How long did you keep logging meals?

[Jobber 321]

I feel guilty because I've been doing it for so long since last September, but I just stopped logging all my meals. I'm pretty much in a rhythm now in regards to what I'm eating and I'm still dropping at a slow but steady rate. Logging is just very cumbersome as it has been for these last several months, but part of me is going to worry about what could happen now that I have stopped.

My surgery was in March and I stopped in May.

I'd love to hear from some vets as to how they decided to stop or keep going with logging and why.

TIA

[FluffyChix 17,418]

16 Months post RNY. Still plan my food and log everything. I also weight daily. It takes me about 5 minutes per day on MFP.

[Torriluv02 44]

Ive gained over 30lbs a year plus after surgery. Ive been unhappily maintaining in the 170s. Trying like hell to get to my personal goal. Still within surgeon and nutritionist goal but not comfy in my body still. When i stopped tracking it all fell apart. It's annoying but if your in a rhythm stick to it. It's worth it. Im pushing myself to plan and track now so i can get back into losing. Don't let carbs slip back in. Stick to the rules and you'll be fine. Im almost 3 yrs out and feel like the only thing keeping me stable weight wise is my sleeve. I still have pretty good restriction and im trying to keep it or even bring it back to what it was a bit ago. I know How to fool myself into tricking my sleeve. Just stay honest and track everything good and bad. You'll know what to cut when things start going north. Sorry for the life story. I was around where you were when i started falling off tracking. I made it almost to goal, got engaged and it all just went up in smoke lol. Getting my head back on straight and realizing tracking is what i need to do. Just wanted to help someone from making the same mistakes i made.

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

[summerset 5,265]

26 minutes ago, Jobber said:

I'd love to hear from some vets as to how they decided to stop or keep going with logging and why.

I stopped a few weeks after surgery when I noticed I would meet the required Protein goals. Tried it sometimes again because I was curious how I'm doing nutrient wise but I was frustrated on day 1 already. The most frustrating thing was finding certain foods in databases (I'm a micronutrient obsessed eater) and having either to bring my lunch to work (which means not really logging my usual food) or doing guesswork at the cafeteria (not accurate enough).

On top of this the calorie count displayed on the apps always makes me feel some kind of weird pressure (maybe it simply reminds me of the old dieting days). So I said "f**k food logs, I'm at a normal weight and have no trouble maintaining it so why am I even caring about how many calories I'm shoving down my throat?!"

Quote

Logging is just very cumbersome as it has been for these last several months, but part of me is going to worry about what could happen now that I have stopped.

You'll just have to wait and see. Some people continue keeping food journals because they're helping them, others ditch them because food logging does more harm than good to them.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

30 minutes ago, Jobber said:

stopped logging all my meals. in a rhythm now

@Jobber

hey bud

congrats on your great weight loss

i know what you mean on estimating/knowing your similar portions and cals etc

butttt - you are so early in the game you really should/must log your food, carbs

etc. - you should always measure your food, keep track of calories etc - if you

don't, well people have been shot for less!!🤣

many/most OP (VETS too LOL) log for a year+, as the years pass some OP might

not log as they used to. (me)🙁

not yelling at you - but try to log! Do or Do NOT - There is no TRY "Yoda"

good luck

keep up the great job

kathy

[GreenTealael 25,565]

1 hour ago, Jobber said:

I feel guilty because I've been doing it for so long since last September, but I just stopped logging all my meals. I'm pretty much in a rhythm now in regards to what I'm eating and I'm still dropping at a slow but steady rate. Logging is just very cumbersome as it has been for these last several months, but part of me is going to worry about what could happen now that I have stopped.

My surgery was in March and I stopped in May.

I'd love to hear from some vets as to how they decided to stop or keep going with logging and why.

TIA

I stop and start often but I want/plan to stay slightly more dedicated to it for a bit.

[summerset 5,265]

2 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

I stop and start often but I want/plan to stay slightly more dedicated to it for a bit.

May I ask why you want to be more dedicate to it? Is it because you feel somehow obliged to do so? Asking because I felt for a long time that I should keep a food log even though it didn't do me any good.

[GreenTealael 25,565]

Just now, summerset said:

May I ask why you want to be more dedicate to it? Is it because you feel somehow obliged to do so? Asking because I felt for a long time that I should keep a food log even though it didn't do me any good.

I was asked to try to keep track of the foods that causes my magical dumping syndrome. But there's no rhyme or reason to it. So now I have to watch a little closer

But not for calorie/macro purposes I can estimate those in my head

[Healthy_life2 8,330]

1 hour ago, Jobber said:

I feel guilty because I've been doing it for so long since last September, but I just stopped logging all my meals. I'm pretty much in a rhythm now in regards to what I'm eating and I'm still dropping at a slow but steady rate. Logging is just very cumbersome as it has been for these last several months, but part of me is going to worry about what could happen now that I have stopped.

My surgery was in March and I stopped in May.

I'd love to hear from some vets as to how they decided to stop or keep going with logging and why.

TIA

Year’s out, I don’t feel obligated to logging. I’m maintaining. It’s a personal choice. Some can lose weight without logging and others (like me) log.

I have had time periods when I don’t log. I know how easy it is to get in a comfort zone and gain. I’m maintaining a ten pound weight bounce up and down the scale. To get my weight back down I log.

Logging has become habit. It’s not an inconvenience for me. I like the comfort in knowing I can control my weight. Logging has been one of the best tools I’ve used to get all my weight off.

I use the app for more than weight loss. I’m type one diabetic, distance run, and lift.

[ms.sss 15,810]

I'm not super far out (7.5 months), but I track every thing. Haven't missed a day (or meal) since surgery.

But I'm one of those spreadsheet-loving, data-farming, trend-spotting people, so it's right up my alley. I don't see me stopping any time soon, because 1) It keeps me honest 2) the data collected can be valuable for future trouble shooting 3) I kinda love doing it.

[GradyCat 3,697]

I've been logging my intake in MyFitnessPal for years, even before the surgery, so for six months now post-op I have continued to do so and plan on keeping it up

[sillykitty 10,787]

57 minutes ago, Healthy_life2 said:

Logging has become habit. It’s not an inconvenience for me. I like the comfort in knowing I can control my weight.

I'm similar. It's a habit, and not a chore for me to log at all.

I eat a very varied diet, and have no eating routine, so it's important to me, to see where I approximately come in at for calories and Protein each day.

I'm new to maintenance, so it keeps me honest, along with weighing myself. It also lets me know about what my BMR is at currently.

Edited June 7, 2019 by sillykitty

[Jobber 321]

Thanks for everyone's replies, it means a lot to get this kind of great feedback. Logging was never a chore for me once it became a habit, but I found that i really wasn't using the information for anything. I was a professional chef and I've studied nutrition as well in my younger days, so knowing what I should eat has never been an issue.

What I was looking for is maybe some reinforcement that logging is good for maintaining weight loss and if you don't do it, you'll fail. I'm not sure I really got that but what I got is that everyone has their own reasons for logging and that's kind of what I was hoping for. If everyone said the same thing, I may be like, "well sh*t, maybe I should get back on it".

Thanks all, really appreciate it.

[elcee 3,343]

I don’t log it’s too hard, I have better things to do with my day than try and figure out what went into a recipe. When I go and see my dietician I record about a weeks worth of eating in. book so she can have a look and tell me where I’m going right or wrong.

I know that logging works for lots of people but I want to try and live without that obsessive diet mentality. I do however still weigh myself multiple times a week!

If this stops working for me then I will reassess and may start writing things down.

[NYJenn 1,464]

I logged religiously for about 8 months. I stopped for a little bit and my weight loss slowed...needless to say, I’m logging again