This Is Why You Should Keep Tracking With MFP

robingmurphy
robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
in Motivation and Support
This is really a reminder to myself, shared with others in case they also need to hear it - I need to keep tracking my food with MFP if I want to be healthy and happy with myself, and here's proof:

May - Aug: of this year I diligently tracked and lost about 11 pounds.
Sept - Oct: of this year I diligently tracked and maintained my new weight. I wasn't at goal weight, but I was close enough that I felt really good about myself.
Nov: I decided I'd take Halloween through the end of Nov off of tracking and just eat what I wanted, trying generally to pay attention to my fullness and to eat some healthy meals. I mean, how much damage could I do in a month?

A lot, it turns out.

I don't feel like I overate that much - honestly, I could have eaten more. And I had a lot of healthy meals in the month, too, and still exercised. But I also ate many more treats full of that deadly sugar-flour-butter combination. And I gained six pounds in a month. Ugh.

The weird thing is, I enjoyed it - but I didn't enjoy it THAT much. The cookies and pie were tasty - but not that amazing. I also enjoyed the healthy diet I ate from May - Aug.

Okay there is a big lesson in here for me. First, yes I can do quite a bit of damage in a month. Second, it always SOUNDS like "eating whatever I want" is going to be really satisfying and pleasurable - and it ends up being disappointing. Third, eating "whatever I want" results in my stomach being upset more often, more headaches, etc. Fourth, I really like how my body feels when it's leaner and getting just the right amount of food best.

I'm definitely not going to continue this little experiment through December, and next year I'm doing it differently.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    I love butter so I can easily bust through any deficit just by being a little more generous with the butter, lol. Tracking actually helps so I can enjoy MORE butter without eating up my deficit. Otherwise, I might struggle to keep it in check and feel like I have to cut it out.

    thisthisthis^^

    I log so I make sure I'm eating Enough, not just to keep me from eating too much. There is a small Happy Place Window for me and I need to stay in it. All the macros and calories need to fall in line for me to be satiated every day.

    When I over eat, then it's a challenge for me to get back to regular calories so it's best for me to stay close.
  • jenferbar
    jenferbar Posts: 57 Member
    I stopped using WW after I was let go from work...and gained over 15 lbs. So I understand. Will be using MFP to log food and activities...in the hopes to lose all/most of the weight I want to lose.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    Personally I think this has less to do with the logging and more to do with the choices made.

    I don't need to log, to know that if I start eating more cookies and pie, that it's going to be less filling/more calorific than what I normally eat. I took a month off logging in April and ate more or less the same as I'd been eating earlier in the year and still lost a pound, the only thing I monitored was my trend weight, so I don't necessarily agree with the title of your post, it may be that You need to keep tracking in MFP but that's not necessarily the case for everyone.

    I think the lesson you've actually learned is that the mindset of eating whatever you want is a slippery slope and that it's easy to fall back into old habits.





  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Everyone has their own relationship with food.

    For me, planning my meals and tracking them allows me to eat whatever I want and has helped me lose a lot of weight and keep it off with ease for many years.

    It only takes minutes a day and it's painless - I don't have any plans to stop.

    Good for you for figuring out what is working for you.

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