NO TRACKING ?

[ChunkCat 735]

It is different for everyone. I track and am 3 months out from surgery. I find it really helps to know what my macros are at the end of the day. I don't weigh my food very often because I'm really good at portions (I used to be a chef) but tracking keeps me accountable. And my surgery has a malabsorpative component so I really have to be careful I'm getting enough food.

I will say though that when I researched it, most studies show that people who track their food (at least for a few months) lose more weight in general weight loss attempts and maintain that weight loss better. I don't know how that translates to bariatric surgery, they probably haven't studied it, but when you have a carb limit to stay in ketosis (not every doctor requires this but some do), or a high Protein goal to reach, tracking your food can be helpful.

I sometimes take a break for a day if I've been out a lot or I'm traveling or away from the internet. I figure doing it most days is good enough for me. I trust that the habits it is helping me cultivate will kick in on days I can't write things down. Plus sometimes it really surprises me how I might think I'm doing well on protein or low on carbs and then I put things in and find what I assumed was true was not in fact true. LOL

[Spinoza 1,467]

Oh I am so sorry - this has never happened to me before but everything this evening is posting repeatedly 😥

[Arabesque 7,492]

5 hours ago, Spinoza said:

Oh I am so sorry - this has never happened to me before but everything this evening is posting repeatedly 😥

Don’t apologise. There’s some sort of glitch that’s been happening on & off for a while. Seemingly takes forever fir a reply to submit & post. I’ve had a couple of occasions when I’ve clicked to submit & it never posts. So I’ve also clicked it twice to make sure it posts & suddenly doubled posts. You’ll see couple & triple posts scattered throughout a number of threads. 😁

[ms.sss 15,748]

*raises hand*

5+ year tracker, here.

been logging my food intake since day one. im not as anal/precise about it as i was in the beginning, when i weighed and measured EVERYTHING. even spices and items with single digit calorie counts.

now i kinda eyeball my food to determine portion size and sometimes just log a guesstimated calorie amount for an entire sandwich instead of breaking down the ingredients. i don't log when im on vacay anymore. but i DO still log. (oh and i still weigh myself every single morning- if i have access to a scale)

for what its worth, personally i believe my tracking habits in the earlier years contributed to my successful weight loss and maintenance...if my weight started going in a direction i didn't like, i would know (because of my daily weighing) and i would generally also know why (because of my daily food tracking and activity monitoring), and be able to take appropriate action before it got out of hand, you know?

at this point though, for me its more of a habit/hobby. i sorta feel like i'm pot-committed...i have all this data from the past 5 years and i feel like i should just keep going cuz it would be kinda cool to have like 10, 20, 30 years of data someday? i dunno. maybe i am still anal.

in any case, i reached goal in 7months, and maintained below that goal weight this entire time. I am 5+ yrs post op

i realize this M.O. is not for everyone and for some (most?) this level of effort would be more detrimental than helpful.

bottom line: you know yourself best. do what works, don't what doesn't.

good luck! ❤️

p.s. sorry this was so long

[BabySpoons 620]

5 hours ago, ms.sss said:

i dunno. maybe i am still anal.

I was for a lot of years.

I tracked everything. My weight, my diet, my bodyfat % and my exercise. I realized just how much when I cleaned house this past fall and found tons of my recorded "data." I kept a few things and threw the rest out. So much effort and in the end none of it was sustainable until WLS.

I started logging food again during my pre-op diet up until surgery using the Bariastic app. My nutritionist was quite pleased with my choices and progress. I followed everything religiously up until the date of my surgery and thereafter except for the food logging. I was done with the diet mindset and that was part of it for me. As long as I know what to eat and how much I'm good.

I realize everyone's needs are different. Just do you as long as the end result helps you reach your goals. GL

Edited February 9, 2024 by BabySpoons