Tips to maintain without daily tracking for the rest of my life, please?
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cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
40 Lbs...my eating habits were never particularly bad, though I didn't get enough veg and fruit (I do now). I've never really been an emotional or stress eater or binge type of person...always have been pretty much a three squares a day kinda guy with maybe a couple snacks thrown in the afternoon.
My issue was namely that I went from being very active to taking a desk job and working 10-12 hour days when I was 30...before that, I never had any weight issues...competitive track and field sprinter most of my young life...Marine Corps and then college where I didn't own a vehicle for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere and hobbies included hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, and Disc Gold...
My weight crept up slowly over the course of about 8 years sitting at a desk...about 45-50 Lbs over 8 years.3 -
It's been really fun to read other people's responses. This is all good food for thought.
I haven't figured it out by any means, but the most success I've experienced is in experimentation and in failing. These usually teach me the best lessons. I thought if I cut out all carbs, I'd figure it out. But I didn't. I thought if I cut out all alcohol I'd figure it out, and I did for a short time. Then I didn't. I've tried all manner of dietary practices, more exercise, less exercise and all calorie counting, restricting certain items, having cheat days, never having cheat days, etc.
I say keep trying and see what works for you. For me, at least in the recent past, I've had to adopt what I refer to as a supermodel attitude. By that, I mean I try to eat as little as possible and understand that, for this to work (for me), I'm going to have to be at least a little hungry most of the time. I'm a goddamn glutton. Whether I've had unrealistically low, or realistically calculated, calorie limits for the day, I ALWAYS OVEREAT.
It feels unhealthy and I shouldn't recommend something like that. My point is more like you need to feel things out and figure out what works best for you.
Here's me repeating that I'm still struggling with this and don't have it figured out.6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
40 Lbs...my eating habits were never particularly bad, though I didn't get enough veg and fruit (I do now). I've never really been an emotional or stress eater or binge type of person...always have been pretty much a three squares a day kinda guy with maybe a couple snacks thrown in the afternoon.
My issue was namely that I went from being very active to taking a desk job and working 10-12 hour days when I was 30...before that, I never had any weight issues...competitive track and field sprinter most of my young life...Marine Corps and then college where I didn't own a vehicle for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere and hobbies included hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, and Disc Gold...
My weight crept up slowly over the course of about 8 years sitting at a desk...about 45-50 Lbs over 8 years.
This sounds like me (I wasn't military but very active to a desk job where I gained 50 lbs). Then, I blew out a knee, got a bit depressed, though I'm really not an emotional eater, and gained 20/30 more.
I ate relatively healthy with one huge exception -- two to three PB&Js a night! Not kidding either. Nothing like 1500 or so calories every night to pack on some weight!
To answer the OPs question, I've maintained now six years (lost around 80 total, 70 maintained -- I picked up around 10 lbs muscle over 4 or 5 years). Haven't logged in 3 years.
Have that "red line", be always mindful that there's a fat version of you just around the corner, lurking. Someone said meal planning above and got some woo's. Meal planning and exercise are huge for me. I work from home. Having leftovers that are healthy starts with healthier meals. I workout an hour a day and plan at least three to four healthy meals a week. I also know my calorie bomb triggers -- ice cream (though I'm non dairy, there are some great tasting ND ones now), PB&Js (I don't have white bread or jelly around the house anytime), cakes/cookies and bakery sweets like donuts in general -- never have those around. I'm OK with things like chips around occasionally but most of our snacks are yogurt, berries, nuts, fruit popsicles and things like that. Things that I know I won't binge on. I'll plan snacks on occasion but I don't keep them around as a rule.
I weigh daily and all my fat clothes are gone now. I also am still active (obviously) on weight loss forums. I need constant reminders I was once obese.
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I have read all the post so I can be ready for the future when I am at my goal. The only thing I would change is my window of lbs gained before I would get back on track. I would she 3lbs as a marker. I look at that as 2 lbs is water and 3lbs is a lb of fat gained. Letting it get to even 5 lbs weight gain is really hard to take off.4
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What got me in trouble the last time was not weighing myself on a regular basis until it was so bad that my clothes didn't fit anymore. That's what I plan to do when I get to goal weight the next time is weigh myself at least once a week.6
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It may not work for some, but I used to do intermittent fasting. There are many 'programs' out there, and all revolves around one thing. Calorie intake.
I would do it the '5:2' way. So 5 days of the week I eat 'normally' (still kinda watching what I eat, but if I eat a couple of chocolate bars not the end of the world), and then the other two you eat 500 calories, or 600 for men. On the deficit days you can choose how you want those calories- do you want to eat salad all day long, do one owant one nice dinner, you get the jist.
This worked for me as I only had to really think about being healthy for 2 days of the week2 -
IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.13 -
Being able to easily copy and paste a recipe into MFP and track it was life-changing. I love to cook, so I can see logging forever, since it means I can cook and eat whatever I or my family want to eat.2
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IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.
There are people all over the place who maintain a healthy weight without calorie counting. As long as I am exercising regularly, it's pretty easy and I don't remotely eat the same things everyday. I don't know a single person in my circle of friends who has ever counted calories, and they are all at a healthy weight and maintain that weight. People all over the world do this.7 -
lbryans929 wrote: »
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@sgt1372, I am sorry you think so many of us, including me, are dishonest because there is no way to verify that we can maintain our weight without logging out food and weighing ourselves at regular intervals.
You shouldn't have, but have, upset me more than a stranger, though I thought I was familiar with you, on the net should.
I have sat for more than half an hour thinking of a rebuttal, and wondering if pictures would satisfy you, but in the end, I decided there is no need for me to justify myself.
Believe me a liar if you wish. I'm not.
Cheers, h.
(Sorry for the minor rant folks, not used to my word being called into question)20 -
Even on weekends I don't log very accurately and I "think" I'm eating less, but my weight always goes up a pound or two by Monday. Not logging doesn't work for me.1
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walktalkdog wrote: »Even on weekends I don't log very accurately and I "think" I'm eating less, but my weight always goes up a pound or two by Monday. Not logging doesn't work for me.
I'm more loosey goosey on the weekend..my weight usually goes up a couple pounds on Monday...it's water weight, it isn't fat. Body weight fluctuates and people regularly mistake normal weight fluctuations or fluctuations caused by more sodium, etc to be actual weight gain (or loss) and it isn't.4 -
a PORTION is roughly the size of the palm of your hand .0
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middlehaitch wrote: »@sgt1372, I am sorry you think so many of us, including me, are dishonest because there is no way to verify that we can maintain our weight without logging out food and weighing ourselves at regular intervals.
You shouldn't have, but have, upset me more than a stranger, though I thought I was familiar with you, on the net should.
I have sat for more than half an hour thinking of a rebuttal, and wondering if pictures would satisfy you, but in the end, I decided there is no need for me to justify myself.
Believe me a liar if you wish. I'm not.
Cheers, h.
(Sorry for the minor rant folks, not used to my word being called into question)
I didn't take it that way. I failed one or two times after stopping logging but that red line brought me back to logging again. I'd try again and if I failed, I'd log again.
I think that's what Sgt meant, is that logging everything and using MFP as your CICO calculator is a lot more practical and exacting than what I do, for instance. And he may have a point. But for me, the freedom of knowing that over 3/4 years of logging, habits became so entrenched, that I don't have to log any longer is liberating.
I still log weight changes, BTW. I just logged one today (up to 192!). My red line is 195, so I'm up a bit. Likely the last two days of Gluten Free Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs. I've eaten a bit like a pig. I'm also bulking up a bit now, so I'll forgive myself.
We all got fat (if we were fat/obese at one point) through habits, in my humble opinion. Change those habits and replace them with healthier habits and the "work" of weight loss becomes life. My habits were changed one at a time and very slowly with a lot of mistakes along the way. All I think Sgt meant is are all those little mistakes worth derailing your weight loss success? For some, they might risk reverting back to old habits. That's where I think having that red line where you absolutely go back to logging is helpful. I fear that red line because I like the freedom I have now and, quite frankly, after six years of hard work, I earned it.
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Good habits. Once you have good habits, logging is superfluous.4
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IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.
There are many people here who have stated that they maintain, successfully and long-term, without logging and weighing daily. Your statement suggests they may be lying ("there is no way to verify this'") and writing "IMO" doesn't change the suggestion that they're lying. If you log every day and it works for you, then by all means continue to do it, but don't assume that everyone must do as you do and that they might be lying if they have a different approach.10 -
I can't help you with that one. I still log over seven years later. Been maintaining that entire time. I'm not super exact, but I'm consistent. It's so simple for me to do, no more difficult than brushing my teeth at this point. I just log. I don't want to play around. I just do what I need to do.6
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What got me in trouble the last time was not weighing myself on a regular basis until it was so bad that my clothes didn't fit anymore. That's what I plan to do when I get to goal weight the next time is weigh myself at least once a week.
yes, me too. I gained 25 lbs over the winter last year, now have lost it and I am weighing every day and logging but especially weighing.1
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