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

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Replies

  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    Not planning to count the rest of my life, but if I need to then I will
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    I’ve been maintaining for 5 years and don’t bother with calorie counting unless I go over 5 lbs. or I’m changing something in my diet.
  • Fatgonegirl
    Fatgonegirl Posts: 126 Member
    I'm not sure how long I will count calories, at least until I feel confident about my weight loss. If I have to log for the rest of my life it would be OK.
  • vmlabute
    vmlabute Posts: 311 Member
    nope! Until I get into the habit and routine of meal prep, eating at home and being consistent with my workouts
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to. Maybe not as dilligently as I do now but I’ll still need to be aware.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I keep coming back to one point - if I had to pick a single thing to do that would keep me from repeating the failures of the past, continuing to track would be it. The only other thing that might be in the discussion would be watching the scale closer, but that would likely keep me in a yoyo cycle.
  • shan_reg
    shan_reg Posts: 80 Member
    adele012 wrote: »
    Yeah, pretty much. Count my calories to stay in shape. Count my money to make sure my budget is on point. Y’know, same principle applies there.

    I'm pretty sure I'll continue to count because I've experienced it being effective. BTW, I really like the perspective on your quote.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,281 Member
    no. it is a goal of mine to never have to count caloires. i think it is as achievable as losing weight. so.. i choose not to count as a i lose my weight and it is working.
  • bobshuckleberry
    bobshuckleberry Posts: 281 Member
    Yup. My coaches count calories and macros in order to stay at healthy weights and functionality and they are buff. If they need to, then someone who has a tendency to gain weight should also be mindful of how much and what they are eating.
  • overly33
    overly33 Posts: 5 Member
    Does anyone have easy ways to estimate the calories without the tracker, especially for the carb sources? I can't keep up this kind of tracking after the first few months, be it for food or finance. I'm especially lazy with food because of the variety of the components, so I thought I should just be careful with the carbs.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    I wouldnt say I neccesarily plan on doing it my whole life - too far ahead to make such a sweeping statement.

    But I do plan to do it for the foreseeable future. Have done it for the 4 years I have been in maintainence and no plans to discontinue.

    Having said that, I do have times of not logging at all - eg when on vacation - and all my logging is very "lazy logging" = every banana, mandarine, egg, slice of bread, cappacino etc is the same, I accept foods are the weight the label says they are, I guestimate a lot etc.
    Only things i weigh are calorie dense unpackaged things like loose dried fruit, cheese, chocolate.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    overly33 wrote: »
    Does anyone have easy ways to estimate the calories without the tracker, especially for the carb sources? I can't keep up this kind of tracking after the first few months, be it for food or finance. I'm especially lazy with food because of the variety of the components, so I thought I should just be careful with the carbs.

    Why do you feel you need to track and restrict carbs? Do you have a medical need to do so? Weight management comes down to calories. They can come from any combination of macros but in order to lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit and in order to maintain weight you must not eat above your maintenance calories, or TDEE.

    why specifically do you feel that logging here or tracking calories is too burdensome? It’s a free site so I’m not sure how financials play into it, and you’re in control of the foods you choose and how much you choose to consume.

    If you don’t like to cook, you really don’t have to. You don’t need to eat complicated home cooked meals to lose weight, you just need to be in a calorie deficit.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    I wouldnt say I neccesarily plan on doing it my whole life - too far ahead to make such a sweeping statement.

    But I do plan to do it for the foreseeable future. Have done it for the 4 years I have been in maintainence and no plans to discontinue.

    Having said that, I do have times of not logging at all - eg when on vacation - and all my logging is very "lazy logging" = every banana, mandarine, egg, slice of bread, cappacino etc is the same, I accept foods are the weight the label says they are, I guestimate a lot etc.
    Only things i weigh are calorie dense unpackaged things like loose dried fruit, cheese, chocolate.

    This is pretty much my approach. In fact I recently took a two week logging break - the first official one I’ve taken in more than 5 years on this site. I was going on vacation to an all inclusive, followed by Easter and a work trip/Sales Meeting where I knew I would be totally guessing about food intake. I figured it would be a good experiment to see how I felt not logging and what the short term impact would be.

    The results - I’m toward the top of my 4 lb maintenance range but also impacted by TOM. I felt ok not logging while I was on my trips but since I also abstained for the last few days I’ve been home I felt off. I missed the comfort of knowing whether I had room for Oreos in my day yesterday, if I was hitting my protein goals, etc.

    For me, having the data, even when it’s just a ballpark guess, is reassuring. Today is my first day back in my normal routine - exercise, tracking, etc. I’m looking forward to it and glad I did the experiment to reinforce my theory that I’m going to be a calorie counter for the foreseeable future.
  • kpsyche
    kpsyche Posts: 345 Member
    edited April 2018
    I do because since starting with MFP I've realised that I eat like a sparrow roflol. Before MFP I was getting 80% of my "nutrition" from soft drinks (soda). Ouch.

    Edit: My daily goal is 7500kj (to lose 1kg a week) and I struggle to reach that although I'm getting there. I think my stomach shrunk or something from eating mostly just soft drinks and no where near enough solid foods beforehand
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    Weighing daily and logging have been the easiest part of maintaining for me. After 3 years, all I can say is that it beats that little book Weight Watchers wanted me to use. It keeps me honest, and it is usually eye-opening to see what I have consumed. If MFP folded, for whatever reason, I'd find another app to use. If they started to charge for everything, I'd pay it. It's just so simple! Will I do it for the rest of my life? It is as much a part of my day as other rituals such as brushing my teeth, or putting on clothes.