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

Options
13567

Replies

  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    Options
    I think I'll have to. I have tried just eyeballing portions once for a month and my weight loss stalled. That made me recommit to using my scale.
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
    Options
    Yes, I plan on counting calories and logging for the rest of my life. From my viewpoint, I have a chronic condition that must be managed. I never thought in the past that I could get to a certain weight and then do whatever I wanted, but I always believed that I could get to a point where I could eat like a "normal" person - meaning no logging or counting and just eating when hungry, only till satisfied, etc. I no longer believe that to be true. I have a different relationship with food and always have and always will. I think of my lifelong pattern of obesity as being similar to having something like diabetes. There's no cure.
  • MrsSylvie
    MrsSylvie Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    kind of pretty much know how much to, and to not, eat now, so i doubt i will count calories for years to come but, i will still use my food scale and keep a mental note of how many calories i am consuming throughout the day.
  • optionsgod
    optionsgod Posts: 144 Member
    Options
    probably not, but I can see myself continuing to weigh everything I eat.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Options
    Yes, if that is what it takes. I have brushed my teeth for about 65 years and taken a shower or bath almost every day of that time.....and even made my bed and I have never thought of giving those up. So counting calories is just going to be part of that lifestyle. No big deal.
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    Options
    Yes I plan on it. I don't see it so much as counting calories, more just keeping track of my food intake. I've been a binge eater for my entire life; it's too easy for me to fall into mindless eating and logging my food stops me from doing that. I don't stress about going over my calories, which I still do a lot. I just keep track.

    I'm 3 years into MFP and 2 years of maintaining my 100lbs loss so don't see a reason to stop doing something that works for me.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    Options
    Maybe. I have a really hard time knowing if I'm hungry or not and remembering when I've eaten so logging is important for now to keep me on track. I just each the amount I've designated when I've designated. Maybe I'll get better at that as I go along. I gained weight from drinking too much so not really sure I need to be counting so closely to lose now that I've cut that out but don't want to waste my time so I am.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Options
    afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »
    Yes, I plan on counting calories and logging for the rest of my life. From my viewpoint, I have a chronic condition that must be managed. I never thought in the past that I could get to a certain weight and then do whatever I wanted, but I always believed that I could get to a point where I could eat like a "normal" person - meaning no logging or counting and just eating when hungry, only till satisfied, etc. I no longer believe that to be true. I have a different relationship with food and always have and always will. I think of my lifelong pattern of obesity as being similar to having something like diabetes. There's no cure.

    This is how I feel also. I heard the term "obesity in remission", and after four years of counting calories and getitng myself in pretty good shape, that's how I describe myself.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Options
    amytorr19 wrote: »
    no i dont plan on counting calories the rest of my life.. I am learning portion control from counting calories.
    I haven't tracked with any regularity in over a year and I haven't gained any unwanted weight in that time either.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    Options
    Yes, because at my age and size, it's very easy to overeat my calorie allotment and put the pounds on. I don't count on vacations and always come back 5-7 lbs. heavier.
  • Montepulciano
    Montepulciano Posts: 845 Member
    Options
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    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.

    That sounds so very realistic. Thanks for sharing!
  • Lucille4444
    Lucille4444 Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Numbers rule
    That is true, but after you've looked up the caloric value of let's say, and egg, for the 600th time I'm thinking you really should be remembering. There's always the exotic dish you don't eat often but really you can look at the tuna sandwich and your mind can visualize what part of the allowed daily food that would be without having to count up, after a while.
  • Dare2Believe
    Dare2Believe Posts: 140 Member
    Options
    Don't count them now. I used to count calories because I believed in the calories in calories out theory even though it never worked for me. I now do keto and count carbs. With that method I have lost 19 pounds in 5 weeks. So I will probably count carbs until I lose all the weight I want to and then periodically monitor them.
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    Most likely. I have proven that I can't be trusted if I don't.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    When was your last logging break?
  • Tblackdogs
    Tblackdogs Posts: 324 Member
    Options
    Interesting question…and answers. At times I would have answered "no way!" Other times, maybe "yes." But the more I think about it I think the answer is maybe. I, like others here, think that being on MFP has taught me a lot about appropriate portion size and about eating moderately in general. But I also think that why not count/log calories forever? Obviously not literally every bite forever, but we follow recipes to know how much to make for a particular number of servings and we cut things like pizza and cake into slices instead of eating the whole thing. There are obviously people who never need to worry about gaining weight but MOST people put on weight as they age so knowing how many calories we put in our bodies would be very helpful.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Options
    I expect to be doing a lot of things for the rest of my life. I don't see why calorie tracking should not be one of them. I expect there will be a time when I can be a little less strict about it but I plan on it being a part of everyday life for good.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    Not a chance.

    I'm learning to eat without a crutch while I lose. With any luck, I'll be able to eat without a scale or logging everything by the time I'm done. That's the plan, anyway.

    After I'm done losing, if I mess up and gain like five pounds, I'll diet it away...with any luck, without a scale. I'm hoping I don't get to that point, though, and am able to keep it under control without that.

    I don't love the weighing/logging and consider it a pain in the butt.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Options
    Lucille4444 wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Numbers rule
    That is true, but after you've looked up the caloric value of let's say, and egg, for the 600th time I'm thinking you really should be remembering. There's always the exotic dish you don't eat often but really you can look at the tuna sandwich and your mind can visualize what part of the allowed daily food that would be without having to count up, after a while.

    Since you quoted me I assume you're replying to me. But I'm afraid I don't get what you're after.

    I probably have logged eggs 600 times, and I know the nutritional values pretty well. How much mayo is in my tuna sandwich? How much tuna? I can visualize a 200 calorie tuna sandwich and a 400 calorie tuna sandwich. Shall I remember all of the caloric and nutritional values of all the food I eat? Pad Thai, 50 kinds of ice cream, different kinds of breads, bagels, cinnamon rolls, pot roast, thin crust vs thick crust pizza, nonfat vs 2% vs full fat Greek yogurt, 80% vs 90% lean ground beef, Cap'n Crunch vs Grape Nuts vs Wheaties, French toast, pancakes, Italian sausage vs brats vs hot dogs vs pork tenderloin, couscous, sweet corn, et cetera ad infinitum? Do I have room today to squeeze in some ice cream? How much? How about a beer? An imperial stout or a gose? If I don't track I'm guessing; if I track I know.

    Logging and tracking calories takes about 2 minutes out of my day, and to my mind it is just as valuable as (and easier than) keeping my bank account balanced. Tracking calories is the only thing that has worked for me and I'm not about to abandon it.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    Options
    Hopefully not but I will if necessary. I find my appetite to be a very accurate gauge of how many calories I have eaten. Portion control during "stress free" times was never my problem.

Categories