Logging on Weekends

I think one of the biggest things is getting into the habit. I find it pretty easy on my phone, and usually will spend a couple of minutes after the meal to log. Sometimes I'll log lunch and dinner at the same time. But, logging right away is easier to remember. It's just my habit now to stop for a minute or two and log after I eat.

The barcode scanner feature also makes it a little easier. If I'm doing something packaged, such as tuna packets or yogurt, I just use the barcode scanner as I prep the meal.

pre log the whole weekend on saturday morning — or on friday

Sometimes I get behind and I keep a running total of calories in my head. That usually works ok if I let it go for a day and log the total at the end of the day, even if it's just using the quick tools. Better to log something than nothing.

Note: my downfall is allowing this "method" to become the default, and then I get careless and start forgetting that I popped 2 candies in my mouth, or ate a cookie, etc. None of that matters when I log before or as I eat—but when I forget and then get to the end of the day, my total is inevitably over maintenance and I'm not in a deficit anymore. The more it happens, the LESS likely I am to log better the next day.

So, as an OCCASIONAL back up method, it works. I don't trust it otherwise.

I have the same problem. Its not the problem of logging my meals so much as sticking to my diet. Its like as long as I'm in the routine of my week, I eat mostly the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snacks but on the weekend, I'm all over the place.

It is a chore. It takes 2 minutes. Less time than it takes to make up an excuse for why I didn't. So I just keep logging.

I'm not going to tell you logging doesn't matter, because I think it's a great, helpful thing to log consistently. But I am going to say some things about keeping it in perspective, and giving yourself some grace as you develop the logging habit.

First, logging - or prelogging - and eating are related but not the same thing, right?

So here's one thought:

If I eat below my maintenance calories - am following habits I'm fairly certain will accomplish that - I'll lose weight. It might be slower or faster than expected, but it's not like logging the calories makes anything happen by itself. It just makes managing the eating more precise.

I admit, I logged every day like it was religion while losing, and during the first months of maintenance. I'm a data geek, have a career background that includes data architecture and data management (yes, those are real things), so tracking calories worked perfectly for me. Now, in year 9 of maintenance, I don't log every day - just most of them - but I have a reasonable concept of what I'm eating even if I don't log. Yes, that takes some time/experience to develop, but the concept is still true during loss.

However, a corollary of that idea is that not logging doesn't mean an eating free-for-all is not going to matter. Eating sensible amounts (as an average) absolutely matters.

Other thoughts:

Unlike many here, I don't prelog, and have never much prelogged. During loss, I'd occasionally pre-log dinner if I knew I was getting short on calories, or pre-log a light breakfast/lunch if I were going out for dinner and wanted a handle on how much I could indulge at the restaurant. Other than that, most days I usually just jot down what I'm eating on paper, and log it online later. The MFP phone/tablet app has a weekly average of daily calories, so we can use that to manage our weight trend, while figuring things out. Maybe some variation on that would work for you, don't know.

For me, there was a learning curve with logging. It took kind of a lot of time at first, and consumed a lot of mental and psychologically energy. But learning and practicing was an investment in success. I learned how to use the MFP features like Meals and Recipes efficiently and successfully. I vetted the foods I found when logging, and populated my recent/frequent foods with accurate entries. As that fell into place, logging took less time, attention, energy. Can you possibly treat learning and efficiency as a project for the first weeks, something that will pay off in time savings in the longer term? Sometimes a shift in mindset about something makes it more tolerable, IME.

I don't know whether any of that helps you, but it's things that have mattered for me. IMO, personalizing tactics to our own preferences, strengths, challenges and lifestyle is a key success factor. It's good that you're asking questions like this, because finding your best personal tactics is a great idea.

The only thing I'd add, from the perspective of 9+ years so far at a healthy weight after about 30 years of overweight/obesity before loss, is that the quality of life improvement from success at this is more than worth the work invested to get there, in my experience.

Wishing you success!