Quitting Logging Milestone
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Wishing you the best. It works well for some to not log. It doesn't work for me. 3 years into maintenance. 6 years total on MFP. Logging is so easy due to the technology that I don't mind it at all. And I never feel like I am on a diet. I just feel like this is as much a habit as teeth brushing and yes, weighing each AM. But I know lots of people on here do well without it. And, if you find yourself gaining outside of your goal range, you can always go back to it intermittently.4
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BeccaLoves2lift wrote: »Awesome! I tried mindful eating in March and ended losing weight so I went back to logging. I want to try mindful eating again here soon. Good luck!
I have tried mindful eating in the past but it kept morphing into bellyfull...8 -
Good luck! One tip - remember that there's a difference between logging and being cognizant of your calorie intake.
I still monitor and control my calorie intake to keep myself from drifting back to old habits with portion size and snacking (why I put on weight to begin with is not a mystery to me). That said, I don't keep a running log or anything. I just keep track of one day at a time.0 -
All the best
Its approximately 2 years since I stopped logging food here. Occasionally I log to see how my macros are doing but that's all.
I weigh daily still, use a trending app and have little issues of staying within my goal range. For me its all about being mindful. I mentally tot up my calories so I know I'm staying within my average TDEE. I have to say if I did see weight creep happening over time then I wouldn't hesitate to go back to logging again but it looks like I can maintain just fine on my own.
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I logged only for 3 months/25 lb and went on to lose another 125 with no logging. I’ve learned to estimate portion sizes relative to a familiar plate, size of my hand etc. Maintaining within 5 lbs for 18 months now. Even without logging, I have to find ways to keep myself accountable.11
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I’ve been maintaining the past year. For the past two months I’ve stopped logging twice and gained 2-3 pounds. I’m back logging again to lose 2.5 pounds. I dont do do great not logging, but like the break and now know what trips me up. Junk food- a bite here and a biter or piece there. With logging that wouldn’t trip me up.4
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I ate a few things that were outside the norm today, had a mini panic attack about it, then logged. It’s a process, right? How come some people can just eat a cookie and not sweat it?7
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I have to be very mindful of how I eat. The thing that messes me up is just mindless snacking. Like I’ll munch on chips or crackers or something as I’m cooking dinner and it adds up to basically a second dinner worth of calories. I have to make rules for myself. Like I only eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, one afternoon snack and maybe something small after dinner if I really want it. And nothing else4
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I ate a few things that were outside the norm today, had a mini panic attack about it, then logged. It’s a process, right? How come some people can just eat a cookie and not sweat it?
Because I could eat a cookie today ( sub in any highter cal option) but not eat one again for 10 days.
I could also do chicken breast and salad today (sub in a low cal option) but not eat one again for 10 days.
It really is starting to look at the long term picture, and I mean really long term, and being able to envisage the long term consequences.
I have had a crap year with a lot of travel (I am continent hopping like a bunny) around family needling me close. Right now I'm far from home and working on getting my 91yo mum's cals up after an illness. Heck, I have eaten so much cake and cream you could sink a ship, but I am cognizant of my input, and don't sweat the small stuff over a 4-8 week temporary deviation.
I just roll with the punches, knowingly.
Cheers, h.12 -
I’m thinking people who have been overweight and no longer log have other rules they follow to maintain.
I like logging and knowing a candy bar can fit into my calories today and I can still maintain my weight. My rules are just the number of calories I can consume in a day and nothing else.4 -
I lost all of my weight (around 70 pounds) on another site a few years ago. That site has lost a lot of its functionality and I enjoy a more active forum (to remind me how I got there to 245 in the first place!).
I stopped logging around 3 years ago after two years of successful maintenance and religious logging. I have a red line that I follow and, it seems, every time I get close to it that just the thought of having to go back to logging every morsel that hits my lips seems like such a pain that I seem to lose the weight again.
The most important thing that tracking did for me was eliminating all the garbage. It honestly becomes habit after a period. I think it is easier if you also workout quite often (of course). Luckily, after I lost my weight my wife wanted to get on board with healthier eating (and we don't have kids at home) so it's honestly easier on me than most, I assume. We are both on the same page about not keeping junk in the house, so most of my "go to" past garbage habits are no longer available, which probably helps me more than anything.
Sounds like you'll do fine. It is liberating when you can do it and it's successful. I was a bit scared to do it at first and then learned that most of my habits are so engrained it would take a deliberate effort at this point to gain a lot of weight.
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Thanks for sharing your advice @MikePfirrman and keep up the good work.0
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After losing 70ish pounds and holding rather steady on maintenance, I stopped logging just about a year ago. I stopped weighing weekly at the beginning of the year. I have kept my weight within a couple pounds of where I am comfortable.
It's kind of funny because after logging for a couple of years here, I sort of "log" each meal in my head. My fitbit keeps track of my exercise.
I agree with @MikePfirrman that it is liberating and also that it would take a lot to gain much.4 -
Good luck! I am in the same boat.
I've been logging calories on and off since 2011 and I really don't want to do this for the rest of my life. I'm really close to maintenance and shifting focus to intuitive healthy eating and strength training. It's scary but like you said - continuing to do regular weigh-ins to stay accountable is a great tool.2
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