Does anyone still track calories in maintenance?

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  • PremGandhi
    PremGandhi Posts: 115 Member
    Mithridites wrote: »
    Tanie98 wrote: »
    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 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 🤑
    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.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,215 Member
    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.
  • coffee_n_weights
    coffee_n_weights Posts: 115 Member
    edited November 2020
    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.
  • mariannesacks2018
    mariannesacks2018 Posts: 12 Member
    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.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    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.



  • vanmep
    vanmep Posts: 406 Member
    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 😆
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    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.
  • Healthy_Body_46
    Healthy_Body_46 Posts: 17 Member
    I tend not to but it never works so pretty much I always have to count :neutral:
  • ExpressoLove11
    ExpressoLove11 Posts: 337 Member
    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.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    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.
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 10,963 Member
    charmmeth wrote: »
    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.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    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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