MyFitnessPal for life?

So true, once we obtain our goal weight I believe you'll have to be mindful of the calorie counts to avoid gaining the pounds back.

To manage your weight, you will always have to be mindful of your caloric intake.

I'm working on being more mindful of being mindful :-)

Trust me, all skinny people do this for life - they've just learned to do it in their heads.

I have actually seen the skinny people in my life doing this over the past 2 years. They are counting, in their brains, every time they pick up a piece of birthday cake at work, or a mini-snickers in the candy bowl - and they calculate whether or not they can "afford" it.

The skinny people I have worked with in the past have also been nowhere to be found when birthday cake day happens. They'll pop in to sing happy birthday, and then they'll mysteriously vanish.

I'm not saying everyone has to be on MFP physically typing down their calories for the rest of their lives, but of the adults I know with low BMIs (and have had this their whole lives without weight issues) they absolutely count every single calorie that goes into their mouth. They read every label of everything they eat.

That's just what I've observed...

Totally do not agree with this.


Intuitive eating is huge. Once you have a handle on how your body maintains and loses weight, knowing what you can/can't eat can be done without physically tracking, but keeping a mental idea of what you've eaten and what your body needs can be done.

ETA: spelling.

Pretty sure your both making the same point here...

Yes, I think of it like brushing my teeth 2x a day. I've got to do that for life, but in return, if I take care of my teeth (brushing, flossing, seeing the dentist), I get to keep my teeth.

The difference is that you can't have healthy teeth without brushing and flossing. But it is entirely possible to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle without keeping a food diary.


This is MHO as well:

IMHO, MFP and logging is just training wheels...at some point you have to learn to balance on your own.

To me, the whole point of keeping a food diary is to learn about portion sizes, about the nutrient make-up of foods, etc. If you are logging every day and after a year or so you haven't learned anything, I don't know what to say to that.

There are a few different ways to approach maintaining your weight. One no more right or wrong than the other. Each person has to decide what will work for them.

I hope to get to a point where I don't have to log every bite that goes in to my mouth...have I don't enough physical activity...have I eaten the right amount of nutrients. I want it to become second nature to me...just like knowing to put on my shoes before I go for a walk.

I think finding that right method is knowing yourself. I also believe that where you are in life plays a role. At my age...I am not out socializing with friends as much as what a 20 or 30 y/o might be. I think that lifestyle has a lot to do with it also. My meals are prepared mainly at home which makes it easier vs someone that eats out often.

There are just so many factors that play in to what is right for each individual.

Then again...I could be wrong...I might always have to log calories. If that is what it takes to maintain...then that is what I will do.

i find i kind of do it automatically, as soon as i eat something i try to figure out its cal/protien(dont care about carbs/fats) content and see how much i ave left to eat for the day. may not be ideal but im used to it by now, it may be a little obsessive but its okay to obsess over certain things, something as big as your health is something you should obsess over in my opinion

I've recently come to the conclusion that unless I count calories I gain weight. I find this really sad. If I want to keep the body I get, will I have to count calories forever? Has anyone else come to this conclusion? Are any of you content with doing this for life?

I also struggle if I don't track what I'm eating. It's easy to miss or underestimate a few things ... I also find it easier to maintain my weight when I weigh myself regularly. Not in an obsessive way, but just to be aware of changes. See you here at the end of forever :L

I posted in the MFP forums a while back, as I was concerned about maintenance. I got some really good advice that I think you will find helpful:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1198562-what-s-your-one-tip-for-maintainig

And yes, I have since realized there is a monumental typo in the title...

Yes, I've come to that same conclusion. This documentary explained why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

I recently fell of the wagon and now it's real clear to me that I can't maintain without a support system and a method of accountability like logging.

I'm ok with it. I prefer that to gaining and getting out of shape again.

This is helpful .....gives me a little more strategy. Thanks for posting this link.