Tips to maintain without daily tracking for the rest of my life, please?

Malethyst · September 2018

I've gotten to goal multiple times over the years, and I tracked for almost a year straight. I stopped tracking and after a while slowly gained weight back. I got up to 10 lbs over goal this time so I came back to MFP and I've lost 2 lbs so far this time. Losing is pretty easy for me, as long as my mindset is right. I'm hoping there's a mindset I need to adopt for maintenance that will make it possible to manage my weight without tracking long term. Has anyone had luck with this?

I'm on medications that cause weight gain, and they may contribute some, but I know they aren't fully to blame.

I'm 5'3" and I maintain at 1500 - 1600 calories. My goal weight is 118.

I'm open to any friend requests from females, also. I could use some support.

hmkiesel · September 2018

if you were tracking for a year, you probably know approximate calorie counts and portion sizes for most of the foods you eat regularly. you don't necessarily need to track every calorie everyday in MFP or weigh every food with a digital scale, but can do more loose approximations for your daily food intake, with your maintenance calories in mind. watch your weight and give yourself a GW range of 5-8 lbs. if you see your weight trending toward the upper end of that range, cut back a bit on your portion sizes or cut out a snack until your weight settles to the middle of your goal again. it's important when you hit your goal to not get into the mentality that now you can relax completely and eat whatever you want. Unfortunately, you'll still need to monitor your weight/measurements regularly and at least loosely track your food intake in order to maintain.

kommodevaran · September 2018

I'm your height, but my goal weight is a little higher, around 125, so I maintain on around 1900-2000. I've been in maintenance for almost four years now, and I hope I have useful insight. I continued tracking for nine months after I hit goal weight, initially planning on doing it indefintely, but it started to feel a) limiting and b) unnecessary. I noticed that I would have alternating hungry and stuffed days, and I wanted to eat more in tune with my appetite. So I stopped using my food diary, stopped thinking in calories. But I had also learned how large portions - of anything, because this time, I had practiced eating anything I liked, not subsisting on diet food - were appropriate for me, and accepted that I had to eat less for the rest of my life, in order to maintain a lower weight. I had also started planning meals, in a spreadsheet, which turns into a log as I eat, and I only plan meals I really want to eat, but count or weigh almost everything I eat/drink, and usually stop before I have had way too much. This is totally different from earlier weight management attempts - I would just assume that I had learnt enough about nutrition to stay slim, and that I was slim, so I could eat anything I wanted now, in any amounts, and it didn't even really count, if nobody could see me eat it (a slight disconnect there).

So the mindset one has to adopt for maintenanance, is that this (eating less, not necessarily tracking), is for life - but also that it is for life, so it better be good.

seska422 · September 2018

Overall, I spend less time logging than I do brushing and flossing my teeth. Logging gives me confidence in my calorie intake amount rather than having a cloud of uncertainty hanging over me all day every day.

If your relaxed way of eating leads to weight gain then you'll need some sort of constraint, be that intuitive eating or something more structured like logging.

sijomial · September 2018

I weigh daily and keep a casual eye on developing trends. Haven't logged food in ages but still log my exercise as it gives me a guide to my overall requirements (it's a very significant contributor for me and varies a lot from season to season - probably not necessary for most people).

I also have an upper weight limit that is my intervention point. More rigorous about that in the cycling months but happy to drift up a bit in winter and lose a few pounds again in Spring. I don't see maintenance as necessarily a flat line.

Typically my intervention is just making lower calorie choices or nibbling a few hundred calories off my calorie balance here or there. Might be food substitutions, skipping breakfast (easy for me), not fuelling some of my bike rides (easy way for me to trim off 1000 cals on odd days). I never go into "diet mode" though, pretty relaxed on getting back in range slowly. For me it's the trend that matters. Notice I'm using the word easy - meaning easy for me, knowing yourself (strengths and weaknesses) is very important.

@kommodevaran
I'm perhaps a bit of an anomaly in that I eat more at maintenance compared to when I was a chubster as now I'm semi retired I'm more active and have more time to enjoy my exercise. Long term maintenance has to take change into account.

"....but also that it is for life, so it better be good." - Agreed, I really enjoy maintenance and I think that's important to long term success, I enjoy my food, my exercise and living in a healthy body.

hesn92 · September 2018

I made it a goal to learn how to maintain my weight without logging my calories in MFP, and I stopped filling out my diary about 2 months ago and I've been successful so far. I've actually lost about 3 lbs. (I am wanting to get to the low end of my happy range so that was intentional)

The main thing I do is just stick to somewhat set meal times. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 1 or 2 snacks. I don't "allow" myself to just randomly grab stuff from the pantry and munch on it while I'm cooking dinner, and I don't grab a bag of chips and bring it with me to the couch, etc. If I want chips I portion some out into a bowl and put the rest away. Same types of things I would do while counting calories. Also just because I'm not counting calories doesn't mean I'm still not calorie-aware. I check nutrition labels and stuff to make sure what I'm eating is in an "acceptable range".

I also try to fill my plate with a big portion of vegetables so I can fill up on that and eat less of the other stuff.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, I also work the other side of the equation too by staying active.

Brendalea69 · September 2018

I do intermittent fasting for my maintenance. I don't count calories or carbs. My eating window is between 1 and 8 hours. 1 or 2 days a week I will not eat anything and just drink water. Ive been maintaining my weight for over a year.

lorrpb · September 2018

I logged for the first 2 months /25 lbs of loss, then lost another 125 without logging. It's all about knowing your portion sizes. This was easier for me than some because I have a lot of repeat meals.

LivingtheLeanDream · September 2018

Been in maintenance over 5 years, sometimes I log to see where my macros are or if its coming up to a holiday and I want to knock a few pounds of it helps me focus on cutting calories. I don't need to log my meals in order to maintain my weight, as long as I keep a handle on my snacking I know my weight will be stable.

Recently I've been on a cut so I was weighing foods again - it was encouraging to see my eyeballing portions were spot on.

slossia · September 2018

Meal plans!

nowine4me · September 2018

I wish I could help. Every time I stop logging my weight creeps up. After many, many years, it’s pretty effortless to log. I wish i had better intuitive earring skills, but I just don’t.

Talan79 · September 2018

I’m 5”2 and a low weight for me is 118, and high right now at 128. I’ve been a chronic yo-yo dieter with disordered eating issues since my teens. All that has screwed up my metabolism.
I’m currently working on long term reverse diet bc I should be able to maintain on more than 1400 calories a day with my level of activity. I’ve copied and pasted some threads below that I had saved. They are all about petite women and maintenance calories/weight.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10641330/light-petites-maintaining-on-2000-calories#latest

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10014310/any-slim-shorties-maintaining#latest

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10660198/woman-who-can-maintain-on-2000-calories-how#latest

apullum · September 2018

Would you be open to logging in maintenance for a few months, until you have the hang of it, and then seeing what happens when you stop logging and just try to follow that pattern? I personally have continued logging, but I can imagine that if you established a good pattern and then just followed the scale, it might work for you.

Suhrah623 · September 2018

Hi! I have been maintaining my weight for about 1 3/4 years and not tracking food. I run 4 days a week (about 20-25 miles a week).

Tallawah_ · September 2018

Given that you know logging works maybe the question should be 'tips for logging easily'. Once you've got your digital scales (with a tare function) and entered your typical food items if it takes you more than an additional five minutes you're doing something wrong...

I try not to be anal about it, life's too short...if it's too complicated one day for some reason I either guesstimate or just miss it out and move on to the next day.

Silentpadna · October 2018

Tallawah_ wrote: »

Given that you know logging works maybe the question should be 'tips for logging easily'. Once you've got your digital scales (with a tare function) and entered your typical food items if it takes you more than an additional five minutes you're doing something wrong...

I try not to be anal about it, life's too short...if it's too complicated one day for some reason I either guesstimate or just miss it out and move on to the next day.

^^^ Pretty much this

When weight creep happens, it's usually because I've a few too many of those "complicated" days. The good thing about all this is that the process never changes. The skills and habits for using the food scales and at least knowing approximate portions are easy to tighten up on.

kommodevaran · October 2018

Tallawah_ wrote: »

Given that you know logging works maybe the question should be 'tips for logging easily'. Once you've got your digital scales (with a tare function) and entered your typical food items if it takes you more than an additional five minutes you're doing something wrong...

I try not to be anal about it, life's too short...if it's too complicated one day for some reason I either guesstimate or just miss it out and move on to the next day.

And this too

I think we often make things difficult so we have an excuse to stop.

nxd10 · October 2018

I hate to be repetitive, but I'm going to be. I like logging. It works well for me. My husband can't do it. He has needed to loose weight (60 pounds) for years. He had been a yo yo dieter and it never stuck. He also can't stick with MFP to save his life.

When my doctor put me on the Whole 30 plan in May for health reasons, he joined in. It's basically paleo: you drop alcohol, dairy, sweeteners, grains, and legumes. After 30 days we added back alcohol. NO WEIGHING OR CALORIE COUNTING ALLOWED. (I cheated and kept logging and weighing because that's what I do. He didn't.) We liked it so much we basically have stayed on the diet (plus alcohol) since.

He has lost 25 pounds without tracking and without hunger. He's still dropping.

If you don't want to track you have to modify your diet in a sustainable way. We found this sustainable and easy (we recently added back some rice occasionally and I'll treat myself to ice cream or bakery once in a while when I feel like it). It's been delicious.

* P.S. I also dropped the weight I needed to lose to get back in my zone and my calories didn't even change.

cheryldumais · October 2018

I've been in maintenance for a year now and still log daily. Some don't need to but I do. It is just too easy to forget those extra calories consumed and go over. I think for everyone it's different. I only weigh once a week but that is a must too. Good luck you will find what works for you. If you find you are gaining without doing the logging I would suggest you return to loggging. It really takes very little time.

elisa123gal · October 2018

I don't log and have not during my recent weight loss journey. I did log for a long time and it just didn't work for me. It turned eating into a chore I realize that is not the case with most people.

However, I do find it helpful that I have logged, because I know the calories of most every single food item I eat

So now, I know what to eat and what not to eat.. and I don't kid myself. I also have rules for my healthy life. No fried foods, no sugar or desserts in the house, I don't use butter at home. I drizzle olive oil carefully from the cap so it is a small amount.

I know what healthy portions of meat should look like.. I eat carbs all the time in the form of potatoes and rice, but keep it to a half cup. I do have a food scale on my counter, and I check the weight of my food all the time.

This works for me, makes me feel free..but I don't eat freely.

mom23mangos · October 2018

elisa123gal wrote: »

I don't log and have not during my recent weight loss journey. I did log for a long time and it just didn't work for me. It turned eating into a chore I realize that is not the case with most people.

However, I do find it helpful that I have logged, because I know the calories of most every single food item I eat

So now, I know what to eat and what not to eat.. and I don't kid myself. I also have rules for my healthy life. No fried foods, no sugar or desserts in the house, I don't use butter at home. I drizzle olive oil carefully from the cap so it is a small amount.

I know what healthy portions of meat should look like.. I eat carbs all the time in the form of potatoes and rice, but keep it to a half cup. I do have a food scale on my counter, and I check the weight of my food all the time.

This works for me, makes me feel free..but I don't eat freely.

Pretty much all of this for me. Except the not keeping sugar and desserts in the house. I still eat plenty of those. But I'm mindful about what my main meals consist of and keep a running tally of my daily protein intake in my head. If I hadn't weighed and logged for a while I wouldn't be able to do that. It was very eye opening for me, but I'm glad I don't have to keep it up.

Tips to maintain without daily tracking for the rest of my life, please?

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