Does anyone else love tracking their calories?

[Anonymous]

No. However, it works for me and being accountable in that way is just about the only thing that has helped me lose weight consistently, in a way I can maintain.

I find it tedious, tethers me to my phone in a way I dislike, and a chore. But, it is helping me so I'm grateful for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate it. I can’t have a bite of something because I don’t know how many calories, exactly, that is. I don’t trust restaurant labels. I hate having to remember everything I ate. It’s boring and distracting. Also it weirdly made me prefer processed food because boxes have labels and don’t require measuring the way real food does. So a big no for me but I am glad it works for you!

All of this for me too. I hate it. I am also a grazer and it get's really, really annoying trying to put in a whole bunch of different things in small, only approximate quantities. I also frequently want to break down the food items after I have not eaten say, the crusts from pizza or only ate half the bread from a sandwich and it doesn't let you do that, so I end up having to basically recreate the food (1/2 roll, mayo, 2 slices cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc) with what I *think* it is and that is a major pain in the ass and of questionable accuracy, which really makes a difference when you are trying to stay pretty low on cals. I also travel 4+ days a week and eat out constantly, so everything is kind of a guess.

NP, but this is why I have a love/ hate with it. Unfortunately, I’m a grazer, and all those “just a bites” we’re adding up in a serious way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. However, it works for me and being accountable in that way is just about the only thing that has helped me lose weight consistently, in a way I can maintain.

I find it tedious, tethers me to my phone in a way I dislike, and a chore. But, it is helping me so I'm grateful for it.

Can you carry a small notebook and write things down and then record it all at night?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate it. I can’t have a bite of something because I don’t know how many calories, exactly, that is. I don’t trust restaurant labels. I hate having to remember everything I ate. It’s boring and distracting. Also it weirdly made me prefer processed food because boxes have labels and don’t require measuring the way real food does. So a big no for me but I am glad it works for you!

All of this for me too. I hate it. I am also a grazer and it get's really, really annoying trying to put in a whole bunch of different things in small, only approximate quantities. I also frequently want to break down the food items after I have not eaten say, the crusts from pizza or only ate half the bread from a sandwich and it doesn't let you do that, so I end up having to basically recreate the food (1/2 roll, mayo, 2 slices cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc) with what I *think* it is and that is a major pain in the ass and of questionable accuracy, which really makes a difference when you are trying to stay pretty low on cals. I also travel 4+ days a week and eat out constantly, so everything is kind of a guess.

NP, but this is why I have a love/ hate with it. Unfortunately, I’m a grazer, and all those “just a bites” we’re adding up in a serious way.

I am the same way- I started tracking my grazing (eg eating my kid's leftover chicken nugget, grabbing a handful of items) and it really added up and make me think about everything I put in my mouth and helped me reduce snacking. I also would sometimes not eat something because I didn't feel like tracking it so "having to track" ended up being a diet aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. However, it works for me and being accountable in that way is just about the only thing that has helped me lose weight consistently, in a way I can maintain.

I find it tedious, tethers me to my phone in a way I dislike, and a chore. But, it is helping me so I'm grateful for it.

Can you carry a small notebook and write things down and then record it all at night?

Well, one of the things that is helpful for me is to see/assess the calorie value of what I'm eating, as I'm doing it. But I have found that if I plan what I'm going to eat for the day, and put that all in at once in the morning, then I feel less constricted by the process. And it takes less energy from me for the rest of the day - so I'm trying to do that as much as possible.

I'm also finding that it's harder overall on the weekends, as opposed to weekdays when I bring my lunch to work, usually have dinners planned, etc... It's the 3 meals a day w/ the family or social occasions on the weekend that are harder - so I'm learning to work around that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. However, it works for me and being accountable in that way is just about the only thing that has helped me lose weight consistently, in a way I can maintain.

I find it tedious, tethers me to my phone in a way I dislike, and a chore. But, it is helping me so I'm grateful for it.

Can you carry a small notebook and write things down and then record it all at night?

Well, one of the things that is helpful for me is to see/assess the calorie value of what I'm eating, as I'm doing it. But I have found that if I plan what I'm going to eat for the day, and put that all in at once in the morning, then I feel less constricted by the process. And it takes less energy from me for the rest of the day - so I'm trying to do that as much as possible.

I'm also finding that it's harder overall on the weekends, as opposed to weekdays when I bring my lunch to work, usually have dinners planned, etc... It's the 3 meals a day w/ the family or social occasions on the weekend that are harder - so I'm learning to work around that.

ugh yes, weekends are so hard! I do so much better during the week when I have a more regimented schedule. I bring lunch to work and I can pretty much only eat what I bring. Weekends are tough because I am not as regimented. Also working on getting better and being more consistent on weekends. I think weekends were the reason I struggled to lose weigh for so long. I ate great 4-5 days of the week but negated that progress with the weekends.

[Anonymous]

I’ve lost 20 pounds so far and I love it. I love the fact that I can eat whatever I want as long as I log it. It holds me accountable and teaches me to make the healthier choice, especially when eating out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Because I don’t have disordered eating habits.

Not OP, but yes, I do. Glad that makes you feel superior to me.

I should also mention I have depression and anxiety as well. It runs in my family. Feel better about yourself now?

I love you!

I'm so sick of this "I'm not disordered!" poster. I think she doth protest too much.....

[Anonymous]

It works really well for me (down almost 30 pounds) and I love that. I love that it's so easy with phone apps now and being able to scan packages! I tracked years ago using spark people online and it was so much more convoluted.