Do you still count calories?

Sure, I still track, but it takes me all of 30 seconds per day to log my expected meals for the day, since I have preset meals and do a lot of guesstimation. I don't freak out anymore if I eat an extra cookie or two, which gives me the freedom to enjoy life a little.

Well said spzjlb.....well said.

No, I don't count calories daily anymore. The point of logging is to develop an awareness for what amount of food is appropriate. The goal is to eventually eat healthfully and continue to lose or maintain weight without the crutch of logging. Millions of healthy weight people eat healthfully and exercise and manage it all without logging.

I did it once a week for a few months while I figured out what foods I need to make my staples and which will provide satisfaction, enjoyment, energy and all if not most of my vitamins and minerals. I was able to determine how many treats I can get away with and how much exercise I need to continue losing and how much I'd need for maintenance.

Logging forever and ever indicates you haven't really learned much.

When I'm in maintenance, I do not count calories. I do not enjoy it, unless I'm actively trying to lose weight. With that being said, my "goal" weight and my "maintenance" weight are not the same. I can maintain within a 5-7 lb fluctuation without counting calories (as long as I still exercise). It is not my preferred/goal weight but it's good enough for me since I refuse to restrict/count calories continuously and like to eat and drink a lot. I go on two vacations a year, so for those, I strive to get to my goal weight, and when I get there I stop counting calories and enjoy life for the next 4 months till it gets closer to my next vacation then I start restricting/counting calories again for a month or two to lose the 5-7 lbs (which comes off quickly when I put my mind to it). It works great for me, especially since my DH likes me with that extra fluffiness for most of the year, lol. I never gain more than 10 lbs above my goal. Only time was when I was pregnant 6 years ago.

BrendaBlowers, be patient, remain steadfast. ..it will come.

MissJay75 wrote: »

Traveler120 wrote: »

Logging forever and ever indicates you haven't really learned much.

I disagree. It can mean you didn't learn much. It can also mean you learned enough about yourself to know you will always struggle with portion control, food temptations, and so on. Logging can be a crutch, it can also be a tool. Please don't belittle people who still need that tool.

This.

I'm 6 lbs from maintenance but I know that once I'm there, I'll continue to log. Maybe not with the same military precision as I will be in order to lose the last stubborn pounds, But portion control has always been a bit of a 'thing' for me. And I'm generally not good at estimating. I also fear - if I quit logging altogether, I'll over estimate far too much and as a result, end up losing more weight..

I quite enjoy it AND if I really get my act together I can plan an entire week's (or more) meal plan ahead of time so I know what to order. I use it closely in conjunction with the Tesco grocery website and get it delivered.

Kinda have to since I don't want to weight 320# again.

I've been maintaining for ~30 years. I've logged more accurately in the past 2 years than I ever have because (1) the tools are so good and make it so easy, and (2) I've needed more accuracy to maintain as a career change and nearing 50 changed my CO. I also slack on logging in maintenance for spells, but when I get to the top of my range, nothing beats accurate logging to get back in range.

Oh yes and I don't plan on ever stopping.....but for different reasons than the one's I started with.

Initially I was amazed at how much easier weight loss became when I joined and I learnt so much and continue to do so.

Now I really like the feed back about macros etc. It has really helped take a lot of guess work out for me as I have underlying health issues which make adequate nutrition a daily battle.

Also and this was totally unexpected it has helped me manage my life-long struggle with an ED....I feel that my daily targets help remind me to look after myself

I've been maintaining for 7 months with the help of my Fitbit. I'm now very dependant on it to monitor my intake vs calorie burns over the course of a week so that I don't gain or continue to lose for that matter. Initially on maintenance it was very "weird" to identify as a person who needed to eat more. As it turns out with my career I'm very active and at least for now that means I can eat exactly my burned calories earned according to my tracker or know when to save some/spend some. Best of luck>

MFP has a default setting that doesn't allow you enough calories. I adjusted them to better suit my needs. (You can do that under 'goals.') BodyBuilding.com has a great article here, which talks about that: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-lose-weight.html
While we aren't trying to LOSE weight anymore, I do think eating enough calories without gaining weight is really important. I track everything I eat. I like the MFP app because you can easily scan what you eat or log it as you go.

ErinSot wrote: »

Or do you feel MFP gave you enough information on your weight loss journies to manage on your own?

I'm not done losing yet but I don't want to be stuck in a world of logging every little thing forever.

Over the past four years I've been at or near my goal weight twice. Each time I decided I didn't need to log my meals and/or calories, and each time - over the course of some months - I've regained much of the weight I initially lost.

I am once again within reach of my goal - 14 pounds to go - but this time I intend to continue to log my meals on MFP, increasing my calories to a maintenance level. Twice burned is twice learned. I do not have the discipline to go it alone. I need the tools (MFP, my Salter Nutrition Food Scale, my FitBit) to keep me on track. I look at it like maintaining my home. Can't do it without tools (screwdriver, hammer, drill, paint brushes, etc.).

By the way - I'm 74 years old, down to 162 from a high of 222, and headed for a healthy weight of 148 pounds.

Sharon_C wrote: »

I plan to count calories indefinitely. I just know the day I stop is the day I start gaining again. After 3 years I'm fairly accurate at estimating but I still like to log it all. And since I've been logging for so many years it doesn't take long at all because I have so many recipes in there.

I agree, i think since we DON'T want to return to the previous life...we develop a safety net for our kind. And it is called log all, weigh all...for the foreseeable future! Why through away all that you've worked so hard to achieve! !!!!

SuggaD wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

nxd10 wrote: »

I like logging. I rarely have to limit my calories because I rarely go over. Often it tells me I need to eat more or gives me an excuse to eat when I feel hungry but think I've eaten enough. I look at my log and exercise calories and they tell me - YES your body knows what it's doing. Eat.

I have maintained for four years. In the last month I realized I was at the top of my 5 pound weight zone. Dropped 250 calories/day, kept logging and I'm now in the middle of it. I'll pop back to maintenance when I get to the bottom. It takes almost no effort to do. It's worth it.

Definitely NOT the case for everyone. If I listened to my body, I would have gained 20 pounds last year instead of maintaining. That's why I log (and still go to bed hungry most nights).

Well that's no good. You shouldn't be going to bed actually hungry.

There is actually no scientific indication that being hungry is bad for a person. In many countries it is considered to be perfectly normal as well as healthy to step to the meal table hungry, especially since in many countries people don't snack between meals.
I think that especially in the US with it's over abundance of cheap food it has become a belief that a person should not go hungry, but there are more and more indications that it is not good for a body system to consistently do digestive work, because people never have an empty stomach or empty bowels. This means that the body these days never can recover, health, build up resistance. This also means that heart, liver, pancreas and other organs are constantly busy with digestion, even during the night when other work ( like repair and recovery ) should be done.