Maintenance mode and stopping calorie counting

I'd just weigh daily, or weekly, and then adjust accordingly. Keep to nutritious foods, and eat out less and less. I don't understand why you'd weigh foods at this point....surely you can estimate the size of your portions more easily. If you gain five pounds count calories for a few days and then forget it when back on track. Read up on maintenance procedures.

I reached my goal weight in February. Stopped logging shortly after. I monitor my weight and adjust accordingly. I too eat the same foods most of the time. Use the skills you have learned to get where you are. Use the database to research new foods. It's a bit frightening at first but believe me you feel free and self confident.

I've been maintaining on here for years now...and to be honest logging is what works for me. I got really disheartened with it a couple of years ago and stopped logging and lost too much weight. I also realised that because fitness is a big part of my life that I needed to ensure I was eating enough for that (at the time I was doing long distance running).
I do know some people that go and try to not log (when I first left MFP to do this I used to try and mentally calculate the calories in my head throughout the day). You could also try not logging at weekends but logging during the week to have a gradual departure from calorie counting?

I log most days, although I don't always tally up at the end of the day. And I don't log if I'm at an event or out of town. It's a good check and tht's what it's there for. Don't if you don't want to, but don't complain about it. No one is watching.

stuffinmuffin wrote: »

I've been maintaining on here for years now...and to be honest logging is what works for me. I got really disheartened with it a couple of years ago and stopped logging and lost too much weight. I also realised that because fitness is a big part of my life that I needed to ensure I was eating enough for that (at the time I was doing long distance running).
I do know some people that go and try to not log (when I first left MFP to do this I used to try and mentally calculate the calories in my head throughout the day). You could also try not logging at weekends but logging during the week to have a gradual departure from calorie counting?

+1

Logging & weighing food has just seamlessly become a part of my daily routine & I personally don't see it as this extra burden of a beast to bear.

If you ever peruse the 'Get Started' or 'Intro' forums you will see a fair amount of 'returners'

Bottom line is logging & weighing will work for some while others are able to ween themselves from it and still maintain.

It's really a trial & error sort of thing.

Best of luck to you!

Some people can get away with not logging. You may be one of them. But if I do that, I guarantee you my goose is cooked. I'll go to the effort rather than become fat again! So try it but be aware you may have to go back to logging if you start gaining.

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

I would decide on an upper weight limit, say 5 pounds above where you are now, just to give yourself some water-retention leeway. Then stop tracking unless you hit that upper limit. If you do, then it's time to track again to get back to where you want to be. Lather, rinse, repeat. Eventually, eating the right amount will become automatic.

I do this, too. Have been for years. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from logging. My weight always creeps up when I do, though, so I guess eating the right amount has never become automatic for me.

ETA: OP I LOVE your profile photo!

First of all if logging and weighing things causes you any issues then I think you're making the right decision in pursuing methods of weight maintenance that don't involve logging.

There's a few strategies you can employ, I wrote about this in my blog over the past couple of months because I've been experimenting with this myself and I've also taken one of my clients through the process. Rather than re-hash everything I'll link you to the blog post. You may want to start 3 to 4 posts down from the top (top one is not about logging but the next two or three are and they go in reverse order):

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SideSteel

Another option is to log every other day if you are nervous about stopping completely, basically slowly phasing it out

I don't log. I do weigh things for which I am unable to accurately eyeball serving sizes, but not everything. Basically I am very mindful of what I eat...and along the way, I developed a lot of healthy habits. I don't really eat much differently than I did when I was losing, just a little more. I basically eat a lot of lean proteins, tons of veg, some fruit, some whole grains, and primarily healthy fat sources like nuts and avocados, olives and olive oil, etc. I have some "junk" from time to time, but it's pretty minimal. In my experience, trying to eat anything resembling the SAD and maintaining weight really requires paying extremely close attention and pretty much keeping a diary.

I also make sure I stick to my workout regimen and generally just stay active. I step on the scale a few times per week or at least once per week to keep an eye on the trends and I pay attention to the way my clothes feel. It's important to pay attention because it's really easy to nip things in the bud...I've gone up and down about 5 Lbs a couple of times from my maintenance...it's always something that creeps into my diet...it's pretty easy to knock it off for a month or so and get back to where I want to be.

The biggest thing is that you can't stop being mindful and you can't stop caring. If you just throw your hands up in the air and say, "whatevs"...you're going to find things very difficult.

Might I suggest you log one week out of 3 just to make sure you haven't changed your routine? And keep weighing every day?

That way you can catch yourself before things go astray. I am pretty sure I could stop logging too, but not forever. I know I'd eventually start to drift upward.

I've only been in maintenance for 1 month, but before I started this, I quiet measuring my food. I still log everyday (well if I happen to have a few cocktails with friends on a Sat night I don't log) but don't measure/weigh my food. I think I will always log, because it helps keep me in check.

ldy_78 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I don't log. I do weigh things for which I am unable to accurately eyeball serving sizes, but not everything. Basically I am very mindful of what I eat...and along the way, I developed a lot of healthy habits. I don't really eat much differently than I did when I was losing, just a little more. I basically eat a lot of lean proteins, tons of veg, some fruit, some whole grains, and primarily healthy fat sources like nuts and avocados, olives and olive oil, etc. I have some "junk" from time to time, but it's pretty minimal. In my experience, trying to eat anything resembling the SAD and maintaining weight really requires paying extremely close attention and pretty much keeping a diary.

I also make sure I stick to my workout regimen and generally just stay active. I step on the scale a few times per week or at least once per week to keep an eye on the trends and I pay attention to the way my clothes feel. It's important to pay attention because it's really easy to nip things in the bud...I've gone up and down about 5 Lbs a couple of times from my maintenance...it's always something that creeps into my diet...it's pretty easy to knock it off for a month or so and get back to where I want to be.

The biggest thing is that you can't stop being mindful and you can't stop caring. If you just throw your hands up in the air and say, "whatevs"...you're going to find things very difficult.

What is SAD?

Standard American Diet.

If you are weighing and maintaining weight goal then full logging seems superfluous to me.

I occasionally log a full day to check vitamins and minerals level.