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Is weighing/logging everything necessary?

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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
    Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?

    Yes, absolutely. A lot depends on what success means. Personally I'm not bogged down in a target weight or bodyfat percentage, but in my running performance.

    Being more thoughtful about food choices has led me to lose weight and fuel appropriately for my running.

    The problem here is, so many get religious about it and project their own situation on others. I can see the usual suspects proselyting as I skim the thread.
  • CrazyCatLady916
    CrazyCatLady916 Posts: 29 Member
    I weigh and log, it's the only thing that works for me. I work with a woman who just started the Whole30 diet, i asked her what she was going to do after the 30 days was up. She just looked at me with a blank stare in her eyes. I suggested counting calories on MFP instead. SMH!!
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
    Is there anyone here who has not logged/weighed everything, but seen success?

    Yes, absolutely. A lot depends on what success means. Personally I'm not bogged down in a target weight or bodyfat percentage, but in my running performance.

    Being more thoughtful about food choices has led me to lose weight and fuel appropriately for my running.

    The problem here is, so many get religious about it and project their own situation on others. I can see the usual suspects proselyting as I skim the thread.

    I totally agree. I think that when you are trying to lose weighing and measuring is a good skill to help develop a better sense of what normal portions are, but you don't need to be neurotic about it. I don't weigh everything to precise grams, my solids go in measuring cups, and I still lose.

    If you measure and weigh as a step to learn new skills and internalize a new way of eating, you can eventually dial it back. I maintained for several years without measuring. Life led me to start eating out for more than 50% of my meals and eventually eventually it caught up with me to the tune of 7lbs (over two years). Cooking my own meals and measuring for a couple of months got me back down to my happy weight.

    However, if religiously measuring everything you eat is your jam I will not begrudge you for finding joy in it ;)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    This seems a rather silly debate really. The only way weighing and logging would be necessary for weight loss would be if no one had ever lost without it. Millions of people have so ... case closed.
  • PinkamenaD8
    PinkamenaD8 Posts: 99 Member
    Yes there isn't necessary to track everything and I had lost weight before discovering MFP, but measuring accurately the calories gave more certanity in my expectations and I saw the corresponding results.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,286 Member
    yes but people losing weight without weighing or logging (let alone without weighing and logging everything, as OP stated) are not some tiny exception minority .

    Many Many people do this - of course they have to acheive a calorie deficit - but by no means is weighing and logging the only way to do this.

    It probably is the way most people on MFP acheive it - weighing and logging to at least some extent, since this is a calorie counting site.

    Btu that doesnt mean that is the only way for everyone.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    The only time I've ever been successful at losing weight without logging my food and weighing it was when I was literally starving myself to lose. I would eat only crackers or lettuce or take bites of things and drink water. I got down to 100 lbs that way about nine years ago. Not healthy at all.
  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
    I don't weigh anything, and I also don't log my food. I've lost about 32 pounds so far since November 2016. I know different things work for different people. But I just eat smaller portions, and I realize logging in everything wasn't for me. I did log my food at first just to get an idea of my food choices; however, I stopped after a month. I always recommend people do what works for them though. I've never owned a food scale, so I can tell you it's not a requirement to lose weight. But if you're not losing weight and you don't own one it might be a good idea to try it. Weighing food and logging is just an optional tool.
  • FitbitConnor
    FitbitConnor Posts: 143 Member
    There doesn't seem to be a one size fits all answer to this question, the whole thread was tldr so i apologise if this has already been said. I didnt gain weight in a short period of time, I come from a fairly fattish family and have been accustomed to eating large portions for my entire life, when i started logging my food It made me aware of which foods were better/worse and super aware of portion sizes. I peaked at just over 19 stone at around 270lb in my mid 30's and needed to lose around 6 stone for my final goal weight. Some people may live relatively healthy life styles and have good nutrition but have just gained a couple of pounds over time that they need to shift. they almost certainly dont need to log, as they probably just need to fine tune their exercise routine or maybe make a few small tweaks to their diet to get results. If they still dont drop any weight then maybe accurate logging will reveal where the issue is.
  • MrsKila
    MrsKila Posts: 320 Member
    I use to be a person that did not weigh food, and lost some weight due to being more cautious of what I ate. Then I stalled. I was doing the same thing, so I could not understand why. Then I stated weighing my food. Long story short- I was soooo shocked on how much I underestimated. I.e my 60ml of syrup using my estimation was really 90. 60= 210 cal. Vs 90 =315. One hell of a difference once it started to add up with my guessstamits :( . So guessing works, until it doesn't. In my opinion/ experience.
  • Etsar73
    Etsar73 Posts: 260 Member
    Do you have to have to have a budget to save money? No but for some people it's a useful tool. Some people are strict with a budget while they are clearing debt and some just reduce spending and get a second or higher paying job. That's how I see weight loss for the most part... trying to find what works for you.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    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?

    This reminds me of the USDA's plate method food plan. But now you need to know what a serving of each of those different foods is. Typically, as an example, it is 1 ounce of protein equals 1 serving ... so you are weighing anyway.
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