When you don't want to calorie count
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A few of us definitely feel that a life-time of counting is bad for maintenance! I am now going with "loose tracking"....I don't freak out if I do not have my HRM to record EXACTLY how much I have burned so I know how much I can or cannot eat.
I think I need a mental break!0 -
I reached my goal in April and have lost about 15 pounds since then. I tend to stay at or under my goal during the week with exercise giving me more calories. I tend to go over on the weekends though which is why I don't want to eat back all the calories during the week.
I still track every day and probably will for a while until I've maintained for over a year. Right now it is easy and second nature. I can see that at some time, I'll only track on the weekends.0 -
One splurge day is not going to affect your weight, other than a little water weight.
I've been in Maintenance for six years, and I don't log food anymore unless I notice I've gained three pounds - then I force myself to log for a week or so and figure it out again. I frequently go waaaay over calories and don't gain. Like once a week or so I'll go over by 1,000 or more calories. It takes a lot more than one day to unravel stuff.
I like that idea. I think the logging of things can become quite obsessive, I'm an all or nothing kind of person, I think I need to mellow out!
If I see the calorie intake go into red I automatically get cross with myself, I really need to try and be less rigid...
sophie, that is the good and the bad of calorie counting.
Really, once you have logged all your go-to foods a couple times, you know what to do.
It serves no one to obsess over a tool.
On the other hand, I've got all my foods entered here, so it takes about three minutes per meal. Not like it's a huge chore. I just like teaching myself to eat intuitively. Probably my biggest challenge is to make sure I'm eating enough vegetables. Cheese sandwiches are too easy.0 -
Congrats on reaching your goal. I reached goal in November, and in trying to find my maintenance I lost a further 7lbs. I am on day 3 of not counting calories, as I needed a mental break from the numbers. It was messing with my head. But I am confident I have gained enough knowledge over the last 3 years of portion control, healthy foods, and exercise my body needs. I am nervous, but I am taking it one day at a time.
I have a game plan in place in case things don't go well with no logging. I am weighing daily to keep a close eye on my weight, I know my fluctuations, and have allowed myself a 5 lbs window. Should I go over that 5 lbs, I will begin logging again to find the problem, and get back on track. I believe the main thing for me is to remain active. I also calorie cycle as I discovered through logging.0 -
When I need to splurge I go out and get diet jelly mix strawberries, blueberries, rasberries, and low fat creamy yogurt and make a huge jelly fruit bowl and set it in the fridge, then I dive in with a dollop of yogurt or nonfat ice cream in top. Never done any harm to my diet but felt like a million dollars when the huge bowl was empty, make it every week and have a bowl for a treat0
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What changed for me is that I didn't freak out if I was way below one day, like at 800 calories or whatever. If I still felt fine, I just didn't eat. Then on days when I want to go for it, I do! No harm done...I think.0
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Congrats on reaching your goal. I reached goal in November, and in trying to find my maintenance I lost a further 7lbs. I am on day 3 of not counting calories, as I needed a mental break from the numbers. It was messing with my head. But I am confident I have gained enough knowledge over the last 3 years of portion control, healthy foods, and exercise my body needs. I am nervous, but I am taking it one day at a time.
I have a game plan in place in case things don't go well with no logging. I am weighing daily to keep a close eye on my weight, I know my fluctuations, and have allowed myself a 5 lbs window. Should I go over that 5 lbs, I will begin logging again to find the problem, and get back on track. I believe the main thing for me is to remain active. I also calorie cycle as I discovered through logging.
A good approach!0 -
I think when I hit maintenance I am going to try my hardest to log everyday to get used to maintenance & then go from there.0
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I'd like to know how others cope when the urge gets crazy!
Thanks
Sophie
I IF and eat in a way that keeps me satisfied, but not in danger of overeating. So that when I do have those urges and get "crazy", I can do so pretty much when I like, and still lose. So I don't calorie count at all, regardless.0 -
I was talking to the admin at a doctors office all of the people there are on special restrictive diets...she said that it is impossible for the human nature to do it all of the time. She has not seen one person yet how is 100% consistent. So when others say go do it, and be conscious of what you have done and get back on track ....it makes sense.
Love ourselves a bit and be human 0 -
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It serves no one to obsess over a tool.
On the other hand, I've got all my foods entered here, so it takes about three minutes per meal. Not like it's a huge chore. I just like teaching myself to eat intuitively. Probably my biggest challenge is to make sure I'm eating enough vegetables. Cheese sandwiches are too easy.
I don't think that logging, weighing daily, and eating intuitively are at odds with each other. I still log everything every day. And I step on the scale on the morning. But it's just something I do.
It's a rare day when I look at my log and find I'm way over. More often, I'm way under and have lots of calories left in my day and logging gives me permission to eat a snack I want. Or, it might even tell me I SHOULD eat a bit before bed because I'm way under.
It also tells me when I haven't moved enough and should get off my butt. Both good things.
It reminds me of how when I had my youngest son. I was nursing and when I left him with his dad, I would hurry home because I'd worry he was out of milk. Once I got a cell phone, I could relax because I knew that if he needed me, his dad would call and I could get home in plenty of time. No need to rush.
With logging, I have information to make decisions without worrying.0 -
I've used MFP off and on the last couple years. I use it religiously during weight loss mode, then haven't logged during maintaining. I found as long as I kept portions reasonable, and cut the junk out I maintained pretty well within a 2 to 3 pound range. I'm currently trying to take off the 13 lbs I gained over the holidays and am thinking this time when I hit my goal I'll continue to log during the week but let it go on the weekends. I weigh once a week on Fridays to assess progress.0
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I find with maintaining I can be a bit looser with my documenting and enjoy more "splurge days".0
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I just hit my goal weight and have decided to take weekends off from logging. I've been logging daily for almost a year, this included holidays, special events, etc. I weigh myself generally on mondays (where I expect to be heaviest) and fridays (where I expect to weigh the least), and so far I've managed to maintain and honestly I'm enjoying the mental break of having to figure out what a 'portion' looks like depending on where I'm going for the day.
I think for everyone it's obviously different, but eventually for myself I'd like to feel like I don't HAVE to log every day.0
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