Living The Lifestyle Friday 4/23/2021

Al_Howard
Al_Howard Posts: 7,757 Member
We meet here to explore, share, celebrate and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.


Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday -
Wednesday - newmantjn (Todd)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - Al_Howard

Today's Topic:Tracking AGAIN!
Do you track? If so, what platform(s)

Replies

  • Al_Howard
    Al_Howard Posts: 7,757 Member
    As many know, I track on both WW and MFP. It has made me more aware of the impact some foods have on my goals. Often I find that the WW SP value is very impactful on my daily weigh-in, but is “do-able” in my FMP daily caloric allowance. I have also seen how the “zero point” foods can over-run my calories.
    I’m learning how to balance them by watching the impact. I’ve found that as long as I’m inside my MFP numbers AND my WW SPs, I’m really good shape. I also lowered my MFP calories, to mirror the WW SPs.
    These vigilants have gotten me on a nice downwards slope.
  • steve0mania
    steve0mania Posts: 2,894 Member
    No tracking for me! I gave it up about a year after I made lifetime, and converted to core, then intuitive-maintenance. I did go back a year or two ago and try to track again (needed to take off a few pounds), but I just couldn't stand doing it! So, I'm back to an "intuitive" approach.
  • Flintwinch
    Flintwinch Posts: 658 Member
    No tracking for me! I gave it up about a year after I made lifetime, and converted to core, then intuitive-maintenance. I did go back a year or two ago and try to track again (needed to take off a few pounds), but I just couldn't stand doing it! So, I'm back to an "intuitive" approach.

    Would you mind clarifying what you mean by " intuitive maintenance?" I use Cronometer Food Tracking
  • crewahl
    crewahl Posts: 3,675 Member
    I track, every meal and snack, using WW on the (current) Blue plan. I’ve done parallel tracking on MFP, but my goal is simplicity. The more work I have to put in, well, the less likely I am to keep it up.

    The only thing I seem capable of doing intuitively is reach for another slice of pizza, or cookie, or donut, or whatever the bad choice or temptation du jour is. “Enough” is a synonym for “all gone” in my particular thesaurus. I need some boundaries or guard rails to limit my choices. Having a points constraint provides that framework for me, and tracking is the way I know where I am relative to those boundaries.
  • beachwoman2006
    beachwoman2006 Posts: 1,214 Member
    edited April 2021
    Haven't tracked in YEARS. I did do some tracking on MFP a couple of years ago and found that I disliked it as much as I ever did. I'm doing well just paying attention to portion sizes and eating when hungry instead of just eating to be eating.
  • podkey
    podkey Posts: 5,060 Member
    Honestly I have been eating more or less the same foods and not tracking formally the last year. so-so results.
    Good to see Cindy back!!
  • DavidKuhnsSr
    DavidKuhnsSr Posts: 6,758 Member
    I quit tracking even before I quit WW - years ago. I did go back to use a free app - Lose It - and lost pretty well, down to match the lowest point I hit on WW, 10 lbs. below goal weight. I have tried MFP tracking, but had limited success. I don't believe in their calorie counts. Food too low, exercise too high. I have done pretty well the last six months just avoiding trigger foods and watching my portion sizes. I am down 19 lbs. from where I was in November, back to my old WW goal weight.
  • linmueller
    linmueller Posts: 1,354 Member
    I HAVE to track! I'm too good at fooling myself. But, I track on 💜, and honestly that's pretty minimal tracking. And I eat so much of the same foods, a lot of my tracking is quick tracking, where I'm filling in the food and points. Maybe some day I can do it, but that day has not arrived!
  • steve0mania
    steve0mania Posts: 2,894 Member
    Flintwinch wrote: »
    No tracking for me! I gave it up about a year after I made lifetime, and converted to core, then intuitive-maintenance. I did go back a year or two ago and try to track again (needed to take off a few pounds), but I just couldn't stand doing it! So, I'm back to an "intuitive" approach.

    Would you mind clarifying what you mean by " intuitive maintenance?" I use Cronometer Food Tracking

    Sure thing. Intuitive maintenance is basically eating when hungry, eating enough to satisfy you (but no more), and not eating when you're not hungry. There's no weighing, measuring, or tracking involved.

    My version may be considered "impure," because I do weigh and measure a few items to ensure that they are a "portion." Early in my WW time, I realized that it takes me 20 minutes or more to feel satisfied. In other words, my feeling of satiety takes a bit of time to catch up with my stomach being full. I manage this by eating a (somewhat) measured-out portion, finishing it, and waiting for a while before having an additional portion. If I wait, I almost never feel the need for an additional serving.

    The converse to this is that it's challenging for me when we bring all of the food out to the table. It's too easy in that case to mindlessly grab another bite of something simply because it's there. Because of this, we tend to plate our food in the kitchen and carry it out to the dining room table.

    If I wait, it's often surprising to me how little food one really needs to feel satisfied!
  • Flintwinch
    Flintwinch Posts: 658 Member
    Flintwinch wrote: »
    No tracking for me! I gave it up about a year after I made lifetime, and converted to core, then intuitive-maintenance. I did go back a year or two ago and try to track again (needed to take off a few pounds), but I just couldn't stand doing it! So, I'm back to an "intuitive" approach.

    Would you mind clarifying what you mean by " intuitive maintenance?" I use Cronometer Food Tracking

    Sure thing. Intuitive maintenance is basically eating when hungry, eating enough to satisfy you (but no more), and not eating when you're not hungry. There's no weighing, measuring, or tracking involved.

    My version may be considered "impure," because I do weigh and measure a few items to ensure that they are a "portion." Early in my WW time, I realized that it takes me 20 minutes or more to feel satisfied. In other words, my feeling of satiety takes a bit of time to catch up with my stomach being full. I manage this by eating a (somewhat) measured-out portion, finishing it, and waiting for a while before having an additional portion. If I wait, I almost never feel the need for an additional serving.

    The converse to this is that it's challenging for me when we bring all of the food out to the table. It's too easy in that case to mindlessly grab another bite of something simply because it's there. Because of this, we tend to plate our food in the kitchen and carry it out to the dining room table.

    If I wait, it's often surprising to me how little food one really needs to feel satisfied!

    Thanks for your clarification. I am interested in your description of the gap between fullness and satiety. I imagine that this varies between individuals, but I'd guess 20 minutes is about average. The Japanese have a saying about eating until you are 80% full, which probably corresponds to the feeling of satiety. This is something I may experiment with in addition to daily tracking. I appreciate the helpful tip. FWiW, I track weight less frequently than most WW folks. Daily changes--or possibly weeklychanges-- are influenced by too many inconsequential factors
  • steve0mania
    steve0mania Posts: 2,894 Member
    Flintwinch wrote: »
    ...If I wait, it's often surprising to me how little food one really needs to feel satisfied!

    Thanks for your clarification. I am interested in your description of the gap between fullness and satiety. I imagine that this varies between individuals, but I'd guess 20 minutes is about average. The Japanese have a saying about eating until you are 80% full, which probably corresponds to the feeling of satiety. This is something I may experiment with in addition to daily tracking. I appreciate the helpful tip. FWiW, I track weight less frequently than most WW folks. Daily changes--or possibly weeklychanges-- are influenced by too many inconsequential factors

    Yes, the gap between satiety and fullness is critical to understand and appreciate. Before I joined WW I often kept eating until I felt "stuffed." Certainly we can pack in way more calories in a sitting than we need! On the old GOAD board, we'd occasionally have a discussion about how many of us were scared to every feel hungry...like we'd somehow starve to death between lunch and dinner, or between dinner and breakfast the next morning! Learning that we don't have to stuff ourselves to be "satisfied" after a meal, and that what we often think of as "hunger" often isn't hunger, but rather other feelings, like cravings, habitual feels, boredom, etc, all helps with the process of taking in less calories than we burn.

    I'm a pretty short person, and as such, my daily caloric requirements are (annoyingly) low. I think I probably need around 1300 calories to maintain my weight near my personal target. That doesn't leave a lot of room for "extras." Thus, I've worked to cut back on calories where I can, and yet still feel sated. There is a great book called "Volumetrics" that seemed to be well-aligned with some of the older WW programs. The upshot was to figure out how to take a greater bulk of lower-calorie foods to help you feel sated without going crazy on the calorie intake. I fully believe in that approach. That's why I still weigh/measure some of my foods: I'm trying to have "just enough" for satiety without taking in too much.

    The second point you raised, about daily weighing, is also very true. I weigh daily, but I find that helps me to recognize that day-to-day fluctuations are not "real weight," but related to other transient factors. For me, daily weighing helps me to feel numb to the day-to-day changes, and focus on the overall movement of the curve.
  • Al_Howard
    Al_Howard Posts: 7,757 Member
    At some point in the past, a GOADie spoke of the "sigh" you CAN hear/feel your body give when IT feels satiated. Of course, unless you liusten for it, you'll eat right past it. Listen to your body. (I wish I did all the time).
  • linmueller
    linmueller Posts: 1,354 Member
    I've been noticing that sigh lately (last couple weeks)! I mean, I actually noticed it! And listened to it ... rarely 🙁. Due to this realization, I have instead resorted, just today, to smaller portions! We'll see how it works. More in that 'task' post.
  • crewahl
    crewahl Posts: 3,675 Member
    Al_Howard wrote: »
    . . . Listen to your body . . .

    I listen to it when I exercise, Al. It sounds like the 4th of July.
  • Al_Howard
    Al_Howard Posts: 7,757 Member
    edited April 2021
    @crewahl
    wrote: I listen to it when I exercise, Al. It sounds like the 4th of July.


    When I workout imine sounds like a bowl of Rice Crispies, Snap, Crackle, Pop!
  • cakeman21k
    cakeman21k Posts: 5,738 Member
    Knees Snap!
    Back Crackle!
    Neck Pop!
    Shoulders Snap!
    Ankles Crackle!
    Elbows Pop!
  • Al_Howard
    Al_Howard Posts: 7,757 Member
    @cakemam21K Yup! Sounds right!
  • linmueller
    linmueller Posts: 1,354 Member
    Al_Howard wrote: »
    @cakemam21K Yup! Sounds right!

    Right there with you guys! Especially the sound of the knots in my neck popping 😬