Will you spend the rest of your life counting calories?

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fpuckett2383
fpuckett2383 Posts: 49 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've tried it all and I know at the end of the day the only things that work for me is keeping detailed food diaries. For a month I tried eyeballing and just eating things that were "good" for me and it was disastrous. For one, I am not a great eyeballer. It makes me wonder if I'll have to do this forever- which is fine. It's not too much of a hassle. Do you guys think you'lll always count your calories (for the ones that do)?
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Replies

  • ldula88
    ldula88 Posts: 169 Member
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    I fully plan to count for a long time, probably for the rest of my life. It's the only way I've been able to lose and keep weight off for any extended amount of time. It's worth the hassle to not be overweight anymore :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    for the rest of my life? who knows ....for a long time absolutely.

    There is no way in heck that after losing this weight that I am going back up unless it's for a bulk.
  • dettiot
    dettiot Posts: 180 Member
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    Probably? Maybe? It's hard to say--I've never lost weight and kept it off, so maintenance will be a big challenge for me. I still have about ten pounds to lose before I'll be ready to go into maintenance, but I'm looking forward to being able to try some new things, exercise-wise, instead of concentrating on burning off calories. But if it turns out I'm not good at eyeballing either, I'll be back here on MFP logging regularly. :-)
  • Kixshots
    Kixshots Posts: 74 Member
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    Probably, I tried stopping once and I didn't even last a single day, it's become such a compulsive habit for me now that it's too hard to stop. If it keeps me in shape and helps me lose a few more pounds then it's not the unhealthiest obsession there is
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    It's a tough reality to accept, but I do think I will spend the rest of my life tracking my food. I totally lose control otherwise.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    For the time being....
    Seems to be working for my goals.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    Probably. It takes about 10 minutes a day; that's not too much time to devote to staying a healthy weight. It can be a drag sometimes, which is why my current maintenance keeps me sane - log 5 days a week, no logging most weekends. It's worked so far (18 months into maintenance).
  • stackhead
    stackhead Posts: 121 Member
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    It's part of my daily routine now so I just don't think about the act of logging itself. So yeah, I'd imagine i'll be logging for the foreseeable future.

    Think about it this way - 5 minutes per day to log food vs the risk of putting the weight back on. I'll do the 5 minutes.
  • _MG_
    _MG_ Posts: 453 Member
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    Probably.

    It's not that hard so I don't see it as too much of an issue.
  • labtech666
    labtech666 Posts: 66 Member
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    I'll definitely be counting calories for the foreseeable future.

    After all the time and effort I've put into losing the weight I don't want to become complacent and risk gaining it back.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
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    Like most of the others I will probably be doing it for a very long time. I dont know if i'll do it forever but definately for long enough that I get tuned into how much my body really needs to stay at a healthy weight.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    I've tried it all and I know at the end of the day the only things that work for me is keeping detailed food diaries. For a month I tried eyeballing and just eating things that were "good" for me and it was disastrous. For one, I am not a great eyeballer. It makes me wonder if I'll have to do this forever- which is fine. It's not too much of a hassle. Do you guys think you'lll always count your calories (for the ones that do)?

    Is this a bad thing? I bet most people plan to spend the rest of their lives on Facebook..... (MFP is infinitely more useful)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Counting calories may not be something I do on a regular basis for the rest of my life but it's definitely a tool that I'm going to keep in my back pocket for when it's needed. I imagine getting to a point after reaching goal and maintaining for a year or so that I'll slowly drop off the logging and just see how I do on my own. If I gain more than 5or 6 pounds, I'll come back to logging for a while. As other said, there is no way I'm going to let myself go back to being overweight/obese after putting all this work in!

    I'm already sort of testing it out by having days/weekends here and there where I don't log and make the best choices I can based on my usual logging and see what happens. Normally if I go back and track these days, I've done pretty well.

    Honestly though, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Current focus is getting to goal. I'll figure out what works best for maintenance when I get there.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
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    I will continue to log for a good while. I believe I can eventually reach the point where I can keep a running rough total in my head. Unlike many people, I tend to overestimate portions so I can "guess" more safely. I'll probably still log unusual days and to spot-check normal ones.

    I DO intend to keep weighing regularly. If the scale creeps up, I know what I have to do.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Probably.

    It's not that hard so I don't see it as too much of an issue.

    this.

    with a phone it's just insanely easy. After a few years you get better at eyeballing- it takes practice- and the fact that we eat a lot of the same foods over and over again- so it's easy to know what's what.
  • Jenjenthejetplane1
    Jenjenthejetplane1 Posts: 130
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    If it keeps me healthy and looking fantastic...ABSOLUTELY! Its not that hard to do it either.
  • tdeem009
    tdeem009 Posts: 5 Member
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    I find it really fun actually! I like to see the little graph (that appears only on the phone app for some reason?) that puts your macros in a pie chart. I use a ketogenic diet so seeing that little sliver of carb macros makes me super happy. It was at 2% yesterday, fat was 83%....I did a little dance last night seeing it hehehe. I can't see my progress in my body from day to day, but I can see it on the pie chart and it's gratifying. To each their own:)
  • Nickih4619093
    Nickih4619093 Posts: 91 Member
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    Last time I stopped keeping track I gained 25lbs over the course of a few years! So I think will have to if I want to keep the weight off this time around. I don't mind though, it's actually something I look forward to. There's so much great information and support here and it only takes me a few minutes per day. I even have mfp on my cel so there's really no excuse not to log on!
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
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    I'll be counting for a long time after maintenance until I feel I'm comfortable estimating, and even then I think I will take a day here and there counting just to be sure I'm still on track. I will also continue to weigh every couple of weeks that way if I start gaining too much I can go back to a deficit.

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