Does anyone NOT track their food intake?

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  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    I don't track and never have. If you've got a good idea of portion size I'd say give it a try. If you see results keep going, if you don't then re-evaluate the counting.

    There's no time limits on MFP - only the ones we set ourselves. Have play around with it.

    Good luck
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    I tried Eat Stop Eat without tracking. (2 24hr fasts per week)

    Turns out I can eat too much if I want to :laugh:

    Ended up gaining a bit over 2 months of that experiment. (Not the worst thing in the world by the way, as you shouldn't lose weight indefinitely :smile:)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    That's a funny question to ask on a site that's made for calorie counting.

    Plenty of people have successful weight loss without calorie counting, without MFP, etc. With that said, most of the "I stopped losing weight" threads are from folks that either stopped logging or are not logging accurately. If it works for you, fantastic. If not, keep logging.

    I dont track anymore. And this is NOT just a calorie counting site. There are blogs, groups to join, etc...

    I agree that its NOT just a calorie counting website and I use it for various reasons. Again appreciate everyones input.

    Never said it was ONLY a calorie counting website... :huh:
  • The_1_Who_Knocks
    The_1_Who_Knocks Posts: 343 Member
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    On days I've decided to treat myself, I don't track. That is once a week or once every 10 days.

    LOL I thought I was cheating myself because I do this too...then I see people here saying they log everything even when they are over eating...

    If I've decided it is a treat day, I don't want to be sweating the calorie count. No matter how bad I am on a treat day, it's not anything that can't be undone in a few days of being good.
  • monicapatituccijones
    monicapatituccijones Posts: 68 Member
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    I'm not hardcore about it. I've been doing this for long enough that I can keep track of calories in my head for the most part. I generally eat one of the same three things for breakfast, and lunch of often leftovers from the night before. I input those things because they are already in my meals, and then eyeball the rest. It works for me.
  • Jenn070608
    Jenn070608 Posts: 206 Member
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    I do not track calories anymore. I did MFP about 3 years ago and lost over 30 lbs. The calorie counting became too much like work for me. Within 1 year I gained back all, plus another 10. Truth is, I know I won't count calories forever, so this time I am just learning to eat the right foods. I am making this a life change, not a diet.

    MFP is still a great tool because I like to track my weight and exercise.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
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    If I eat out I tend not to track for the day, generally because I really have no clue what to put in. the kinds of places I eat out are not places that are large enough to have a calorie count on their meals.

    I'll probably keep tracking even once I get to maintenance because I've realized how easy it is to underestimate what you've eaten.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I usually only track when i change something up. Since i eat mostly low calorie density food, i really don't need to track. If i eat what i want, within the types of foods that i eat now (mostly fruit and veg), i eat just about exactly what MFP says i should to lose weight. Usually around 2100-2300 Cal/day.
  • hkristine1
    hkristine1 Posts: 950 Member
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    I track pretty carefully 90% of the time... the other 10%, I let go so long as I'm still on the downward trend, weight-wise. I get really frustrated when trying to track when I eat out at non-chain restaurants, where I can't find nutrition info on the internet. So, I do my best but don't really worry about it those days.

    I also don't weigh/measure my food - but I think I generally try to over-estimate the size of what I'm eating so that I'm "safe" within my calorie allotment.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Why would you be on this website if not to track food?

    Track work outs? Log weight/measurements?


    I do not track all the time, depends on what my goals are at the time.
  • wordpainter09
    wordpainter09 Posts: 472 Member
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    I vary, sometimes I track, sometimes I don't. I find I can maintain quite well without tracking, although I tend to keep rough count in my head that turns out to be accurate when I put it into MFP. If I really want to tighten up and lose, I usually need to track, if only to better observe my patterns and see where I can cut that I don't care as much about.
    I think it depends on what it means to you. For someone with an ED past, tracking can be triggering and difficult, bring up body image issues, etc. For another person it may be just data that helps with their weight loss. It's different for everyone. If it's becoming a burden to you there's probably another way (intuitive eating, food journaling on paper, etc)
  • losingw8now
    losingw8now Posts: 105 Member
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    I tracked regularly for first 3 months. That gave me a great guide to learn about portion sizes, restaurant meal calorie counts, etc. After a while I felt like you - I just wanted to focus on other things throughout my day and not constantly focus on counting calories. And it takes me much longer than 10 min a day (like someone responded on here) to log my foods. I too, get frustrated at not finding things in the log, or finding so many of the same things with different info that causes me to have to go to websites of the foods and look up the correct and enter it, etc. Very tiresome! And I am not one to eat the same foods often, so they are not on my recent logs.

    I think once you get used to what sizes are for portions, measuring, etc. and used to the amount you can eat daily without logging, you can stop and use the website for getting and giving support, tracking weight, etc. If you find yourself gaining weight, you would obviously know that you need to go back to logging. I had stopped for a while and just went on maintenance because I wanted to focus on other things than every thing that goes into my mouth. If you feel that way, it's better to take a break, than keep pushing yourself until you give up completely! Anything that will keep you trying to stay on track and not giving up is what you need to do. Yes, everyone's weight loss journey is their own.
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
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    I don't any more. I've lost just a smidge over 60 pounds over the last year, and I'd say the first 3/4's of it was done while counting, but I've been able to consistently keep losing without it. Some can do it, some can't. Try it for a bit and if your weight doesn't fluctuate more than a pound or two, then you should be okay. Just keep an eye on it and be willing to go back to counting if you need to.

    Some of you people are so precious.

    "This site was designed for counting calories and as we all know, you can never use anything for any other purpose than that for which it was expressly designed. Because them's the rules we just made up!"
  • saf1040
    saf1040 Posts: 21
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    I just estimate. Works well for me.
  • KingofWisdom
    KingofWisdom Posts: 229 Member
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    I've lost ten pounds so far, all from exercising (I was sedentary prior to this) and making better choices in some cases. I do try to pick healthier stuff to eat and I keep calories in mind, but I don't count any of it. It's partly that I don't do the cooking and it seems like it would be a hassle to have everything calculated and partly that I just want to live my life. Counting calories just doesn't appeal to me. I just sorta figured it out as I went along. I started with a 1.5 mile walk 4-5 times a week and have since kept readjusting the distance to increase my weekly losses. Now I'm walking 3.2 miles 4-5 times a week. It seems to be working. Haven't gained back any weight. Still a ways off, though. I actually joined MFP to keep track of my progress as well as to participate in the forum. Reading topics on here actually helped a lot in giving me the motivation I needed to recommit to bettering my health. I also really like the tickers. :laugh:
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
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    i have to track..... thats what works for me. i started right after valentines day and am down 12.4 so far. it only works for me and keeps me accountable for what im doing if i track it all. otherwise i will lie to myself and it won't work. i can't speak for anyone but me but i HAVE to track. thats what brought me here :drinker: good luck.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    I do not track. None of the weight loss reflected in this ticker was done under any tracking program.
  • psychicmedium26
    psychicmedium26 Posts: 48
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    I do not track. None of the weight loss reflected in this ticker was done under any tracking program.

    Wow great job on your loss!
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Thank you!

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