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Is weighing/logging everything necessary?
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BrunetteRunner87
Posts: 591 Member
in Debate Club
I see so many posts where people complain they haven't lost weight and then everybody comes in saying that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WEIGHED AND LOGGED.
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this? Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this? Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
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Replies
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I think most people just like to eat and cant handle eating healthy or with moderation. So the weighing of food allows them to eat their max (what they think is max) amount of food possible while trying to lose or maintain.
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Of course you can be successful without logging or weighing.
Logging food using an app is a tool.
Weighing food on a scale is a tool.
Tools are merely a means to get a job done.
Logging and weighing food just ensure you have a more accurate picture of what you're doing. If one finds they aren't losing weight and they are logging accurately, then they know to look for another reason as to why that may be.
You get what you put in.20 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »I see so many posts where people complain they haven't lost weight and then everybody comes in saying that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WEIGHED AND LOGGED.
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this? Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
Putting every food in categories and counting over hte week how many servings of each category you had isn't bogging you down with numbers?
Not to mention that there's no guarantee that that'll actually put you in a deficit.26 -
You're looking at a skewed sample. If someone is complaining that what they're doing isn't working, it is almost always because they're not logging accurately. Only by logging accurately can the, it's not working what do I do, be further figured out.
I don't think many would say that I've has to log everything and weigh everything to be successful. But it is a data based method to both be successful and figure out why someone is not being successful.
Additionally, a lot of people don't know how much or what to eat. Logging and measuring serves a way for people to learn portion control.
If that way works for you, go for it. But the minute it doesn't, expect it is because you're eating way more than you think and burning way less.9 -
The key part is that the "weight everything" suggestion is given to people who aren't losing the weight that they should be losing on the calories they think they are eating.
There are plenty of people who can wing it without weighing everything but they are the ones who are losing the weight that they are expecting to lose. They don't need accurate data to troubleshoot their problem because they don't have a problem. People who do have a problem need to troubleshoot and weighing everything is the "power down, power up" of calorie counting.
I know I'm going to need to keep weighing everything in order to keep the weight off because I can't guestimate well but that's not true for everyone.7 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
This seems more confusing and troublesome to me than weighing/logging whatever I eat. To each his own. If that's what works for you, great.
If someone comes in complaining about not losing weight or gaining and they say they're eating "1400" calories, or whatever other number.. chances are, they are not looking at an accurate figure of their calories. That is where the "are you weighing/logging everything" comes in to answer.
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It all depends on the person. I was able to maintain my weight for years without logging or thinking about food by listening to my body. But then I stopped listening. I did Body for Life which is similar to what you described above. There is a prescribed list of foods and you eat 6 meals a day with protein the size of your palm, complex carb the size of your fist and veggies at at least 4 meals. 2tbs olive oil, cold water fish or handful of nuts each day to make up your healthy fats. I found I had to start logging in order to eat enough calories because just going by my eyeball, I was only consuming about 750 calories/day.
After I got to my goal weight, I hung out there for a few months, then I stopped logging and slowly gained about 5lbs. I've stayed at that weight (~18-20%BF) for about 6 months (I guess you could say recomping). While I'm not as lean as I would like, it's an easy weight to maintain without logging and I don't look horrible.
Some people can do it without logging, others will have to log their entire life. I know I will have to log if I want to lean out for summer.2 -
LiftingRiot wrote: »I think most people just like to eat and cant handle eating healthy or with moderation. So the weighing of food allows them to eat their max (what they think is max) amount of food possible while trying to lose or maintain.
For many people, weighing food isn't about wanting to have the maximum amount of food or not wanting "healthy" food, it's about accurately understanding how much we're taking in.
If I know my goal is 1,460 but I don't know how close I'm getting to that goal, adjustments are going to be more difficult for me. That's why I weigh.8 -
stevencloser wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »I see so many posts where people complain they haven't lost weight and then everybody comes in saying that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WEIGHED AND LOGGED.
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this? Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
Putting every food in categories and counting over hte week how many servings of each category you had isn't bogging you down with numbers?
Not to mention that there's no guarantee that that'll actually put you in a deficit.
Not really, because at the end of the day I just put tally marks next to the category in my planner and at the end of the week I add them up. And I also suspect that once I do this for a while, it will be like second nature for my diet to be 20% vegetables, 18% fruit, 15% nuts and seeds, and so on. And while it doesn't guarantee a deficit, on any day that I haven't eaten sweets or refined carbs and I don't eat when I'm not full, I come in around 1500-1600 calories.
Another thing I thought of is when people have to weigh everything, at the end of the day it's still going to be an estimate of how many calories are in that food or how many calories you burned, it's never going to be 100% exact.
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
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What's a serving? The point of your opening post is to talk about your runner's feeding plan, which is not a weight loss plan. The point of using and recommending a scale is to get the portion size correct, no matter what the purpose of the plan is.6
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serindipte wrote: »
This seems more confusing and troublesome to me than weighing/logging whatever I eat. To each his own. If that's what works for you, great.
I was thinking this too. I eat a lot of meals based on beans...is that a carb, is that a protein, is it 2 of my 55. I'm with you, to each his own. Find what works for you now and what will work for you long term!!1 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
*raises hand* I didn't weigh, measure or log while I was losing weight, or while I was maintaining that loss for a year, and I'm not doing it now that I've decided to lose a bit more.0 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
Because although SOME people MAY be successful losing/maintaining weight without logging, you are pretty much GUARANTEED success if you do. Most people will take the guarantee over the chance.
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mom23mangos wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
Because although SOME people MAY be successful losing/maintaining weight without logging, you are pretty much GUARANTEED success if you do. Most people will take the guarantee over the chance.
Well, that's a sweeping and incorrect generalization.3 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's a serving? The point of your opening post is to talk about your runner's feeding plan, which is not a weight loss plan. The point of using and recommending a scale is to get the portion size correct, no matter what the purpose of the plan is.
It is a weight loss plan, because the point is to both fuel your workouts, but also to get you to your ideal race weight, which would involve losing weight if you're not already at it. That makes sense though, I can see that using a scale would help make sure you're eating a portion and not more or less. I could think I was eating one portion of nuts but really eating two, and two portions of spinach but only one. So does that mean everyone's stuck weighing everything all the time?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
Because although SOME people MAY be successful losing/maintaining weight without logging, you are pretty much GUARANTEED success if you do. Most people will take the guarantee over the chance.
Well, that's a sweeping and incorrect generalization.
How so?
If you log your calories accurately and completely you actually *are* guaranteed to be able to track how much you are eating, and therefore know if you really are in the deficit required to lose weight.
Don't know how that can be disputed.7 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »I see so many posts where people complain they haven't lost weight and then everybody comes in saying that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WEIGHED AND LOGGED.
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this? Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?
Putting every food in categories and counting over hte week how many servings of each category you had isn't bogging you down with numbers?
Not to mention that there's no guarantee that that'll actually put you in a deficit.
Not really, because at the end of the day I just put tally marks next to the category in my planner and at the end of the week I add them up. And I also suspect that once I do this for a while, it will be like second nature for my diet to be 20% vegetables, 18% fruit, 15% nuts and seeds, and so on. And while it doesn't guarantee a deficit, on any day that I haven't eaten sweets or refined carbs and I don't eat when I'm not full, I come in around 1500-1600 calories.
Another thing I thought of is when people have to weigh everything, at the end of the day it's still going to be an estimate of how many calories are in that food or how many calories you burned, it's never going to be 100% exact.
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
Multiple studies have shown that people, generally, tend to be bad at eyeballing portions or serving sizes accurately. You may be the exception and, if you are, then it's possible you could be successful with a plan based on eating a certain number of servings per week. But what if what you think is a "serving" of nuts is actually 1.5 servings? That adds up over time and that's why -- when people post about not losing weight or even gaining when they expect to lose, they get the advice to check their logging for accuracy. The scale is just the best way we have to do that.
That doesn't mean people can be successful without weighing or logging. It's just a tool that has helped people and that's why we recommend it to others who may be struggling. If someone was having fine results without weighing or logging, I don't see any reason for them to change. But when this advice is handed out, it's usually because someone has started a thread asking why they aren't seeing the results they want.6 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
I am sure that there are people who haven't logged everything and still manage to lose weight or maintain. I guess what I would like to know is why I see so many posts on here where people insist everything has to be weighed or logged, what is the reasoning for that, and why can't someone be successful without that?
Because although SOME people MAY be successful losing/maintaining weight without logging, you are pretty much GUARANTEED success if you do. Most people will take the guarantee over the chance.
Well, that's a sweeping and incorrect generalization.
Yes, I'd agree with the sweeping generalization, but I'd say 90% correct (hence why I a said "pretty much" guaranteed). As the OP mentioned, there is still some estimation involved. We do not have 100% accurate ways to log calorie burn, so numbers may be slightly off. But, barring some medical condition, if a person inaccurately weighs/burns calories the same way day after day, they will be able to manipulate their caloric intake sufficiently through logging to lose weight.
Without logging, you truly are just guessing.0 -
CICO is "calories in vs calories out", not weighing and logging. If you can manage "calories in vs calories out" without weighing/logging - great. If you can't - choose between weighing/logging and being overweight.BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »I see so many posts where people complain they haven't lost weight and then everybody comes in saying that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WEIGHED AND LOGGED.
I know that CICO is typically the key to weight loss, but can you be successful without all of this?
You're kidding, right? How is that diet not bogging logging? It has to have been inspired by that song... "Twelve Days of Christmas"Who wants to have to weigh and log or even just log everything they put in their mouths for the rest of their life?
I recently started a new diet plan aimed at runners. The idea is to eat enough carbs to fuel workouts, but to lose or maintain at a good weight for you to run without extra pounds weighing you down. The diet is based on 10 categories of foods that are supposed to balance in ratios at the end of the week. So assume you eat 55 servings in a week (obviously you're going to eat more but just assume), 10 should be vegetables, 9 should be fruit, 8 should be seeds and nuts, 7 should be lean meats and eggs, and 6 should be whole grains. Then if you want you can have 5 servings of dairy, 4 servings of refined grains, 3 servings of unhealthy meats, 2 of sweets, and 1 fried food.
I feel like, yeah logging and weighing would be important if I was planning on doing some kind of figure competition or even a weightlifting competition, but if I'm following this type of diet, not eating when I'm not hungry, and developing a positive relationship with food, isn't this better than weighing everything the rest of my life? Weighing and logging can really get you bogged down with numbers or exercising extra just so that you can eat extra pizza that day.
I lost weight in 2007 just by eating whatever, but only three reasonably sized meals of it per day. I have counted calories successfully before and after. I log my intake now, because I plan my meals, and have been at a good, stable weight for over two years.Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?2 -
I mean everyone knows CICO is a tool, MFP is a tool etc. The thing is, most of us got here for the same reason. Eyeballing did not work for us.
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