and you've maintained while tracking for a while (at least a month), then I'd try to stop tracking. Keep weighing yourself at least weekly though, so if your weight starts creeping up you can start tracking again and nip it in the bud when it's only a 1-2 lb gain, rather than a surprise 5-10 lbs! I thought I'd be able to maintain most of my 10 lb loss over the summer by just being *careful*, but I ended up gaining 15 lbs! I was absolutely shocked and soo disappointed in myself. It's almost gone now though :) congrats on reaching your goal!!!
  • SummerLovesPhil
    SummerLovesPhil Posts: 242 Member
    My plan is to log meals until I have a good, instinctive idea what my meals should look like. Since I'm a visual learner, I use Evernote Food as well as MFP. I'll wean myself off counting every day and see if I'm still getting good results. If not, I'll go back to logging until I can do better.
  • mcjmommy
    mcjmommy Posts: 148 Member
    I don't want to balance my checkbook either. but I do.

    Why stop tracking?

    This is good!
  • IbiH
    IbiH Posts: 250 Member
    Maintaining is the hardest part I think.... I'm just back from cruise where I put on a few pounds, now I'm back home I'm back to my usual routine.
    This is the best motivational tool for me.
  • SMCLosesIt
    SMCLosesIt Posts: 45 Member
    You could try intermittent fasting - the 5:2 diet or the 6:1 (for maintaining) You don't calorie count at all on the days you aren't fasting. Look them up on here there is loads of info. And its not just about weight - fasting is good for you body. And it's not as hard as people think :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    There are a few threads about maintaining and not counting.

    I stopped counting.

    Actually, when I lost the weight I didn't count.

    I only started counting when I joined loseit, and then here because of menopause creep.

    And then I stopped.

    You'll figure out what works for you. Maybe you'll count, maybe you'll give up certain foods (taboo on here, but it's what worked for me all these years) or maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who really can eat intuitively after counting. Regardless, best of luck! Maintaining can be done!!

    ETA: one thing I've ALWAYS done: when I find a new food, a new meal, a new snack, I learn about it. MFP is a great tool for that. And when you go to a new restaurant chain, use MFP to help you decide what to eat.
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    There is a section for those who are now maintaining their weight, you might find it helpful to follow with some of them.

    There are a lot of folks that are very close to their goal weight that are posting there, so I +1 this recommendation.

    I am "on maintenance" and still tracking every day. Maintenance is tricky because your maintenance level calories will most likely not be the same as what MFP gives you, and your weight is probably going to fluctuate in a certain range.

    The irony is that the people that seem to be the most successful at maintaining the weight loss are actually people who have re-focused on other fitness goals (e.g., endurance running, strength gains, etc.)...so they end up monitoring calories and macros anyway to support these goals.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I plan on counting, I didn't work this hard to put it all back on. :happy:
  • Jgonz1203
    Jgonz1203 Posts: 20 Member
    There is a section for those who are now maintaining their weight, you might find it helpful to follow with some of them.

    I also don't plan on logging/counting calories for the rest of my life, but, at the same time, I'm not ready to be done with it either.

    Do you have any other fitness goals now that you are at your goal scale weight? For example I'm still interested in losing fat, and gaining lean mass, so, I will be starting a new workout routine in the next week or two to help me achieve that. I'll likely have to tweak my eating habits slightly to reach my new goals.

    Now that I am at my goal (well 2lbs away) I see that I think I can lose a few more. I wanted to get to 125, but now that I'm pretty much there, I see that I can prob still take a few more off, so now I'm aiming at 115. After I hit that I would like to focus on more strength building. So I still have work to do.. I was just thinking of more in the long run when I've met the goals I want to meet.. I just get a sense of panic thinking about going on my own. I don't ever want to be overweight again. It really scares me thinking about how unhappy I was!
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I am 7 months into maintenance, and I log about 80% of the time. I kept my MFP goal to lose .5lb per week and I stick to it pretty well during the week, and then the weekends are typically more relaxed and I don't log. It works for me. This might work for you, it might not. I also like my MFP buddies and they keep me motivated to reach other goals so I hang around.

    I definitely understand the "what now?" feeling though! It took me a good couple months to figure out the best thing for me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I've been maintaining for about 6 months now, going on 7 and don't log. During my 6 months or so while I was losing I took it upon myself to learn how to eat again...learn portion control and proper nutrition, etc. I did log for about 4 weeks when I first went into maintenance just to kind of gauge what those extra calories looked like...but after that, I stopped (save for a couple of times when I thought I might want to drop a couple more pounds...then decided I didn't care enough about that right now).

    Keep in mind that your maintenance isn't static...you don't weigh exactly XXX lbs all of the time. I pretty much fluctuate between 180 and 185 day in and day out...week in and week out...on average I'm about 182. Just don't freak out when you see the fluctuations. It's also important to keep weighing yourself and keep track of how you're doing...if you find that you're trending up, it's easier to nip it in the budd now than to wait and put on 20 Lbs that you have to diet off again....but as I previously stated, you have to look at that as a trend, not a, "gasp...I gained 4 Lbs since two days ago, I must be getting fat."

    In my experience, exercise is a huge aspect of maintenance success. Many people forgo their fitness when they reach their goal weight because they so closely associate working out with weight loss...it's actually far more important for maintenance than it is for losing. It is amazing what your body will do with a little excess energy when you're actually working it. When you're really working out, you have to pretty much try to gain weight...and ask any bulker how easy that is...it's not easy. In my experience, it's very easy to maintain weight when you're active and working out.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I've been maintaining for about 6 months now, going on 7 and don't log. During my 6 months or so while I was losing I took it upon myself to learn how to eat again...learn portion control and proper nutrition, etc. I did log for about 4 weeks when I first went into maintenance just to kind of gauge what those extra calories looked like...but after that, I stopped (save for a couple of times when I thought I might want to drop a couple more pounds...then decided I didn't care enough about that right now).

    Keep in mind that your maintenance isn't static...you don't weigh exactly XXX lbs all of the time. I pretty much fluctuate between 180 and 185 day in and day out...week in and week out...on average I'm about 182. Just don't freak out when you see the fluctuations. It's also important to keep weighing yourself and keep track of how you're doing...if you find that you're trending up, it's easier to nip it in the budd now than to wait and put on 20 Lbs that you have to diet off again....but as I previously stated, you have to look at that as a trend, not a, "gasp...I gained 4 Lbs since two days ago, I must be getting fat."

    In my experience, exercise is a huge aspect of maintenance success. Many people forgo their fitness when they reach their goal weight because they so closely associate working out with weight loss...it's actually far more important for maintenance than it is for losing. It is amazing what your body will do with a little excess energy when you're actually working it. When you're really working out, you have to pretty much try to gain weight...and ask any bulker how easy that is...it's not easy. In my experience, it's very easy to maintain weight when you're active and working out.
    So right!!! Exercise is key.
  • anonniemouse
    anonniemouse Posts: 117 Member
    I guess if you wanted to stop tracking calories you could monitor how your clothes feel. If they began getting tight/too small, start tracking again. Catch weight gain early, before it becomes 10 lbs, 20 lbs, etc.
  • anndisme2
    anndisme2 Posts: 15 Member
    I have no intention of tracking calories after I reach my goal. (Though I think it will be important to monitor my weight and the way my clothes fit.)

    I strongly believe that we have a natural ability to maintain a healthy weight by trusting our hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full. There are a lot of factors/habits that can compete with that - stress, emotional snacking, eating too fast, ignoring cravings, etc. - but I think we can learn to control or change them as needed.

    A wonderful tool that helped me years ago was the Weigh Down Workshop (currently Weigh Down Ministries). Whether or not you are interested in a Christian program, the basic concepts are worth checking out. Simple. Our bodies were designed to maintain a healthy weight. We should enjoy life and be healthy, not be slaves to numbers, fat grahams, carbs, etc. Counting calories is not a bad thing, and it is helping me achieve my goal, but I'd like to learn again what it is to live as a thin person and eat only when I need to.
    http://www.weighdown.com/About-Us/The-WD-Approach
    (The general concepts are helpful and inspiring, but you have to go elsewhere for nutritional guidance. Seems they should include some direction there, but I guess that is not the focus.)



    Another great inspiration is the book French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano. Enjoy life, enjoy food (in moderation! - think quality not quantity!)

    Congrats on your loss! That's an accomplishment to be proud of!!
  • Jgonz1203
    Jgonz1203 Posts: 20 Member
    Thanks for all the feedback everyone!! Great tips. :)

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