I feel like I need a break

When I set my goal weight number, it was pretty arbitrary and I just picked a number, since I had never really been at a healthy weight all my adult life.

Now I am about 90% of the way to that goal weight, and certainly at a weight that would be fine if it were forever (I am 5'11" and now weigh 173). But I am feeling like I need a break from the daily "rigor" of recording every morsel I eat and every bike ride. Obviously, this is a good problem to have, but I am kind of tired of it, and I'd like some time off. There is no way I will ever be like I was before, but I want to start living without having the MFP "training wheels" on. It was never my goal to record every meal for the next 30 years anyway, so at some point I need to let it go, right?

Not sure exactly what kind of responses I am looking for. Just wondering what others have done or think about this. Maybe this post would be better in the "maintaining" forum (???)

Replies

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I tend to take logging breaks to coincide with vacations and holidays. And for the most part if I overeat it is knowingly. I'm pretty sure I can maintain without logging if I keep an eye on it as it were with some quick mental maths.

    I also didn't go hard at it though. I'm just meandering along and will get to goal when I get there. Some periods I hit my deficit more consistently than others and that's cool. I feel it's helping me prepare for maintenance.

    That said, I'm not fussed if I have to log for life in some way, it doesn't bother me and my exercise is auto recorded from my tracker.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    Give it a go.
    If you find you are not good at guesstimating weigh portions but don't log.
    If you start gaining, start logging again.

    You will never know until you try.

    I have been maintaining for 7 yr and once I had my maintenance cals established I stopped logging.
    I may log for a week or two a year just to adjust, but otherwise I have maintained within my 5 lbs range (gone 1 lbs over once, and about 3 lbs under about 4 times)

    Cheers, h.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    I've done both logging and taking breaks in the past ten years since I lost my weight. I've managed to keep off the weight when I weigh myself once or twice a week.

    I have to have some gauge of where I am, if I don't weigh myself I go off the rails.

    You do deserve a break and to see how it goes.

    It's not like this site is going to abandon you. :)
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    If you have been in a deficit this entire time, it may be beneficial for you to take a 'diet break'. Eat at maintenance for a few weeks to get a mental and physical break from it all.

    You can log if you want to, or even be a bit rougher with it.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    When I set my goal weight number, it was pretty arbitrary and I just picked a number, since I had never really been at a healthy weight all my adult life.

    Now I am about 90% of the way to that goal weight, and certainly at a weight that would be fine if it were forever (I am 5'11" and now weigh 173). But I am feeling like I need a break from the daily "rigor" of recording every morsel I eat and every bike ride. Obviously, this is a good problem to have, but I am kind of tired of it, and I'd like some time off. There is no way I will ever be like I was before, but I want to start living without having the MFP "training wheels" on. It was never my goal to record every meal for the next 30 years anyway, so at some point I need to let it go, right?

    Not sure exactly what kind of responses I am looking for. Just wondering what others have done or think about this. Maybe this post would be better in the "maintaining" forum (???)

    Well, I guess it depends on how well you know yourself. I know myself well, and that I have to record what I eat. Every day. The rest of my life. When I stop, I lose track and eat more, and I gain. It does not bother me a bit, nor do I ever feel that I need "a break". I don't consider it to be a daily "rigor" as you do. So if I do live 30 more years, yes, I plan to be logging my meals. It just works for me.
  • Majcolorado
    Majcolorado Posts: 138 Member
    edited May 2017
    *Most* people that stop logging, weighing, and measuring eventually put all the weight back on and more. The statistics are incontrovertible. You may indeed be one of the very, very few that keep the weight off long term without structure around their eating plan, but the odds are overwhelmingly against you. It's not personal, it's human nature.

    To quote William Munny, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it."
  • domeofstars
    domeofstars Posts: 480 Member
    As someone who has lost weight and kept it off in the past, what i did is i kept up my exercise regime and new eating habits. I still indulged in moderation, and i weighed myself everyday. I didn't keep a food or exercise journal or log anything but the weight stayed off. Last year i re-gained a bit of weight because i stopped weighing myself regularly and didn't keep up with the exercise. I also started to binge eat, and i gained what i did because i was in denial about my weight. When i stepped on the scales i kept saying 'that's water weight! fluid retention! i haven't really gained fat'. What made me realize i needed to lose weight was ordering 6 dresses online in my size and finding they were all tight, and i couldn't deny my weight gain anymore.

    So in terms of taking a break and maintaining, those are my tips. Weigh yourself regularly, keep up the exercise and new eating habits. If you monitor your weight regularly, you can always start cutting back your food intake or go back to logging for a little bit if you gain a bit. Do what works for you and what feels right. Remember, weight gain will take time just like weight loss and you won't suddenly gain it all back if you stop logging but maintain healthy habits.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    I keep my calories low on weekdays so that I can do whatever I want on weekends. I never get bored or discouraged, because there are constant, weekly breaks built in.
  • Majcolorado
    Majcolorado Posts: 138 Member
    Taking a break is a lot easier if you view food as fuel. If food is comfort, or pleasure, or a reward, success is even less likely.
  • mgeshwilm
    mgeshwilm Posts: 23 Member
    I had some life stressors in January and weight loss and logging my food was just not a priority. I gained back almost all the weight (10 pounds or so) so I have decided to go back on. Most of it is just actually seeing what the calorie count is, the other is that I was "letting myself go" and not watching what I ate (or drank, for that matter) Now that I know I can do it, I kind of feel that I can "cheat" and get back again. Evidently I need the logging part, tho.
  • KM0692
    KM0692 Posts: 178 Member
    edited May 2017
    My husband's friend lost 50 lbs without tracking one calorie. He simply cut back on his portion sizes, and now continues to keep an eye on them. He has maintained the weight loss for 5 years.

    When I reach my goal weight, I plan to ease out of tracking, but weigh myself each morning. If I am up more than 2 lbs, I will go back to tracking until the weight is gone again. Rinse and repeat. :-D I tire of having to keep track of every calorie too, so I am hoping that this will be enough motivation for me to keep an eye on portion sizes, etc. while trying to maintain.
  • codename_steve
    codename_steve Posts: 255 Member
    I've been successfully maintaining within a 5 pound range for about a year without counting calories.

    MFP is just a tool, and there is no shame in using it again. You'll never know if you'll be able to do it until you try. So try.

    What finally made the difference for me was keeping in mind that a break or reaching goal isn't a ticket to go crazy and eat all the things all the time. I still need to be mindful of my hunger cues, and resist eating because of emotions.
  • monstar4kc
    monstar4kc Posts: 30 Member
    I think your current weight of 173 is an ideal weight based on your height. How do you look and feel? Are you happy with your body? If so, I'd go ahead and make the switch to maintenance and start eating up to your TDEE. This way you know how much to eat in order to maintain your current weight and you can finally stop logging.

    Personally I need a break too but I'm not one of those people who can lose weight without tracking. I've been dieting since January and have lost over 25# but I'm tired of it consuming my life. Problem is that if I stopped logging now, I may not be held accountable because my calories are no longer written in stone on my app. Once I get down to my ideal weight and after I slowly increase my calorie intake to TDEE, I will stop logging. To keep myself from gaining too much, I will continue to weigh myself at least every week.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I think there is a difference between taking a break from logging and taking a break from trying to create a deficit every day (Or maintenance). Personally I would be ok with the latter, but not necessarily the former. It would feel like I'm trying to avoid the truth. If im ok eating over maintenance, I should be able to see the number in the app. Could there be a break from logging precisely and using a scale? Sure, like when I travel or eat out. But I would still log.

    Again, this is me and doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.