Food diary resistance

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gshifrin
gshifrin Posts: 53 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on here a few months now and it seems clear that people who are diligent about recording everything in their food diaries are doing great at losing weight. Congratulations to you all!

For me, I've been reluctant to do that. It seems like a real chore and I doubt I could stick with it whenever life starts to intrude with the inevitable projects and social activities. I've focused on cutting down on some of the foods I really enjoy: breads and sweets. So far this is working reasonably well for me (down 32 pounds since I started).

I've tried to change my mindset into something I can stay with long term, just being someone who avoids breads and sweets. I worry that food diaries, cheat days, and occasional food binges will lead me back into my old style of overeating.

Just throwing this out for comment. I'd appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions.
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Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    It's what works for you but I had many years of not logging what I was eating and I got fat and unfit. Whereas once I new what I was doing I managed to lose 141 pounds in 18 months and have kept that off. Logging is now second nature it's only a chore if you make it such once you have a lot of recipes and meals logged and your most common foods appear anyway. It probably takes at most 5 minutes of my day. Anyone can spare 5 minutes. But hey we're all different so it's what ever works
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
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    Some people on here don't log and just use it for the social support. I think do whatever works best for you and it seems like what you're doing now is working fine.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Obviously it has worked for you so far, good job.

    I find MFP extremely easy to use on my phone. My phone is always with me and it only takes seconds to enter my meal. After using it for a while, you will discover that you are a creature of habit and eat the same things often. The foods you normally eat will be at the top of the database and only require a quick click to enter in your diary.

    Counting calories is nothing new, it is just that we now have a great tool (MFP) that makes it super easy.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always. I did the same thing on weightwatchers a few yrs ago and I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. I gained it all back the moment I stopped. Everyone is different. I like to plan my day so there are no surprise foodwise but, that doesn't work for everyone. I typically keep between 200-300 calories to play with based on cravings but, otherwise I eat what is in my diary.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    AmberSue09 wrote: »
    I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always. I did the same thing on weightwatchers a few yrs ago and I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. I gained it all back the moment I stopped. Everyone is different. I like to plan my day so there are no surprise foodwise but, that doesn't work for everyone. I typically keep between 200-300 calories to play with based on cravings but, otherwise I eat what is in my diary.

    I pre-log too.

    Before I began logging, I would have in my mind that I needed to "cut down" on what I thought were fattening foods. It was on my mind all the time...Can I eat this sandwich, or should I cut it in half? When I log my food ahead of time I know exactly how much to eat at each meal and it takes my mind off dieting.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Calorie counting isn't for everyone and it's not the only way to lose weight and keep it off

    I love it because it's the first time I've found something that works ...and continues to work ..for me and my lifestyle; the first time I've been succesful; the first time I've felt lifestyle change and not deprived

    But you seem to have found your way and that's great ...good luck
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    People get fat by eating too much. Keeping a food diary helps retrain your perception of what a normal amount of food intake is. A lot of "quick fixes" don't teach you that. That's why the fail long term.

    Once you use MFP a lot you can enter stuff faster by using recent and meals. It takes a bit to get used to but after a while its second nature.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I LOVE logging and tracking - I'm totally in control of things, it's a comfort to me. Not everyone does, and that's perfectly fine. Like rabbit said, it's not the only way to be successful.

    I'd keep doing what you're doing. If you find yourself at a point where you're not losing anymore, maybe you'll want to give it a shot, maybe not. I will say it's not nearly as tedious or difficult as I thought it would be.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Sure, give it a try. Weigh yourself in a month. If you aren't getting the results you want, it will be hard to pinpoint why.

    Tracking suits my obsessive personality. Besides, it is required by the support team that is guiding my weight loss. I'd give away all my spare wisdom teeth to keep my tracking record (230 days and counting).
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    I think a diary can be a very useful education tool. Logging has taught me portion size/control, and I now reconize what I actually need vs. what I want. That does not mean you should be planning to log for the rest of your life. Alot of people here meet their goal, and wean themselves off of logging.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    As long as it's working, good for you! I would encourage you to at least write down what you're eating somehere so that, as jgnatca suggested, if the time comes where it stops working, you can go back and try to pinpoint why. You don't have to do it the second you put the food in your mouth, but keep track on a daily basis.

    I see this along the same lines as weighing your food. Some feel it's an absolute necessity. When I do it, it becomes overwhelming and leads me to that old "this is too hard, screw it, I'll just be fat" mindset. Weighing now and then is great to help me establish educated guesstimates but I can't do it all the time.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    I think you are doing the right thing...something that works for you. I've lost about 90 pounds, and have only been logging for the past 25 or 30. And I'm only doing that to get a better handle on what protein/fat/carb split works for me. I have no intention of doing this forever, because I know it is not necessary for me.

    It is a tool. It may be useful to you for a while at some point. If not, just keep doing what you're doing. The vast majority of people who are a healthy weight have never logged food ...so it obviously isn't a requirement. Making good choices every day is. Knowing what your problem foods are is. Sticking to a strategy to avoid problems is. You are doing all of that now.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I log everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For me it helps me to be accountable to myself, and sometimes I won't have that extra treat because I will wind up in the red and I hate to see that.

    Other times the treat is worth it to me to have, but only as long as I log it.

    It's the only thing that has worked for me. Otherwise it would be too easy to 'lie' to myself about eating.

    I'm glad you found something that is working for you, congrats on your loss.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    For me it works good because i pre-plan every day AFTER dinner time.

    Advantage for me is:
    1. I had dinner so i am satisfied because the food i just had so i plan balanced and wisely for the next day. I always plan 3 meals and 2 snacks.
    2. I tweak the weight the next day a bit to what it really is, but dont let myself off the planned meals and snacks.
    3. I add a nice extra snack when i am short of calories ( mostly when i burned more calories than i thought). Can be anything from fruit, protein/chocolate, ice or yogurt. Just what i like.
    4. I always try to hit first of all my calorie goal and than tweak it towards more "ideal" numbers for my macro's. Sometimes i switch things for more protein.

    This way works perfect for me.
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    AmberSue09 wrote: »
    I personally plan out my day first and eat later. I have the luxury of preparing my own food almost always.

    I do the same. I cook dinner every night, and it's usually something I have to use or else it will spoil, ie milk, peppers, head of cabbage, potatoes. If you have time to cook your meals, you have plenty of time to right down your calories while you wait for it to finish.
    If I'm unsure of the calories for dinner, and I think it may be higher, I'll switch my breakfast and lunch to something less calorie consuming.
    I make soups in the slow cooker all the time because they're very low calorie and I can eat for days, or freeze it for later and write the calories on the bags.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    gshifrin wrote: »
    I've been on here a few months now and it seems clear that people who are diligent about recording everything in their food diaries are doing great at losing weight. Congratulations to you all!

    For me, I've been reluctant to do that. It seems like a real chore and I doubt I could stick with it whenever life starts to intrude with the inevitable projects and social activities. I've focused on cutting down on some of the foods I really enjoy: breads and sweets. So far this is working reasonably well for me (down 32 pounds since I started).

    I've tried to change my mindset into something I can stay with long term, just being someone who avoids breads and sweets. I worry that food diaries, cheat days, and occasional food binges will lead me back into my old style of overeating.

    Just throwing this out for comment. I'd appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions.

    Ok.

    Whatever works for you.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I log most of the time but am not 100% about it (more like 75%) - I like doing it because over time I get better and better at estimating the calories in different foods and that helps me make better decisions. So I'm using it as a calorie counting tool day to day but more as a long term learning tool.

    And I also log my exercise because on downer days it feels really good to look back and see all the hard work I've been putting in.

    I don't have cheat days - I stay under my calories most days so if I go over once in a while I feel ok about it, it all balances out. And I don't have binges because I don't have an eating disorder and I don't ever starve myself. Sometimes I just want a pizza and that's okay!
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    Once you get familiar with calorie counts I don't find I need to log much. For me I've gotten pretty comfortable with knowing about what I should eat morning, afternoon and evening to keep on track and am getting a good sense of how much and how often I can "cheat" and still keep the number on the scale slowly going down.

    Maybe you could log / look up things once in a while to keep your "calorie awareness" up - it's basically what i do.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I logged and lost 60 lbs. I stopped logging and gained 25 lbs back. Of course I was eating mindlessly. I hope to be able to stop logging when I get back to goal or close to it. Good job on what you are doing. I say keep doing what works until it stops working.
  • MindySaysWhaaat
    MindySaysWhaaat Posts: 401 Member
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    I prelog my first meal of the day because it's lunch, and I always have the same thing: a sandwich, and two types of snacks (this week it's cliff bars and trail mix). That way the only thing I have to figure out is my dinner. It keeps me from having too much anxiety about what I'm eating.

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