Do you plan on counting calories your whole life in order to maintain?

123457

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  • ysache13
    ysache13 Posts: 107 Member
    ok this is weird, I thought I was responding on someone else's page with that title and now I come back on and it looks like it's my question, LOL (this site is SO HARD for me!) hahaha - oh well, that was just my answer to another person's post, sorry not sure how to take this one down? LOL
  • betty_veronica4
    betty_veronica4 Posts: 196 Member
    I think so, yes. Maybe not strictly each day, but I think I will need to for accountability.
  • Gutcutter500
    Gutcutter500 Posts: 695 Member
    I suspect I will at least try to log. It often helps me in deciding whether to add something on or just say no. It is not a bother as I am a numbers person. It also helps me with mindful eating and more significantly, P-O-R-T-I-O-N C-O-N-T-R-O-L!!!!!!! lol
  • kokonani
    kokonani Posts: 507 Member
    No way!
  • krael65
    krael65 Posts: 306 Member
    The_Enginerd wrote: »


    And though using a food scale and logging can be a pain sometimes, it's remarkably effective if used properly and consistently.





    buhn9pdym8vo.png

    Well done! I love your user name also. :)
  • Tugsandpull
    Tugsandpull Posts: 40 Member
    I could stop but when I do I don't hold myself accountable and end up gaining weight so yes I believe I will count calories
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited March 2018
    .
  • krazy1sbk
    krazy1sbk Posts: 128 Member
    I usually track my meals now and then wing it for snacks - but if I know I'm going somewhere (like the movies tonight) then I'll pre-log the popcorn or whatever. It helps me plan what kind of snacks I can have and what I should avoid for the day. I'm not super strict because I'm actually working on getting my 10,000 steps per day and that allows me to be less careful!
  • emilyofmysfamcottage
    emilyofmysfamcottage Posts: 51 Member
    I'm a food addict, so yes. I will continue to count calories once I reach my maintenance goal.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    goatg wrote: »
    I also find that when I am dating someone and not weighing food, or go on vacation, I usually lose weight.

    While losing, I usually was looking for things to eat at night like I was completing a jigsaw puzzle because I was being almost too careful early in the day. I have some pretty standard meals that worked with a lower target and when I have something I am not sure about, I tend to err on the side of caution, probably overestimating the portion and picking the most calorie laden entry that sounds about right for what I ate (like a homemade dessert that a coworker brings in).
  • 2baninja
    2baninja Posts: 518 Member
    I'd like to think that I would, I think that once I stop, I'll start eating more then I should, but I've got a long way to go yet, so who knows, hopefully by that time, I'll be a great weight and and I'll love my body and I'll never want to gain weight again...if only life were that simple.
  • HowUdish
    HowUdish Posts: 36 Member
    Not really sure it mainly just helps me understand how much I'm eating on a daily basis and what areas to improve on. I don't see why I would stop because even if my phone broke I can still log on my computer.
  • AuroraErratic
    AuroraErratic Posts: 9 Member
    I think it's the only thing that will work. In the past I have just sort of estimated....apparently I am really bad at estimating, because the weight always crept back!
  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    I probably won't count calories my WHOLE life, but I justed started doing it like.. almost 2 months ago I think. If I don't, I actually undereat becaue I'm afraid of overeating. My doctor recommended me get some kind of calorie counter to keep everything in check, so I am.
  • UltraVegAthlete
    UltraVegAthlete Posts: 667 Member
    Counting is kinda fun. So maybe not my whole life. I certainly skip some days and try intuitive eating. It’s good to just sit down sometimes and munch on an apple without slicing and weighing it.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    chase7612 wrote: »
    Is there anything really wrong with getting to where you want to be, then stop logging, trying to eyeball stuff for about the right calories, and if u happen to go up 10 lbs above the weight u wanna be, just spend the next month counting and losing it again? That's kinda what i plan to do...

    There is nothing wrong with that if it feels like something you would maintain better than calorie counting. Personally, I would rather avoid regaining if that's an option outside of natural fluctuations because knowing me, that would probably lead to a slow creep up. Losing 10 lbs means about 3 months of dieting at this point, and when I'm at maintenance it would mean half a year of dieting just to re-lose. The idea of accepting a slightly higher weight would sound more appealing to me than having to lower my calories again since I don't mind being heavy. So for me personally this wouldn't work, but it might for you.
  • pkweier
    pkweier Posts: 349 Member
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    chase7612 wrote: »
    Is there anything really wrong with getting to where you want to be, then stop logging, trying to eyeball stuff for about the right calories, and if u happen to go up 10 lbs above the weight u wanna be, just spend the next month counting and losing it again? That's kinda what i plan to do...

    Couple of potential problems that I can anticipate:

    1) If you don't keep track of your cals/wt daily, it's easy to let them get away from you and, if you're not paying attn, you could easily gain more than 10# in very little time.

    2) It can be more demanding and stressful mentally, emotionally and physically to yo-yo diet than to just maintain your cal intake/weight at a set point.

    These potential problems presume that you will gain the weight back w/o logging BUT a lot of people claim that they have been able
    to maintain by just eyeballing it.

    You won't know if you're one of those lucky people or not until you try it. If you're successful, congratulations!

    However, there are many others who have tried this and failed and who know, based on their experience, that daily logging for life is the only way that they can insure that they won't ever get fat again.

    I am one of those people.

    It's just too easy for me to go over on cals and to make excuses for not exercising. These 2 tendencies always make me prone to gain weight.

    I worked too hard to lose weight and to get my body looking the way it is now and it's not too much trouble to me to just log my food and weigh myself daily to maintain it.

    What would be worse to me would be to fail to keep my weight in check and then have to go through the whole process of trying to lose weight (potentially over and over) again. That would just be too discouraging and stressful for me.

    Once and done is much better IMO.

    Ditto to this
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited March 2018
    want to grow strong and older. not old. don't ever want to be just decrepit or frail. so...I will use all of my tools as long as they keep me healthy, aging well. 58 years old now.
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