In....

And getting ready to deal with those eyebrows...

I agree... over time you will learn what you can eat without logging all the time. As you said = Develop habits / awareness. -- Lol I like the logging pics! yeah I watched the whole thing.

SideSteel wrote: »

AllonsYtotheTardis wrote: »

serious answer - while I found logging to be uber tedious at the beginning, now that I have my favorite recipes entered in MFP, it's really not much a time commitment in my day to log.

I've been maintaining for about a year, and for a few months in the fall, I wasn't logging consistently, and I found that I'm not mindful enough about my eating when I don't log. I can see that *I* will do better in the long run, if I log.

And while you certainly may be correct, another thing to be open to is the idea that you may just not have dialed in the necessary habits in order to maintain without logging.

that's a fair point.

specifically what I found is that I was still doing OK with my actual meals, but being semi-forgetful of how much extras I was eating, and it kinda got away from me. I don't have a good memory, so tracking what I'm eating helps me remember "Oh yeah, I already had 2 cookies after lunch - maybe I shouldn't have 5 more after supper". Things like that.


ETA - I think it would probably be just as effective for me to simply write down what I've eaten, without necessarily counting the calories. But since I'm already set up in MFP, it's just faster for me that way.

What's this all ABOOT. Bro. Dude. Bro. Also, great video. Human beings have existed for a very long time without logging. I think you can learn what's reasonable and not reasonable over time. Like you said, it builds an awareness. Good stuff.

I find constant logging tedious and a bit of a deterrent toward achieving my goals. I can only speak for myself, but over the last eight months I have had pretty good success maintaining and bulking while not logging. I anticipate cutting will be more difficult just by it's nature, but I am going to attempt it. I think that I, like most people, tend to eat many of the same foods over the course of a week or a month. As long as I don't deviate from that too much and burn more calories through increased exercise I'm hoping that these habits, coupled with the nutritional knowledge that I gained while logging, will be enough for me to achieve some success. I liken it to being a student. Study hard, but eventually I want to be able to leave school and put all that I have learned to use in practicum.

Awesome, as usual!

A few ideas to ponder--


First, I think it is somewhat a quality vs. quantity thing. I lost and managed my weight without logging about ten years ago, but I cut out sugar and mostly focused on lean protein and unrefined carbs. The weight left very very quickly--like 30 lbs in 2.5 months--and hunger/satiety wasn't an issue. But I like my treats, so logging allows me to have my treats and still stay in control. Obviously, I did not maintain that loss of ten years ago, because I am here on MFP. As soon as I stopped controlling quality, the weight came back because I wasn't monitoring quantity.

For me, it is like a budget. Instead of restrictive, it is freeing within boundaries. If I have the calories to eat the cheesecake, or wine, or whatever, then I do so without guilt.

If I don't see the numbers in front of me, I can easily convince myself that the Big Mac AND the large fries won't be a problem! Again, a quality issue. Another reason logging is important for me.

Last of all, at this point, even when I know calorie values, etc. I still have not re set hunger cues. Perhaps that is emotional. Or again, maybe quality. If I "eat right", then I AM satisfied with a more appropriate amount.

So I will continue to log, mostly because although I am always conscious of micronutrients, etc, I still want to include my treats, and logging seems to be the only balance for that.

And on a related note--for women perimenopause/menopause--how does that factor in? In hunger? In metabolism? Because I can sure say it changed the rules for my body and I am still trying to figure it out!