Does anyone still track calories in maintenance?
Replies
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I have been in maitenance for nearly 7 years.
My answer is yes, I have continued tracking and logging - but my logging is looser now (and that's saying something, since it wasnt even that tight in weight loss phase)
Also I take short breaks from it, on vacation or suchlike, when it is too hard to be even approximately accurate, and then start up again when I get home.
somebody upthread made the oft used comparison to cleaning your teeth.
I dont think it is quite like that - since cleaning teeth is something we all do (I hope!)and not something anyone considers optional or that dental hygiene would work without doing so.
I think it is more like using a shopping list - some people use one forever, others stop once they can do all their shopping successfully without one
and using that analogy - Ive gone from writing skim milk, xyz brand, 600ml, 3 cartons, top shelf of fridge aisle - to 'milk x3'.
I still use the list but forgo all the unneccesary (to me) detail.6 -
I've been maintaining a 90lb weight loss for 6 years and I put my 'success' down to logging every day and counting calories. In recent years I've gone more for a weekly total rather than a strict daily one, and that works well for me. I'm definitely in the, if it ain't broke, is don't fix it camp!
After 30+ years of yo-yo dieting, this is the only time I have managed to maintain my weight for more than a few months and I'm quite happy to continue counting calories if it means I continue to maintain. I know some of my friends and family think this is obsessive behaviour since I've been slim for years now BUT I just ignore them... it works for me and that's all that matters!
Good luck finding what works best for you.14 -
In response to original post:
It is unrealistic to track every single meal every day (or it is too high a social cost) but...
There is nothing unsustainable about tracking your food most days and tracking your weight every day so you know when you need to reduce or increase calories.
Smart phones, food scales, and labeling systems (even if their accuracy could be better) make it easy for us.
For me, trying to maintain weight without these tools is unrealistic and unsustainable.4 -
I have logged every day since 2015. I don't find anything about it unsustainable or unrealistic. It's true that sometimes my estimations are very accurate (cooking at home using my food scale) or more of a rough estimate (eating food someone else has prepared for me). But this was also the case when I was losing weight - it's just the way that logging is. What's important is that you're accurate enough most of the time.
I yo-yoed my way through my twenties. When I found something that worked (counting calories), I had no desire to stop. I like the predictability in my weight. I like the feeling of being on auto-pilot and not worrying about whether or not I'm going to gain it back.
I spend maybe five minutes a day logging. Having done it this long, it's very easy.
Other people may like the freedom of NOT logging or their daily food choices may be consistent enough that it's not adding value to keep logging it. I'm not in either of those camps, so I say just figure out what makes you feel good and works best for you and do that. There's no shame in using a specific tool to make your life easier (and there's no reason to use tools that don't make your life easier).13 -
I've been logging everything I eat for... oh dear... I'm closing in on a decade! I log similarly to janejellyroll, using my food scale when at home and estimating when out. Sometimes, I'll just take some photos or some quick notes to input estimates when I'm out or at an event.6
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I have not logged food daily for many years. I achieved my goal almost 8 years ago and I've found that my activity level as well as my food choices have remained fairly consistent. I'm actually at my lowest weight since high school which was over 20 years ago. Very occassionally I still will log food. I mostly use the recipe creator to see what the meals I make come out to since logging by ingredient is time consuming.
Given that I weigh myself frequently and see little variation in my weight, there doesn't seem to be a real need to log food anymore. Logging for years taught me a lot about what I eat and what moderation looks like.5 -
I am glad that I am counting calories. Otherwise I could get into real trouble. For instance, tonight for dinner I've scheduled a banana in yogurt with protein powder and some nuts for dinner. Then I thought I'd really love to cut up a Medjool date into that. If I hadn't already logged the calories for the day and seen that I was already at 1350, I would likely have gone ahead and planned to add that, because a date is healthy and what harm could one do to my maintenance? Those little things can creep in and add up, at least for me.5
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People who say something isn't sustainable just make me roll my eyes.
Why not? What's stopping a person from logging calories forever? MFP goes away? Sorry, mfp, but there are other calorie counting websites out there. You no longer have use of a computer or tablet or your phone? Ever hear of a pencil and paper? You lose both your hands in a freak baking accident? People have been known to have fully functional toes.
And don't get me started on the people who say you can't eat the same thing every day. 😀
I'm someone who has to log calories because it's too easy for me to mindlessly eat (which I've been doing a lot of lately) and, if I didn't log, it would easily get even more out of control. This way I have the calorie evidence (more or less...I do a lot of quick add calories) in front of me.5 -
I lost weight when i started tracking my food and was able to keep it off for few years because I had a very active job and was going to gym regularly..so i kept losing weight even though i stopping counting calories. I started getting you're getting too skinny comments. I was at my lowest at 115 lbs
Then I switched jobs and started working with food. I started snacking and tasting food constantly and wasn't exercising as much and i gained some of the weight back. I weigh 134 and trying to get back to 125. So i started tracking again.
However, I have came across video's on YouTube of people talking about counting calories doesn't work long-term and is not sustainable because we can't count forever to keep the weight off. I find when i stop counting, I get off track and start gaining. That could also i'm not exercising enough
So does anyone still track on maintenance? Does exercing regularly and watch your diet work to maintain without counting calories?
Yep! i still track on maintenance but thats cos it works for me and i kind of need to. The answer to your question, its going to be, it DEPENDS on the person. Even tracking my calories for 3 years im just not good at eyeballing my servings and i could either under eat or over eat. Especially now ive switched from a desk job to a warehouse job, its safe to say i need to eat more to maintain my weight (keeping in mind as i have no desire to lose weight).
Regarding that youtube video you mentioned and why tracking might not be sustainable or longterm for someone its because of the mental challenges, i understand it can somewhat be overwhelming, you may become pedantic and obsessive with tracking every single gram and every single calorie that it may stress them out to quit tracking - but i feel there are alot of factors and variables - is it a very specific diet? are calories too low? are the ratios limiting them to enjoy certain foods? Thats just my take on it.2 -
I cannot imagine being able to maintain without tracking. If I forget a bite of this or that, no big deal, but I attribute my tracing of 95% of what goes into my mouth to my success. Been maintaining 110 pound loss for about 9 months. Lucky for me I can eat about 2000 calories a day
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Mithridites wrote: »
I will count forever. It's free and simple, puts me in control, and doesn't require any hocus-pocus. It demystifies weightloss - I think that's what those people don't like. It doesn't get them views, or subscribers, or 🤑people talking about counting calories doesn't work long-term and is not sustainable because we can't count forever to keep the weight off
I've seen what happens when I don't count. I am never giving up on it again. It's like brushing your teeth. A simple and effective act of self-care.
Truer words have never been spoken on this app.3 -
I've been on MFP since 2012 and never been beyond the bounds of "normal/healthy" by BMI standards but I'm far my vigilant about counting and there accuracy thereof now that I was when I initially came to the site looking to lose some weight from the high end of normal. Now, my focus is much more in body composition and tracking helps me achieve those goals as well.3
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i think I will always have to and weigh also, been 2 1/2 years, pain but more of a pain to gain it back.5
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Side question. For those that don't log, do you also not use a food scale? Most of us have logged enough that we've got it in our heads how much of food X is appropriate that we don't need to log, but without the scale, I wouldn't be feel sure of how much I'm eating. I'd almost think the scale is more important than the log if you had go without one of them.7
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I've maintained most of a 46 pound weight loss for about 4 years without logging or weighing food. I say *most* because I've consistently been strength training for a few years as well and there has been some gain through that. (I did come back to lose just a little more though - I was good a few years ago with where I was though:). I'm not saying it's for everyone or that I recommend it, but it has been okay for me.3
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One of the reasons I like this app is because I can count calories easily. I have done it for years however I was eating more package meals ( like Lean Cuisine that give you the total calories on the box. Now I am creating my own meals so counting on the app is very helpful. I have been maintains a low maintenance weight for many years and am happy with counting.2
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richardgavel wrote: »Side question. For those that don't log, do you also not use a food scale? Most of us have logged enough that we've got it in our heads how much of food X is appropriate that we don't need to log, but without the scale, I wouldn't be feel sure of how much I'm eating. I'd almost think the scale is more important than the log if you had go without one of them.
@richardgavel
I only use a food scale to stop my porridge exploding all over the microwave and to make a loaf of bread that resembles bread rather than a brick.
In reality I don't need to know how much I'm eating, I just have to know that over an extended period of time I'm eating about the right amount whatever "right" happens to be. The scales that are vital to me are my bathroom scales rather than the kitchen scales. I work backwards from my weight trend which tells me how much dietary freedom I have. Tracking my exercise also helps with that as it's a significant part of my total needs.
Although I'm far from being an intuitive eater I am a pretty relaxed mindful eater. If I had a smaller calorie allowance I'd be less relaxed and would have to be more vigilant.
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I have been tracking for 5 years and I probably always will. Counting is kind of like a mother to me - telling me when to stop 😆3
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I have found that when I don't track my weight goes up a bit. However, I lost about 35 pounds back in 2012 and mostly kept it off, give or take about 5-7 pounds. I didn't start really tracking again until I decided I wanted to lose a bit more weight. I wasn't technically overweight before, but at the higher end of the "healthy" BMI.
I have really tried to get into mindful/intuitive eating, because I love the theory and principles behind it and it really does make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, I think I lost or greatly reduced my ability to fully sense hunger and satiety signals a LONG time ago, so tracking keeps me accountable. Even if it ends up just writing down what I eat without keeping track of calories, fat, protein, etc., I think even that would help me.3 -
I tend not to but it never works so pretty much I always have to count
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I've been in maintenance for 14 months. For just one of those months I didnt log and my weight crept up pretty quickly! So yes. Logging will be something I likely always do as it keeps me accountable.3
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Hiya, I logged consistently for 3 years, lost 103lbs in 18 months and maintained for 2 years. I reached 1000 days logged, kept logging the good, “the bad and the ugly” as I liked to say, I realised I was often at maintenance or just over. I wanted to lose some more but was very happy with my progress so I got comfortable but just about balanced CICO.
Then I stopped logging 🙈
A snack was less controlled, I did not think enough about my food choices, then life got in the way. New to night shifts and a serious lack of sleep, a new full on gorgeous puppy, I had less time to prioritise my health and ate on the run. I’m sad to say I gained back 65lbs gradually over 2 years.
I wish I had kept logging, I preplanned 80% of my meals so not much was left to chance. I had control over my weight and diet. I checked in with my weight regularly, I seem to have fallen back to my “all or nothing” mindset and it’s not good for me. “The good, the bad and the ugly” worked, being honest but allowing a “normal” life. I averaged out my calories in and out over the week and found balance. I’ve done this before and I can do it again.
I recently started running and just completed my first 10K. I’m so proud of this but it hasn’t helped with weight loss as I haven’t changed my diet. I’m determined to log for life and get back to my happy weight, then see the fitness and speed gains in my running.
Sorry for the long post, I logged back into MFP community and this post subject has been my lightbulb so thank you.
Each to their own but logging and weighing food takes very little time and provides stability and control in an area which I struggle. This app is an amazing tool and I will endeavour to achieve my goals this way, and maintain. I’ll keep you posted, merry Christmas13 -
The only thing that keeps me where I want to be is weighing myself daily and tracking calories daily. I am not (and never have been) obsessive about details. For instance I would not dream of weighing an apple, eating it and then weighing the core to see precisely how much I ate. I am more careful with calorie dense foods but even so I eyeball most things or measure volume rather than drag the food scale out for everything. Every so often I will weigh stuff just to remind myself of what a particular amount should look like. I figure that there's no way I can track calories out with total accuracy so I'm not going to bust a gut over calories in. But I do have to keep tabs on them as best I can.3
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »I read somewhere that the key to maintenance is creating a calorie deficit - and there are an infinite number of ways to do that.
Could you explain what you mean in terms of a calorie deficit and maintenance? I understood that a calorie deficit will caue one to lose weight, and that maintenance is about finding a calorie equilibrium. Either way, I completely agree that there are many ways to do it.
@charmmeth
Sorry- just say your question.
I see that I was not clear in what I typed.
To maintain my 75lb weight loss, I need to keep a calorie deficit from what I USED to eat at my higher weight to maintain.1 -
Just wanted to add: This is a great thread topic!! Not at goal yet, but after a 26 lb. loss, I realized I am 14 lbs. away from being at the high end of the normal weight range for my height, etc. Thank you thread!! 7
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »To maintain my 75lb weight loss, I need to keep a calorie deficit from what I USED to eat at my higher weight to maintain.
Ah OK: your new maintenance level is lower than your old maintenance level now that you are lighter. That makes sense. (Sad but so true!)
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