No tracking
mandabrett
Posts: 139 Member
Does anyone here not track? I know there is a lot of talk or macros and calories at times.
I feel like at this point in my journey (although I do need to lose about 30#) my focus is on improving my health and happiness. My focus is on making paleo food choices, trying to enjoy my time with my family, and sleeping well at night. I also try to exercise, but I have recently done biopsy for celiac disease. I had to add grains and gluten back into my diet for a few months to be able to accurately determine the results via biopsy. I should get the results early next week. I just feel like I have learned a lot about myself through the process. I may or may not have it (although my symptoms seem to indicate that I do), but I have definitely had a nice taste of what it feels like to be "sick" for lack of a better word to describe how this has made me feel.
I have been evaluating my priorities, and I think that my weight will level out when my health improves. I think it is all about being healthy for me at this point, and I think that intuitively my body knows what and how much to eat when given "real food". I am trying to manage my stress, and tracking causes me unnecessary stress.
What do you guys think? I am not looking for a debate. I am really just wanting to see if many of you actually try to eat intuitively or if you all track.
I feel like at this point in my journey (although I do need to lose about 30#) my focus is on improving my health and happiness. My focus is on making paleo food choices, trying to enjoy my time with my family, and sleeping well at night. I also try to exercise, but I have recently done biopsy for celiac disease. I had to add grains and gluten back into my diet for a few months to be able to accurately determine the results via biopsy. I should get the results early next week. I just feel like I have learned a lot about myself through the process. I may or may not have it (although my symptoms seem to indicate that I do), but I have definitely had a nice taste of what it feels like to be "sick" for lack of a better word to describe how this has made me feel.
I have been evaluating my priorities, and I think that my weight will level out when my health improves. I think it is all about being healthy for me at this point, and I think that intuitively my body knows what and how much to eat when given "real food". I am trying to manage my stress, and tracking causes me unnecessary stress.
What do you guys think? I am not looking for a debate. I am really just wanting to see if many of you actually try to eat intuitively or if you all track.
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I track for stretches at a time, not faithfully every day day-in-and-day-out. I find that when I'm eating "right" -- that is, the most healthy way I've ever eaten in my life, as I have the past two years following paleo/primal ideas -- I'm almost never hungry. I was having trouble getting 800 calories a day, and I could go for long stretches without feeling any need to eat.
That's a far cry from the old days, when I needed to eat every two hours or suffer light-headedness. Anyhow, I don't need to track any more, I have a good idea of how much food is enough. Even though I don't need to track, I am tracking my food right now, not because I'm aiming at limiting anything, but for the reassurance that I'm taking care of myself during a really stressful time.0 -
I didn't track when I was eating Paleo before (about 3 years ago, kept it up for about 2 years). Even now, I don't track specifically for weight loss, but because it gives me interesting insight into what I'm eating and it's composition.
If tracking causes stress, by all means, stop. The stress is going to be so much worse than a lot of other things.0 -
I do not track and I weighed myself 6 months ago but will this weekend for the first time0
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I track right now just to keep myself away from nightly glasses of wine and weekly adventures for mexican food, but generally I do not track. I find calorie counting to be useless. But tracking my exercise and food right now is making sure I keep on my pre-surgery goals, which are to build up my strength and decrease my body fat. I do not weigh myself because I do not care about a number. I do check to see if I'm getting slimmer, and yes certain pants are falling down now. Wife also noticed, so there's that confirmation too.
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I am so glad to see that others are not tracking. I sometimes feel like everyone else on the board tracks. It is just not best for me at this point in my journey.0
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I know many people need it so it is no slam if someone does, I did it for 8 or so months. I just stopped during a Whole30 and when I was off of that, I couldn't get back into it. Every Paleo/Primal book I've read so far says don't bother or asks the question "did your Grandmother log or count calories?" To me it was just tedium, and I stopped recording workouts and weighing once a week too, just to see if this stuff works.0
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I generally don't log. Every now and then I log just to see how many calories I am eating, not that I am worried, it is just seems to be good to check in now and then. Bit it is not very often. I agree with you, if I concentrate on being healthy and eating well, my weight will take care of itself. I have about 20 kilos to lose.0
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SteamClutch wrote: »I know many people need it so it is no slam if someone does, I did it for 8 or so months. I just stopped during a Whole30 and when I was off of that, I couldn't get back into it. Every Paleo/Primal book I've read so far says don't bother or asks the question "did your Grandmother log or count calories?" To me it was just tedium, and I stopped recording workouts and weighing once a week too, just to see if this stuff works.
I also think it can be useful for people. I have been there too. Now us just not the time for me. I really like your no weighing idea. I think I'll try 1 month and see how it goes. I tend to weigh daily. It doesn't help with the anxiety either.0 -
I track because I like to know the portion sizes and calorie intake of certain meats and oils. I will do it for a long time till I have a firm grasp on everything I cook and what sizes for each meal ingredients to consume. It will only help my knowledge of the lifestyle and if I can help others I will.
Plus I cook everything in the house so I have to enter recipes and portion sizes for work week meals for my wife. I do all the shopping and planning, I just tell her what is being made and she copies stuff from my diary and eats clean all week. She needs to track to keep on point so I am double duty working for the two of us, she does Primal and has milk and yogurt. The only dairy I get is my whey or casein protein in my shakes a couple times a month. I don't have them very often. I try to eat whole foods for all my meals except when I am on the run. I take beef jerky and a larabar. Going to track down some epic bars and some freeze dried paleo meals for my trip in May. Not going to be stuck on a plane with no food, I read those meals were tasty and only require a cup of hot water. Once I add back in my lifting workout drink that will be some more casein protein to my diet.0 -
If you are losing weight (the 30# you have to use) and are confident that you are meeting your nutritional goals, then you can get away without tracking.
If not, then track everything.
In my experience, people who don't track and don't weigh themselves tend to have poor outcomes.
Also, obviously your body does not know what to eat or you would not be 30 lbs overweight.0 -
I stopped tracking over a year ago. I know what I need to be eating and feel comfortable managing it without tracking.0
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I routinely take breaks from tracking. If I feel I'm off track or not getting results it helps me with awareness. I sort of miss it when I don't though!!0
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I have 100+ pounds to lose do I'm tracking everything religiously. I need to be mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth until I develope good habits.0
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I track but not to track calories. I don't weigh food or anything and my measurements are not always right. I track because I want to keep a log of food and exercise and it's easy on this app. I have days that I feel crappy and I can almost always go back and see that it was something in my eating. I eat when I'm hungry (although way too much fruit lately) and I workout. I don't stress over the nber of calories I eat. Actually it kind of bugs me that some people will eat their 1200 calories, or whatever amount they have set, of empty junk and wonder why they are not losing weight. Sorry I could rant about that one all day. Lol. Feel free to add me as a friend if you want another paleo (ish) eater on your friends list. My son has celiac. We found out 2.5 yrs ago when he was turning 4. It changed the way we all eat and live.0
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Good on you from down-under!! I have had an auto-immune disorder for three years now, so corisone/steroid tablets packed on a massive 20kg for my 5' height-not pretty! However, I have lost almost half of that with low carb regime, but it is very painful slow. I find for me I still have to drop my calorie intake to around 1000 a day.0
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I am tracking right now, until I get back into a good routine. I strayed too far from 80/20 and need to relearn what that looks like/feels like. I will probably stop tracking after a couple of weeks.0
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