To track or not to track?

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Does anyone not track their calories? I'm an on and off again tracker. What I've noticed is when I track my calories throughout the day, I obsess a d eat my max calorie allowance. If I don't track throughout the day, I'll do it before bed because I'm curious. But I notice I only eat like 600-700 calories. My mind likes to play evil tricks on me! Thoughts?

[lsereno 2,525]

I track my food in a kinda generic way as long as I'm within my weight goal. If I go over my weight goal, I cut back the treats and track what I eat using a whiteboard on the fridge or through meal planning and my scale.

Lynda

[OneWritersSoul 353]

Does anyone not track their calories? I'm an on and off again tracker. What I've noticed is when I track my calories throughout the day' date=' I obsess a d eat my max calorie allowance. If I don't track throughout the day, I'll do it before bed because I'm curious. But I notice I only eat like 600-700 calories. My mind likes to play evil tricks on me! Thoughts?[/quote']

I think I'd (quite literally) have a nervous breakdown if I DIDN'T track my food! And I have NOT even ONCE met NOR exceeded my daily calories. (Yes, this is a negative thing, I know. I'm working on it per my surgeon and therapist.) My point is, tracking holds me accountable- tracking on MFP, doubly so. Those that are strong enough to do this without tracking have my utmost respect, honestly and truly.

[Oliver's Mom 258]

I track on MFP too. I do it right after I eat or drink something. In fact, the first time I went to lunch with my daughter I pulled out my phone and tracked after I ate even before the bill came to the table. She was curious and she now uses MFP and so do her friends at the salon she works at. She hasn't had WLS, but wants to eat healthier and drop a few lbs. She's even walking with me.

I haven't gone over my daily calories, or carbs since the surgery. It's helpful to me because if I'm low on calories after my dinner meal, I know to have a healthy snack to get me closer to my daily allowance.

It's also helpful for when I meet with my NUT every 8 weeks so she can gauge how I'm doing with my food choices, etc.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I am an obsessive tracker. My wife thinks I'm texting my girlfriends at the dinner table.

I think it depends on the person. Tracking helps me, but I can see where it would drive other people insane. But I know myself, without the tracking, bad habits and bad choices will slowly build up over time. That's been my pattern in the past.

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Y'all are right! I'm going to work on my crazy brain and keep tracking! Thanks!

[OneWritersSoul 353]

I am an obsessive tracker. My wife thinks I'm texting my girlfriends at the dinner table.

I think it depends on the person. Tracking helps me' date=' but I can see where it would drive other people insane. But I know myself, without the tracking, bad habits and bad choices will slowly build up over time. That's been my pattern in the past.[/quote']

That's too funny! It drives my Mama crazy when we're dining out and I pull out my phone and start tracking! She gives me the evil eye then the "I raised you better than to be so rude..." speech. Which is true.

Oh how the good Southern girls have fallen!

[Dooter 1,457]

Every time I quit tracking.... I look around and think, "where am I going and why am I in this hand basket?!"

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Oh yeah, I MUST track. I really wish I didn't have to, but I don't have one of those super restrictive sleeves. I have to count/weigh/measure everything. I use my fitness pal, and that makes it easy and sort of fun, but I know if I didn't, I'd be over everyday, and probably not lose. Then I'd be posting pitiful stories about how I'm not losing and I don't know why

[Supersweetums 1,164]

I'll be honest, I do not track, and never have tracked. I have been sleeved for 2.5 years and have been maintaining for a year. I changed everything I eat, followed the rules, cut out the junk, but never wrote anything I ate down. For me personally, it would drive me crazy. I obsess enough already about what I am eating.

I think everyone has to find what works best for them!

[amytug 996]

Niolanz, do you think it's possible that you are forgetting things at the end of the day? Simple things like a Vitamin or two or a Gatorade you don't usually have. Sometimes even tho I'm an obsessive tracker, I still get panicky at the end of the day and wonder of I've forgotten stuff. I think I forgot to track one of my cheese sticks yesterday. (Face/palm)

[M2G 1,836]

I'm a tracker. When I'm NOT tracking, I'm eating MORE. So if I want to get the weight off I have to track.

Occassionally I will do a test to see how good I am at guessing HOW much food I'm eating. I will put something in a bowl (like yogurt or meat) and then guesstimate how much is in there. Then I will weigh it and I'm usually amazingly close. So I know someday I won't have to track because of literally years of measuring has given me a good foundation. But for now, I track.

[M2G 1,836]

Oh I should mention that my sleeved hubby (2 years post-op) has almost NEVER tracked his calories or food, with exceptions being right after surgery and the times when I give him grief about not doing so. He has maintained his 65-70lb loss within a +/-5lb range since he was 9 months post-op. Ugh, men!

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I track my weight... not my food.

For me, food tracking and calorie counting is a remnant of my professional dieting days. I do believe in tracking, and it has been an effective tool for me but since I am not likely to do it for life, I moved to a more natural way of monitoring my food even during the weight loss phase.

[OneWritersSoul 353]

I track my weight... not my food.

For me' date=' food tracking and calorie counting is a remnant of my professional dieting days. I do believe in tracking, and it has been an effective tool for me but since I am not likely to do it for life, I moved to a more natural way of monitoring my food even during the weight loss phase.[/quote']

CowgirlJane, you have a very healthy outlook on all of this and I admire it greatly!

In all honesty, even in my days of dieting, my inability to track ANYTHING, but especially my food was a major part of my failure to succeed at losing any weight on those diets. Sure, self-control and failure to show up to meetings was another, but not tracking food was a biggie.

As was my inability to step on a scale. Granted, by the time I hit 489lbs, most places didn't have scales that would weigh me anyway. But if I didn't step on the scale I didn't have to face reality. Not so much anymore.

Now, the scales (bathroom and kitchen) help hold me both accountable and hostage. Hopefully by the time I'm a true Veteran like CowgirlJane and Cheri they will simply hold me accountable.