Do you plan on counting calories for the rest of your life?

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I've been counting for around 2-3 years now and I'm getting sick of it. Food and calories is all I think about these days, but I fear I'll regain all the weight once I stop. What's your plan once you reach your goal weight? Would counting calories for the rest of your life be unreasonable?
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Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Probably most of it. I assume there will come a time when I'll be able to keep a running tally...I don't see me stopping for another good 5 years though.

    ETA: Hopefully 5 years is not "most of my life" lol. Not with it today.
  • amytorr19
    amytorr19 Posts: 25 Member
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    no i dont plan on counting calories the rest of my life.. I am learning portion control from counting calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Yes. I've gone up and down my entire life and this is the first time that weight loss/maintaining has really "made sense" to me. Keeping at the strategy that brought me success seems like a good idea.

    But does it make sense for you? I think only you can answer that. Have you considered taking a break and seeing how it works out?
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
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    No
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    I have taken short logging breaks, and I have maintained. I think it would get easier to be sloppy the longer the break and I am never as good at sustaining a period of continued loss without logging. If I ever get to goal, I may be better at it by then with a few years of practice under my belt. At the rate I am losing and expecting that to slow down as I approach goal, I won't have to make that decision for another year.
  • DM01234
    DM01234 Posts: 317 Member
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    I stopped about 4 months ago. I learned through the loss process about what I should and should not be consuming - especially portion controls. So far, so good.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2015
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    No--right now I plan to monitor my weight and portion sizes/overall diet and probably count calories/log off and on.

    I've been maintaining while logging only off and on over the past few months, but intend to count again to lose weight (and maybe to help keep me on plan over the holidays).

    It helps me to focus on things besides calories when I am logging, as that keeps it interesting--I am currently logging on cron-o-meter which is really good for tracking nutrients, so I'm focusing more on adding stuff to my diet, not calories. I'm about to start a marathon training program, and in the early stages of that I will try to drop a few more pounds, I think, but also play around with adding more carbs to see if it helps my runs. Before this I focused on getting protein up without using protein supplements and counting servings of vegetables, and stuff like that, as well as calories. I know some people find that makes it too complicated, especially at first, but for me it makes it fun and gives me an incentive to eat in a way that also keeps calories down (and lets me eat whatever I want, too).
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I don't plan to, but I don't plan not to. I'd rather not, but if I need to, I need to. Sort of like vision correction.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I counted calories while maintaining for the first six months. My maintenance range at 5'7 is 130.8 to 132.8 which is pretty narrow range for most people. In the 8th month my weight jumped up to 134.8 due to bad eating. Since then I've cut out the jars of Nutella with a spoon, been more aware, and used my food scale for a few days to remind me my serving sizes an a few things, and after 3 weeks am back within that maintenance range.

    So I will continue to monitor my weight, and if and when I need to, I will start logging again.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Counting as in weighing every morsel and logging it on mfp? No.

    In fact, I rarely do any more at all, though I'm probably going to start again in a few weeks when I go on my next cut.

    I use what I learned through the calorie counting/logging process to manage portions and make better choices, and monitor my weight and measurements to ensure I'm sticking to where I need/want to be.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I'll probably end up doing what I've been doing while maintaining, which is weigh myself every few days without logging. If the scale goes up a little and stays there, I start counting everything again for a while.

    (Right now, though, I'm actually trying to put on some muscle, so I'm trying to go over a little bit with lots of protein. So I do need logging for that, definitely.)
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    No, counting calories was my training wheels. By the time I had lost my weight I knew what my portion sizes were,and my appetite had shrunk, so most of the time I eat instinctively. Have been doing this for 6 years keeping within a 5 lb range.

    However when I change up routines, or feels clothes are getting snug, I don't hesitate to put my training wheels back on, count calories, and rebalance my food.

    Everyone has to find the way that works for them.

    Cheers, h.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    No. I lost most of my weight without counting at all. And for the past few months I sometimes counted and sometimes didn't (and usually didn't bother when eating out) and had no trouble maintaining the loss. But now I am new to keto, so am logging again.

    I plan to do it only when I am making substantial changes to the diet and just long enough to get a good handle on what I've changed.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
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    Yes, I have come to accept the fact that if I don't weigh and log my food I end up gaining weight.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I used to say yes to this question, but lately I think probably not. The tool is there at my disposal should I need some course correction, but I feel I have a good handle on about how much I should eat in a day.

    I do plan to monitor my weight closely, though.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    I tried taking a break from it for a month, and the weight started sneaking back, which now I have to re-lose. Apparently I will have to count forever. I'm short, old, and female.... so I have almost no margin for error. What little I get for maintenance feels like restriction, not to mention what it takes to lose. I wish that if a person didn't burn many calories, then their appetite would wither away to match. Alas, it is not so.
  • bezlooney
    bezlooney Posts: 81 Member
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    Unfortunately, yes. Ive been weighing my food and recording everything for over 10 years now (almost two on mfp, before i got the app. I did it on paper) i would feel lost if i didnt
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    I don't log on weekends or vacations. And yes I plan to log for the rest of my life. I have been 250 lbs and never want to go there again.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Probably. It's that or getting fat again.
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Once I reach my goal weight, I will stop logging and weigh myself weekly (or more) to monitor my weight. If that doesn't work, I'll re-evaluate. Calorie counting is just my little walking stick on the weight loss path. It doesn't keep me from overeating (there are plenty of binges in my diary). Willpower is the key.