Will I have to log forever?

Onedaywriter
Onedaywriter Posts: 326 Member
edited January 2020 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I wanted to lose approx 113 lbs to get to top end of government published weight range for my height. I’m 6’2” tall and wanted to get to 195- started about 308. I got to 205 without logging but was stuck there for about three months. So I started logging etc and reached my 195.

Seems like that only last five minutes though! I stopped logging thinking I had a good handle on consumption and even if I was off a little I was now in “maintenance.” My weight went back to 206 in a couple of months!! Granted it was holiday time and I expected to gain a few lbs.
Tried to lose again but after seeing no movement for a couple of weeks I went back to logging. Now I’ve lost a few lbs already.

So my question for those who reached their goals and stayed there - do you think I’ll have to log forever?
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Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2020
    Maybe, maybe not. If you manage to find a system that helps you keep the right balance of calories without logging, then you won't have to log if you don't want to. This may take some experimenting, but it's doable for some people. For people like me, portion creep happens very gradually I don't even notice it if I don't log, and it makes things harder than they need to be having to constantly yoyo diet on diet off. Controlled yoyos are one thing, it's forced yoyos that I hate, so I would rather keep logging. I also like the freedom of food choices that logging gives me, so there is that.
  • GregInORL
    GregInORL Posts: 232 Member
    I log all my work days and probably hit about 50% of my days off but I’m loosely aware of it, still use my daily ish weigh ins and trend data to adjust. Might get to a point where I use just the scale and trend weight to adjust up an down, but I intend to loosely track unless I need to take more deliberate action to stay within my maintenance range
  • VictorSmashes
    VictorSmashes Posts: 173 Member
    You will only have to log so long as you haven't found your rhythm. I can get away with not logging and I will basically just maintain now (within 5 lbs) wherever I'm at. Doesn't help when I'm still trying to lose 80-100 lbs but it goes to show that no, not everyone has to log to maintain. You have to figure out what works for you though. Pay attention to serving sizes, how many of these serving sizes in combination that you are eating per meal, and how many meals you are consuming per day. Those will give you rough guides. I don't think about it personally, but those were some of the things I would consider during times where I wasn't specifically trying to lose weight.
  • babyluthi
    babyluthi Posts: 285 Member
    Yes😊
  • Maybe. I have lost and maintained with and without logging. I do find there is a 10 pound creep up over the course of about a year if I don’t log.
    I don’t like logging particularly and so I’m not at the moment. But I am likely to go back to it. At the moment my intention is to maintain. If my weight does creep up it won’t be the end of the world because I’m at the lower end of a healthy weight for my height and am doing a lot of lifting so would hope to increase my muscle mass if I do put on a few pounds. Just trying to find a balance that’s right for me and my mental and physical health.

    I do weigh myself every day though. That’s my check without the logging.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    I go back and forth. As of now I log about 4-5 days of the week. I'm very loose with it though and do a lot of guessing, but it helps me stay more mindful and actually eat meal shaped things instead of half a bag of pretzel pieces for lunch (I mean, I still do, but not as often).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    meal shaped things

    Amen. I'd far rather have a block of cheese and bread, but that sat fat number stops me. :neutral:
  • cms3613
    cms3613 Posts: 13 Member
    It's hard! IMO it is a life style change. After awhile, we know how many calories are in the things we eat. We need to be vigilant and not over eat... (speaking for myself...)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I wanted to lose approx 113 lbs to get to top end of government published weight range for my height. I’m 6’2” tall and wanted to get to 195- started about 308. I got to 205 without logging but was stuck there for about three months. So I started logging etc and reached my 195.

    Seems like that only last five minutes though! I stopped logging thinking I had a good handle on consumption and even if I was off a little I was now in “maintenance.” My weight went back to 206 in a couple of months!! Granted it was holiday time and I expected to gain a few lbs.
    Tried to lose again but after seeing no movement for a couple of weeks I went back to logging. Now I’ve lost a few lbs already.

    So my question for those who reached their goals and stayed there - do you think I’ll have to log forever?

    I've been in maintenance for over 6 years and don't log anything. I usually put on about 10 Lbs over the winter and holidays, but I take it off in the spring. Basically I have certain rules for myself, and exceptions to those rules and so long as those exceptions don't become the rule, I'm fine.

    I eat well for the most part nutritionally, exercise regularly, and monitor my weight on the scale weekly. 10 Lbs of actual weight gain is my intervention point. When I need to cut some weight it's usually a matter of cutting out a few snacks, and that's about it.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Maybe. I have lost and maintained with and without logging. I do find there is a 10 pound creep up over the course of about a year if I don’t log.
    I don’t like logging particularly and so I’m not at the moment. But I am likely to go back to it. At the moment my intention is to maintain. If my weight does creep up it won’t be the end of the world because I’m at the lower end of a healthy weight for my height and am doing a lot of lifting so would hope to increase my muscle mass if I do put on a few pounds. Just trying to find a balance that’s right for me and my mental and physical health.

    I do weigh myself every day though. That’s my check without the logging.

    We'll just call this recomp shall we? Some people aim to do this :wink:
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I'd also like to say that, depending on your workouts, that it might not be the scale that matters. I'm THREE sizes smaller at this weight than I was the last time I was here! Last time I started at 172 size 14 and found my ideal at 145 size 6. Now I'm 172 size 8. I have no idea what my goal weight should be. I have goal pants lol. Take photos and measurements because 5 pounds up after a lot of recomp, weight training etc, might be the new good/goal.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.
  • wmd1979
    wmd1979 Posts: 469 Member
    gothchiq wrote: »
    It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

    I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,047 Member
    I see myself logging for life, I honestly can't imagine not weighing before eating or while making a recipe and when I'm out I'm mentally trying to figure out calories. I think if she stole my scale and I couldn't get a new one I'd stick to my main meals knowing they're in my calorie range. Trying out new recipes and eating other's meals would be the most difficult, I was floored when I logged eggs Benedict and saw calories after a brunch which I rarely have!
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

    I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

    It looks like there are limits to how much appetite will rise in relation to increased energy expenditure.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29897822?fbclid=IwAR2sHS301q7igWvdVR64QwUD6-N58rGBbr1TYPgO6IXdQDVwmkpxMXlYrYc
    ^Flock found that putting a group on 1500 calories of exercise created a 500 calorie deficit, but at 3000 calories of exercise, it was a 2,000 calorie deficit. That suggests around 1,000 calories a week, appetite stops having a relationship to exercise calories out.

    There's also the math in how much of an overcompensating deficit an active person could generate to do a "one day diet" and go back to maintenance with no disruption to Leptin (it seems to take 2 or 3 days for the body to respond to sustained deficits). So a 3500 calorie person could have a very light day of 1,500, losing over half a a pound of fat versus the 2,000 calorie person on 1,500 losing 1/7 a pound of fat.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    It sort of depends on how high or low your maintenance calories are. If you don't burn many in the first place you will probably always have to log. If you burn say 2000 then you may not have to be as strict about logging once you have established habits and portion control.

    I don't see how this makes a bit of difference. My maintenance calories are closer to 3000-3500 daily, but because I expend a ton of energy during workouts its very easy for me to consume that many, or more. If I wasn't conscious about how many calories I was consuming it would be very easy to go over and gain weight.

    Personally I find maintenance far easier with a big calorie allowance boosted by high activity levels and a lot of exercise - it does make a difference for me but of course that's not universal.

    It allows me to eat in the style and portion sizes that I enjoy the most (roughly speaking 3 meals and 3 snacks a day) so I hit a fairly natural balance. I could of course eat more than that c. 3,500 but don't feel the need or desire to.

    In winter when activity and exercise drops (especially cycling volume) I find it harder and most of winter I skip breakfast to compensate but still gain a few pounds which I lose again in Spring as my cycling volumes steps up.

    For most of my (long!) adult life my desired eating level has exceeded my actual needs and I've had to watch and restrict my eating but taking up long distance cycling (most of which doesn't greatly boost my appetite) has meant my output has caught up with my preferred eating level.