Do you log on holidays?

earlybirdlady
earlybirdlady Posts: 121 Member
in Food and Nutrition
With 4th of July coming up here in the US, I was wondering if you all log on holidays or just try to stay mindful and take a break from logging for the day? I personally don’t usually log on holidays, unless I just estimate at the beginning of the day to get an idea.

Not necessarily looking for advice, just curious how everyone approaches holidays in general. 🙂

Replies

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,189 Member
    If the meals are for my husband and for me only, and I am the one doing the cooking, yes I do log just like a regular day of the week. However, if I have company or if I am attending a festivity I don't. I am just mindful of what and how much I eat.
    Happy 4th of July!
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,558 Member
    I’m on holiday currently. I find it useful to log even on vacation.. it doesn’t stress me out.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,867 Member
    edited July 2
    Single day like Xmas etc., I log everything. Rather than entering things as new food items, checking the database, all that hassle, I just enter them as e.g. 5 x "Generic Stuff 4%" which is a private entry for 100 calories with 1g protein, so that would be 500 calories of something probably not very healthy.

    If it's a week or two traveling, I don't log, I just try to make reasonable choices and walk more. And now I have a set of Bodylastics bands I'll take them for a short daily workout.
  • earlybirdlady
    earlybirdlady Posts: 121 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Single day like Xmas etc., I log everything. Rather than entering things as new food items, checking the database, all that hassle, I just enter them as e.g. 5 x "Generic Stuff 4%" which is a private entry for 100 calories with 1g protein, so that would be 500 calories of something probably not very healthy.

    If it's a week or two traveling, I don't log, I just try to make reasonable choices and walk more. And now I have a set of Bodylastics bands I'll take them for a short daily workout.

    I do something similar for single day holidays - I search for a generic entry like “wedding food” or something like that just to give me an estimate of what I’m working with. Love the idea of bringing bands on vacation. Looks like they have tons of options - very versatile!
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 2,110 Member
    Eating out/feast days are special and infrequent. I don't log, although my food choices changed from unrestricted to 1 plate of a regular type meal with a nice spoonful of a few things, maybe 2nds on something or not. Sample 1 or 2 desserts...

    Back to regular meals and strategies next meal/day.
  • earlybirdlady
    earlybirdlady Posts: 121 Member
    @Adventurista I agree the mindset shift from free-for-all-cheat-day to mindfully enjoying a variety of foods is a huge one. And looking back I can’t even say I was really enjoying myself when I took an unrestricted approach, just ended up feeling mentally and physically awful the next day.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,057 Member
    Do I log everything I eat on a holiday, yes.
    Do I restrict myself on what I eat on a holiday, no.

    I am more likely to go over calories on that day and/or not meet macros goal, but I still want to know where I'm at that day.
  • FibroHiker
    FibroHiker Posts: 398 Member
    Years ago I used to give logging a rest on holidays. Then one Christmas I logged everything I ate and was so shocked by what I had consumed. I stopped eating partway through the day because with the appetizers, main course and dessert I had already consumed 4,000 calories.

    If I had met my goals and could lose weight easily I would definitely take a vacation from logging on holidays. I just know that's not the case for me. Now I take the time to plan out what I will be eating on that day. Sometimes I will deviate a little from the plan, but those decisions are usually made because I am logging as I go and know from that I can afford the extra calories.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,365 Member
    I don't log, but I do maintain my usual practices with my internal cues and usually keep up with my movement habit.
  • Hungry_Catapilar
    Hungry_Catapilar Posts: 27 Member
    God nooo .. can’t remember half the time on holiday so can’t log what I don’t remember 🍹 🍷 🍸
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    Logging is a daily habit for me, like brushing my teeth. I brush my teeth on holidays; I log on holidays. I also think that if I skipped one day, I likely might skip two days or three days, until it would cease to be a daily habit.

    That doesn't mean I drag my food scales to cookouts or don't allow myself to indulge a little.

    I don't find logging stressful or time-consuming. It's easier for me to maintain the habit of logging as a daily thing than to make it a daily choice: Do I log today?

    The only way I wouldn't log is if I didn't have an internet connection -- and even then I think I would make notes in my phone and log later.
  • evileyefirefly
    evileyefirefly Posts: 322 Member
    I log every day. If you go too far off at least you'll know where you stand for the week.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    During loss, I logged every day, even holidays. I didn't necessarily always stick to my calorie goal or nutrition goals on special occasions, but I made my best stab at logging, even if I had to estimate. Ditto for the first months of maintenance.

    Personally, I wanted to get the most accurate estimate I could of my own calorie needs, based on experience data. (The calculators like MFP, and even fitness trackers, just give estimates that are essentially the average of demographically similar people, and individuals vary from average.) I was very glad I took that approach, because my calorie needs turned out to be one of the rare cases that is surprisingly far from average. Once I figured that out, I found my weight loss (and maintenance) quite predictable.

    Now, in year 8 of maintaining a healthy weight, I'm not as religious about logging daily. If I'd have to estimate wildly, I may not log . . . but I do keep watching the scale, and fit of my clothes. In fact, lately I've been noting what I eat on paper, but not logging online, experimenting with how well I do just being attentive. Jury's still out. :D

    I'm not necessarily arguing that strict logging is essential for everyone. IMO, one of the key success factors for weight management is figuring out the specific, personalized tactics that work for our own self as a unique human with particular preferences, strengths, limitations, and lifestyles. Some people need a break from logging now and then. One day is a drop in the ocean. Routine daily life, our repeat habits, are the ocean. In that sense, skipping logging on a few special days a year is no big deal in the grand scheme.

  • earlybirdlady
    earlybirdlady Posts: 121 Member
    @AnnPT77 I have switched between digital and written logging for years and I actually really love using a written log. But I agree from weight loss and data perspective, digital logging is the way to go. I think it’s the writer in me who just can’t resist a pretty journal! 😂
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,372 Member
    I always log.

    There are times where I estimate. Being more vigilant about weighing everything most of the time keeps my estimator working well.

    I have two "recipes" that I use when I'm on a multi-day paddle trip or dive trip. One is called "Rafter Rations," and the other is "Diver Rations." The recipe is a number of grams of protein, carbs, and fat to equal a big eating day. I think one is 3200 calories and the other is 3500 if I recall. I am still mindful. I still eat what I want and try to keep it reasonable. But for sure I always log something.

    Every now and then I'll be on a trip and have a rather light eating day - like a layover day. Then I log .75 of "a serving" of that recipe. I usually use the same strategy when I'm at Country Fair. There's no way I could accurately log all the individual things I eat - I just log "rations."
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,773 Member
    edited July 4
    Absolutely, and on any holiday, birthday or occasion. I do make some estimates but usually know the ingredients or find very similar foods.
    I do not enjoy feeling ill, too full or less than if i eat more than usual. I love my food and how I eat, I just factor in what I want, I have a plethora of awesome swaps for foods I rather not have and I enjoy it more. Plus, my body does not automatically say" oh look a holiday! We will ignore physiology and thr calories will dissappear! " lol! If only we were that lucky. 😂
  • earlybirdlady
    earlybirdlady Posts: 121 Member
    VegjoyP wrote: »
    Plus, my body does not automatically say" oh look a holiday! We will ignore physiology and thr calories will dissappear! " lol! If only we were that lucky. 😂

    I have family members who operate that way, and when I so much as touch a vegetable or any kind of exercise on vacation they say something like “why are you worrying about being healthy - it’s vacation!” I have stopped trying to talk any sense into them!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    I don't do holidays, and hence I track when I eat something. I don't log when I'm on vacation because it's too complicated. But it's working.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,189 Member
    @yirara
    " [i]I don't log when I'm on vacation because it's too complicated. But it's working."[/i]
    This is exactly how I feel.
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 566 Member
    On holidays, I pre-log my food so I don't go off-track. The food choices I make on holidays tend to be healthier ones. I skip the extras (no gravy on my Thanksgiving turkey, steamed vegetables but no mashed potatoes, etc.). For 4th of July, I'll have a ground sirloin burger (no bun) and an ear of corn - no hot dogs. That's how I manage.

    While I'm away on vacation I don't log but try to make sensible food choices and eat sensible portions.
    I don't have any expectations about fat loss; I try not to gain. This past trip to NY (one week) I didn't gain, which pleased me to no end.
  • ehju0901
    ehju0901 Posts: 394 Member
    I personally don't if I am eating out or traveling. I don't want to haul my food scale with me. I just go into it being mindful of what I am eating and knowing that my weight is going to fluctuate when I get back into my normal routine for a bit.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    One day to me means nothing. Might I gain 1 pound of fat? Maybe. But as long as I am back to counting the next day, whatever. for me, the problem would come in, possibly falling off the wagon for multiple days. or in finding too many reasons to call a day a “holiday.” Maybe my perspective is influenced by being in maintenance.

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