I just came back from a two-week overseas vacation. I decided not to track calories because I had no idea what was in food and I wanted to try different things, like a bite of this or that that my family was eating. I ate way too many sweets, but I also noticed that because I was not "tracking to eat" (usually I serve myself a portion then add it into the tracker and finish it), I was focusing on my hunger (that's not to say I wasn't eating too much, because I was. I ended up gaining about 2 lbs over the two weeks, which is a LOT less than before surgery, when I might gain 10 lbs on a two week overseas vacation.

I found that I enjoyed focusing on my hunger cues, and I am thinking about not counting calories, but I have read so much about how tracking calories is the best predictor of success in weight loss and maintenance. I am wondering if I can focus on eating healthier foods and honoring my hunger, can I continue to lose weight and then maintain?

What have other people found?

17 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Hmmmm.

Are you looking to feel “full” or “not hungry”? Sounds the same, but there is a difference.

Another thought: have you considered dealing with the hunger by just giving in to it? And by that I mean trying to eat more often but in lesser amounts? It may feel like you are eating all day, but it may be the lesser evil of the constant hunger. I know you travel quite a bit, so maybe a nice travel container of a variety of (healthy-ish, low-cal) Snacks to carry around in your purse or laptop bag?

I would be happy to feel "not hungry". I was told I could snack on non-starchy veggies, but I can't seem to figure out how to take them with me when I fly/am in hotels that don't necessarily have fridges/am on site with no fridge all day. I don't particularly want to get food poisoning. I find that if I am really busy, I don't notice the hunger so much, and the topamax is definitely helping, as is the metformin. So does drinking lots of coffee and tea with milk, which I can usually get wherever I work.

12 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I would be happy to feel "not hungry". I was told I could snack on non-starchy veggies, but I can't seem to figure out how to take them with me when I fly/am in hotels that don't necessarily have fridges/am on site with no fridge all day. I don't particularly want to get food poisoning. I find that if I am really busy, I don't notice the hunger so much, and the topamax is definitely helping, as is the metformin. So does drinking lots of coffee and tea with milk, which I can usually get wherever I work.

I am flying out for a holiday in a few weeks and have given snacks a great deal of thought. I can eat only a tiny amount at a meal, just a tiny bit more than a boiled egg. So I need in between meal options. In the UK there are lots of stuff to pack into children's lunch boxes. A lot is rubbish food but some is ok. 10 gm Pepperami sticks, Snacking nuts in 20 gm packs, Tiny packs of Melba toast to eat with a tin of tuna salad, 2 Oat biscuits in a packet with a 32 g pack of soft cheese or peanut butter, 65gm packs of snacking olives and 20 gm packets of mixed seeds are some that are on my tick list

On 6/3/2022 at 10:03 AM, lizonaplane said:

I find that if I am really busy, I don't notice the hunger so much

Hmmmm this would lead me to think that you may be experiencing head hunger. “Real” hunger persists and doesn’t go away via distraction. Well, at least that’s what I’ve read and personally experienced. ??‍♀️

Whenever I haven’t tracked food or weight then I’ve crept up in my numbers. Im going to keep tracking to my goal and beyond.
I used to have a travel heavy job and my go to was those little packs of nuts. And those awful clif bars but I don’t recommend those!

I don’t track calories. It makes me obsessed. Towards the end of the day, if I still have calories available, I feel like I want to spend them (eat) even though I may not be hungry. If I don’t have calories available, I feel deprived and starved, even if I am not totally hungry.

I do track protein and fluids, although not in a written or digital sense. Over time, I have figured out what certain foods have, and I just stick to the same basic foods most days, for breakfast and lunch. It is reliable for me and has worked for a long time. Dinner is always different because I eat with family.

I am really enjoying the freedom of not tracking, and losing weight at the same time! It feels the most sustainable.

However, I know everyone is different so do what works for you!

Here's what I do. I hate tracking but I've been doing it consistently now for 2 years and that's a big deal for me. I still don't like it but it helps me see I'm making good choices and getting enough protein. At the same time, I DO eat when I'm hungry and I'm not extremely strict about calories. If I'm hungrier one day I eat more that day and I always ask myself if it's head hunger or actual hunger. The other thing I do is take a day off every week or so where I don't track, but I still listen to my hunger signals and make healthy choices. It just gives me a break from tracking.
This has worked well for me for 2 years now and I haven't had any real gains and have consistently lost and am still losing, albeit very slowly now.

I track, but every now and then I'll have a "holiday" from tracking. I usually end up gaining 2-3 lbs. over a week or two, and as soon as I start tracking again, it goes back down. (I'm just finishing one of these "holidays".)

I track broadly. If something is 240 calories, my mind registers it as 300. Around 900 calories I just go with shakes, or fruits until the next day.

I weigh daily, same time in the morning, and decide whether to analyze the prior days nutrition based on that number.??‍♂️

Whether you track everyday, occasionally or never, I think really depends upon what you feel most comfortable & confident with.

I was never given a calorie target at any stage. When losing I’d do random checks of my calorie intake out of curiosity. I still do random checks. Same with portion sizes as it’s easy to get complacent &/or over or underestimate. I always check calories & portions sizes of any new food or recipe when I first introduce them into my eating routine. I’m also an avid checker of nutrition panels on all food stuffs I buy. The only thing I monitor closely everyday is protein intake because of my absorption issue.

On 06/03/2022 at 10:03, lizonaplane said:

I would be happy to feel "not hungry". I was told I could snack on non-starchy veggies, but I can't seem to figure out how to take them with me when I fly/am in hotels that don't necessarily have fridges/am on site with no fridge all day. I don't particularly want to get food poisoning. I find that if I am really busy, I don't notice the hunger so much, and the topamax is definitely helping, as is the metformin. So does drinking lots of coffee and tea with milk, which I can usually get wherever I work.

I used to be a CRA, now CTM; I would pack boiled Eggs, chicken and freeze my protein shakes if I didn’t want to check a suitcase. If there was no fridge in the room, I would either request one before getting to the hotel or fill the ice bucket in the room with ice from the ice machine to preserve my food. The breakfast bar would also have sausages, bacon, eggs and yogurt. I also had the address of every Whole Food store or supermarket close to the hotel or site.

2 hours ago, Tabularasa2018 said:

I used to be a CRA, now CTM; I would pack boiled eggs, chicken and freeze my Protein Shakes if I didn’t want to check a suitcase. If there was no fridge in the room, I would either request one before getting to the hotel or fill the ice bucket in the room with ice from the ice machine to preserve my food. The Breakfast bar would also have sausages, bacon, eggs and yogurt. I also had the address of every Whole Food store or supermarket close to the hotel or site.

I'm a CRA! Was it that obvious from my posts LOL? I am unfortunately not a fan of eggs, sausage, and bacon, and usually the yogurt has sugar in it. I usually can buy protein shakes at the local CVS/walgreens. It's really a lot better now, in terms of hunger. I try to eat a lot of fish - finally in the last few weeks I started being able to eat salad, at least mixed greens, if not romaine/iceberg lettuce. So, that opens up a lot.

6 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

I'm a CRA! Was it that obvious from my posts LOL? I am unfortunately not a fan of eggs, sausage, and bacon, and usually the yogurt has sugar in it. I usually can buy Protein Shakes at the local CVS/walgreens. It's really a lot better now, in terms of hunger. I try to eat a lot of fish - finally in the last few weeks I started being able to eat salad, at least mixed greens, if not romaine/iceberg lettuce. So, that opens up a lot.

What's CRA, CTM? lol Got me curious.

9 hours ago, DaisyAndSunshine said:

What's CRA, CTM? lol Got me curious.

CRA= Clinical Research Associate - I travel to different hospitals/medical centers and review data/methods of clinical trials to ensure that the hospitals are following the rules of the study and ensuring the safety/rights of the patients. CTM= clinical trial manager - oversees the general day to day management of the clinical sites (hospitals/medical centers) for the company running the trial (usually a CRO = clinical research organization - that's the company that the pharmaceutical company hires to run the trials).

On 6/5/2022 at 7:31 PM, STLoser said:

Here's what I do. I hate tracking but I've been doing it consistently now for 2 years and that's a big deal for me. I still don't like it but it helps me see I'm making good choices and getting enough Protein. At the same time, I DO eat when I'm hungry and I'm not extremely strict about calories. If I'm hungrier one day I eat more that day and I always ask myself if it's head hunger or actual hunger. The other thing I do is take a day off every week or so where I don't track, but I still listen to my hunger signals and make healthy choices. It just gives me a break from tracking.
This has worked well for me for 2 years now and I haven't had any real gains and have consistently lost and am still losing, albeit very slowly now.

I really like this idea. I already eat when I'm hungry regardless of how many calories I have "left". But sometimes I feel like I'm eating "too many calories" even though I don't know how many calories I can eat and still lose weight, plus my calorie counting is always an estimate because I eat out most meals.

On 6/5/2022 at 7:16 AM, ms.sss said:

Hmmmm this would lead me to think that you may be experiencing head hunger. “Real” hunger persists and doesn’t go away via distraction. Well, at least that’s what I’ve read and personally experienced. ??‍♀️

I thought the same and this applies to me too