Do you log everything?

Better_Balance_2011 · February 2011

My parents were in town this weekend. This means we have happy hour every day at 5, along with cheese and crackers, and then we go out to dinner. Needless to say, my weekend was over on calories every day. Not as bad as I thought. Then again maybe I forgot a Girlscout Cookie here or there. :happy: I just completed my logs this afternoon and at one point I thought I may just leave them incomplete. I notice a lot of people are pretty diligent all week long on food logging and then leave Friday, Saturday, Sunday blank. For me, I am holding myself accountable. So then when I look back over my progress and try to figure out why I am or why I am not losing weight, I have a paper trail to help. I'm curious to get peoples' opinions on logging habbits?

Happy Monday! It's almost March. Spring is near!

in_it_2_win_it · February 2011

I log EACH AND EVERY DAY

MakingAChoice · February 2011

I log everything every day, the only day that I am thinking my be an exception is a holiday. Mainly because when everyone is cooking in a potluck way for a family get togethor it would be impossible to track.

MochaMixAZ · February 2011

I'm of the "log everything" mindset. Even when I'm not making great choices, it's good to be aware of what the "cost" of that delicious morsel is. So - I logged it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

caitlinclock · February 2011

I log absolutely everything. Every last bite as best I can.

I find that you have to be accountable all the time. No use only trying 4 or 5 days out of the week. What's the point? Even if I'm over, I still have to be held accountable for it.

It's 100% or nothing!!

ilbrabham · February 2011

I log my food at work on my lunch break. This gives me time to plan from what's in the fridge for dinner and I know exactly where I stand on my snacking.
On Monday's it's hard to remember everything from the weekend, but I do my best. Weekends are where most of my "cheating" happens anyways, so I think they are the most important days to log. Even though it may not be the most accurate ("Did I have 2 or 3 glasses of wine of Friday?") I have to try my best.

denise980 · February 2011

I log everything because, like you, I am holdin gmyself accountable for what I do. If I don't have the time to log a day, I will log it the next day and try my hardest to remember what I ate and did the day before. It does get tricky on weekends especially to remember, but I have myself in a pretty good schedule of going on here to log things. I just finished lunch, so it's off to logging it now.

ChRiStA_1983 · February 2011

I've seen the "If you bite it, write it" quote on here a lot! I DEFINITELY log EVERYTHING....Even if it means that I'm "in the red" (which doesn't happen very often, but still!)....

I feel that it's important to be honest with myself! Just because I didn't track it, doesn't mean it doesn't count!!! My body still tracks everything that I consume!

eme31386 · February 2011

I log any and everything that goes into my mouth...sometimes I forget to log all my water consumption, but food is logged regardless. I used to skip days when I wasn't eating right, but now I understand that there is nothing to be embarrassed about, especially when I am making an honest effort to do better. I have noticed that logging in everything keeps me in check, I know I will have to see where my calorie count is everyday and I don't want to disappoint myself so I eat to live, not live to eat.

annie_p · February 2011

I log everything, every day. There has been a day or two where I haven't logged because I knew I went over, or a meal that I didn't log. But those are pretty few and far between.

lynx__13 · February 2011

I agree with holding yourself accountable. I do my best to log everything everyday. Then, when I get mopey because I haven't been losing weight I can look back on my bad days and say oohh yah, that's why. Otherwise, I forget how much I actually ate those days and brush them off as not as bad as they were lol.

myukniewicz · February 2011

i try and long everything, although on fridays or saturdays, i am guilty of logging everything i had, until i go out that night and go to the bar (and definatly blow all my good eating out the window) then come home late, and never log in what i drank.

Eyvette1 · February 2011

LOG EVERYTHING or you are cheating yourself.

dreamc08 · February 2011

I strive to log everything, every day. It helps if I log it as soon as I eat it, or at least write it down if I'm not near my computer (I dont have a smart phone :sad: )

It definitely helps to spot trends and areas where I need to improve.

Edit: I log everything I eat...I need to work on logging what I drink, even though it's usually just water and unsweet tea. If I drink coffee, I always log the cream but usually not the coffee, since there aren't any cals in it lol

cab1204 · February 2011

I log everything!!! You are only cheating yourself by leaving things out!!!

SheliaN1960 · February 2011

The truth will set you free!!! Good job!

Kalee34 · February 2011

I log everything, everyday no matter if I go over or not!!

CaraRadz · February 2011

I think it's really important to log all of your food on a daily basis. For me, I log as much as I can for the day first thing in the morning so that I have a game plan and know how much I need to workout to balance out my eating. Planning ahead has been a key to success for me. If you don't know what your day ahead holds, then I recommend logging your food as your go or at least at the end of each day. If you wait until Monday to log your whole weekend, you're bound to forget things.

As for the people who log Monday-Friday and then leave the weekend blank, I think they're sabatoging themselves. You can't eat well five days a week, binge all weekend, and still expect to get the results you want. Leaving the log blank doesn't make those calories disappear. Like you said, logging your food makes you be accountable for your food intake, and that's a crucial part of the weight loss process.

Best of luck!

eme31386 · February 2011

I log everything because, like you, I am holdin gmyself accountable for what I do. If I don't have the time to log a day, I will log it the next day and try my hardest to remember what I ate and did the day before. It does get tricky on weekends especially to remember, but I have myself in a pretty good schedule of going on here to log things. I just finished lunch, so it's off to logging it now.

That's great that you have yourself on a schedule, when you fail to plan in essence you are planning to fail. I also have noticed that when I am eating healthy it is much easier to log and remember what I ate and the amounts.

ShellyMacchi · February 2011

i log everything .. everyday.. faithfully ... (i would feel like something was missing if i did not *L*)

in fact i log it twice.. sorta... first i use the food diary as a menu planner to figure out what i can have and what i can fit in still.. then once i have the meal i adjust the amounts as and if needed.
That way no unpleasant surprises by end of the day *LOL*

LisaYoung44 · February 2011

I think you are wise and by logging you are accountable. My goal for the next month..Keep it up..

geoffv · February 2011

I log everything

Theres no point in having a "perfect record" of your food intake if its not a perfect record

At the end of the day you're only cheating yourself if you leave stuff out.

We all need to come to terms with what we eat, whether it be good or bad, that way we can maybe make better choice next time.

cerysrhi · February 2011

I try to log everything everyday but I will admit to having the odd button out of my son pack and not logging that or when my husband says try this and I have one mouthful my intention is to log quick add calories to account for occassions when these mouthfuls happen quite often through the day but that has not been the case thus far

MacMadame · February 2011

The only time I don't log is if I'm out of town and don't have good internet access. Then I write it down in a little notebook but I rarely transfer it to the online log.

One thing that helps is to log throughout the day so (a) I'm not trying to remember what I ate 1/2 a day later and (b) it's less overwhelming.

sabrinafaith · February 2011

the only thing i don't log is sugar free gum because it burns more calories to chew than the gum contains lol

SeasideOasis · February 2011

I log everything, even if I will be unhappy with all the red. This way, when I get on that scale and it hasnt moved (or it goes up ick), I can remind myself ,'Hey Summer, did you really need that extra slice of pizza?' I definitely do it to keep myself accountable.

monicaP413 · February 2011

I log everything. It really helps. I had a day the other day that I went over by almost 400 calories, but then was able to fit a bit of exercise in. In the beginning we are all going to have good and bad days. I am trying to learn how to eat the right things at social functions, and logging everything is helpful. I think it will also keep me accountable and I won't want to eat that second piece of cake or that 4th piece of cheese because I know it will put me over. I am also starting to learn how many calories everything is and if I know before what food is going to be there, I can plan. If I don't know, then I can guess and do extra jumping jacks later! Sorry so long, I think I was talking myself through your question!! =D

karenjoy · February 2011

I log everything, it matters to nobody but me. People who don't log are only lying to themselves. The success of logging everything is that it makes you accountable for what goes in your face, the best way to lose weight is to log and be honest about it.Portion size etc.

Elle408 · February 2011

I don't think i'll ever understand those that don't log because they've gone over... surely that's the point?

Anyways, I log EVERYTHING! Even if it's two cherry tomatoes that are like 6 calories, I log.

I also believe in pre-planning. I plan what i'll be eating the night before and then the next day there's no worrying about what I can and can't fit in to my allowance. Occasionally things change because i'll go out to eat or something, but I just sit still and spend five minutes shuffling calories about and fitting things in until i'm happy! I find my calorie planning quite satisfying! It's like a giant game that I get to win!

Val_from_OH · February 2011

I truly intend to log everything, even on bad days, just to hold myself accountable. But sometimes... I blow it so badly, that there is no point in logging. It would take an hour to get everything into the log, and that is just an hour of beating myself up for being careless, unmotivated, or whatever caused me to overeat. So on those days, I quit logging and just start fresh in the morning. I think it is more productive to put that bad day to bed and try harder the next day.

red5 · February 2011

You are right about only logging during the week! I find that on Saturdays I am usually way to busy! I have all 5 kids home and we usually end up doing something! I don't have the app for my Blackberry either. Last Sat I was gone from 8:30 am until midnight there was no time to log anything. I know for a fact I was not over my calories though! I did a crosstraining X class and just about died and then went to an indoor waterpark running up stairs and riding a tube down for 4 hours and then ate a chicken breast and rice with steamed veggies! So I don't think you absolutely have to log everyday as long as you are aware of the decisions you are making.

Do you log everything?

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