Calorie counting for ever??

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mrshickey
mrshickey Posts: 239
in Health and Weight Loss
I find thinking about when I get to my goal weight is a great motivator- how il look, how il feel, how much more energy il have etc.... then it got me thinking..

if calorie counting gets me to my goal weight, will i have to calorie count to keep myself there?? does this mean calorie counting forever?

This was one reason I chose to follow a diet plan which is a little restrictive at the moment, but eventually allows me to eat what i want without calorie counting. thanks to new eating habits, i wont want to eat crap, lol. my husband, however, does count calories and the weight is literally falling off each week. in order to maintain, will he have to keep counting/weighing/measuring???

But i wanted to ask mfp-ers- if u are in maintenance will you always count calories? does it become tiresome or do you get used to it?

Replies

  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I've been doing it for a LONG time now and I'm kinda used to it. I don't really HAVE to count or look stuff up because it becomes automatic.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Eventually you will hardly ever need to look at calories. You'll just know from experience what is roughly in each food. Plus the habits you build now will really start to kick in.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    After doing it for a while you get used to it where it comes natural.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    After doing it for so long I just like to count them. I like to know exactly what I'm putting in my mouth.
  • kiwipearls
    kiwipearls Posts: 43
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    I agree that it should become automatic once we reach our end goal to know what sort of calories we are eating...espeically if we eat the same of similar food all the time.

    That is what I am hoping, anyways :D
  • yaddayaddayadda
    yaddayaddayadda Posts: 430 Member
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    Very good question... I hit my goal weight a while ago. I upped my calories by 100 per day. I do not always make my goal...I allow some fun things like a drink or birthday cake, but... whenever I go over I am afraid that I will go back to my evil ways. I think it is important to log every day... maybe forever. I don't want to lose ground...

    With success comes some stress!
    K
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I think it depends on the person.

    I'm pretty confident in my choices now and I am good about eyeballing a serving size of something - so I don't feel like I will need to calorie count for the rest of my life. I was doing quite well and then had some health and family issues - I could feel myself kind of spiraling out of control a little, so I started logging food again. I don't beat myself up if I'm over by some - but it is helping me to get the emotional eating back under control. Once I'm comfortable again, I'll stop logging food again. I use it as a way to get me back on track but when things are "normal", I don't feel as though I need it.
  • shaj316
    shaj316 Posts: 161
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    I only started a couple of months ago, but I already know I'm doing this for the rest of my life. It works so well and I find the tracking to be pretty easy esp with a smartphone...
  • TerezaToledo
    TerezaToledo Posts: 613 Member
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    I did count and track every single calorie that I ate to get to my goal weight. Now that I'm at were I want to be, I'm doing my best to live like the thinner person that I became and that I want to be for the rest of my life. I wish I count never count calories again, but food journaling and keeping track of what I eat is the only way to not get back in my old fatter life style. Somedays I'm a little more relaxed and have some treats, but I still log it all so I can see what's going on. I'm sure eventually I'll relay less on my food log, but I'll always have to keep my eating habits in check. It is a new lfe style.
  • CouleeRunner
    CouleeRunner Posts: 267 Member
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    It will come natural after a while...but eating what we want without counting is what got us into trouble in the first place. I will always track.

    Even at your goal weight it is important to know what is going into your body and what you are burning.
  • isherryb
    isherryb Posts: 47 Member
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    I suspect that I will keep counting after reaching my goal, only to keep myself accountable and to keep from slipping back to the old habits.
  • Bonita_Lynne_58
    Bonita_Lynne_58 Posts: 2,845 Member
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    I suspect that I will keep counting after reaching my goal, only to keep myself accountable and to keep from slipping back to the old habits.

    I'm just getting started but expect to continue logging intake and exercise to know how I'm doing. I never want to gain back this excess weight!
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
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    I imagine it becomes easier to gauge how much you are eating the longer you count calories. When I meet my goal I will count calories to maintain as long as I feel like, then trust myself when I get tired of it. Though, I lift weights, so I always need to be counting my protein anyways

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