Judgmental confession about that non-judgmental confession thread
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obscuremusicreference wrote: »I don't really understand why so many people on here say they eat something and don't log it at all. They're not cheating the system--their bodies log it all. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people who said that.
What is the reasoning behind that? Do they not want their friends to see? Do they think that if they don't log it, it's somehow less real? I'm not talking about the occasional "I stole my kid's french fry," I'm talking about people who eat a significant amount of unlogged food.
Maybe I just don't get it, but it seems like a good way to spin your wheels.
I didn't respond to that thread, but I don't log everything. Most days I'm good about it, but I take many days off from logging at all.
Why do I do this?
Because when I started here, weighing more than 300 pounds, I set out to not just lose weight but develop a system for maintaining that loss. When you have 130 pounds to lose, the mountain you've gotta climb is high. The idea of having to somehow log a Korean buffet or 13 course tasting menu or Christmas dinner seemed both annoying and pointless (how accurately would the log be anyway?).
Plus...I could not face logging every day for the rest of my life. I wanted to eat without concern for calories, sometimes. I wanted to enjoy a meal out without pulling out my phone to estimate the calories. I didn't want calories to rule my life, every day.
But! I figured I could probably log my calories most of the time without going insane. I precisely logged typically, but while losing I took a day or two off a month and ate how I pleased without bothering to try to guess calories. I planned these around events typically - holidays, weddings, reunions. Knowing I had these days off made it so much easier to stick to my plan, and the weight flew off.
So that's how I lost 130 pounds, and it's now I've maintained this loss for going on three years. Now I log weekdays at a deficit and don't log on the weekends. Voila - painless maintenance.
As you said, my body keeps a perfect record of what I eat for me whether I log or not. If my weight goes up, I tighten up the logging for awhile.
So my answer to your question is: I use MFP in a way that is sustainable for me in the long-term. That means logging most of the time but not every time. It keeps me sane, happy, and healthy.
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I only don't log spices or e.g. the one-fry type thing. Which doesn't happen often either. Otherwise if I'm not logging it's because I'm taking the night off for a party or something and I don't have any idea of what will be served ahead of time and it's a bother to interrupt my enjoyment just to log. Other times I will log estimates as best I can in those situations.
This is what I do as well. If I go over for the day, I don't always hit the finished logging for the day to let my friends know I went over, but I'm generally logging it anyhow. I want to know what worked and what didn't when I step on the scale every week.
For the record, I love almost every exercise I've tried. Doesn't mean I don't sometimes procrastinate or not do it, but when I'm doing it I always enjoy it. I can't imagine myself doing it if I hated it... to each his/her own I suppose. I think I'd keep trying new things until I found something I like.0 -
LadyAbsynthe wrote: »Because high numbers are scary, and I know I'll go purge if I see them. It's not like I think it doesn't count, I just don't really want to torture myself about it. If you can just shrug and write it off as a bad day and get on with your life, that's great, but some people can't.
I hadn't thought of that. Yes, avoiding ED triggers would be a legit good reason not to log. Good luck in your recovery!0 -
Maybe it's a psychological thing...people just don't like seeing what they've eaten when they've eaten badly, and it makes them more likely to do it again? I don't know. If they're still losing weight, then does it matter? And if they're not, then they know why not. I'm sure they don't do it every day.0
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I don't eat back my exercise calories, so sometimes at the end of the night, if I know I've got a few hundred exorcise calories banked I'll grab a small snack (usually less than 150 cal) and I may or may not take the time to log it.
I know it doesn't really help me keep myself honest with my macros, but when it's easy math, and I'm at the end of the day anyway, I'm willing to settle for "close enough," so long as I'm still certain I didn't go over for the day.0 -
Maybe because logging Every.Single.Thing is Sofa King tedious and annoying. Just a thought.
For me, personally, I admit I'm not accurate in my logging and alot of times I'm hungry because I don't want to log. I HATE that part of the weight loss process more than anything else (well wait, maybe exercise is hated more). You said it correctly when you said our bodies log it all. That's what I really need. For me to lose weight I know I have to be a little hungry sometimes and I rather do that then log every single morsel I ingest. That being said, I try to log as best as I can but I refuse to obsess over it.
If you hate your logging experience and your exercise... then yeah, sorry, you're doing something wrong. I love my exercise routine because I do things that I enjoy. I like logging because it legit takes 2 extra seconds to weigh the food and log it and I am eating foods I love.
Outside of when I first wake up and a short time before my next meal, I'm never hungry while dieting. I'm also not obsessed over my logging, it just is something I do.. like showering or pooping.
The only time weighing has been tedious was when my scales kept dying and I had no batteries (they would die every like.. 3 weeks... on my THIRD scale now so fingers crossed this one lasts lol).
Uh...No I'm not sorry and I'm not doing anything wrong. Just because I don't love it doesn't mean I don't do it. I'm not extremely fond of pooping either but I still have to do it. I don't enjoy going out in the brutal cold to go to work but I still do it. But hey, if you only do things you enjoy then Kudos to you.
If you dislike your exercise, you're doing it wrong. Pick things you actually LIKE doing. I do as little cardio as I can because I don't really like it, although I'm starting to like it a bit more now. So I primarily lift because I love it.
And if logging is this torturous to you then you are clearly not tailoring your experience to make the time spent here reasonably comfortable.
logging is not torturous, but it's not always fun either. it's also not always necessary. when i was losing weight and had meals that were difficult to figure out the calories of easily, i just didn't log that day. i still lost a lot of weight anyway due to the days i did log. so, not sure how i would be "doing it wrong" if it worked.0 -
berlynnwall wrote: »OK, I get liking exercise. Totally. I love certain types of exercise. I do not get liking logging. It's tedious as heck. It's necessary, sure, and it's nice to be able to log and then come over and chat in the forums, but I can totally understand hating logging. It can be very involved depending on what you ate, and you have to keep doing it for an indeterminable amount of time. There is literally no end in sight.
Depends on how you're logging. I don't use the recipe builder because it's slow as hell and I have to turn off half my antivirus just to get it to show up. I write things down as I weigh, log them when I'm done. If it's a big batch, I use a site with a better recipe builder to get the info, and enter that as a new food with one serving of the total grams in the whole recipe. When I tried using the recipe builder, it would take 20 minutes. When I just log as I go, it never takes more than 2 or 3. If I'm using an ingredient I've never used before, I take a picture of the nutrition label while I cook, and if I can't find the right entry on the first try, just add it from the label (without sharing, no need to have 51 entries where there are already 50 bad ones).0 -
Full disclosure: I'm one of the people in the other thread who confessed to not logging my Coke-And-Pie days, and those happen every Sunday.
I guess, to answer the OP, I know I'm not fooling myself, and I know the calories count. I tend to be under on those days (perhaps subconsciously to make up for my half a pie and 12 oz. coke). I'm also eating a decent deficit and am comfortable with the fact that the completion of my goal might be a bit delayed because I choose not to log about 300 calories once a week. It's a conscious decision and I'm okay with the consequences.0 -
obscuremusicreference wrote: »berlynnwall wrote: »Maybe because logging Every.Single.Thing is Sofa King tedious and annoying. Just a thought.
For me, personally, I admit I'm not accurate in my logging and alot of times I'm hungry because I don't want to log. I HATE that part of the weight loss process more than anything else (well wait, maybe exercise is hated more). You said it correctly when you said our bodies log it all. That's what I really need. For me to lose weight I know I have to be a little hungry sometimes and I rather do that then log every single morsel I ingest. That being said, I try to log as best as I can but I refuse to obsess over it.
If you hate your logging experience and your exercise... then yeah, sorry, you're doing something wrong. I love my exercise routine because I do things that I enjoy. I like logging because it legit takes 2 extra seconds to weigh the food and log it and I am eating foods I love.
Outside of when I first wake up and a short time before my next meal, I'm never hungry while dieting. I'm also not obsessed over my logging, it just is something I do.. like showering or pooping.
The only time weighing has been tedious was when my scales kept dying and I had no batteries (they would die every like.. 3 weeks... on my THIRD scale now so fingers crossed this one lasts lol).
Some people just don't like things. That doesn't necessarily mean they are doing it wrong, just that these are not activities they enjoy. We all need to eat right and exercise, but none of us have to love it.
I agree that I don't love calisthenics, but I don't hate it either. If that poster simply dislikes exercise or logging, well, I get it. But hating it suggests that they need to find something better for them.
Okay so let me clarify. I HATE dieting and exercise PERIOD. (whether it's counting calories or going on the treadmill or sit-ups etc.. All of it sucks to me. But the one thing I hate 100 times more than those things is being fat. So I'll do whatever I have to do to lose/maintain my weight. If anyone can honestly say they love and truly enjoy dieting and exercising I commend them for that. That's fantastic. I'm simply not there yet. I'm not sure I'll ever be.
And why do you hate dieting? Is it because you eat 1200 calories? Cut out foods you love? Omit food groups? Have some crazy stupid rules that are not sustainable?
What about exercise? Is it because you do like an hour of cardio every day? OR do exercises you just dislike? Granted, I used to like doing an hour of cardio every day. now I like being able to deadlift 200lbs.
The answer to all those questions is a resounding NO. Those are NOT the reasons.0 -
Also, I'm totally in. Dis gun be good!
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I think the point is that people in that thread are admitting to being imperfect, human and sometimes completely off the chain with food, habits or behaviors. It's about saying yeah, sometimes I suck at this but that's ok. So, if we fall off the food wagon every once in a while, we can look at that thread and go "I'm not the only one." Without judgement.0
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The "confession" discussion was just for fun. It shows that most of us do these types of things and we KNOW they're silly and counterproductive, but it doesn't matter.
And honestly I thought it was a good post because it let me know I'm not the only one who screws up from time to time.0 -
berlynnwall wrote: »OK, I get liking exercise. Totally. I love certain types of exercise. I do not get liking logging. It's tedious as heck. It's necessary, sure, and it's nice to be able to log and then come over and chat in the forums, but I can totally understand hating logging. It can be very involved depending on what you ate, and you have to keep doing it for an indeterminable amount of time. There is literally no end in sight.
Depends on how you're logging. I don't use the recipe builder because it's slow as hell and I have to turn off half my antivirus just to get it to show up. I write things down as I weigh, log them when I'm done. If it's a big batch, I use a site with a better recipe builder to get the info, and enter that as a new food with one serving of the total grams in the whole recipe. When I tried using the recipe builder, it would take 20 minutes. When I just log as I go, it never takes more than 2 or 3. If I'm using an ingredient I've never used before, I take a picture of the nutrition label while I cook, and if I can't find the right entry on the first try, just add it from the label (without sharing, no need to have 51 entries where there are already 50 bad ones).
PBI I only find it to be a PITA while using the app. I will also write info down as I'm making it, then I'll log it through the website. Takes only a few minutes to edit the ingredients or add new ones (if it's a new recipe then the old recipe builder interface is pretty quick and I'll enter in the ingredients first without putting the real weight so I can edit i t later).0 -
They think they are getting away with something? I don't know--I don't get it either. I suspect that this kind of magical thinking is what gets a lot of people into trouble in the first place.
Of course logging is tedious, especially at the beginning. Unless you are doing it with some degree of accuracy though, it is totally pointless and you might as well just not do it.
I have a few things that I don't bother to log--black coffee, Splenda...but everything with more than 10 calories goes in my diary. EVERYTHING.0 -
obscuremusicreference wrote: »berlynnwall wrote: »Maybe because logging Every.Single.Thing is Sofa King tedious and annoying. Just a thought.
For me, personally, I admit I'm not accurate in my logging and alot of times I'm hungry because I don't want to log. I HATE that part of the weight loss process more than anything else (well wait, maybe exercise is hated more). You said it correctly when you said our bodies log it all. That's what I really need. For me to lose weight I know I have to be a little hungry sometimes and I rather do that then log every single morsel I ingest. That being said, I try to log as best as I can but I refuse to obsess over it.
If you hate your logging experience and your exercise... then yeah, sorry, you're doing something wrong. I love my exercise routine because I do things that I enjoy. I like logging because it legit takes 2 extra seconds to weigh the food and log it and I am eating foods I love.
Outside of when I first wake up and a short time before my next meal, I'm never hungry while dieting. I'm also not obsessed over my logging, it just is something I do.. like showering or pooping.
The only time weighing has been tedious was when my scales kept dying and I had no batteries (they would die every like.. 3 weeks... on my THIRD scale now so fingers crossed this one lasts lol).
Some people just don't like things. That doesn't necessarily mean they are doing it wrong, just that these are not activities they enjoy. We all need to eat right and exercise, but none of us have to love it.
I agree that I don't love calisthenics, but I don't hate it either. If that poster simply dislikes exercise or logging, well, I get it. But hating it suggests that they need to find something better for them.
Okay so let me clarify. I HATE dieting and exercise PERIOD. (whether it's counting calories or going on the treadmill or sit-ups etc.. All of it sucks to me. But the one thing I hate 100 times more than those things is being fat. So I'll do whatever I have to do to lose/maintain my weight. If anyone can honestly say they love and truly enjoy dieting and exercising I commend them for that. That's fantastic. I'm simply not there yet. I'm not sure I'll ever be.
And why do you hate dieting? Is it because you eat 1200 calories? Cut out foods you love? Omit food groups? Have some crazy stupid rules that are not sustainable?
What about exercise? Is it because you do like an hour of cardio every day? OR do exercises you just dislike? Granted, I used to like doing an hour of cardio every day. now I like being able to deadlift 200lbs.
The answer to all those questions is a resounding NO. Those are NOT the reasons.
Then what are your reasons? You'd do well figuring out your reasons for "hating" logging and exercise. If you simply hate logging, then opt for a different way of tracking intake that results in a calorie deficit - weight watchers, "eat clean," etc.
And for exercise... just don't do it if you're not willing to try different things to find something you enjoy.0 -
You write things down so that you can remember them.
I would guess they are avoiding writing it down because it's something they did that they would rather forget!0 -
obscuremusicreference wrote: »I think I would sooner do a few minutes of unlogged exercise than log my cinnamon and cooking spray. Judge away!
Heh. I feel like this about many things, including cinnamon and salt and coffee (black). I log cooking spray, though (I estimate .1 on the basis that if I use the whole bottle it has lots of calories, so I should log it over time). However, I don't judge not logging this or any other tiny thing.
On the bigger stuff, I don't know, I think it's that people hate getting the red line. I actually wish MFP had a less draconian-looking response to going over--that it was just factual, perhaps--since I think people who care already probably have a red line in their head and sometimes going over is intended. It's weird that even if I'm doing a weekly calorie thing and decided I would go over the red line bothers me a bit.
So long as people doing this realize they are and don't then claim confusion about why they aren't losing, I don't think it is harmful. I was doing it a lot around Christmas because I didn't want to be bothered trying to log 5 Frango caramels, small piece of Christmas cookie, etc., from the random things I was eating. I'd sometimes quick add 200 calories or some such, but there were a couple of weeks where I just ignored a bunch of the extras and figured I was over. Shockingly (not), I did not lose in those weeks, but of course I knew why. In a perfect world I wouldn't have screwed up my record of my calories, but I was doing lots of sloppy dinners out and cocktail parties too, so figured they were already inaccurate.0 -
I think different people use tracking calories different ways. If you want a 100% accurate record of everything you've ever eaten in order to narrow down to the closest calorie your TDEE or exercise burn or whatever, that's cool. For people doing cutting/bulk cycles for e.g. bodybuilding competitions, that's necessary.
For me, logging is a little more casual, basically just to keep me from going huge amounts over every day by accident. I'm not interested in "long term data," just results. (Keeping track of protein macro is good, too.) So I'll quick add calories some days, swap in calorie-equivalent foods because they're "recent" and I'm lazy, add in some exercise, add in no exercise...I rarely end up logging my bedtime snack, because by that point I know I have "room" for the calories either in my target or with whatever exercise I did that day.
Logging is a tool. This is how I use the tool.
It's working for me, which is what matters.0 -
Honestly, I'm not a lover of exercise. I never have been, even as a kid. Even when I worked hard to lose 80 pounds earlier in my life, I never liked exercising. I liked the feeling afterward - but not doing it.0
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obscuremusicreference wrote: »...They're not cheating the system--their bodies log it all. ...
What is the reasoning behind that? ...
Maybe I just don't get it, but it seems like a good way to spin your wheels.
^^^ This plus denial. Some people know what they need to do to be successful and yet they do not do it. They are not ready to face the facts as to why they are failing, and they like having an out for their own shortcomings ... as long as there is no evidence to look at, they can whine and vent and feel sorry for themselves. Truth is, if they want it bad enough, they will need to do what it takes to get there.
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cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »I think different people use tracking calories different ways. If you want a 100% accurate record of everything you've ever eaten in order to narrow down to the closest calorie your TDEE or exercise burn or whatever, that's cool. For people doing cutting/bulk cycles for e.g. bodybuilding competitions, that's necessary.
For me, logging is a little more casual, basically just to keep me from going huge amounts over every day by accident. I'm not interested in "long term data," just results. (Keeping track of protein macro is good, too.) So I'll quick add calories some days, swap in calorie-equivalent foods because they're "recent" and I'm lazy, add in some exercise, add in no exercise...I rarely end up logging my bedtime snack, because by that point I know I have "room" for the calories either in my target or with whatever exercise I did that day.
Logging is a tool. This is how I use the tool.
It's working for me, which is what matters.
exactly0 -
Sometimes I "give up" for the day. I made a bad choice and decide, eh...I don't care for today. So I don't log it. I did that last night when I made some cookie dough...for the express idea of eating it straight out of the bowl. I'll pick up and move on, but no reason to "shame" myself by logging it all.0
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obscuremusicreference wrote: »I don't really understand why so many people on here say they eat something and don't log it at all. They're not cheating the system--their bodies log it all. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people who said that.
What is the reasoning behind that? Do they not want their friends to see? Do they think that if they don't log it, it's somehow less real? I'm not talking about the occasional "I stole my kid's french fry," I'm talking about people who eat a significant amount of unlogged food.
Maybe I just don't get it, but it seems like a good way to spin your wheels.
I don't log on weekends or holidays. I know if I eat too much, it's going to show up on the scale and how my clothes fit and stuff, so it's not a denial thing. I just like a mental break from obsessing about foods and macros. I have a little bit more of a deficit during the week to make up for any surplus I might have on the weekend.
I have OCD tendencies. I'm an overlogger and I have a bad habit of pushing myself too hard. The last time I was logging calories & exercise on here, I was also tracking my miles on Runkeeper and in a monthly running goal group. I was logging my all exercise here, on Fitocracy and in a spreadsheet on my computer. While I was certainly eating healthy and a good amount of food, and not in any kind of traditional eating disorder, the obsession with calories and macros and micromanaging everything was excessive.
Taking time off from logging - just like taking rest days on schedule - is a different kind of exercise for me.
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I would guess 95% or more of people don't love food logging OR exercising (or dental care or home care or their jobs or anything else we do for the benefits, not the process itself). It doesn't mean they're "doing it wrong".
Actually, they're probably more likely to be doing a better job at it the more they dislike it, because logging well and pushing your body are harder than doing it half-a$sed.0 -
The only things I don't log on a regular basis are ketchup (which I don't use all that often anyway), bbq sauce if I only use a little bit, and spices.
I did have one day recently where I didn't log everything (and it was a REALLY crappy eating day). It was last sunday. I logged about 2500 of the calories I ate, but I didn't log this cookie thing (It was supposed to be a cookie bowl but it turned into a mini cookie cake/loaf thing that my friend made) because there really wasn't any way for me to figure out how many calories it was.0 -
MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »The only things I don't log on a regular basis are ketchup (which I don't use all that often anyway), bbq sauce if I only use a little bit, and spices.
I did have one day recently where I didn't log everything (and it was a REALLY crappy eating day). It was last sunday. I logged about 2500 of the calories I ate, but I didn't log this cookie thing (It was supposed to be a cookie bowl but it turned into a mini cookie cake/loaf thing that my friend made) because there really wasn't any way for me to figure out how many calories it was.
i never log ketchup and i tend to use a lot of it. i just can't be bothered. mmmmm ketchup.0 -
Sometimes I "give up" for the day. I made a bad choice and decide, eh...I don't care for today. So I don't log it. I did that last night when I made some cookie dough...for the express idea of eating it straight out of the bowl. I'll pick up and move on, but no reason to "shame" myself by logging it all.
I've had days like that, too. Or I'll go out to eat, or to a friend's house, and get food that's not easily logged. I'm not going to sit down at a friend's with my phone out and say, "Now tell me exactly, in milligrams, what's in your recipe."
I did the whole "Pick the closest thing in the food diary" thing the last time around. It didn't make that much of a difference in my progress.0 -
The reason for not logging I'm sure is different for every single person. When I was a teen I started hiding food - eating when no one was watching and getting rid of the evidence as soon as possible. That's why in the past I haven't logged - I was hiding it even from my food diary. It makes zero sense but that's why I did it - no one, even MFP, need to know. It was just me and (insert whatever food I didn't log). I never had friends on MFP before and I sure as heck never opened my diary!!!
This time around (I've created a MFP account a few times now) I have logged everything, whether those calories put me in the red or not - I'm making this a lifestyle change and daily/weekly "mistakes" happen in life, it doesn't mean I'm going to throw in the towel and give up.0 -
I log every binge for data purposes... I don't see the point of logging either if you're not going to log the big stuff... I like knowing where I stand and see my weight change do I can adjust my calories... that's the whole point!0
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I don't think it had anything to do with magical thinking or that the calories mysteriously don't count. I'm assuming its to a point in their day that they know they are over goal quite a bit. I'm sure they already feel the guilt without even needing to see those red numbers.
I agree with the PP who said MFP is a tool. People can use the tool how they choose to. They can't blame the tool for not working if they aren't losing, its only accurate if what they are putting into is accurate. Just because some choose to log every morsel or binge, doesn't mean every single person has to use it that way.0
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