Being tricky...

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BoxerBrawler
BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not sure why this works so well for me but almost every day when I log my foods, I intentionally put it just a teeny bit more in terms of portion size or things I eat. Or... sometimes when I do eat the things I have logged I'll end up eating less or eliminating something for the day because I'm not hungry or whatever, but I leave it in my log. This sort of ensures that I am ahead of the game on calories for the day.

Does anyone else play this trick on themselves?

I am not sure why this works for me but it does.

Thanks for reading :smile:

Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    Not really. Since MFP already has a deficit in place, eating less than that isn't really doing that much of a favor. Not logging honestly or accurately isn't really doing any favors in the long run.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    I'm not overly anal about being exact. I try to pick and log food that I've eaten, but if I'm guessing, I error on the side of caution.

    This works for me, because inevitably I will forget to log something... A slice of cheese, or some almonds.

    It's working for me so far.
    :-)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Not really. Since MFP already has a deficit in place, eating less than that isn't really doing that much of a favor. Not logging honestly or accurately isn't really doing any favors in the long run.

    this...

    i am all about eating as much as possible while still losing fat, so i would never intentionally eat less!!!!!
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
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    Yeah, I do that too.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Not really. Since MFP already has a deficit in place, eating less than that isn't really doing that much of a favor. Not logging honestly or accurately isn't really doing any favors in the long run.

    this...

    i am all about eating as much as possible while still losing fat, so i would never intentionally eat less!!!!!

    I agree. It would be impossible to be perfectly precise - but I get as close as possible to ensure that my body is being fed correctly.
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
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    As I wrote in another topic, I think it's ok to be on the safe side. Problem is that everyone that wants to be on the safe side end up underestimating their activity level, underestimating burned calories AND underestimating food intake. On top of that, they leave some calories at the end of the day because, you know, I might've done something wrong.

    It's ok to be on the safe side, just don't do ALL of this :)
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Not really. Since MFP already has a deficit in place, eating less than that isn't really doing that much of a favor. Not logging honestly or accurately isn't really doing any favors in the long run.

    THIS^^^
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
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    As I wrote in another topic, I think it's ok to be on the safe side. Problem is that everyone that wants to be on the safe side end up underestimating their activity level, underestimating burned calories AND underestimating food intake. On top of that, they leave some calories at the end of the day because, you know, I might've done something wrong.

    It's ok to be on the safe side, just don't do ALL of this :)
    Well, I meant "overestimating food intake" but I think you got it :P
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    Yeah, I get what you are all saying and agree. I don't mean to do this all the time or to try to be over the top specific about it.

    I do try to overestimate a little on the calories of some things and under estimate some on my workouts only because it's not an exact science.

    The real reason why I do this to avoid the stress later on of worrying about my calorie limit. It takes the pressure off which in turn helps me to control and maintain what I am eating which helps me in turn to not feel the need to eat mechanically or binge... I can go either way at the end of the day and it's a nice feeling.

    Thanks for the replies! :happy:
  • mcrane4
    mcrane4 Posts: 18 Member
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    If im in doubt, I always over estimate. But normally im pretty spot on when weighing my food and logging it.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    If you are using a food scale and a heart rate monitor, it is pretty close to exact science, so you don't need to go the whole "tricky" route with guessing.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    My whole point of logging is to be honest with myself, so I try to be honest with myself.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    If im in doubt, I always over estimate. But normally im pretty spot on when weighing my food and logging it.

    Yeah me too! I wasn't always really good with weighing my food and that was pointed out to me so I tried to get a lot better. I think I'm doing so far so good.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    If you are using a food scale and a heart rate monitor, it is pretty close to exact science, so you don't need to go the whole "tricky" route with guessing.

    I do have a food scale so that's good. I am going to pick up a heart monitor this weekend :smile: and I am waiting on a Fitbit.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    My whole point of logging is to be honest with myself, so I try to be honest with myself.

    Yes, I totally agree. I am, for the most part, honest. Especially when I snack or eat things out of my range or over and above. It's good to see the trends and see how you feel physically when things like that happen. I just mean that when there is doubt it helps me to tweak the numbers a bit. Better to air on the side of caution, for me anyways.
  • mrsbeck
    mrsbeck Posts: 234 Member
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    Kind of...One of the things I've learned on my many, many trips through calorie logging is that if I obsess over keeping my diary perfectly, I get annoyed by it and quit. So, I've developed methods of logging that keep me sane, and keep me from feeling as though logging is taking over my life.
    See, I usually log everything I'm planning to eat that day in the morning, before eating anything. (I haven't today, because I'm going back and forth on my dinner options, and I haven't figured out what I want for lunch yet.) As part of that, every day I log 10 ounces of wine, which, the way I pour, equals about 2/12 glasses. I don't always drink that wine. Or I drink one glass of wine. Or I drink three. No matter what, I leave that wine on the log, so that I'm not sitting at the computer at ten o'clock updating my diary. Then there are situations like yesterday, where I have a full day logged, but unfortunately, my lunch made me sick, and at dinner I ended up having a piece of toast. I didn't feel well, so I didn't get around to changing my diary, but I know that piece of toast was not more calories than my planned dinner, so while the diary is not accurate for yesterday, my deficit was maintained, so I don't really care.

    BUT. If I eat more of something that is on the log, or if I eat something that I didn't put on the log, like say I have a surprise chocolate craving and decide to have some chocolate almonds or a handful of chocolate chips, that goes in the diary. Period, no matter if it puts me over, no matter if it's midnight and I'm tired, it gets logged.

    So, the TL;DR version: If I eat less than what is logged, I don't bother updating. If I eat more, or something different, it gets logged. It may not be right for everyone, but it keeps me from feeling trapped by my diary.

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