Welcome and question

kristen5481
kristen5481 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
How long should I do tracking? I have been doing a week - what’s the point if I can count in my head or just too busy to keep it up for that long

Replies

  • izzyjmc82
    izzyjmc82 Posts: 10 Member
    Hi there, if your discipline to stay within your calories and not go over, kudos. I prefer to track, it helps to visualize what I’ve been eating and the macro breakdown and where I can make adjustments to my meals. Plus it holds me accountable and to be honest with myself. I’ve been a victim of cheating and self-sabotaging my own progress.

    Happy tracking.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,787 Member
    If you can keep all that in your head, kudos. But I need MFP to calculate the numbers, and also make sure I count everything. When I don't log immediately, it's so easy to forget snacks etc.

    Too busy? I sometimes take notes on a little whiteboard to keep track of the weights of my foods, and then enter it in MFP at a more appropriate time.

    How long you need to track really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. One week can give you insights, for example foods that are higher calorie than you thought and to be eaten in smaller quantities. For some it's a lifelong requirement, to manage their weight. Others can track only during weight-loss and then find a way to eat an adequate amount of calories without tracking.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,157 Member
    Keep in mind that it'll take more time while you're learning (and building up your MFP frequent/recent foods, recipes, etc.). After that, it doesn't take a lot of time. I'm one of the long-termers. I don't log every day any more . . . but I'm in year 7+ of maintaining weight, year 8 of logging. It's a rare day that it takes as much as 10 minutes to log. To me, that's a small investment of time for a huge benefit (I was overweight to obese for around 30 years before losing).

    Some people can rough-count calories or just cut back on calorie-dense foods and lose weight. If that's you, no need to log at all. Otherwise, maybe go through the learning curve, and it'll get efficient IME. It's a question of personal style, and you can find yours.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,501 Member
    Another long-term logger here (going on a decade). I can log an entire day's worth of food in under 60 seconds. For me, logging is less of a record for posterity, and more a planning tool for the future. If I know I'll be having a high-calorie meal for dinner, I can adjust my lunch plan to accommodate. Conversely, if dinner will be lower protein, I can make sure to plan for high-protein lunch and/or snacks to make up the difference.

    Could I survive without logging? I'm sure I could, and over a few weeks' span I'd be fine, though I'll be the first to admit that I would likely see slow-moving creep of my weight over months and years. I worked to get the weight off; why not take 60 seconds each day to keep it off?
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    edited July 2023
    I just did 6 months of tracking and lost about 15lbs. I'm still weighing every morning and I will go back to tracking if I see my weight get more than a couple of pounds above my goal.

    -but- 👀

    Some people think you can do as well limiting the hours you eat as you can by counting the calories you eat:

    https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/06/26/1184390543/intermittent-fasting-effective-weight-loss

    Although we call this "intermittent fasting" these days, you can also call it "skipping breakfast and no after-dinner snacks."

    Both approaches take patience and discipline. There are no shortcuts. Maybe I'll try "IF" next time I need to cut.
  • Julia838D
    Julia838D Posts: 16 Member
    I have a hard time figuring out the calories in the foods I cook. I do everything by hand without a recipe so I always feel like I'm guessing portions and calories. I also have gravitophobia so I never know where I am weight wise and can't track my progress except with visuals or based on 'how I feel'. Anyone else struggle with being an intuitive cook?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,157 Member
    Julia838D wrote: »
    I have a hard time figuring out the calories in the foods I cook. I do everything by hand without a recipe so I always feel like I'm guessing portions and calories. I also have gravitophobia so I never know where I am weight wise and can't track my progress except with visuals or based on 'how I feel'. Anyone else struggle with being an intuitive cook?

    I cook the same way, different every time, but weigh and note ingredients as I cook, so no struggle.

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