At what point does it end - or doesn't it?

If you weigh yourself every week/2weeks/month you should be able to see when you start gaining and make adjustments. That is where I went wrong three years ago.

For me, I'll keep logging. I have got to the point where I'm 'done' too many times over the years including when I first signed up to MFP (got to 133 left it for 6 months and weighed back in at 172). My ability to estimate calories is, sadly, lacking.

I've enjoyed bulking and cutting recently and find owning my weight gain much preferable to it creeping up on me, this is the way to go, for me, for the foreseeable future.

It won't end for me. I know myself, and logging will have to be in my life always.

I know some people can do it, just not me. The statistics say that the majority of people will gain all the weight back, some will gain even more than they lost back. I want to be in the small majority that never gains it back, and for me that means logging. Just the way it is, and will have to be, for me.

I usually stick with these logging sites for 3 weeks ... then continue to lose weight on my own for several more weeks. Last time I did that was in 2011 and I lost 13 lbs in 13 weeks which put me back into the normal BMI weight range again.

The time before was in 2008. I logged my diet for 3 weeks, then continued on my own and lost about 9 lbs in 5 weeks ... I wasn't overweight then, just slimming up a bit for my wedding.

I've stuck with this site for about 4 weeks now, which is longer than usual. I do find this site easier to use than others I've tried, so that helps. It also has an extensive database of food, so that also helps. Therefore this time, I'm kind of loosely aiming for mid-June. But we'll see.

How you approach MFP depends on your goals, really.
I stopped weekly weigh-ins in October when I started a slow bulk cycle and I've gone up about 13lbs - which is exactly where I wanted to be as I changed goal from "lose weight" to "get strong".
I still find myself vastly underestimating the food I eat when I don't weigh or measure it, and I need to get better at that if I want to leave MFP in the dust.

I would like to just comment on eating out. I think if I didn't have the app I would definitely check websites for nutrition info if you don't already. I always think eating a salad at a restaurant is a good idea and then I find out they are just as bad as some entrees. Just common sense stuff, really, but its easy to slip up when you think you're eating healthy food.

For the most part you'll want to track your weight in some fashion to determine whether or not you are succeeding. You MAY need to establish or identify a set of habits that allows your calorie intake to remain within a reasonable range for maintenance.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

If I were going to stop logging I would approach it as a set of rules for myself. For me they might look something like:

3 meals and one snack only
Have some protein with every meal
5 servings of fruit/veg per day
Only one serving of sweets per day
Stick to one starch per day (rice or potatoes or pasta but not all three)
Continue to lift 4 days per week

These would vary from person to person and of course none of them are strictly necessary, but the intention would be to control calories without actually having to count them.

I would also continue to weigh in regularly and would avoid the mindset of being "done." Personally I think it would be more challenging to maintain without counting but definitely doable. It's something I've been considering lately so I've given it a bit of thought.

^ And this would be a good start/good example of some of those habits that MAY be necessary for you.

ndj1979 wrote: »

I like logging and the data it provides. I have it down now to where I can pretty much pre log my day in five minutes. Plus, i have some awesome peeps on my friends list who provide awesome information and feedback about lifting and intake ….

MFP 4 life!

This is pretty much me too. I don't find logging a burden, and having all the things I measure (weight, exercise calories, weights I accomplish at the gym, calories of recipes) all in one place together with a great group of friends, just makes it convenient for me.

If you always do what you always did....you will always get what you always got.

I'd love to not log but I feel I still need to, even after 3 years and 1 of those years being at maintenance.. I just don't trust myself For me its just too easy to eat over my calories and I am just not going back to being the fat friend/sister ever again!

Weekly weigh ins for me have to be a must as its all too easy to ignore gains, I have gained a few pounds recently at maintenance yet in my head I feel my body looks the same and my clothes aren't fitting any different - but the scale doesn't lie.

I see no reason to stop logging. Maintenance does not mean we are "finished". It means we are still restricting calories to whatever number it is .... Forever..... To maintain the weight you are. Why would it be a good time to
Stop? I think it's the best time to continue. It is too easy to feel " I have arrived ".... ( new clothes, new size, new you).... And to believe it's "over". Studies say great majority people gain weight back .... I would imagine it's during maintenance that begins. I think calorie counting is forever. I like knowing how many calories I can have .... Takes anxiety away for me

I'm planning to log forever, but like a lot of other folks, I enjoy it!

Obsessive or not...I will always log. I became obese by being in denial over the amount I was eating, this keeps me aware. Sometimes it's okay to have a crutch if it got you over the finished line then it anchors you there.

katiejanecollins wrote: »

Some people may stay on MFP forever, and that's totally fine, but I don't really want to do that as I feel I could become obsessed with calorie counting like I have done previously. I'm 1lb off my goal weight (which realistically I don't think I'll get to - so I'm going to try and maintain it now instead), and after two years of calorie counting I'm pretty familiar with what food items I regularly consist of calorie/fat/carb wise, but is there a particular mind set I should get myself into so I can lay off the counting but remain at this weight.

Anyone know what I mean/do that themselves?

I'm going to take the opposite side of most people in this thread, and I'll begin by saying that everyone is different. Some people intend on logging forever, but I didn't want to be that person that was entering food in my phone during meals for the rest of my life. People have been staying skinny for hundreds of years without logging or worrying about calories, and I wanted to do it too.

As someone weaning off of logging after logging for two years straight, the hardest part I've learned is listening to your body. For the past two years, I've been so concerned with calorie counts/timing/hitting macros that I've forgotten what it feels like to be hungry, what it feels like to be comfortably full, and what it feels like to enjoy food honestly. I've actually found that I've been eating less now since I stopped logging several weeks ago. My biggest suggestion would be picking up the book "Intuitive Eating." There's lots of awesome tips and tricks in there to help you maintain your weight without the stress/worry that the numbers will bring you.

Also the feeling of nurturing your body when it's hungry and taking care of it instead of fighting it constantly by tracking is kind of nice.

Also, another big piece of advice is don't be scared! You'll see on the scale and on your body if you go too far in one direction or the other. You're not going to go back to your original weight by letting go of logging with all the new skills and attitudes you've learned.

I wish you success if you choose to stop logging, and enjoy the freedom that it brings