Do you log every day?

hesn92
hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
And do you plan on logging your food forever? I really don’t like logging my food. It’s tedious. For a while I’ve only been logging m-f and taking weekends off, but it’s not working for me because when I don’t log my food, I use that as an excuse to eat all the food lol. I feel like I could set rules for myself, like just eat my main meals + 2 snacks (or something) or I guess I could just keep my food diary every day :( just curious what you all do and what your plans are? Is “intuitive eating” even a real thing....
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Replies

  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,743 Member
    It's just me & husband & my computer is next to our dining table so if we eat together I log first then eat & spend time talking to him, if not then I log while I'm eating & spend time on here going thru the discussions like I am now, it's some "me" time I don't know the future but I don't forsee not logging
  • Ralphone
    Ralphone Posts: 1,863 Member
    I am not on to brag. But check our my streak. Lol it works for me .
  • Ralphone
    Ralphone Posts: 1,863 Member
    Well looks like it works for you B)
  • Ralphone
    Ralphone Posts: 1,863 Member
    Keep it up. Looks like You are having great success with it.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
    I took the month of February off of logging and was able to maintain without a problem. In March I thought I wanted to try cutting again so I started logging again, that only lasted about two weeks before I decided that I need to stay in maintenance so I started logging again just to zero in my calories. I'll be back to mindful eating in another week or two.. I feel less stressed not worrying about food and logging it all day.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    BeccaLoves2lift wrote: »
    I feel less stressed not worrying about food and logging it all day.
    Whereas I feel less stressed by logging. It takes the guesswork out. I would worry all day long about my calories if I didn't take a couple of minutes to log right before I consume anything.
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    Key is to find the WOE that works for you. N=1 is the only thing that matters in the end.
    This.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    when I was in a strict deficit I did .... now at maintanence a lot of my weekends I use the quick add because, eating out, eating meals where I share stuff out of a packet with the kiddy, it would be a major ball ache to keep weighing handfuls of popcorn in a movie
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited April 2018
    I only log now and again to see where my macros are. If you don't want to log you are still going to have to keep thinking in calories if you are going to maintain your weight. I always mentally know how many calories I have eaten per day despite not logging my food. Mindless eating doesn't work out well for any of us usually :/.

    (I'm almost 5 years in maintenance, its an ingrained habit now to think calories)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I don't use the food diary anymore, just a spreadsheet, and the meal plan becomes a log as I eat. "Meal plan" can sound so ambitious, but it's really just to formalize better eating habits and eat cheap, healthy and tasty as a single person. I don't know if intuitive eating is a thing, or if it's relevant; I know how much I need to be energetic and normal weight, but it's still a consciuos choice to stick to it. Or not. Usually I stick to it, because I want to be energetic and normal weight.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I log everyday except Saturday's or family events and social type settings etc. I work from home, eat at home and its not inconvenient. I pretty much have the same menu for bfasts/lunches/snacks. Plan dinners in the morning with my family. My weekends are flexible, no logging, usually eat out once during the weekend.

    Overall I still have issues with knowing that I can easily overeat, the extra 100 here or 200 there adds up quickly so I am fine maintaining things just as I am.
  • Happysoul0317
    Happysoul0317 Posts: 119 Member
    Yes log every day. It works.
  • LJay89
    LJay89 Posts: 91 Member
    I was in a place where I couldn't log because I also found it tedious. I think part of it is a motivation thing, I am now working with a PT and I am extremely motivated, also I want to get to a place where I can eat the maximum amount of calories while losing fat so I have to be as accurate as possible...

    It could also just not be what works for you? To lose weight we need a calorie deficit, there are many methods that help with that you might just need to experiment.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    Everything, everyday (since last July). I wasn't logging exhaustively before then and it showed. Cultivate logging as a habit and it will seem less tedious over time. I make a point to pre-log as much as I can whenever convenient so it's less intrusive around preparing food and eating. I often will put a placeholder portion with a round number and adjust for accuracy after I weigh that food.
  • BattyKnitter
    BattyKnitter Posts: 503 Member
    edited April 2018
    During the week I prelog all my meals the day/night before, I also meal prep on Sundays, it only takes me 5 minutes to log and I find it much less stressful to know exactly what I will be eating next and how much of it I can eat. I also have a fairly big chunk of my calories as an evening/post workout snack that I can play around with, so if I have an unexpected treat during the day I can just nix that snack.

    I do plan to count when in maintenance but as others have mentioned I'll be less strict with weighing everything. I believe I am one of those people whose "you're stomach is full, you've eaten enough" switch is broken so counting really helps and I don't think mindful/intuitive eating will ever work for me but lots of people can do it.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    In maitenance for 4 years. Yes I log every day BUT I do not log meticulously, very approximate loose logging - many things I don't weigh, every banana etc is same size, packaged food it's what the packet says, every cheesecake slice is same size and same recipe, I guesstimate lots.

    This my method as well, coming up on three years logging and it's such an ingrained habit that it isn't tedious at all so why stop now? I decided to do a mini cut recently after overindulging at Easter and it was so much easier to just adjust my logging rather than having to start building up the habit all over again.
  • nballos77
    nballos77 Posts: 80 Member
    Yes, every day!!
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    i love numbers and math it calms me....tracking my food is simple because i eat the same things basically everyday just in different rotations. If i eat out its rare so i wont bother logging, If its something relatively simple like a donut ill log it but otherwise ill use my energy to just not eat like an idiot for the rest of the day and focus on keeping active.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Only in maintenance 5-6 weeks, still logging everything every day. I use my phone for convenience. I don't always weigh and I don't always log right away when eating with others and it is likely that I have estimated wrong sometimes and maybe forgotten an item here and there. So far I have been still losing, just slower. The way I will adjust that is upping allowance and then seeing if I can get there by tracking.
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    Yes and I love logging my food. However, I'm not great about doing it on the weekends and sometimes I slack logging dinner.
  • pkweier
    pkweier Posts: 349 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    In maitenance for 4 years. Yes I log every day BUT I do not log meticulously, very approximate loose logging - many things I don't weigh, every banana etc is same size, packaged food it's what the packet says, every cheesecake slice is same size and same recipe, I guesstimate lots.

    For me this is happy medium between tedious meticulous logging and keeping no record at all.
    Just enough for me to see roughly what I am doing and have enough accountability to stay on track.

    If I go on vacation and really no way of tracking with any accuracy at all - I take a week or so off and then start again when I get home.

    This is what I have started although mostly on weekends so far so good. I will keep on logging till my year anniversary of being in maintenance which isn't till September then will go from there.
  • Secretnotes
    Secretnotes Posts: 46 Member
    Yes. This is my third time in maintenance. Two "weight creep" episodes were enough to convince me that I need a structured record so I can spot the trends.
  • Sheluvsbread2much
    Sheluvsbread2much Posts: 85 Member
    I log every day. When I reach my weight loss goal I think I will continue to log but perhaps every other day. I also find it tedious, but it's very helpful. Someone posted that after reaching their goal, they no longer log but they weigh themselves every day so if the scale goes over their 5lb limit, it's time to start logging. I think that's a good idea.

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