Is Anyone Else Here Not Really Tracking Their Food Seriously?

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  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    ryanhorn wrote: »
    SnuggleSmacks wrote: »
    I actually stopped tracking. I found that when I track, I push the numbers. I eat right up to the point of maintenance, and if I exercise, I track that too, and eat back those calories. I end up making it almost like a game to see how much food I can pack in those numbers. I guess it's hard to take too seriously since I don't have much to lose, and I'm lifting and don't want to inhibit muscle growth.

    But I find that I'm eating less when I don't track, because I'm paying more attention to my body's signals instead of planning out an entire day's worth of food to maximize my macros and cals. I've actually lost almost 3 pounds this week just from only eating when hungry. I've even included potato chips, Bixby bars and ice cream, and haven't weighed any portions, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm going to see if this trend continues.

    My nutrition counselor and I actually had a discussion about this. He says that this is the reason that food logging is not recommended for all people, regardless of the goal.

    For example, someone have 2000 calories for the day. They eat 1500 calories, and they're full, but they see that they still have 500 calories left, so they go ahead and fill in that 500 calories with something else when they don't necessarily need it.

    This is exactly my problem. I chalk it up to being obsessive, which is why I don't like to log. Those are the days I end up going way over.
  • ryanhorn
    ryanhorn Posts: 355 Member
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    SuggaD wrote: »
    ryanhorn wrote: »
    SnuggleSmacks wrote: »
    I actually stopped tracking. I found that when I track, I push the numbers. I eat right up to the point of maintenance, and if I exercise, I track that too, and eat back those calories. I end up making it almost like a game to see how much food I can pack in those numbers. I guess it's hard to take too seriously since I don't have much to lose, and I'm lifting and don't want to inhibit muscle growth.

    But I find that I'm eating less when I don't track, because I'm paying more attention to my body's signals instead of planning out an entire day's worth of food to maximize my macros and cals. I've actually lost almost 3 pounds this week just from only eating when hungry. I've even included potato chips, Bixby bars and ice cream, and haven't weighed any portions, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm going to see if this trend continues.

    My nutrition counselor and I actually had a discussion about this. He says that this is the reason that food logging is not recommended for all people, regardless of the goal.

    For example, someone have 2000 calories for the day. They eat 1500 calories, and they're full, but they see that they still have 500 calories left, so they go ahead and fill in that 500 calories with something else when they don't necessarily need it.

    This is exactly my problem. I chalk it up to being obsessive, which is why I don't like to log. Those are the days I end up going way over.

    That's awesome that you figured this out about yourself! I think this just goes to show that logging food is not in fact the end-all be-all solution. It's highly individualistic, and techniques/tools need to be catered towards the individual person.
  • lmr0528
    lmr0528 Posts: 427 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I used to log everything religiously on here. But I got too focused on numbers and decided that I need to enjoy life and not stress. So I stopped logging my food. I still workout everyday just like I always did. I still log all of my exercise on here just so that I can keep track of it easily. I like to track my progress in that area. I eat pretty much the same as I did when I was logging, but just a little bit more relaxed. I've never had much to lose anyway, it was always just a way to make me feel more comfortable in my own skin.
  • SyzygyX
    SyzygyX Posts: 189 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    I log but don't weigh or measure. The weight's coming off at an acceptable rate without that level of detail.

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  • BackInTheSaddle13
    BackInTheSaddle13 Posts: 47 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I log everything but mainly because I have such portion distortion and I am really trying to teach my body (and mind) what is enough and what is just too much. You know that clean your plate mentality?! I have never been good with portion control and so I guess I'm trying to retrain myself as to what real fullness is and what it looks like for when I get to maintenance.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I log everything but I'm not quite as meticulous as some people Are. I guesstimate a lot. And if I don't have calories left at the end of my day I'll still eat dessert.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I log everything but I used to be better. I'll take a lick of something now and not log it. Whoops.
  • HappyQuella
    HappyQuella Posts: 67 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I log everything and consistently measure my food. Personally, it's what I need to successfully lose weight and keep it off. When I go into maintenance, this will probably be a different story. If all I did was log my workouts and didn't pay great detail to my food, I would do exactly what I did in the past. Eyeball (significantly underestimate) everything I put in my body, then cry because I was working out like a fiend but wasn't really in a deficit- hence no loss on the scale.

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