"but it would be such a bother to LOG your food"

I think she isn't saying logging is bad, but simply saying it's not the only way to lose weight.

I believe logging is important to get a grasp on what you are eating, especially in the beginning. But once you have logged and logged and logged, you kind of get an idea of what you are eating and it may come as second nature to you and logging may not be as important to you.

I used to log a lot, but really don't anymore. I've tried to start up again and again but don't anymore. It gets me a little crazy.

If it works for you, keep on doing that, if not, don't.

Congrats to everyone who is even on this site because it means you care and that is what really counts.

After a short while, logging has now become (more or less) second nature. After my daughter was born (now almost 13) I lost a bucket of weight after I started writing everything down each day in a little bitty notebook or on little slips of paper. I got about halfway to goal, then some unfortunate life circumstances kicked in and with one thing and another I stopped logging, stopped tracking and stopped caring. You can guess what happened with my weight.

Nowadays it's even easier since I've got the phone and not whipping out the little notebooks and trying to do math LOL... even when eating out with people it only takes a moment or two and nobody makes a big deal about it (especially me, I don't want to be "that person" preaching about calories when we're supposed to be out spending time together having fun.)

Even when I had a "bad" food day, I try to log it all instead of ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen (my old M.O.). It helps me to own my goof-ups, acknowledge them, and pick back up.

if it works for you, great. and yes, i agree with the person that logging is a bother, to me personally, but if it works for you, kudos

I actually enjoy it...Today is day 671 of logging every meal & snack. Takes no time at all & keeps me honest.
I know for me, based on my past dieting history & yo yo'ing it back & then some, I would not have lost what I have had I not faithfully logged.

YMMV but for me, it works.

Hubby finally asked me out loud last week "Why are you always putting in all your food on MFP?" When I pointed out to him the calories & macro totals of the pancakes we had for breaky that Sunday (and he only ate 2 instead of 5 - his normal amount) he was pretty shocked, lol. THEN he said, "Well, no wonder I gained 13 lbs over the winter while I was seasonally retired!"
Now he powers up the computer for me in the morning while I make my breakfast, bwahahahaha!

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If you don't log it, you can't track it. If you can't track it, you can't measure it. If you can't measure it, you can't change it. If you can't change it = fail.

That's just silly.

might be silly to you but seriously this is why i am doing so much better now than i ever have ,

i log everything and dont usually eat dinner until i have seen where i am up to and whats left , otherwise i get lazy and just eat anything thats not moving .

I am a contrary sod and dont like being told what to do plus having a large family to feed means that traditional dieting methods like weight watchers etc just dont fit into my life . MFP is great for me cause it has that flexibility and i can choose my own foods evn if some of it is still crap .

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If you don't log it, you can't track it. If you can't track it, you can't measure it. If you can't measure it, you can't change it. If you can't change it = fail.

That's just silly.

might be silly to you but seriously this is why i am doing so much better now than i ever have ,

i log everything and dont usually eat dinner until i have seen where i am up to and whats left , otherwise i get lazy and just eat anything thats not moving .

I am a contrary sod and dont like being told what to do plus having a large family to feed means that traditional dieting methods like weight watchers etc just dont fit into my life . MFP is great for me cause it has that flexibility and i can choose my own foods evn if some of it is still crap .

I NEVER said logging was silly. I don't think logging is silly. I know that logging is a great tool for a great many people and believe MFP is a great site.

The post to which I replied that stated not logging = no change is silly. Lots of people change without logging.

Its a way of life now!!

Right on Sister!

I don't *need* to log, but I've found it the most efficient and effective way to intentionally manage my weight in the direction and the magnitude in which I want it to go. Even as a relatively fit person at a healthy weight, I found that relying on hunger cues was a remarkably poor indicator and led to less-than-awesome results in either direction depending on which direction I was trying to go at the time.

For those who are actively trying to lose weight, I can't imagine not logging. It seems by far the most effective way to achieve a weight loss goal.

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I like logging because I have obsessive tendencies and like to see the lists. I keep better track that way. If I don't log I won't remember everything I ate and I'll freak a bit.

Ha ha I don't freak but I do enjoy the process of logging what I eat and will do it for as long as it works for me,

I also enjoy to see the list of food I had that day and realized that even thou I am eating on deficit, still can eat a lot different food and snacks, and is exactly the food I like to eat.

I've been logging daily for over 100 days now between MFP and My Fitness Pal, where I got started. How can something that takes less than 5 minutes out of my day be a bother? Especially considering that it works!

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If you don't log it, you can't track it. If you can't track it, you can't measure it. If you can't measure it, you can't change it. If you can't change it = fail.

That's just silly.

Almost as silly as someone who has maintained the same weight for decades and never logged a frikkin thing spending so much time on a food logging website.

Who would that be? Certainly not me, on either count. I logged regularly for some time. And I have not been the same weight for decades.

Also, this is a fitness site with a food logging feature. I use the site for one, but not the other. I'm not sure why that irritates you so, or why it's even your business.

It doesn't irritate me. I just find it odd that you feel the overwhelming need to point out the fact that you don't log your food any time anyone makes a comment about logging their food..... on a food logging site.

myfoodloggingpal sure is a good website. Can you believe that i actually thought it was called myfitnesspal when i first signed up!?!? Not sure how i got that one messed up.

I bet you were pissed when they wouldn't let you shoot the merchandise at Target.

i tried to stop logging it was in between weight watchers and when i started my fitness pal. I thought "i can totally regulate my food without logging" well in two months i was 20 lbs heavier. So, just watch out and make sure you are ready for it when you decide to do it.