Do you still track daily?

Options
2

Replies

  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    edited March 2016
    Options
    Like BurnWithBarb above, I still weigh & log food and I pre plan/pre log my meals.
    Maintaining over a year now but as a former yo yo dieter & I need to take the extra steps to keep me on plan.
    Been doing it for so long already and I actually don't mind.

    1n488pywecst.png

  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    edited March 2016
    Options
    Two years of maintaining this month and still logging. I hear too many stories about people who get too relaxed and start to gain again. Not going to let that happen, so I will keep logging.

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Options
    18 months and still logging.. Won't be stopping anytime soon. Changes in fitness goals or training cause me to need to.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited March 2016
    Options
    When I don't track I tend to regain - it isn't due to the tracking itself, it is that I am less fitness focused in general - I tend to work out less and just generally take care of myself less. Tracking is also a sign that I'm a little more focused.

    Been here, on and off, 3 years. Currently not at maintenance, but back on tracking.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Options
    I track because knowing is way cooler. I can't make the corrections to my diet if I don't know what's going on.
  • akkeri
    akkeri Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Tracked on and off since March 2013. Took a complete break from mid August 2015 to end of January 2016 (so 5 months or so) due to lots of travel and too much work. Stopped running/lifting too and ate basically whatever felt right (mostly clean, but sometimes you can't say no to Dairy Queen!).

    Somehow, magically, I went from 57kg to 59kg during the time I was 'offline'. Am back to tracking and lifting (running will have to wait until this snow stops happening) and am back to tipping the scales back towards the 50's.

    Overall, I'd say I'm happier 'knowing' than 'not knowing' what my caloric intake is.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,014 Member
    Options
    I have been at maitenance for 2 years and I still log every day.

    However I practice what I call' lazy logging' - every banana is a small banana, every mandarine is a medium mandarine, all slices of bread are the same etc, and I go out for meals and just guesstimate them.
    And if I go on vacation I go a week or so without logging at all.

    This level of logging is working for me though - have not deviated more than 1.5 kg from my goal weight in that time.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,711 Member
    Options
    I've been maintaining for several years and I don't log food and exercise here, but I take more of a 'diary" approach: each day I list what I eat (no measurements or calorie counts), how I'm feeling, what my workout was, etc. That way if I'm feeling sluggish or like I've gained a bit then I can look back to the past couple of weeks and see what may be contributing to that. Having the whole picture on one page is helpful to me. (I just use my own formatted Word document.)
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    Options
    I don' t log on MFP anymore. Basically, I autopilot calorie counting by simply eating the same things in the same amounts nearly everyday for breakfast and lunch. I don't snack or drink anything with a calorie count greater than 10 per 16oz. At dinner/dessert, I have a rotating set list of meals where I know the calorie counts of everything per serving. My weight has been steady the past several months, so the system works.

  • Arianera
    Arianera Posts: 128 Member
    Options
    I am recently in maintenance - and still logging loosely. Like others I am estimating most portions and finding near-equivalents to save time. I am mostly continuing to log because I've been having some GI issues and find MFP logging to be a convenient way to keep a food/symptom log
  • ginalove1960
    ginalove1960 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    @stickkop there have been threads on the pos and cons of WW vs MFP. A search may give you the info you are looking for.

    Cheers, h.

  • ginalove1960
    ginalove1960 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I have been in more or less maintenance phase for the last 3 months. I have no problem continuing to track all my meals and snacks. I have such a large appetite that I feel I have no other choice than to track everything for the rest of my life, otherwise, things will most likely get out of hand. And, unfortunately, I live in an extended care facility, where all my tracking is very public, and out in the open.
  • ginalove1960
    ginalove1960 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    ginalove1960 wrote: »
    I have been in more or less maintenance phase for the last 3 months. I have no problem continuing to track all my meals and snacks. I have such a large appetite that I feel I have no other choice than to track everything for the rest of my life, otherwise, things will most likely get out of hand. And, unfortunately, I live in an extended care facility, where all my tracking is very public, and out in the open.

    When I say "public", I mean out in an open, and full dining room.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    I haven't kept a physical log or diary for almost three years...that doesn't mean I don't pay attention though.
  • B_TEEN
    B_TEEN Posts: 95 Member
    Options
    Great topic as this is something I'm currently reassessing. Tracking became a cohabit with my change in diet; so the idea of abandoning the system leaves a small sentiment of fear. I'm motivated to stop tracking because my primary method was estimate/guesstimate, which isn't really accurate, and I don't rigidly meal plan+prep. To be clear, I'm getting the results I desire.


    Perhaps, I give it a shot to see if the lack of tracking results in noticeable food choice or weight changes. It's good to see others chime in on this issue :smile:
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Options
    I don't find it hard or inconvenient. The only meal I have not tracked, was a cheat meal. I normally know what I'm going to eat the next day, so as I'm watching TV in the evening. I'll log everything.
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
    edited March 2016
    Options
    i have maintained within 8 pounds over the last year or so and still log daily...i dont weigh my food all the time, but when my weight creeps up i go back to that. i keep the scale out!! i dont eat out a lot so its not that difficult for me to eye ball food sizes any longer...i think I'm at 1020 days of logging...
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    Options
    I've been in maintenance for 4 months, but stopped logging about 2 or 3 weeks ago to see how i do without all the metrics.

    I weigh once a week now ( down from daily.) i am definitely still mindful of keeping up with my exercise; i made sure to find a routine I'll continue indefinitely.

    If i end up gaining too much over time, I'd like to see if i can lose without tracking.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Options
    You need to track until you get accurate enough at estimating to meet your calorie goals. It might be a few months or forever. I'm not at maintenance yet and am 21 months along on my journey. I stopped tracking after 3 months, and have lost every month since. Every few months I might track for 1-2 days, and every time I've been right on the nose with my calories & macros. I realize most people can't do this. Perhaps as i get into maintenance I'll decide to track again for awhile to help me gauge what I can/should be eating at that point. My point is, no one can tell you how long to track, it depends on how consistent (similar) your eating is from day to day and how accurate or honest you are in estimating. It's different for everyone. Try not logging for a month and see what your results are. A week is too short to evaluate based on the scales, because weight can fluctuate a few pound in a week so any change might not be related to not tracking.
  • Anniebotnen
    Anniebotnen Posts: 332 Member
    Options
    I've been maintaining for about 18 months. I still log my food most of the time, but usually just estimate quantities. I log what I plan to eat every morning, and don' always change my log unless I happen to majorly deviate from the plan, so it's very quick and easy. I don't log at all on vacations, when eating out or having people over for dinner. If my weight does creep up, I'll be more meticulous about tracking accurate quantities until it comes back down. This has worked well, I have never been more than 3 lbs above my goal weight, and usually stay a couple of lbs under.

Categories