There has to be a way without me going insane

srecupid
srecupid Posts: 660 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I'm kind of a control freak. I lost weight really easily because it was fun. Well now that i'm just trying to stay the same weight it's not really fun anymore it's just a chore. I don't want to log forever because i find it leads to me eating more (because i can) and sucks the fun out of trying new stuff (because who the hell knows if sharks chicken has the same amount of calories as popeyes chicken?) Long time maintainers who don't log how have you managed not to gain it all back? I feel like I need something else to strive for fitness wise in order to do it.

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    You're right. Find a new goal. Besides picking a fitness goal, you can try new foods and recipes too.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    I'm not there yet - but I worry about it- I'm addicted to seeing a new drop in weight. Maintenance is a bore.
  • MedeaKay
    MedeaKay Posts: 17 Member
    I reached my goal weight about a month ago. Now I only log my calories once or twice a week to make sure that I am on track. I basically know how much I can let myself get away with and not gain. For me, logging was always a pain, so I'm happy to be doing it less. I still give myself one day a week to eat whatever I want, and not worry about things like the calorie difference between one restaurant or brand and another. The rest of the time, I am sensible but not too restrictive.
    I have also set new goals for myself at the gym. These mostly have to do with bumping up the weights that I use. I have a long way to go before I can leg press 100 pounds, but each time I am able to add 5 more pounds, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    There are more options than you seem to think.
    Logging can be really detailed or it can be "lazy logging" - taking care over calorie dense items and estimating the rest. As long as your estimating methods are fairly consistent that plenty good enough.
    So an apple is an apple, a banana is just a banana, I drink an average of 5 cups of tea a day, that looks like an 8oz steak etc.....

    I've found that I can maintain without logging just by weighing myself daily to spot a trend early (vigilance) and sticking to good routines (habit).
    I still struggle to lose weight without logging when I need or want to cut some pounds - because I like my food and I'm greedy! :blush:

    I actually find the daily confirmation I'm in my goal weight range just as "exciting" (it's not really is it?) as seeing a lower number on my scales when I'm losing. Daily success versus weekly success perhaps?
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Didn't you ask this question the other day? I log because I find it fun and - like you - I'm a bit of a control freak. I've done it four years. But I'm way looser than I used to be when I was losing and I almost never use it to stop eating. Often I use it to confirm when I'm hungry that, yeah, I should eat more because I don't have enough calories.

    So it stopped being a hobby - like it was when I was loosing - and is now like tooth brushing. You've been logging a while now - you KNOW it doesn't matter if you're eating Shark's v. Poppeye chicken. A matters whether you put two tablespoons of blue cheese dressing on it or have it with salsa. Let it go.

    It's not the 50 calories you might be off, it's the couple hundred. I teach statistics. If sometimes you're over and sometimes you're under, it average out.

    But if you really don't want to log . . .

    Have 5 or 10 standard breakfasts or lunches you know the calories for and eat those most of the time.
    Log your dinner and snacks for a while. Or if your dinners are always around 400 calories, log your snacks and the oddball unusual meal so if you know it's under or over what you usually eat so you can adjust.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    I understand. I'm finding it very hard to STOP losing weight now....But I'm still logging, as I enjoy the "chore" of it...I'm a numbers person, and the numbers give me something to strive for......For myself, I change my goals every couple of weeks/months, depending on progress. First it was to lose 78 lbs...they're now gone. Then I decided my sleep is a mess as I was lucky to see 4 hours a night, so I picked up a tracker and started working on that. Using the stats, I increased my sleep numbers quite a bit since December (you'd be shocked what a good nights sleep can do for your day!) Getting there! Now my goal is a combination of still more sustained sleep, and gaining some muscle to go with my new, trim frame. I may never stop logging, I understand some people hate it, but for me, it's right up there with making my bed, brushing my teeth, and saying my prayers..lol...once you get used to doing it, it becomes part of you.
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
    I've maintained for 22 months and I don't log. I did for a few months after reaching goal then it just kind of petered out. Continued logging works for some, each to their own and all of that and if I started putting weight back on I'd start logging again pretty darn quick but for now..... When I was losing I think I gained a pretty accurate gauge of calories, I didn't reach goal and suddenly up portion sizes or start eating crap again, I enjoy my food but I also enjoy wine and chocolate and I never went/go without, I don't think that's sustainable. I still weigh every day. I think, for me, these things have gone some way toward maintaining the same weight for so long.
    Maintaining is very similar to weight loss in that it's trial and error for a little while until you figure out what works for you.

    Best of luck!
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    Well I'm trying to find a middle ground. I took the app icon off the home screen and use the widget instead which takes me straight to my diary instead of whatever random screen I was on before. I also hope an eBay seller accepts my offer for a withing wifi scale so that I can just way daily and forget. And on top of that I bought a simple which puts NFC buttons on a phone. I'm gonna use that to switch between calculator and myfitnesspal quicker. This should automate the process
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    My goal is to stay the same weight without logging and for the last 2 months, ive managed it. It takes logging a few things to learn what's in them, and being very self aware of what is going in your mouth but do it long enough and you can gauge it without being obsessive. Each time I weigh and I've not changed, I take it as success!
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    My goal is to stay the same weight without logging and for the last 2 months, ive managed it. It takes logging a few things to learn what's in them, and being very self aware of what is going in your mouth but do it long enough and you can gauge it without being obsessive. Each time I weigh and I've not changed, I take it as success!

    Yeah I need to find that. I almost feel like logging is enabling me to eat more despite not needing too
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited June 2016
    I lost 130 lbs in 400 days by eating less and moving more. I counted every single bite

    I am maintaining now since a half year and goes good.
    I do the lazy logging method but weigh myself every day. And yes i count, but dont log everything.
    And some days i still am very low in calories while i know i have to eat about 1000 or 600 or 500 calories more. I solve that problem with a big ice cream. Or anything else yummie. And why i end up so low in the first place is the fact that i didn't change my life style in eating. I always ate the same.
    Only i ate to much.
    Now i still like my meat salads veggies and fruits. I love my yogurts and nuts etc etc. But because i learned to not eat that much i sometimes end up lower than i need....in that case i eat some more.
    No big deal.

    Now when my weight goes up or i go out and know i ate far too much...i eat some less the days before or after.

    So the woman that was called here an obsessive logger ( because yes i logged and counted my coffee, tea, spices and herbs....so everything!) is now totally comfortable with counting the "about" calories in my head and still keep my weight perfect in my chosen weight range.

    It is different for everybody..but you have to find a way to feel comfortable with. And that takes some time.
  • jasonsunlee
    jasonsunlee Posts: 48 Member
    I think you need to get confortable w the fact that you WILL gain some weight some days. It really is unreal to think you will stay at the exact weight each day. Try to set a weight gain limit.... when you see the scales tipping over that limit that's how you know you need to eatch your macros or hit the gym hard again.

    me persinally i find it hard to maintain without staying true to logging what i eat. It puts me on check as well. Also, staying within your calories is only one aspect. If you're xonsiming a lot more fats or salty foods it's likely tour body will have a harder time burning it off.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    So I'm kind of a control freak. I lost weight really easily because it was fun. Well now that i'm just trying to stay the same weight it's not really fun anymore it's just a chore. I don't want to log forever because i find it leads to me eating more (because i can) and sucks the fun out of trying new stuff (because who the hell knows if sharks chicken has the same amount of calories as popeyes chicken?) Long time maintainers who don't log how have you managed not to gain it all back? I feel like I need something else to strive for fitness wise in order to do it.

    This was my eventual downfall before and of course I regained it all back and then some. I even toyed with eating disorders for the last ten pounds/first weeks of maintenance. I've already got a plan for this. At my preliminary goal weight, where it starts to slow down and starts to become maddening, it's time to pursue some things that were held back by my weight. A lifetime ago I was a dancer until a career ending injury stopped all that. But there are still types of dance I can do. Tango, tap, a little Bollywood. I'm going to work hard getting fantastic at those again. I will easily be able to obsess on that. It will keep me moving, make me want to keep small, making the deficit to lose the last 20lbs not such a maddening thing.

    Point is, shifting focus in a positive way and one that reinforces your loss and desire to stay at a certain weight might just do the trick. Obviously I'm not at maintenance yet so it's just a plan for me.

  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    Didn't you ask this question the other day? I log because I find it fun and - like you - I'm a bit of a control freak. I've done it four years. But I'm way looser than I used to be when I was losing and I almost never use it to stop eating. Often I use it to confirm when I'm hungry that, yeah, I should eat more because I don't have enough calories.

    So it stopped being a hobby - like it was when I was loosing - and is now like tooth brushing. You've been logging a while now - you KNOW it doesn't matter if you're eating Shark's v. Poppeye chicken. A matters whether you put two tablespoons of blue cheese dressing on it or have it with salsa. Let it go.

    It's not the 50 calories you might be off, it's the couple hundred. I teach statistics. If sometimes you're over and sometimes you're under, it average out.

    But if you really don't want to log . . .

    Have 5 or 10 standard breakfasts or lunches you know the calories for and eat those most of the time.
    Log your dinner and snacks for a while. Or if your dinners are always around 400 calories, log your snacks and the oddball unusual meal so if you know it's under or over what you usually eat so you can adjust.

    It's not that it's hard to log it's just somewhat obsessive. Maybe I just need to get over that and find a way to log it and move on make it a habit like brushing my teeth instead of something i constantly think about. In the back of my head I'm always planning my next meal which leads me to being somewhat hungry even when i might not be. I don't exactly think it's healthy to spend so much time thinking about food.

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