120lbs down! Advice on goal-weight, and stop tracking needed!

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Replies

  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    I don't have much advice but wanted to say AMAZING JOB!

    Maybe you can try eating a maintenance for a little while and get a mental feel for what it feels like for you to eat at maintenance. Once you get ahold of that, you can stop tracking and just stick to making the right decisions on healthy food and portion sizes.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    For instance, you need to use .5tsp. You don't want to measure, but you figure that there is no way you used more than 1.5tsp. So you use 1.5 in your log. Therefore you used conservative numbers that will help you reduce the need for exact measurement. If it fits within your macros, no problem.

    I'm not sure that inaccurate logging is the best way to go for what the OP's goals are.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    For instance, you need to use .5tsp. You don't want to measure, but you figure that there is no way you used more than 1.5tsp. So you use 1.5 in your log. Therefore you used conservative numbers that will help you reduce the need for exact measurement. If it fits within your macros, no problem.

    So essentially, not weighing, and just over-estimating?

    That's what I do when I'm somewhere I can't measure - like eating at work (I cook at a restaurant), or at familys' etc. And the overestimation stresses me out. For instance, I teach at camps, so I had a whole weekend of just estimating food (since I ate what was served with the students) - I didn't snack, and I was the one eating the smallest portion at the table - yet by my overestimations, it showed up as 3000cal/day: Obviously, this could not be the case, yet it still stressed me out.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    You might have to find the right balance between logging and not logging. No use stressing out about this stuff. That's even worse. The good news is that you know what you did to get where you are.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    You might have to find the right balance between logging and not logging. No use stressing out about this stuff. That's even worse. The good news is that you know what you did to get where you are.

    I know, but it's hard :( Essentially, there's nothing wrong with the logging and tracking, just something wrong with how I get stressed out about it. So I think I'll follow what someone else suggested, to do some 6 days/week of accurate logging, and the 1 without, then 5/2, then 4/3 etc. Phasing out, while still still living up to the 'all or nothing'-approach I've developed.
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    I've maintenance for the last 4 months now and find that I still have to keep track of my calories. I can't totally let go or I run the risk of gaining it back. I tried not to log for a few days and I found that I was under calculating my calories and kept going way over. Maybe some people can stop logging all together and be successful but others can't. myself included.

  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    amblight wrote: »
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    You might have to find the right balance between logging and not logging. No use stressing out about this stuff. That's even worse. The good news is that you know what you did to get where you are.

    I know, but it's hard :( Essentially, there's nothing wrong with the logging and tracking, just something wrong with how I get stressed out about it. So I think I'll follow what someone else suggested, to do some 6 days/week of accurate logging, and the 1 without, then 5/2, then 4/3 etc. Phasing out, while still still living up to the 'all or nothing'-approach I've developed.

    Sounds to me like you have a good starting point.do not give yourself undue stress.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    kwantlen2051 wrote: »
    I've maintenance for the last 4 months now and find that I still have to keep track of my calories. I can't totally let go or I run the risk of gaining it back. I tried not to log for a few days and I found that I was under calculating my calories and kept going way over. Maybe some people can stop logging all together and be successful but others can't. myself included.

    Honestly, I gave myself other reasons to keep logging so it's somewhat like a game for me now to eat the right mix of foods.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    kwantlen2051 wrote: »
    I've maintenance for the last 4 months now and find that I still have to keep track of my calories. I can't totally let go or I run the risk of gaining it back. I tried not to log for a few days and I found that I was under calculating my calories and kept going way over. Maybe some people can stop logging all together and be successful but others can't. myself included.

    Honestly, I gave myself other reasons to keep logging so it's somewhat like a game for me now to eat the right mix of foods.

    I made it a game for me too, so I've fun with it while it lasted :) I'm probably a bit too 'competetive' with myself though, so the game turned exhausting.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    edited October 2014
    Well sometimes when games get exhausting it means you have to take a break. I like your beginning strategy. Just see how it works. You always know how to correct it.

    I handle that exhaustion by knowing exactly what I'm going to eat on certain days, a bit predicatable but less to think about those days.
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
    You look fantastic already! I too am within site of my goal though at 5'7" 171 lbs. I'm pretty happy where I'm at. My scale broke a couple weeks ago and I seem to be doing okay without it. Maybe you could skip weighing your food one day a week? You've learned what that portion of cereal looks like in your bowl or that most sweet potatoes are over 200 grams sometimes double that. Ease into it. Maybe even eat out once a week. I know I had a taco salad for my birthday 2 days ago.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I think stick to logging but perhaps challenge yourself to loosen up on the accuracy. Continuing to track in some way is very helpful for maintaining the loss. That or give yourself some days off from logging.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    amblight- I think you look terrific NOW! Wow, nice job.

    I too tend toward 'all or nothing' thinking and am enjoying ADMF (alternate day modified fasting). You might find you do well on something like 5:2 or alternating 1000 calorie days with unlogging days, for maintenance or for further loss. It's good for 'all or nothing' thinkers because you get some 'all diet' days and some 'no diet days', so there is much less logging but you remain in control. There are several good books on it. It has health benefits independent of weight control, too.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Wow you look amazing. And frankly I really don't know where you're hoping to lose 12 pounds from.

    Personally though... I will never stop logging. It's what keeps me in check. If I stopped... I'd probably end up doing it in my head anyway, so might as well do it here.
  • alliums
    alliums Posts: 39 Member
    Congrats on your incredible progress!!

    I'm sorry I'm not personally knowledgeable about this, but heard about it from a friend who's made a a amazing transformation. She cautioned me about logging, though she used to do it. She has been learning "intuitive eating" which sounds like what you're describing. Meaning: able to judge what your body needs, stopping eating before you're full, enjoying cooking, and making judgements you can trust. Any who! If you google "intuitive eating" you will get some advice, if you hadn't heard of it before.

    Also, my friend recommended this program: "precision nutrition" which doesn't advocate calorie counting. Here's an interview (audio download on that page) http://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-counting and here's an example of how they advise determining portions... http://www.precisionnutrition.com/pn-my-plate

    I hope that helps!

  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    amblight- I think you look terrific NOW! Wow, nice job.

    I too tend toward 'all or nothing' thinking and am enjoying ADMF (alternate day modified fasting). You might find you do well on something like 5:2 or alternating 1000 calorie days with unlogging days, for maintenance or for further loss. It's good for 'all or nothing' thinkers because you get some 'all diet' days and some 'no diet days', so there is much less logging but you remain in control. There are several good books on it. It has health benefits independent of weight control, too.

    You know what, that actually sounds pretty good. I've been logging more so 'for the week', anyways, meaning I usually do have days where MFP tells me I'm eating to little, only to have it even out after the weekend etc. So I think it would work quite well for me to do low, logged days, and then reasonable, unlogged ones. I think I will combine your advice with the other tip about adding one un-logged day per week at a time.

    I also plan for the whole long term, after I'm completely done with losing, to always keep a slight deficit, so that I never have to say 'no' to a true temptation - I guess that kind of the same principle. I saw someone else talk about that kind of eating, referencing a book called 'why french women don't get fat' or something (which I think sounds inaccurate, but anyways), but basically saying that by sticking to salad bars and low calorie cooking, they could have wine and goatcheese en masse for special occasions, without gaining weight from it - whereas if you eat at an exact maintance all the time, special occasions and cravings are going to add up.
  • JourneyingJessica
    JourneyingJessica Posts: 261 Member
    Wow! I could've wrote your post :#

    I've gone from 278.2 to 145-150. I don't know where the end for me will be weight wise. That being said i haven't quite gotten to the point where I think i can go without logging ... Yet.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    Wow! Stunning after/current photos, and if that's your "tired" look, your "well-rested" look must be absolutely amazing.

    I dropped 100+ in 8.5 months. For my first 5-6 months, I meticulously weighed everything. Then, I started experimenting with eye-balling amounts, and doing occasional weight checks of my estimates, to make sure I was still close. I also made sure I was continuing to lose weight, as well as waist inches. As long as that was happening, I allowed myself to continue estimating.

    I've now been in maintenance for about 5 weeks. I measured food a bit more as I was increasing my calories, so that I could get a new idea of the larger serving sizes. So now, if it's a food I eat frequently, I estimate about half the time. If it's something new or rarely used, I measure. My sanity checks are my weekly weigh-ins (holding steady for a month of maintenance now) and my belt size (down a bit, as I burn off some remaining fat).

    The key for me, though, is even though I'm estimating, I'm continuing to log. What that helps me to do is be mindful of the number of calories I have eaten across the day. Without that, I'd drift back to my old ways of overeating.

    I wish you the best of luck!
  • Streamlinedforlife
    Streamlinedforlife Posts: 39
    ًwow!!! Good job. Very inspiring.
  • MyMalfunction7
    MyMalfunction7 Posts: 61 Member
    I feel exactly like this! I'm only five or ten pounds from where I want to be, and I want to transition out of using MFP after I hit my goal. It's a great tool, but it definitely effects my emotional state more than it should - when I allow myself a day to splurge a little, the numbers make me regret it, etc. I don't want food to control the way I feel.
    I might also start doing one day of no logging a week soon to begin transitioning out. I've logged for about seven months straight, though, with no lapses, so I'm a little concerned about how that will effect me emotionally :open_mouth:
    Good luck on your journey, you look fantastic! As somebody who doesn't personally know you and isn't 'used to the old you', I'd say you look like you're at a good, healthy weight now. Five pounds lower wouldn't look unhealthy, but more than that might, depending. Congratulations!
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    When I stop logging, I gain it back.

    Every. Single. Time.

    I bet I've lost 150 pounds (no joke, maybe more), but I've never been more than 40 pounds overweight.

    This time I plan to keep logging indefinitely. I just can't eat intuitively. I think I can. Then I discover (once again) that I cannot. I've decided that I need to stop trying to fool myself.

    Just my experience. You may be better at it than I.
  • Coolhandkid
    Coolhandkid Posts: 84 Member
    To be honest this thread makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I feel like I have finally gained some power over food and finally understand the impact of what I am eating and its affects on my body. I'm down quite a bit and I plan on losing more. But I DO so the finish line from where i am at and to me this sounds entirely like "I did it, now what?" followed by a refrain of "Who knows??".

    I suspect a great many people who have put in the time effort and energy into transforming themselves go off and live lives and stop hanging out on these forums. Otherwise, all the threads I read about finishing a program are just too upsetting. I feel like I can keep on my track and get on a maintenance program when I have gotten to the end of the road. I certainly won't be logging like I am today.

    I say congrats. You did it. Wind down to make sure you are good with calories and macros and that your body is telling you what it needs so you can live your life without a scale. I'll weigh myself once a mo and if I get out of line I know how to buckle back down to make it work. I know thats what I am going to do when I get to where you are.
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
    Excellent work!!!
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
    Perhaps take photos (or just really pay attention mentally) to what certain amounts look like. I am TERRIBLE with spacial reasoning. I have a hard time looking at something and saying "that is a cup" BUT I can use a measuring cup to measure out (for example) my cereal and put it in a bowl, then I remember how that looks and can replicate it. Things you eat all the time, the real staples in your diet, learn how those relate to the bowls and cups you use and take the effort out of those elements. This will help you really learn the portion sizes as opposed to the calories/macros that you need. Then if you eat something new or unfamiliar, go ahead and get really specific to make sure you're accurate.
  • FaylinaMeir
    FaylinaMeir Posts: 661 Member
    you look amazing o.O

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