What's the deal with no logging a bad day.

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  • johncaraher
    johncaraher Posts: 44 Member
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    I don't see the point in not logging a day, good or bad, unless it's just too much hassle to access the site. At the same time, this is a tool anyone can use any way they see fit, and so long as people get the results they're looking for, then good for them! If logging bad days would cause someone to "give up" out of shame or something, then they probably are better off skipping those.

    But I think for most of us, having good data and/or staying accountable to others are both big benefits of logging faithfully. Not logging "bad" days knocks out both benefits.
  • AppleHead918
    AppleHead918 Posts: 1
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    I log on a bad day. Just to see what my weight would be in 5 weeks. :wink:
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
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    What's the deal with you caring what other people do?

    I log the good, bad and the ugly. Some people may do better not having a reminder of their slips.

    Again - I suggest focusing on you. Delete them if it bothers you. I would delete you if you were my friend and posted this in the forums after I mentioned no logging.
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 888 Member
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    It depends on what you mean as bad. If I have a bad day during the week, I will log it. But, I do not log on Fridays. I call that my cheat day, but people seem to get bent if you call it that...so I will say it is my free day or my spike day. It is nice taking one day off from logging everything that I eat. I do not binge and this will not make me fall off of the wagon, it just gives me a day off.

    So, yes, I will log a "bad" day if I goof (oddly enough, since I started my Friday Free Day, I never have a bad day for the other 6 days), but I do not log what I eat on Fridays.

    Also, I have lost all of my weight by having a Free Day once a week, so it can work.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    I make not logging a part of my days off (what some call cheat days) so that I can take a break and not become obsessive over logging every single calorie. I want to be able to enjoy food. I do not want food and burning calories to rule my life. Some people don't have that happen, and that's great for them.

    I remember, before I started here, I was beginning to count calories. I saw how many calories were in the food I was eating and how much it took to burn some of them from exercise. It made me feel like not eating at all. I started to feel like not eating was easier than exercise. When I started here I found that I had been eating 400-700 net calories a day. It blew my mind to find that I had to eat 2-3 times that in order to lose weight. But, the obsessiveness still crept in. I had to make my meals separate from everyone else's. I wouldn't share even a bite of my food with my kids. Not logging once or twice a week reminds me that I can still enjoy food, that it doesn't control me, that I can still lose weight without counting every single calorie and without worrying about going over my daily calorie goal.

    I have to say I completely respect and understand this answer. Each person is so different, and has to do what works for them. I can see how the OCD tendencies could creep in and take over your life. I log everything, and that makes ME feel like food doesn't control me, but I can see how some breaks would be necessary for some people...depends on your personality. Cheer to everyone finding their own path to success! :drinker:
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
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    If I have a bad day, I log it, but I don't log planned cheat days (or whatever you want to call them). These days are scheduled, normally to cover a specific event, i.e. Christmas Day, my birthday etc, where I eat what I want without worrying about counting calories or the guilt associated with eating certain foods. I don't do this very often, I advise ahead of time that I am going off grid, and it has not affected my weight loss. I am pretty certain that if I did not do this I would not have lost the weight that I have over the 10 months I have been logging on MFP.
  • jkleon86
    jkleon86 Posts: 245 Member
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    If I don't log a bad day it is because it was busy,hectic and away from the computer (don't have the phone deal:) and by the time I I get to logging I don't remember every thing I've stuck into my mouth and at the momet don't want to think about it. but then later looking back at the diary wish that I had. for me it is not planning ahead do to my endless shameless unorganizedness LOL
    But I do pay dearly for this condition trust me and at times hate it. :angry:
  • JaclynnGail
    JaclynnGail Posts: 204 Member
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    I usually log my "bad" days (although, since I've been maintaining a healthy weight for awhile and feel good, I don't see them as "bad" days so much as "delicious treat" days). But, sometimes, I do give myself permission not to log for a day. I have a little bit of an obsessive personality, and I just kind of need a day every once in awhile where I have permission NOT to come home and sit at my computer like a maniac trying to figure out exactly how much I ate of what....it helps keep me sane. It has nothing to do with shame, or laziness...I just am trying not to let food run my life. That's what got me into trouble in the first place.
  • bluemorpho1247
    bluemorpho1247 Posts: 300 Member
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    I try not to cheat myself so i log anything and everything i eat-- I even log bad weight increases too!
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
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    TODAY is going to be a bad...I mean good day of logging...cause I plan on eating and drinking some good food! mos def a 4000 Cal day.

    Happy Cinco De Mayo!
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
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    Usually, if I don't log a "bad" day, it's cuz I got soo drunk I can't remember! Cheers!:drinker:
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,737 Member
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    Just to play devil's advocate, I don't see the point of logging, good or bad, after the fact. I use the food diary as a planning tool, so I log everything before I eat it. I'd say 95 percent of the time, I stick to what I log. If something goes off track and I eat either more or less than what I'd planned, I don't bother to go back and change it. It has nothing to do with shame, embarrassment, or not being honest with myself. It's just that once it's eaten, logging my food ceases to be of value to me. I don't go back and reflect on what I've had, so it would be a waste of time to log what's in the past. I just get on with it and use my diary to plan my next day.
  • j77r68
    j77r68 Posts: 271 Member
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    how can we accept and take responsibilty for our own doings when we can't even log in our food properly ! i completely agree with you. this is the one place where you should be completely honest because how far will you actually get in your weight loss journey when you can't even admit what crap you ate? isn't that how most of us got into this situation ? yes sometimes you might get critiqued by your MFP friends but are they not there to help you stay on track and help you deal with things. whether it be nutritonal support or just their thoughts to help you get through down times.

    believe me i use my friends help all the time because there might be one who had the exact same feeling or issue that you are going through and can see you through it.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,034 Member
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    I must admit that logging on a "bad" day can get tedious. Looking up ALL that stuff on the database and website.:grumble:
    Yesterday, I swear it took me FOREVER! :embarassed: For some reason logging overindulgence is not as fun as figuring calories burned on a new workout. I wonder why that is?:wink:
  • nailqueen74
    nailqueen74 Posts: 38 Member
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    I log in EVERY day no matter how well or not well I do. I haven't exercised in two days and have eaten a lot of malted milk balls, robin eggs...on sale at Rite Aid. Oops! BUT I logged them. I need to stay accountable.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    Bad days are somewhat harder to logged because this is where the guilt factor comes in especially if you were enjoying your cheat day or a special gathering. I'm also having a difficult time & I hate seeing those bloody red numbers like going over 1,000 calories. I guess it has to do with accountability, however we cannot avoid those days, its normal & we are all human.

    I already finished my diary for today as I live in the other side of the planet & I had a huge dinner because its Cinco de Mayo & we had a special family dinner & so I still logged it but it wasn't easy. Well good thing I was still under 15 calories but the thing is yesterday I was over too & I'm eating at my maintenance. I'm here to maintain my weight & so those factors can make me feel bad.
  • Shawneb66
    Shawneb66 Posts: 124
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    -10lbs in 3 weeks...I can't bring myself to not be accountable. Why on earth would I be on here if I wasn't serious about losing weight?? If nothing else, it makes you VERY aware of what you need to change and how you have sabotaged yourself!! Seeing it printed on the screen in front of you, should make you have only GOOD days!!
  • debk3p2
    debk3p2 Posts: 82 Member
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    Mea culpa. I suppose after a lifetime of fudging internally (it wasn't such a bad day. I didn't eat the whole pizza besides there were veggies on it...and I didn't pick off all of them off) it's hard to come completely clean just because I started myfitnesspal. I didn't log the two times I went out of town. Told myself it was because I didn't have a computer but I could have used my phone.

    My goal is to log every day I can (Mom's house is a black hole of technology - remote area with no computer or cell phone service - I'll have to just write down on those days).

    That being said I am a work in progress so there will be days I'm not 100% compliant. Just coming back after a bad day is a success compared to where I was last year.

    Debbie
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,737 Member
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    I see people saying you have to log everything you ate to be "accountable." To me, being accountable is eating what you ought to, not eating a bunch of junk and then patting yourself on the back for being honest and logging it. It's not how you log that determines your success but how you eat.

    Edited to add: I reread what I wrote, and it came across as being more harsh than I intended. If logging a bad day after the fact helps someone make better choices next time, then I think it makes sense to log a bad day. For me personally, it wouldn't make any difference in what I do going forward, so it seems like an exercise in futility. I like the idea that each of us can use these tools in a way that works best for us as individuals. It's easy for all of us, myself included, to make assumptions about people's motivations based on what they do, but those assumptions aren't always accurate.
  • Bunnybeesweet
    Bunnybeesweet Posts: 165 Member
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    I don't log every single bite I take, but I also don't log every single physical activity I do as "exercise". I consider myself an active person, and i don't really have weight to lose. I am here trying to create a healthier relationship with food and my body, and I'm making progress...after a lifetime of disordered eating habits and working as as a chef, i quickly became obsessed with logging. I cook a lot, and it is very tedious to accurately log every recipe, everyday. So I started taking little breaks! It may be something "bad" like the 10 Newman-Os i had the other day, or it might be the super healthy sprout mix i got at the farmers market. Either way, compulsively logging would probably force me to give up entirely, and that would be sad. We can all just do our best (and forget the rest!) because stress can actually make us fat! My progress is slow, but it's also AMAZING! So thank you fitness pals who can support and be happy for however i choose to use MFP.

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