Long time maintainer, and sometimes I want to quit.
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I have also maintained for four years and I know what you mean.
It has helped me to continue to log every single meal every single day. But I have loosened up a bit - I no longer log little things that I know don't add up to anything - the lettuce and mustard and ketchup for instance. I have started to look at it like brushing my teeth. Something I do regularly but not with any real attention.
But your idea of really enjoying food is important. I LOVE to eat. And I do give it my full attention. Because I know about what things are and trust myself, I put my full attention into every mouthful. In fact, I enjoy food much more now than I did before. Because I STOP eating as soon as I'm not hungry so every mouthful is enjoyable. And I try never to eat anything that doesn't taste great.
We have periods when logging seems more or less of a chore. But keep at it for a while longer and see if you can loosen up a bit. You've done great so far and been very successful. I think you just need to tweek it a bit.
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I didn't read all the comments so maybe it's been mentioned but you don't have to log to keep up your streak. Just visit the site and it counts you for that day. So you don't have to worry about losing your streak if you want to take a break.
I've still got a long way to go but I took a little over a year off without gaining. I weighed myself daily and if my weight started to go up more than a few pounds, I started being more careful until it went back where it started. That's my plan when I get to maintenance. Give myself a few pound "buffer" (since weight is always going to bounce around) and work on it when it hits my limit. Of course I'm not going to go wild everyday so that I'm back to counting calories every week or two, but I'm not going to count every day. At this point, I've pretty well learned how to gauge what I can have and what I can't so I plan to take those skills to maintenance with me.0 -
I can honestly say that I feel exactly like you, to the point of tears out of shear frustration. I don't have answer for you , but definitely some real sympathy.3
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crayonbreakywillow wrote: »Wow! Thank you all for the replies! Reading your thoughts, suggestions and encouragement has been wonderful. Thank you all! I think that my mindset is what is stressing me out. I tend to be a perfectionist about things and I think I feel like to stop logging would somehow equal quitting. I know this makes no sense because I would never go back to just eating mindlessly. The thought of not logging makes me feel panicked. It's become such a second nature.
Some of you suggested weighing everyday and ironically, we just decided to stop doing that. We've been obsessing over every ounce and we decided to only weigh in weekly instead. This has actually helped a lot, but I still feel like I obsess about logging.
The thing is, we have certain days of the year that we freely indulge and don't feel guilty (but still log) such as our anniversary, birthdays etc. But, when unexpected life stuff comes up that we don't plan for, it stresses me out and makes me cranky to have to adjust my calories for it. I also feel like we "need" more indulgence days than we used to. We used to be satisfied with a few a year, now I feel tempted to go over calories often.
We've put ourselves back on a half pound deficit lately because the scale has been creeping up (despite exercise and eating maintenance calories) and it's been frustrating to fight the scale lately. That has definitely added to my temptation to just quit.
I am thinking of attempting the "log in, but don't log food for a while" idea, just to see if it's even possible for my brain to adjust to that. I always pre log my food the night before, at least to get a rough estimate. I don't know how I would untrain my brain to add the calories in my head.
I can't imagine ever letting myself gain back 90 pounds. I'm much too aware of my eating now and we maintain a very active lifestyle as well. I try to eat somewhat healthy, but I'll admit, we often make unhealthy choices as long as they fit in our calories. Maybe I should try focusing more on eating the healthy foods I enjoy most of the time, and adding in the unhealthy foods in small doses?
Again, thank you all for your ideas and support! It's so nice to have a group like this that understands where I'm coming from.
OP you are not alone. I can 100% relate to the bolded ^^^ I feel the exact same way.
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Christine_72 wrote: »crayonbreakywillow wrote: »Wow! Thank you all for the replies! Reading your thoughts, suggestions and encouragement has been wonderful. Thank you all! I think that my mindset is what is stressing me out. I tend to be a perfectionist about things and I think I feel like to stop logging would somehow equal quitting. I know this makes no sense because I would never go back to just eating mindlessly. The thought of not logging makes me feel panicked. It's become such a second nature.
Some of you suggested weighing everyday and ironically, we just decided to stop doing that. We've been obsessing over every ounce and we decided to only weigh in weekly instead. This has actually helped a lot, but I still feel like I obsess about logging.
The thing is, we have certain days of the year that we freely indulge and don't feel guilty (but still log) such as our anniversary, birthdays etc. But, when unexpected life stuff comes up that we don't plan for, it stresses me out and makes me cranky to have to adjust my calories for it. I also feel like we "need" more indulgence days than we used to. We used to be satisfied with a few a year, now I feel tempted to go over calories often.
We've put ourselves back on a half pound deficit lately because the scale has been creeping up (despite exercise and eating maintenance calories) and it's been frustrating to fight the scale lately. That has definitely added to my temptation to just quit.
I am thinking of attempting the "log in, but don't log food for a while" idea, just to see if it's even possible for my brain to adjust to that. I always pre log my food the night before, at least to get a rough estimate. I don't know how I would untrain my brain to add the calories in my head.
I can't imagine ever letting myself gain back 90 pounds. I'm much too aware of my eating now and we maintain a very active lifestyle as well. I try to eat somewhat healthy, but I'll admit, we often make unhealthy choices as long as they fit in our calories. Maybe I should try focusing more on eating the healthy foods I enjoy most of the time, and adding in the unhealthy foods in small doses?
Again, thank you all for your ideas and support! It's so nice to have a group like this that understands where I'm coming from.
OP you are not alone. I can 100% relate to the bolded ^^^ I feel the exact same way.
Same here. I'm always torn between wanting to go out and indulge a little bit and knowing that I really shouldn't. Frankly sometimes it makes things suck because I end up missing out on fun opportunities.. I mean, yeah, I don't have to eat anything when we decide to go out for ice cream after dinner at the last minute, but sheesh, it sucks (it's a good week when I have a 1500 calorie deficit, so even 200 calories makes a difference - I'm trying to stay on a small deficit too).
I'm not sure I could stop counting though, even if I didn't log... I'd probably end up doing it mentally anyway (which is what I do when we go out/eat at other people). I suppose it helps to realize that, as it means that I don't think I'll ever be able to actually enjoy my food the same way anyway when I know how many calories are in it... So I log. Might as well. I have noticed that I naturally try to follow my hunger cues now though, so I probably wouldn't go overboard most days, but I guarantee that during PMS I'd probably end up gaining 2 pounds every month if I didn't log.0 -
So, I've decided to try some baby steps because I really want to be able to eat more intuitively and not stress over every calorie. I'm starting an experiment today in which I don't log my food, but I try to keep my calories within a certain range for each meal. I typically have breakfast/lunch/dinner/eveningsnack, so I'm going to set an average amount of calories that I feel is pretty good for me and divide those calories amongst my meals. I'm going with 1800 divided like this: Around 450 or less for breakfast, as well as about 450 for lunch. 600 or less for dinner and 300 or less for snacks. Normally, I pre log everything the night before so I know exactly what I'm going to eat the next day. I'm not going to do that and I'm going to attempt to not even think about it until it's time to prepare that meal. I'll add in my head and make sure the calories are around or less than what I've allotted for that meal and just enjoy my food. I'm hoping that I'll gradually get to the point where I don't need to even count in my head, I'll just instinctively know what's about right.
I'll still be calorie-conscious and I'll try to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly, but I really want to see if I can do all this, maintain my weight, stay healthy without feeling obsessed and that I have to rely on MFP to keep me on track. I love MFP, but like someone said, it's just a tool and I am the one who has accomplished my goals.
I am going to go back to weighing in every day, because I want to make sure this is working and I don't let any pounds creep on. I'm still going to log in to keep my streak and for a while I may just put in quick add calories to ease my way to not logging. My goal is to get to the point where I know what is right for me to eat and to not be so focused on it to the point where it consumes entirely too many of my thoughts. I also want to be more flexible and not get cranky when the unexpected causes me to have to eat more calories than I had planned. If I'm not logging, this should help.
I'm terrified, but I'm only trying it out this week, weekdays. I'm going to keep logging for a bit on weekends because we tend to eat a bit more loosely on weekends and I don't want to let that get out of hand. If all goes well, I'll continue with this as my weekday plan and eventually include weekends too. I hope that I'll just naturally come to a place where I can do all this without needing MFP at all.7 -
yay.
I would reiterate to read that Allan Carr book "Allen Carr's Easyweigh to Lose Weight" - the problem is so much more than just these numbers, it's about allowing obsessive thoughts, and thoughts of control, and then beating yourself up for not being perfect. There is a way out.
I also really relate to this post: (and it follows Allan Carr thinking)Return2Fit wrote: »I stopped logging years ago with no issues. My big challenge is willfully pigging out.
There are certain people I can't hang with and certain places I can't go without blowing it.
In weight maintenance it's just too easy for the weight to creep up, and then I'm like most who regained that awful lard.
There is an event tomorrow I am skipping which mirrors the people I avoid and other such celebrations where food is the primary entertainment.
A certain family member who ate himself fat and sick with Type II diabetes once scoffed at my smoothie while he feasted on corn chips and chili/cheese hot dogs.
Later we rushed him to the hospital for a health related issue, and he acted like a complete victim.
I use incidents like that to remind myself of what I never want to become and why I sacrifice.
I have something 99.9% of the human population will never experience in peak levels of physical fitness and optimal health. It's worth it, but that monster temptation is a daily beast I must fight.
...except for the 99.9% thing at the end. I'm not that.
I've been maintaining for nine years. It took a long time to relax about stuff. Stuff in general, not just eating. Control. Obsession. Perfectionism. Being "right." Taking care of everyone else's feelz. Worry. Negative thinking of all types.
Thing is, maintaining weight is a battle (big or small) for everyone who lives in a country with enough food. I am biologically created to survive, and food = survival. I have to use my higher brain to stop eating when there is still food around. Not the monkey brain which says, "Eat all the everything."
I've gone long periods without logging. I always start gaining instead of losing, so I've learned that I have to keep track on paper where I can see it (or on MFP). For me, Maintenance logging and weighing myself has become like brushing my teeth. It takes me five minutes a day, I have to do it, I just do it and accept that it's part of being an adult and making my own choices.
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cmriverside wrote: » yay.
I would reiterate to read that Allan Carr book "Allen Carr's Easyweigh to Lose Weight" - the problem is so much more than just these numbers, it's about allowing obsessive thoughts, and thoughts of control, and then beating yourself up for not being perfect. There is a way out.
I also really relate to this post: (and it follows Allan Carr thinking)Return2Fit wrote: »I stopped logging years ago with no issues. My big challenge is willfully pigging out.
There are certain people I can't hang with and certain places I can't go without blowing it.
In weight maintenance it's just too easy for the weight to creep up, and then I'm like most who regained that awful lard.
There is an event tomorrow I am skipping which mirrors the people I avoid and other such celebrations where food is the primary entertainment.
A certain family member who ate himself fat and sick with Type II diabetes once scoffed at my smoothie while he feasted on corn chips and chili/cheese hot dogs.
Later we rushed him to the hospital for a health related issue, and he acted like a complete victim.
I use incidents like that to remind myself of what I never want to become and why I sacrifice.
I have something 99.9% of the human population will never experience in peak levels of physical fitness and optimal health. It's worth it, but that monster temptation is a daily beast I must fight.
...except for the 99.9% thing at the end. I'm not that.
I've been maintaining for nine years. It took a long time to relax about stuff. Stuff in general, not just eating. Control. Obsession. Perfectionism. Being "right." Taking care of everyone else's feelz. Worry. Negative thinking of all types.
Thing is, maintaining weight is a battle (big or small) for everyone who lives in a country with enough food. I am biologically created to survive, and food = survival. I have to use my higher brain to stop eating when there is still food around. Not the monkey brain which says, "Eat all the everything."
I've gone long periods without logging. I always start gaining instead of losing, so I've learned that I have to keep track on paper where I can see it (or on MFP). For me, Maintenance logging and weighing myself has become like brushing my teeth. It takes me five minutes a day, I have to do it, I just do it and accept that it's part of being an adult and making my own choices.
You're right when you say it's not just about the numbers. It is about obsessive thoughts and control and beating myself up for not being perfect. I struggle with this in general, so it's not surprising that it has become an issue when it comes to my focus on weight maintenance. The thing is, I'm sure that my perfectionism and need to control the situation helped a great deal to keep me focused and determined during weight loss, so it's not a complete negative. Logging itself isn't the issue, I think. As you said, logging is like brushing my teeth and that's so true. It doesn't take much time. I think my issue is that obsessive need to control and plan every detail. Yesterday I did not log my actual food, though I did make sure to keep each meals calories under the desired threshold. I tried not to think about my meals beforehand and I decided what I was going to have right before each meal. It was nice to decide based on what sounded good in the moment and not have it planned out ahead. I added the calories in my head at the end of the day and I came in 85 calories under my goal. If I could do this naturally every day without obsessing, that would be my goal. To eat intuitively.7 -
crayonbreakywillow wrote: »cmriverside wrote: » yay.
I would reiterate to read that Allan Carr book "Allen Carr's Easyweigh to Lose Weight" - the problem is so much more than just these numbers, it's about allowing obsessive thoughts, and thoughts of control, and then beating yourself up for not being perfect. There is a way out.
I also really relate to this post: (and it follows Allan Carr thinking)Return2Fit wrote: »I stopped logging years ago with no issues. My big challenge is willfully pigging out.
There are certain people I can't hang with and certain places I can't go without blowing it.
In weight maintenance it's just too easy for the weight to creep up, and then I'm like most who regained that awful lard.
There is an event tomorrow I am skipping which mirrors the people I avoid and other such celebrations where food is the primary entertainment.
A certain family member who ate himself fat and sick with Type II diabetes once scoffed at my smoothie while he feasted on corn chips and chili/cheese hot dogs.
Later we rushed him to the hospital for a health related issue, and he acted like a complete victim.
I use incidents like that to remind myself of what I never want to become and why I sacrifice.
I have something 99.9% of the human population will never experience in peak levels of physical fitness and optimal health. It's worth it, but that monster temptation is a daily beast I must fight.
...except for the 99.9% thing at the end. I'm not that.
I've been maintaining for nine years. It took a long time to relax about stuff. Stuff in general, not just eating. Control. Obsession. Perfectionism. Being "right." Taking care of everyone else's feelz. Worry. Negative thinking of all types.
Thing is, maintaining weight is a battle (big or small) for everyone who lives in a country with enough food. I am biologically created to survive, and food = survival. I have to use my higher brain to stop eating when there is still food around. Not the monkey brain which says, "Eat all the everything."
I've gone long periods without logging. I always start gaining instead of losing, so I've learned that I have to keep track on paper where I can see it (or on MFP). For me, Maintenance logging and weighing myself has become like brushing my teeth. It takes me five minutes a day, I have to do it, I just do it and accept that it's part of being an adult and making my own choices.
You're right when you say it's not just about the numbers. It is about obsessive thoughts and control and beating myself up for not being perfect. I struggle with this in general, so it's not surprising that it has become an issue when it comes to my focus on weight maintenance. The thing is, I'm sure that my perfectionism and need to control the situation helped a great deal to keep me focused and determined during weight loss, so it's not a complete negative. Logging itself isn't the issue, I think. As you said, logging is like brushing my teeth and that's so true. It doesn't take much time. I think my issue is that obsessive need to control and plan every detail. Yesterday I did not log my actual food, though I did make sure to keep each meals calories under the desired threshold. I tried not to think about my meals beforehand and I decided what I was going to have right before each meal. It was nice to decide based on what sounded good in the moment and not have it planned out ahead. I added the calories in my head at the end of the day and I came in 85 calories under my goal. If I could do this naturally every day without obsessing, that would be my goal. To eat intuitively.
I did that when I hit Maintenance weight a few years ago. Although, I've never been a pre-logger; I'm too much of a free spirit for that. I didn't even have a body-weight scale so I was going 100% on intuition. I was able to maintain until winter hit.
In the nine years since hitting maintenance I've found that winter is when I really need logging the most. I'm more active in the summer and I just don't feel like eating that much on a regular basis when it's hot. Also biology. "Put on that layer of fat now! The days are getting shorter! Hurry hurry! It'sa gonna be cold soon!" Okay, body, I've kept you warm for decades now, you don't have to be worrying about the cold. Geez. But it's true, and every winter I really want to eat.
In the first few years I just would log on occasion, and wanted to be an intuitive eater: that worked until it didn't. I more or less accepted an annual 10-15 pound weight gain over the holidays/during the cold months. One Spring I was just fed up of having to eat at a calorie deficit to lose that last ten again and decided to stop doing that. It's much easier to just weigh myself and watch it all year round and log 90% of my meals accurately than to go through that three to five month period of losing that same ten pounds. Ten pounds on me shows, and ten pounds affect my cholesterol numbers at my annual exam. I don't like it.
You'll figure out a way to make it work, but anxiety is not the answer. I think you'd like that Allan Carr book, it is applicable to all areas of life. I read a lot of self-help type stuff over the years. I'm much more mindful of letting my crazy-brain take over now.
Don't torture yourself with your own thoughts. ::zen::
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Speaking as a maintainer who has recently gained it all back, don't do it. Find the balance for you - but don't stop. You'll regret it. I do.5
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Oh you're post sounds like where I thought I'd be if I had kept up with logging. I'm glad I decided to lose without it.0
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Wow, so many thoughtful replies. I'm also a long time maintainer and can identify with much of what you said.
For many years now, I take summer off. With 3 kids at home, the rhythm of home life is so different in summer. Plus, we drink more alcohol and it's so hot I still exercise but at lower intensity. I weigh myself less if at all, and I don't log. The net result? In 3 months I gain 5 pounds. Some years more, some years less or not at all. When I think about it, it's only a surplus of 250 cal/day..... astonishingly easy to do. When the kids go back to school, I count calories & eat in a 250 kcal/day deficit (I bank calories for the weekend and go by weekly averages). The extra weight is gone by the holidays. Some summers I stay on track, but often I just don't have the energy for it. So I can't honest say this "seasonal gain/loss" was planned or intentional. It just works out that way and I am reconciled to it. I enjoy the summer break while it lasts, and by mid-August I'm feeling the extra pounds and ready to get back into my regular rhythm.
I offer this as an example of how a tracking break works for me. I understand not wanting to regain the whole enchilada. Plenty of people do. And that is scary. If you set a firm timeframe for your break, do you think you could let yourself enjoy it? And get back to your routine? If it stresses you not to track and stresses you to track, then stress is in your future either way. You might enjoy life more if you could moderate the stress you feel when doing one or the other!
Congrats on your awesome work so far, and best of luck working out an approach that you enjoy!
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Today is the last day of winter hooooraaayyy. I have logged everyday for 2 years, and yet i still put on around 3kgs(6lbs) over the winter. If i dont nip it in the bud now, in a few months it will be 6kgs and on and on it will go until it just becomes too hard..4
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Oh you're post sounds like where I thought I'd be if I had kept up with logging. I'm glad I decided to lose without it.
Curious...what has your strategy been, since you decided to quit logging?
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I don't have anything to add since I'm nowhere near maintenance, but I did want to say that I like your screenname 0
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@amyinthetardis1231 Thank you!!0
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crayonbreakywillow wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Oh you're post sounds like where I thought I'd be if I had kept up with logging. I'm glad I decided to lose without it.
Curious...what has your strategy been, since you decided to quit logging?
Eat light during the week, eat more on the weekends without pigging out, keep an eye on the scale. Lost 30ish lbs and have kept it off for about a year. Just now deciding to lose another 10 lbs so tightening my diet back up a bit.
I should note that I'm 53 and was at a healthy weight for over 40 of those, so eating reasonable amounts is not something new to me.2 -
Wow! 90 pounds! You are my idol!0
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I lost the weight in about 8 - 9 months, then started to gain very slowly. My new lifestyle changes kept it under 5 - 6 lbs; however, I started to feel invincible, so I began to eat out more frequently, bought a large quantity of chocolates, and quit my walking group (that is another story). I realized that I've gained over 15 lbs back, I decided to get back here and put a stop to it.
It is hard to lose weight, so I"m going to start reading the maintenance community posts before I get to that point. My tentative plan is to do a modified fast one day per week to maintain my weight loss. If I discover a better option, I'll try it. I can't count calories for the rest of my life!0 -
I just want to 'weigh' in here and say thank you to all of the participants in this conversation and particularly to the OP. I'm a bit yet from maintenance but this has been an eye opening and yes, insightful conversation. I feel like I'm finally on the right track and don't want to have to do it again, nor do I want to become so obsessive I don't enjoy the days. It's great for those of us still working towards our goal weights to learn from all of you and to start thinking about these things now. So thanks 7
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I don't want to quit but, I'm also sick of being so fastidius. I went to a deli today and got this for $2.59
Alot better than going to subway right? I didn't have breakfast and i walked to the deli which is 2.4 miles one way away as well as walking to dunkin doughnuts for coffee this morning so why do i feel guilty?
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I don't want to quit but, I'm also sick of being so fastidius. I went to a deli today and got this for $2.59 Alot better than going to subway right? I didn't have breakfast and i walked to the deli which is 2.4 miles one way away as well as walking to dunkin doughnuts for coffee this morning so why do i feel guilty?
Oh man, that looks 1,000,000% better than subway.1 -
I don't want to quit but, I'm also sick of being so fastidius. I went to a deli today and got this for $2.59 Alot better than going to subway right? I didn't have breakfast and i walked to the deli which is 2.4 miles one way away as well as walking to dunkin doughnuts for coffee this morning so why do i feel guilty?
Just eat less later/tomorrow.
Yesterday I made a whole wheat boule. It came out of the oven at 3.30pm... I had crazy carb cravings so I made myself a sandwich with two huge slices (400 calories of bread!), and some ham and swiss. It was amazing. I ended up skipping dinner (I wasn't that hungry anymore after that), went for a long walk, and I still ended up with a 300+ calorie deficit. Totally worth it.
Seriously though, most days if I end up giving in to something I'm craving (I also had a big bowl of rice with sugar and milk as a second breakfast yesterday morning!), I still end up under maintenance because I'm just less hungry later anyway... Ok I didn't hit my macros (was only 7/8g off though), but life's too short to deprive yourself all the time.0 -
I don't want to quit but, I'm also sick of being so fastidius. I went to a deli today and got this for $2.59 Alot better than going to subway right? I didn't have breakfast and i walked to the deli which is 2.4 miles one way away as well as walking to dunkin doughnuts for coffee this morning so why do i feel guilty?
Just eat less later/tomorrow.
Yesterday I made a whole wheat boule. It came out of the oven at 3.30pm... I had crazy carb cravings so I made myself a sandwich with two huge slices (400 calories of bread!), and some ham and swiss. It was amazing. I ended up skipping dinner (I wasn't that hungry anymore after that), went for a long walk, and I still ended up with a 300+ calorie deficit. Totally worth it.
Seriously though, most days if I end up giving in to something I'm craving (I also had a big bowl of rice with sugar and milk as a second breakfast yesterday morning!), I still end up under maintenance because I'm just less hungry later anyway... Ok I didn't hit my macros (was only 7/8g off though), but life's too short to deprive yourself all the time.
My goal is set for sedentary. so far today i have 13,288 steps at 3pm. I'm pretty sure that's not sedentary. I hope my indulgent days balance themself out in the long runr3 -
What you are doing is living like a skinny person. That is what they do! I think you've got it down. Skinny people eat what they want..they just don't do it constantly… they cut back after a big weekend..to them it is easy and makes sense and isn't a big deal.victoria_1024 wrote: »I've only been in maintenance since April after losing 90 lbs but I do have that longing to just eat whatever I want and go back to my old habits! And the jealousy that other people don't have to think about all this as much as I do and they can just go about their lives! Like others, I like being thin and I'm motivated to stay that way but some days are harder than others.
Something that works for me is taking weekends off of logging. Sometimes just a day, sometimes 3 days. I just eat what I want and don't care. I always gain weight of course, so then I eat at a slight deficit starting Monday morning and it comes off very quickly. I always continue with a high activity level and exercise. And it's not like I eat an entire pizza by myself, I do try to be mindful but I definitely go over by quite a bit and I don't log. I know this wouldn't work for everyone but I like it because i still get to really enjoy food on a regular basis but while still feeling in control of the process. I'd rather eat at a deficit some days and over eat other days than eat at maintenance all the time. But that's just what has worked for me. I'm still new to this so I'm assuming what works for me will change too!0 -
I don't want to quit but, I'm also sick of being so fastidius. I went to a deli today and got this for $2.59 Alot better than going to subway right? I didn't have breakfast and i walked to the deli which is 2.4 miles one way away as well as walking to dunkin doughnuts for coffee this morning so why do i feel guilty?
Just eat less later/tomorrow.
Yesterday I made a whole wheat boule. It came out of the oven at 3.30pm... I had crazy carb cravings so I made myself a sandwich with two huge slices (400 calories of bread!), and some ham and swiss. It was amazing. I ended up skipping dinner (I wasn't that hungry anymore after that), went for a long walk, and I still ended up with a 300+ calorie deficit. Totally worth it.
Seriously though, most days if I end up giving in to something I'm craving (I also had a big bowl of rice with sugar and milk as a second breakfast yesterday morning!), I still end up under maintenance because I'm just less hungry later anyway... Ok I didn't hit my macros (was only 7/8g off though), but life's too short to deprive yourself all the time.
My goal is set for sedentary. so far today i have 13,288 steps at 3pm. I'm pretty sure that's not sedentary. I hope my indulgent days balance themself out in the long runr
>5000 steps = starts to exceed sedentary person calories
>7500 steps = starts to exceeed lightly active person calories
>10000 to 12000 steps = starts to exceed active person calories
>12500 to 15500 steps = starts to exceed very active person calories
At > 13288 your corresponding MFP setting without logging any additional exercise would be "very active"0 -
You can take a break stop logging and see what happens but If you gain 5 lbs then you'll have to make a decision, to start logging or gain more weight and eventually... start logging again 3
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Thanks again for all the responses!! Just a little update...so far this week, I haven't really logged. I've continued to weigh and measure my food, and quickly add the calories in my head, but not really log. I have tried not to spend too much time thinking ahead about what I'm going to eat. I've just made sure that each meal (breakfast,lunch,dinner,snacks) has been under the amount of calories I've allotted for that meal. 450-450-600-300. So far, I've been able to add in my head the approximate amount of calories I've had at the end of the day, and I've come in under that every day. I actually think I've been eating less calories this week and feeling more satisfied.
I may log this weekend because of the holiday and some events I have scheduled that are outside of the ordinary. Chances are, I'll end up over my calories, but I want to allow myself to enjoy without guilt. Anyway, I really feel hopeful that I will be able to eventually quit logging all together and be able to eat intuitively. It's still way too early to know that for sure, but I'm hopeful!2 -
Thanks all for the discussion! I reached my goal loss of about 15 lbs a year ago and have been logging maintenance since then. I can definitely relate to the OP about having to log. I pre-log most days to see where I can It's just a habit at this point and I don't feel bad about going over as long as I'm under or at maintenance the rest of the week. I've been within 5 lbs of my "goal weight" since last August so I feel pretty confident about being able to cut back when needed.
Where I'm having trouble is that my maintenance calories according to MFP and TDEE calculators is only about 1300-1400 calories. I have a pretty small build and am relatively active in the warmer months by working in a city and walking to/from public transit, but am getting discouraged about having to think about calories for the rest of my life to not gain a ton of weight. If I go over 1300 and don't have at least 15,000 steps that day I see the difference right away on the scale. For now I'm fine with logging and checking in, but I'm not even 30 yet and I get stuck looking forward and trying to motivate my future-self to exercise which is hard because I barely do now besides walking.0 -
I'm going to keep following this thread, I really enjoy your updates and am looking forward to seeing how this phase of the process goes for you I really hope you get to where you want to be! 3
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