Do you accept that you'll have to log for the rest of your life(or atleast the foreseeable future)?

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Replies

  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
    Very interesting question and I'm not sure if I'm actually accepting this fact yet, even though I know it's true.

    I've been on and off on MFP for 8 years now and everytime I was off, the weight slowly crept back on. I really thought/hoped that eventually the healthy eating would become natural to me and that I wouldn't crave junkfood anymore, but that never really happened to me.

    I've never let it go truly bad again though, but the only way for me to keep it down, is by logging. I do take regular breaks though or I'll drive myself mad and become too obsessed.

    This is me. I keep thinking I'll be able to give it up, and I'm fine for a while, but then slowly I begin to creep upward. I'm a sloppy logger (and also good at eyeing portion sizes) but I need to do it. Recording the numbers makes it "real."
  • hmhill17
    hmhill17 Posts: 283 Member
    I log with my morning coffee anyway. But I feel like I'd be able to skip logging once I'm in maintenance and just make sure to keep an eye on my weight. Or at least be a little more lax about certain things. For example, I logged the 5 french fries I stole from my kids last night. Probably wouldn't bother in maintenance.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    Yes, I think I will continue to keep a daily food diary. Every time I don't log my food I gain back a few pounds. My daughter got married 2 weeks ago and we had a lot of out-of-town visitors along with lots of food that I don't usually eat. In just a few days, I added 4 lbs. Just got back on track to using the food diary and I have lost 2 of those pounds. It doesn't just melt off easily any more.
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 10,875 Member
    I log my food for the data! I like looking at monthly trends & comparing.

    I used to weigh 228-237 for decades, and for 7 months (Dec-June) my average wt was under 155lbs (top of my maintenance Range). I got sick & it lasted 6 weeks. Scale went up, and I’m now turning it around. Currently 156.

    I don’t get clear hunger or not hungry signals, so I will track & weigh unless that happens in the next 6 lbs. I don’t mind it. I know it’s my lifeline, my secret weapon.

    If I do develop a reliable approach to food/exercise in the coming months/years, I’ll reassess.

    No reason to worry about “doing it for the rest of our lives.” Just today!

    I LOVE THIS- where you said it's your "lifeline," your "secret weapon." It's my SECRET WEAPON! Bwahahaha! I love it. thinking of it positively instead of negatively. Not something I have to do, but something I CAN do. What an amazing tool we have! And that it's electronic and convenient. Not lugging around a manual and a giant scale.

    @cooliocat123
    Yes! The manual omg . Unsustainable!

    The apps & tools these days make it SO EASY!

    Thanks!
  • memurph88
    memurph88 Posts: 102 Member
    JenasyJen wrote: »
    Anytime I stop tracking I eat way too much. I figure I do not have a healthy relationship with food. I never have. So if I stop logging I'm gonna gain it all back and fast... It sucks. But it's my reality.

    This is my reality too!
  • No, I only log when cutting weight. I was 227 when I quit logging and I did a mini-dirty bulk/ some maintenance through the summer where I shot from the hip on protein and calories, drank and partied like a frat boy and basically did what I wanted and when...when I decided to dial it back I was peaking at 243ish and I cut to 236 over 5 weeks without tracking (some was water weight), been back to tracking for 2 weeks and I'm 231ish now. I'm going to get sub 220 (probably around 210) and then go back to shooting from the hip. I've tracked macros/calories/protein enough for close to a decade, my eyeball and mental math aren't too far off.
  • purple4sure05
    purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
    I like logging in my day to day life because I have the same schedule and basically the same meals on work days. Its harder on vacation and during holidays. I dont think i can log obsessively every day forever, but i do think the key factor is continuing to weigh in at least once every week or two. Some people hate the idea of yo-yo dieting but you could always get to goal weight, let up on logging for a while, keep weighing yourself, and immediately tighten up when you gain 6, 7, 8 pounds or whatever you decide. As long as you dont go crazy and eat a bunch right away amd try to keep the same habits, itll probably take months before you need to lose again.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited October 2019
    Full disclosure, I lost all my weigh using Loseit, but I didn't like all the features dying off. I enjoy the forums to remind me that I'm a binge away from gaining weight. Now, I think this year will be eight years on maintenance. I haven't logged in around four. I logged religiously for years. I don't any longer. I have a red line that I'm honest about and I weigh daily. If I stay at or above that red line (195 for me) for more than a couple of weeks, I'll log again. I haven't hit that. The fear of having to reenter all my recipes is enough of a deterrant for me.

    Right now, I'm sitting at around 190 (and I'd guess less than 20% BF -- I've trained hard to get there and add muscle). I'm fine with that. I have a completely different relationship with food now. I plan snacks only on occasion and I plan every meal carefully. My wife found out she was allergic to cow dairy and I'm allergic to wheat -- eating the same way -- cow dairy and gluten free eliminates like 95% of the processed junk and fast food, so that helps a lot. I don't see that as a pain, I just see it as the way we have to eat. Both are healthier and have had doctor office visits where they have told us both that our numbers and vital signs are ideal for our ages -- mid and late 50s.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    My mission, should I decide to accept is, is to face my reality and the music every day. MFP works and so does the connection with others. I accept it.