How long to keep loging food.
DianaGabriela2013
Posts: 108 Member
People who have reached and maintained their goal weight. How long do you keep login foods in MyFitPal? I would think after some time you get used to what amounts of foods have approx what calories and know what you can eat in a day of your regular day to day foods etc.
3-4 months? More? Never stop logging foods?
3-4 months? More? Never stop logging foods?
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I can never stop. I actually use a different system that does not involve logging...but I still track my food. Some people perhaps can...but I KNOW...If I stop keeping track...eventually, I will stop logging in to MFP and then I'll be back in a year or so...trying to lose 50 pounds again. NO THANKS!
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I've had weight regain, plus some, every other time I've lost weight because I didn't stay vigilant. My consumption slowly drifts upward over time. If I want to keep the weight off, I'll need to keep logging. I don't expect MFP to be around forever but I've logged with pen and paper before and I can go back to that if needed.11
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Forever and ever, amen.28
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It will depend on the person and what benefit they get from logging.
Yes, I've been at this long enough to be able to reasonably estimate most of my usual foods without having to actually weigh and log them. But the act of logging seems to help me stay accountable, so when I log, that's usually why... not because I have no idea how much I'm eating, but because seeing the actual numbers helps me stay engaged.7 -
I've never used MFP to track on a regular basis (my weight loss phase was before I knew about this site). My maintenance plan is-some mental math throughout the day, use my food scale to measure out things that I'm not good at eyeballing, an IF protocol and then daily weigh-ins. These things have kept me within a 5lb window for a little over 4 years now.
Regardless if you continue tracking on MFP or not, you should always have some sort of checks n' balances in place.9 -
It's a daily tool of living for me, like checking my bank balance or my gas gauge.17
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DianaGabriela2013 wrote: »People who have reached and maintained their goal weight. How long do you keep login foods in MyFitPal? I would think after some time you get used to what amounts of foods have approx what calories and know what you can eat in a day of your regular day to day foods etc.
3-4 months? More? Never stop logging foods?
Depends on the person but when I got to the goal in the past I thought I had a handle on it and started guessing instead of weighing/measuring and gained it all back
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I'm going to be a lifetime logger. It works. Nothing else has.12
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Same here. I've lost and maintained through logging consistently. Whenever I let it go and stop logging, I gain weight. I'm back in maintenance now, and plan to log for life.5
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I've been logging for 1,735 days straight so far according to myfitnesspal, and it would have been more than that had I not forgotten my original username (which turns out to have been what it is now, just followed by @yahoo.com). Most of those days have been maintenance, simply because it's so easy to get comfortable and lose track of what you're eating. For me, I need constant accountability. If i don't log I'll eat 100 calories over my goals here and there continuously and I'd rather just face saying no to high calorie desserts knowing that I won't step on the scale one day to find I gained all my weight back (and then some).
Sure, some days I don't feel like logging, and sometimes I just want to throw in the towel and go nuts. But I remind myself that every calorie is counted by our bodies whether we acknowledge it now or later, and it's easier to say no to a slice of cake than it is to run on a treadmill for hours later. Luckily we have so many lower calorie options now days that it's not too bad to say no to cake, as you can usually find a delicious lower calorie substitute to satisfy you (even if it's a piece of gum now, and Halo Top/Enlightened ice cream later)!
Just do what works for you - each person has their technique that works best for them!12 -
I progressively estimated more, measured less and had a few logging breaks.
Then just one day thought I would experiment and stopped logging completely - wasn't a problem to maintain at all.
I tend to gain weight in winter as my cycling distance is far lower (and Christmas of course!) and can eat/exercise precisely enough to lose at a slow rate of 1lb a month. Can also lose a quickly if I choose to for a short duration to correct a post holiday splurge or get to a certain weight for a cycling event.
You don't lose the ability to be calorie aware and if you weigh yourself frequently any upward trend is obvious.
Gaining it all back or gaining a large amount back would mean ignoring the upward trend that is developing right before your eyes and not reacting to it - that's not a food logging issue!10 -
I think I will be logging for many years to come to keep me accountable but hoping in time to be able to ditch the scales and no longer weigh everything.1
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When I stop being in an active calorie-intake-policing mode, I "eh, that's not too bad" my way back up to my starting weight plus a few extra pounds for company.Gaining it all back or gaining a large amount back would mean ignoring the upward trend that is developing right before your eyes and not reacting to it - that's not a food logging issue!
Staying vigilant on a daily basis is what I need. It's great that you can look at a more over-arching timeline. I'm going to use an easy and handy tool to stay on top of my weight rather than try to play catch-up after I've lost ground.
It's not a food logging issue, it's that the tool of food logging is a cheap, easy, convenient way to be comfortable that I can stay in control rather than gritting my teeth and hoping that this time will be different. Much less stress to just keep logging.10 -
@seska422
When I stop being in an active calorie-intake-policing mode, I "eh, that's not too bad" my way back up to my starting weight plus a few extra pounds for company.Gaining it all back or gaining a large amount back would mean ignoring the upward trend that is developing right before your eyes and not reacting to it - that's not a food logging issue!
Staying vigilant on a daily basis is what I need. It's great that you can look at a more over-arching timeline. I'm going to use an easy and handy tool to stay on top of my weight rather than try to play catch-up after I've lost ground.
It's not a food logging issue, it's that the tool of food logging is a cheap, easy, convenient way to be comfortable that I can stay in control rather than gritting my teeth and hoping that this time will be different. Much less stress to just keep logging.
Agree - different tools to achieve the same end result of being vigilant.
I just weigh myself daily and keep a casual eye on any developing trend and start trimming calories when I get too high a weight (skipping breakfast, making lower calorie lunch choices at work, different or less snacks....).
I'm probably a bit unusual in that although my intuitive eating level is a surplus, and always has been, I've maintained the same way most of my adult life. My weight gain was sudden rather than a slow upward drift. Even in my "fat 20 years" I effectively maintained in a narrow range, just at too high a weight.
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I agree that it depends on the person.
However my own answer is - indefinitely.
I reached my goal weight at end of 2013 and have continued logging ever since.
I do take a break for a week or so once or twice a year if I am on holidays - and I do practice what I call lazy logging - ie lots of estimations, guestimates, and finding something close enough in data base.
But doing this and weighing once a week to check on real life results is working for me so no plans to stop doing it6 -
I just entered maintenance - not planning on giving up the logging at all. We'll see how long I will do this and whether I will do it here. TBH though I actually like logging and having all my data available. I download all my data and have them in a spreadsheet so I track over time as well. Love having that insight4
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I've been on maintenance for a little over 6 months having lost around 9 stone before that. It's been the first time in my whole adult life that I've not only got rid of my excess weight but been able to maintain at a healthy weight.
In my case certainly, my continued success is down to logging everything that I consume so I always know exactly where I am with my calories going in versus calories going out.
If you're like me and always struggled with your weight, then I'd recommend continuing to log everything. It keeps you in control.4 -
I would say that anything less than 12 months is probably too soon. But It could be forever.
in the 4-6 month range, you could probably relax logging(1 package vs 578 grams)1 -
Never for me. I'll take periodic breaks but I always come back. I think it's too easy to convince yourself that extra spoonful won't matter or that second helping isn't going to make a difference until you find yourself back where you started. So for me I will always log. I've been logging for 5 years and have no intention of stopping.3
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I stopped logging from October to February. I had to lose 15lbs come spring. my "you're full" sensor is broken.9
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I've had weight regain, plus some, every other time I've lost weight because I didn't stay vigilant. My consumption slowly drifts upward over time. If I want to keep the weight off, I'll need to keep logging. I don't expect MFP to be around forever but I've logged with pen and paper before and I can go back to that if needed.
Gosh,,,, so true.1 -
I take logging breaks, slowly gain, then log again when my jeans get tight. It would probably be best to log continuously (and that's my plan for now), but I get sick of logging sometimes.1
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I stopped logging soon after reaching my goal weight. It took me almost 2 years of logging to get there, so by the time I hit maintenance, I had a pretty good idea of portion sizes and calorie counts of certain foods. I now log roughly in my head to make sure I'm not going off track.
I do monitor my weight pretty closely, and if I start going above what I consider to be my normal weight range, I sometimes go back to logging for a few weeks, just to re-calibrate myself.1 -
I see no reason to stop logging my food intake. It keeps me honest. It isn't that hard since weighing and measuring my food has become second nature now. I reached my goal weight last week and from past experience, I know how all the weight I have lost can come back. This isn't my first rodeo, after all. So, lifetime logging for me, whether I am under or over my goal for the day. Also, daily weigh-ins are also second nature now so I don't see that stopping either when before, I would hide my scale after I hit any goals set for myself. THIS time, it isn't just about a 'diet'. THIS time is about a lifestyle change and the only way to keep it in place, for me, is to keep doing what I have done for the last 583 or so days...weigh, measure, log my food and step on that scale every morning. It is not that hard and worth every second of time, altho' very little, that it takes.3
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For me I've been maintaining for approximately 10 + months. I realize it's a lifetime commitment and I'm going to be doing it till I die. I'm not perfect and there are days I go over my limit but I realize the consequences but for this to be a lifetime commitment it has to be sustainable.
Small price to pay for what I've become. I never want to go back and it's my reality check to keep on track.2 -
I stopped logging a few months after I had established my maintenance.
Food had never been my problem, and I think that is why I could step away from the counting and the scale so soon.
My weight had been stable for decades. A 30lbs gain over 5 years was due much more to a slow decline in daily activity (without adjusting cals), than it was in an increase in food. So, once the pounds were off, it was much more about keeping a higher level of daily activity, I had become the queen of sloths, augmented with an hour of purposeful exercise.
I think maybe because I had maintained a normal BMI for so long before my gain, I find it relatively easy to adjust my intake to suit my activity level now.
Kind of like the gain was a little blip in the normal, and I am now back to normal- if that makes sense.
Oh, I've been maintaining 7 years. With a 5lbs range.
Cheers, h.0 -
I do think that it is personal preference. For some logging won't be necessary and for others it will. At this point for me I don't think that I will ever stop logging. It is a pretty easy thing for me to do and I eat a lot of the same foods. I have relaxed my food weighing some, but I still weigh a lot since the scale is right there anyway. One of the reasons I continue to log is that I hit my goal about a year ago and I am now down 15 pounds from there. I have had a hard time finding my maintenance calories. MFP says it is about 1620, but my own data says it is about 2300. I log to make sure that I am getting enough. I know I could decrease my activity, but I don't want to. At 49, I want to stay active as long as possible. And I don't exercise to lose weight or even to eat more. I exercise because I love it and it makes me feel good. I just need to eat more because I exercise and I want to keep logging to make sure I am not too far under. I also used to have some issues with "secret eating". Now I log everything I eat and I'm afraid if I didn't I might fall back to hiding things that I am eating and I don't want to do that. But again, that is just a personal thing. I think a lot of people can maintain without logging. You just have to figure out which way works best for you.1
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I just plan on logging daily forever to keep me on the straight and narrow. I know it is to EZ to fall back into damaging patterns... I treat this like a game..Pounds With Friends... haha2
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Never stop logging is my strategy. Maintenance for 3 years. Keeps me aware and honest1
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Forever and ever, amen.
Agreed. I guesstimate but logging keeps me on the straight and narrow. Am at about 530 days of logging now and keep a tab on the weekly (averaged for the day) average calorie data here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x-U5_S1FOLICblo3jzexdgYx7f34SiKsqk1Tg0kTTHo/edit?usp=drivesdk0
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