Anyone maintaining without counting calories

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Replies

  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    I have given up calorie counting after 30 years and for once am maintaining my weight. For me, counting leads to restriction, which leads to binges. Learning how to eat intuitively around a macro plan has allowed me to stay pretty constant scale-wise while still dropping body fat over the last year.

    I guess make sure you get lots of water, lean protein, and veggies...that's what's worked for me while not counting.

    this. Just pay attention to what you're eating, use common sense (too much cake, etc) and stay active. I've maintained through two pregnancies for four years this way not counting calories.....
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    Jennloella wrote: »
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    I have given up calorie counting after 30 years and for once am maintaining my weight. For me, counting leads to restriction, which leads to binges. Learning how to eat intuitively around a macro plan has allowed me to stay pretty constant scale-wise while still dropping body fat over the last year.

    I guess make sure you get lots of water, lean protein, and veggies...that's what's worked for me while not counting.

    this. Just pay attention to what you're eating, use common sense (too much cake, etc) and stay active. I've maintained through two pregnancies for four years this way not counting calories.....

    Yep, this is what is working for me too. And as I've cut gluten and almost all sweets (both make me feel bloated and ill), there is no need to count. I eat what I want when I want to. But since my choices are usually really healthy, its not a problem.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    johnnylakis wrote: »
    Tanie98 wrote: »
    So what are the tips to maintain without counting calories?
    Doesn't exist. You cant manage what you dont measure
    Please tell me you're joking.
  • dnamouse
    dnamouse Posts: 612 Member
    I've been maintaining for over a year. I rarely log food and if I do, it's only part days as a bit of a check to see where I'm at.

    Similarly to what others have said, I just keep an eye on things. If clothes are getting tight, then I adjust, but I really haven't had to do that very much.

    I work out a lot, and my daily lifestyle has changed from almost sedentary to extremely active. I spent a lot of time learning about food and changing habits and all that stuff and have gradually changed little things over time. What I eat on a daily basis now is very different to what I was eating about 3 years ago.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    I don't log. If my weight goes up a little, I eat a little less, if it doesn't....I'm good. It's really not that difficult. Just weigh yourself regularly, and pay attention to trends. Around holidays and times when there are a lot of parties and stuff, I eat like I'm trying to lose weight on normal days (in a deficit without logging) and then it levels out on the days when I know I'll be over.

    See, this is what I can't do yet. I've been in maintenance since the end of July and I'm still logging. You say that when your weight goes up a little, you just eat a little less. I don't know how to do that without logging. It's such an abstract idea to me. How would I know if I was eating less if I didn't log? Maybe someday, I'll be as good as you are. For now, I'm just trying to get through the holidays so I can try a run at not logging and see what happens. I just know that if (when) the scale goes up, I'll be back here logging to take off that 5 pounds.

    I just look at what I've been eating....and eat less of it? LOL, sorry, that's just saying the same thing I said originally. I don't know how to explain it. I know if I've been eating more desserts than usual, gone out to drink more, eaten more late night Taco Bell, gone out to dinner a few extra times, had higher calorie lunches, etc... Then I just say, okay, time to not eat those extra chips at lunch, get a salad with my meal instead of fries, eat half of my sandwich today and save the other half for tomorrow, make more dinners of fish and vegetables, buy the lighter Greek yogurt, etc... I think you just need to take what you've learned from logging and use that to your advantage. You get to know what appropriate portion sizes look like and how many calories are in the foods you eat often.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    I don't log. If my weight goes up a little, I eat a little less, if it doesn't....I'm good. It's really not that difficult. Just weigh yourself regularly, and pay attention to trends. Around holidays and times when there are a lot of parties and stuff, I eat like I'm trying to lose weight on normal days (in a deficit without logging) and then it levels out on the days when I know I'll be over.

    See, this is what I can't do yet. I've been in maintenance since the end of July and I'm still logging. You say that when your weight goes up a little, you just eat a little less. I don't know how to do that without logging. It's such an abstract idea to me. How would I know if I was eating less if I didn't log? Maybe someday, I'll be as good as you are. For now, I'm just trying to get through the holidays so I can try a run at not logging and see what happens. I just know that if (when) the scale goes up, I'll be back here logging to take off that 5 pounds.

    I just look at what I've been eating....and eat less of it? LOL, sorry, that's just saying the same thing I said originally. I don't know how to explain it. I know if I've been eating more desserts than usual, gone out to drink more, eaten more late night Taco Bell, gone out to dinner a few extra times, had higher calorie lunches, etc... Then I just say, okay, time to not eat those extra chips at lunch, get a salad with my meal instead of fries, eat half of my sandwich today and save the other half for tomorrow, make more dinners of fish and vegetables, buy the lighter Greek yogurt, etc... I think you just need to take what you've learned from logging and use that to your advantage. You get to know what appropriate portion sizes look like and how many calories are in the foods you eat often.

    This is the simple truth, nothing more.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Wow time flies...I have been maintaining for 4 years now. No logging. I logged for about 6 months, figured out that how much I needed to be eating and that was it. Over time I kept moving towards whole unprocessed foods and it got even easier.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
    johnnylakis wrote: »
    Tanie98 wrote: »
    So what are the tips to maintain without counting calories?
    Doesn't exist. You cant manage what you dont measure

    Easy. Measure weight every day as you said, and adjust diet qualitatively. No need to measure or count food.

  • Phill2488
    Phill2488 Posts: 97 Member
    edited December 2014
    I maintain without counting calories. I listen to what my body is telling me and I eat whenever I'm hungry. I don't eat out of boredom or just because I like the taste of something, like I used to do before

    But I still weigh myself every Monday's, Wednesday's and Fridays to make sure that I don't fall completely off the wagon again
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I tried. Now I have 10-15 pounds to lose again. I have to log to know if I'm eating the right calories and to keep my honest.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    I think it depends ENTIRELY what works best for you & your lifestyle.

    Some people can 'eyeball' food fairly accurately or have just trained themselves to eating proper portions.

    While others (like me) have incorporated seamlessly the food logging process.

    There is no blanket answer for everyone and unfortunately you'll just have to figure out what works for you through some trial & error.

    If you decide to give the no logging a whirl I'd suggest set a 'warning' weight to alert you if you are actually re-gaining weight and not just the normal bodily weight flux.

    Best of luck to you!
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