Weighing and logging.....forever??
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You folks who don't weigh and/or log--do you track in any way (in your head, counting protein grams, etc.) or do you just go by fullness cues or something else?
Portion size, mainly. Also choosing foods that I know pack the most punch nutrition-wise with adequate protein, fat, and fiber. I like to eat lower carb, so I treat the least nutritious (in my opinion) carb foods as treats.
Intermittent fasting. Eating all my meals in a 6-hour window makes it easy to stay within calorie goals. I get 2 fairly large meals and a snack. If I add some exercise to my day, it's even better because those meals are even larger.
I sometimes do the plate partition thing... about 1/4 to 1/3 of the plate = protein, the rest of it veggies.6 -
I haven't logged anything in about 3.5 years...keeping a diary for me was just a tool to help me become more aware. I don't weigh and measure everything...never did...I weigh and measure the things I need to weigh and measure.You folks who don't weigh and/or log--do you track in any way (in your head, counting protein grams, etc.) or do you just go by fullness cues or something else?
Not really...for me a lot of it comes down to just eating really well from a nutritional standpoint. I dislike the term "clean" but yeah...I eat mostly whole foods and my wife and I cook most of the time...we both brown bag our breakfasts and lunches 99% of the time and just eat really well. Not that it's impossible to overeat, but it's much harder to overeat than it otherwise would be.
We don't keep much "junk" in the house and when we do feel like having that stuff, we tend towards single servings...i.e. a small single serving bag of chips, etc. We also don't eat out all that often...usually a couple of date nights per month and pizza night with the kiddos about once per month.
Both my wife and I work office jobs, but outside of work we like to stay active. We both exercise regularly and I spend quite a bit of time on my bike as well as a couple days per week in the weight room...but beyond that, we just try to be active...whether it's a family hike in the mountains or spending a few hours at the zoo or a family bike ride down by the river...we'd just rather being doing something than not. To that end, we don't watch a lot of t.v. or movies...maybe 4 hours per week or so and that's about it.6 -
You folks who don't weigh and/or log--do you track in any way (in your head, counting protein grams, etc.) or do you just go by fullness cues or something else?
1) I go by what I used to eat all those years I was slender. I know what I ate then ... and I know what I was eating when I gained weight. I do have a pretty reasonable idea of the calorie count of the food I eat.
So far, it's just a matter of ... don't have that that handful of cashews at work, don't devour a bag of chocolates immediately after work, and watch my portion size at dinner. Those were pretty much the only changes I made while I was losing 25 kg ... and making those changes was more or less returning to the way I used to eat a few years ago, and the way I ate most of my life.
2) I weigh myself every single day. Maintenance isn't a matter of staying exactly the same weight all the time ... there's an acceptable range. If I get up toward the top of that range, it's time to rein in the eating a bit. As I mentioned above, I know what I can drop from my diet in order to drop the weight a bit.
3) And of course, there's exercise ... lots of it. Exercise means I don't have to be really strict with my diet. I can have pizza for dinner like I did last Saturday after cycling 124 km. I can't have pizza every night, but I know that when I have indeed put in a good effort, I can have the yummy extras.
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I weighed things religiously for about 4 months. That gave me enough confidence in my estimating so I am always adding in my head and keeping up with the day's totals. So I will always count I guess. Just don't always log.4
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After weighing and logging for months, it gets to be like "OK ALREADY! I know how much a serving of cereal is!"
Plus, it starts feeling a little crazy logging the same things over and over again (I cycle through a lot of the same meals weekly - it helps with cooking for 3 people, all chock full of food issues). If I eat breakfast, it is always either Cheerios with chia seeds and protein powder, something with eggs, or a green smoothie. Thankfully, it is easy to find your recent / frequent entries in MFP. Lunches and dinners are a bit more diversified than breakfast, but I honestly think I know how to control my portions enough to maintain my weight. And I know that I cannot go back to being sedentary.
I would like to lose another 5 lbs or so. I have increased my exercise a bit to see what happens. I have a feeling that with so little to lose, I'm going to have to get back to logging and shaving off those calories here and there.4 -
CorneliusPhoton wrote: »After weighing and logging for months, it gets to be like "OK ALREADY! I know how much a serving of cereal is!" Plus, it starts feeling a little crazy logging the same things over and over again (I cycle through a lot of the same meals weekly - it helps with cooking for 3 people, all chock full of food issues). If I eat breakfast, it is always either Cheerios with chia seeds and protein powder, something with eggs, or a green smoothie. Thankfully, it is easy to find your recent / frequent entries in MFP. Lunches and dinners are a bit more diversified than breakfast, but I honestly think I know how to control my portions enough to maintain my weight. And I know that I cannot go back to being sedentary.
I would like to lose another 5 lbs or so. I have increased my exercise a bit to see what happens. I have a feeling that with so little to lose, I'm going to have to get back to logging and shaving off those calories here and there.
I'm where you're at. I wouldn't mind losing 5-10 more pounds, however, I'm happy with my weight now. I just don't trust myself yet to be diligent enough to make the best choices so the scale will remain on the counter. I have just started, after a couple months at maintenance, to not weigh everything. Time will tell. And I hear you about being sedentary...not allowable any more.1 -
If I don't weigh and log, the fat starts creeping back. So, yes, forever for me.5
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I'm short & fairly sedentary. I am a dysfunctional eater. If I don't log, I gain. I don't mind it. I actually like it. It gives me control without the wild & unhealthy swings towards binging or restriction. I have a number I need to eat in order to maintain. I weigh & log everything. It's routine now & takes very little time or thought. I weigh myself every morning & enter it into Libra. Libra tracks my stats & tells me that everything is on track. Life is good.10
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I think you're going to find lots of different answers from lots of different people.
I overate for 50 years so when I started to log I thought I'd never stop, as my default position is to overeat, it was a habit/ lifestyle.
I reached maintenance after a year and kept logging for another 2 to stay where I'd got to. then I found I could 'let go of the handlebars' for a while and stay the same weight and that's as it's continued.
now, if I take a vacation or after the Christmas holidays or something I feel like I've lost a bit of control I log again for a week or 2 to remind myself of what daily intake SHOULD feel like
good luck.
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I don't weigh when maintaining. I still weigh myself and if I gain, I cut back. If I lose, I eat a bit more.
I only weigh food and count calories when my goal is to gain or lose weight.0 -
juliebowman4 wrote: »Once you reach maintenance, how many still weigh and log everything?
I'm hopeful that my end result will be a much better ability to eyeball portion sizes and calories as well as having a strong desire and personal accountability to keep moving forward, not backwards.
Besides.....the thought of weighing/measuring and logging my food forever, makes me a little sad.
I still log, but am no longer as strict with weighing. I have an intense gym routine, so I don't feel as guilty about potentially going over my cal-intake. More gains!1 -
Also, logging has just become a habit. I've found when I've had streaks of not logging, I don't gain anything because my habits have adjusted so well to the maintenance plan that it is easy to not go overboard with food. Mentally take note, make healthy choices, if you feel you ate too much then just up your work out to make up for it.0
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I do not plan on logging food the rest of my life. I will weigh daily to watch trends and if it creeps to much to the high end of my 5 pound weight goal...I will then start logging in again until weight falls off. You know what you can eat....it portion control and limiting high calorie foods.
I took a break from logging last week to see how I would do. Toward the end of the week, I had pizza, I went to the fair (yes. I ate my candied apple with nuts, ate a funnel cake too, and sipped up shaved ice with lots of flavorings), them had a homemade sausage dog in a hotdog bun. From Friday morning. I gained 2 pounds and stayed at this weight for 3 days. I figured a lot of the weight was salt retention.
I did not like the extra weight hanging around for 3 days, so I got back on track and started logging again. And, I dropped the extra weight on 4th morning since the gain. I am pretty sure now it was salt weight, it took 3 days to get rid of.
I am hoping to start going log free soon again.6 -
I do not plan on logging food the rest of my life. I will weigh daily to watch trends and if it creeps to much to the high end of my 5 pound weight goal...I will then start logging in again until weight falls off. You know what you can eat....it portion control and limiting high calorie foods.
I took a break from logging last week to see how I would do. Toward the end of the week, I had pizza, I went to the fair (yes. I ate my candied apple with nuts, ate a funnel cake too, and sipped up shaved ice with lots of flavorings), them had a homemade sausage dog in a hotdog bun. From Friday morning. I gained 2 pounds and stayed at this weight for 3 days. I figured a lot of the weight was salt retention.
I did not like the extra weight hanging around for 3 days, so I got back on track and started logging again. And, I dropped the extra weight on 4th morning since the gain. I am pretty sure now it was salt weight, it took 3 days to get rid of.
I am hoping to start going log free soon again.
I never get this. People having a high calorie day and drop all the weight in a few days... like it's just water weight and the calories don't matter. Just wish it happened to me!4 -
juliebowman4 wrote: »ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »I admit I get so tired of feeling like I just have to weigh every single thing I eat. I remember a time when people could lose weight and maintain without all this trouble. I am certain it is totally possible to say, "this is a reasonable portion of this food" withh out having to weigh and measure and log. I also believe our idea of a normal portion size has been horribly distorted. Restaurants serve mammoth sized portions of food, if you go to a fast food place the drinks are insane. A medium is enough for 3 people. Ask for a small and that's still an insane amount of soda. Everything is always bigger and better! Now 25% MORE! etc..... I think our idea of a normal serving used to be very different. We have grown accustomed to food and drinks being unbelievably large and if the serving isn't massive we feel cheated. We have to get back to knowing that a scoop of ice cream really shouldn't be the size of a basketball. A burrito needn't be the size of a toddlers torso. So forth an so on. Weighing and measuring does help us see what a serving size actually is. And maybe some folks can go with out really measuring all of their food and drinks. It would be easy enough though to slowly slip back into having just a little more, and just a little more again until we get back to old habits. It's just one of those things.
"A burrito need not be the size of a toddlers torso"
Lmao
Yes. Yes, it does.5 -
*sings to tune of country song from late eighties* I'm gonna log it forever! Forever and ever, amen....6
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The idea of weighing/logging forever does not make me one bit sad! I've put SO MUCH HARD WORK into this weight loss journey, and I'm not gaining it back. EVER. 13
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I did good without logging for 6 months, weight started creeping up again while on vacation and I started losing control. I gained 10# back from my lowest weight in 3 months. I started logging again the weekend before last. Happy to say I lost 2.5lbs the first week. If you can do it without logging, good for you, just remember it's here when you need it.7
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ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »I admit I get so tired of feeling like I just have to weigh every single thing I eat. I remember a time when people could lose weight and maintain without all this trouble. I am certain it is totally possible to say, "this is a reasonable portion of this food" withh out having to weigh and measure and log. I also believe our idea of a normal portion size has been horribly distorted. Restaurants serve mammoth sized portions of food, if you go to a fast food place the drinks are insane. A medium is enough for 3 people. Ask for a small and that's still an insane amount of soda. Everything is always bigger and better! Now 25% MORE! etc..... I think our idea of a normal serving used to be very different. We have grown accustomed to food and drinks being unbelievably large and if the serving isn't massive we feel cheated. We have to get back to knowing that a scoop of ice cream really shouldn't be the size of a basketball. A burrito needn't be the size of a toddlers torso. So forth an so on. Weighing and measuring does help us see what a serving size actually is. And maybe some folks can go with out really measuring all of their food and drinks. It would be easy enough though to slowly slip back into having just a little more, and just a little more again until we get back to old habits. It's just one of those things.
Your comment reminded me of the movies I would watch and the people who were eating in fine restaurants, had these miniscule amounts of food on the plate...seemed like there was more plate than food. I have a few theories on why this is.... but I agree....the larger portions served in fast food places is just too much. And the fact that we only have to spend a few dollars for it, makes me feel like we are viewed just like cattle....fill us up with cheap food, and a lot of it....and we all know happens to the cows....selective elimination.....Solient Green anyone...
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juliebowman4 wrote: »Once you reach maintenance, how many still weigh and log everything?
I'm hopeful that my end result will be a much better ability to eyeball portion sizes and calories as well as having a strong desire and personal accountability to keep moving forward, not backwards.
Besides.....the thought of weighing/measuring and logging my food forever, makes me a little sad.
Why does it make you sad? The thought of being overweight, sedentary, and having lots of health problems makes me even sadder.
I do not know how got by for so long without my food scale. I honestly wish I could bring it everywhere with me and weigh my food where ever I go, but I think I might get funny looks in public.
I will never stop weighing or tracking, I will do this for the rest of my life. However I do frequently go over my calorie allotment, but if I put it in my mouth it goes in MFP.4 -
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »I admit I get so tired of feeling like I just have to weigh every single thing I eat. I remember a time when people could lose weight and maintain without all this trouble. I am certain it is totally possible to say, "this is a reasonable portion of this food" withh out having to weigh and measure and log. I also believe our idea of a normal portion size has been horribly distorted. Restaurants serve mammoth sized portions of food, if you go to a fast food place the drinks are insane. A medium is enough for 3 people. Ask for a small and that's still an insane amount of soda. Everything is always bigger and better! Now 25% MORE! etc..... I think our idea of a normal serving used to be very different. We have grown accustomed to food and drinks being unbelievably large and if the serving isn't massive we feel cheated. We have to get back to knowing that a scoop of ice cream really shouldn't be the size of a basketball. A burrito needn't be the size of a toddlers torso. So forth an so on. Weighing and measuring does help us see what a serving size actually is. And maybe some folks can go with out really measuring all of their food and drinks. It would be easy enough though to slowly slip back into having just a little more, and just a little more again until we get back to old habits. It's just one of those things.
I think at maintenance I'd only log something when I wasn't sure what was in it and how much, like the above example when going out to a restaurant. I've looked things up like salads and such and was shocked at the amount of carbs and calories hiding in a stupid salad, sometimes more than just having a burger. Between the sugary dressings and the croutons it can be a nightmare. When we go to ihop I order myself breakfast and ask for an extra plate, and my daughter gets 1/2 my breakfast. You get an insane amount!
The worst thing I've ever seen was when 7-11 lets people bring their own cups for their slushies, and people were bringing in kiddie pools and buckets and filling them with slushies. You might not be paying much for that slushie now but you'll be paying that back in health care bills later...3 -
I always log, maybe not as close as when I was in weight losing mode, but I keep on tracking.0
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I have been at goal , that is within 0-4 lbs , for eighteen months. I still log most days. I only weigh new foods if I feel I need to, but I read packaging etc and have a pretty good eye for my appropriate portion sizes, drink measures etc. When on vacation I gain 2 or 3 pounds then go back to proper logging until i lose them. I am 64 and determined to now live and die slim!5
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As a reformed yo-yo dieter I think I will always log my food even when I get to maintenance (amost there!). Right now I weigh and log everything, and do my best to overestimate when at restaurants. I hope one day my brain will learn what a proper portion for someone of my size (5'4" currently 137lbs) feels like, but right now I can easily match bite-for-bite with my husband (who is 6'1" and 230lbs). My plan is to log daily intake forever and to at least weigh dairy items forever as I will binge eat ice cream, cheese, yogurt etc.1
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This is all good information! I've lost 20 lbs. and I have 5 to 10 to go. I've never had to lose over 10lbs because I've always intervened and lost unwanted lbs. when my clothes got snug, or if the #'s on the scale increase. Earlier this year, my dear mom passed away and my lbs. seemed to increase in a mere 4 weeks, on top of the extra 10 that were just along for the ride. Losing 20 was a challenge, but I can say that being in gym was one of the things that helped to save my life, after my mom passed. We were so close...and the workouts helped to offset some of the stress and extra pounds I picked up. Anyway, now, being within 5 to 10lbs. away, I'm planning for maintenance and I do not want to have to lose again anytime soon. It's much more enjoyable for me to workout for fun vs. having to lose the lbs. :-)2
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My plan is to make the CI increase as I approach maintenance in order to slow the approach. The idea is that I'll be logging and weighing for multiple weeks in the last 10 lb. I hope that when I call it "maintenance" that I'll have enough experience and education at recognizing the trade-offs that must be made as variety is introduced. However, I do expect to be weighing and logging a lot of stuff for many more months.3
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I do not plan on logging food the rest of my life. I will weigh daily to watch trends and if it creeps to much to the high end of my 5 pound weight goal...I will then start logging in again until weight falls off. You know what you can eat....it portion control and limiting high calorie foods.
I took a break from logging last week to see how I would do. Toward the end of the week, I had pizza, I went to the fair (yes. I ate my candied apple with nuts, ate a funnel cake too, and sipped up shaved ice with lots of flavorings), them had a homemade sausage dog in a hotdog bun. From Friday morning. I gained 2 pounds and stayed at this weight for 3 days. I figured a lot of the weight was salt retention.
I did not like the extra weight hanging around for 3 days, so I got back on track and started logging again. And, I dropped the extra weight on 4th morning since the gain. I am pretty sure now it was salt weight, it took 3 days to get rid of.
I am hoping to start going log free soon again.
Last time we went to the Texas State Fair my daughter used a pedometer to note that we had walked 8 miles.1 -
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I have been weighing and logging for a while now, and I go through cut/bulk cycles but generally speaking live at maintenance...for me, I eat a LOT of nut butters, and no matter how long I go for, I am not great at estimating those.
Further, I have found in the past that when I DONT weigh, I will tend to overestimate (most people underestimate)- and it can lead me to go underweight/flirt with a weight zone that isn't healthy for my mind. Additionally, I am not a set calorie number every day, I often do 3-4 days at a "cut", 1-2 at "maintain" and 1-2 at "bulk" level of calories every week, so having the log helps me remember.
I think for me, for maintaining weight, weighing my body has become more important than weighing my food, but because I'm constantly in body recomp, I will continue to weigh my food, likely forever.2 -
I still log but I don't weigh anything. I'm pretty good at eyeballing it at this point, but if I don't keep myself accountable then I know I'd eat a whole pint of ice cream, chips, pizza, etc., all in one day since I stress-eat...1
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