How many of you keep your food diary?

I will have to track for the rest of my life - If I don't, I gain. This is no longer a diet for me - it's the way I live my life. Not focused on food, focused on keeping healthy so I can do what I want to do. Too bad I it took so long to learn. <sigh>
You youngsters take note! :laugh:
+GB+
katey

Don't give up. I don't usually weigh or measure my food anymore. I just estimate. They say a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is appox. 3 oz so I usually guess that 1 chicken breast is about 5 or 6 oz. In a salad, 2 cups of lettuce is about 2 handfuls when you are pulling it out of the bag. My suggestion would be to weigh/measure your food for one week, noting what each measurement looks like and then just wing it from there. It makes things so much easier and then tracking your food isn't so hard. Also, before I got my smart phone, I had a little dry erase board on the refrigerator where I would track my food. In the evening when I was done, I would take it upstairs to the office and fill in the food. Once you get your normal foods into the system, it becomes easy to just check them off.

By the way, I am a TeamBeachbody Coach; which is a free coach to keep you motivated and accountable. So if you have anymore questions, just let me know and I can direct you to some good tips and tricks for making weight loss become second nature rather than a chore! Let's connect:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coach-Cassie-Bishop/243308372354441

I think its important to do it until you can judge portion control accurately. This morning my fiance grabbed chicken and I asked if she was going to weigh it... She said no its about 6 oz, I told her it was closer to 8, and she weighed it and it was 8.0. The point is if you do it long enough you will learn how much you should be eating to lose weight or maintain and once you hit your goal you can just weigh yourself regularly to see how your doing without tracking.

I agree, tracking has helped me train myself on portion control and calories to the point that I don't have to rely on MFP. It's become more of a lifestyle change for me. I can go on a week vacation and make good choices with my food and not stress. I don't think I'll log of the rest of my life, but I will until I hit my goal and as I need to after that to make sure I' still doing good. But this does take time and effort. It's easier for me since I have a desk job. But try to look at logging as a tool to help you get to your goal. You've already made progress. Keep going and try not to look at it as a negative. :drinker:

I've gotten so used to logging my food that I feel kind of weird when I don't log. I try to log everything everyday but on the days that I am unable to log I keep track in my head and watch my portion size very closely. I honestly believe portion control is the biggest key to weigh loss with the success of logging. We all know that weight gain comes from over calorie consumption so I just watch my intake and keep mental notes now that I am closer to my goal weight. stick with it. You can do it ; )

I've taken to testing myself at times by not logging until the end of the day . That way I know how well I can do if I can't log it. Most of the time though its a steady routine. Like a previous poster said, setting it as your homepage helps tremendously. I also love the challenge of keeping the numbers out of the red, but I think maybe that's the nerd side of me talking. :laugh:

If I could do it on my own I wouldn't weigh what I do. I have to count, measure, and record. Will it be forever? I don't know but it works for me.

I know from 7 years of exeperience, that I only lose weight when I track. I stop tracking, I gain.

So, yep, I track everday, every meal, every bite. Is it a pain? Yes. Is it worth it to maintain a healthy weight? YES!

I started MFP in February 2011 and have tracked every single day, with exception to when I was out of the country w/no internet access for 8 days. I can eyeball things fairly well but if I am home I always weigh and measure to make sure my counts are accurate. It has worked for me so far, so I am not messing with success!

Admittedly, if I didn't have a smartphone, I would probably find logging in to be a drag.

I recently started "logging' in my food diary again, and it really puts things in perspective for me. I treat like a game...where can I make extra calories available...where's the wiggle room?

Yeah, I do it from my phone, too. It is easy to add things on my phone when I just have a few minute between appointments or tasks.

I have an android phone...is there an app for scanning barcodes? FUN!

I stopped tracking for 3 weeks earlier this summer (I was gone on a road trip and I don't use a smart-phone), and relied on my body to tell me when I'm hungry and when I'm full. I found that by really paying attention, asking myself if I was truly hungry (or just bored?), and stopping eating when I felt full, I was able to maintain. Granted, I did not lose weight during those 3 weeks, but going on vacation, eating at other people's homes, and dining out for 3 weeks without gaining was all the success I was looking for!

Now I am back to tracking because I am still aiming to lose some more pounds. But I am fairly confident in my maintenance abilities once I get to that point.

I was on and off WW for years and was successful when logging my intake, but gained with I didn’t log. I was recently put on an 1800 calorie, low sodium diet, so have to be exact. I’m in the midst of a lifestyle change and need to know what is healthy for me. That is why I use MFP and log everything, even the 1100 calorie, 5000 mg sodium turkey leg (ouch) I had at the county fair.

I have always logged my foods.. I find it sometimes helps to plan the next day..I input what I think im going to have or plan on having..I can always change it if I vary from it... It may help with keeping track..:happy:

My estimates are a complete mess, so I have to track. Also, it helps keep me on track because I know other people are looking at it. That's why I keep it public and try to just work with what I am doing. Tracking also makes me feel like I accomplished something because I can be like "HEY! I didn't go over today!"