Moving Into Maintanence #2 - To Food Journal or Not to Food Journal

Food Journaling is something that most long term successful WLSers do.  I have resisted until now, being satisfied with my first year's progress. I know that I am in the honeymoon phase (for me it's the over the moon phase), and I am researching strategies that will help me long term. This article, while not written by a WLSer, gives a good explanation of why a food diary can help.  (I have done it in the past and can get back into the habit, but I have enjoyed the vacation.) 

http://greatist.com/health/yoni-freedhoff-count-calories

The author also gives a good explanation of why some of us gain more quickly than others, and why food choices, as well as calories, affect our weight loss results.  (In the study mentioned, I know which of the 16 people I would be!)

What's your reaction, WLSers?

Not only how much but what I eat may determine if I lose or gain weight. 

I am one of those "hybrids" when comes to calories from carbs..or wine...even small amount of wine may block my body from burning fat. 

But give me proteins and fat with some veggies - and I get full on much less food -volume wise. Lets not be mistaken - the low volume food will have much more calories than the higher volume carby food. But I still can loose weight. 

I.e. 8 chicken wings, though high calories, will make me full.  Just can't have my glass of wine with them...

But I could eat 6"sub and be hungry within one hour.. (i don't eat that,  I chose to eliminate grains) and eat more food... Lets not mention crackers...or... The list goes on and on... 

Journal and weighing yourself. It is easy to gain weight. Since there are so many articles of clothing that have so much stretch in them we don't feel like we gain. 
 

I think it keeps accountable to what we are eating. 

I weigh weekly - that does keep me honest and mentally keep track of what I eat.  Mentally keeping track leaves room for self-deception, so once I see the scale moving in the wrong direction I will be doing some problem solving, and journalling is a good place to start.

Thanks for the tips.

I think the article makes some great points. I've tracked every bite since surgery, and in my last three yearly exams my weight has varied by only one pound. I am absolutely certain I would be eating more, every day, if I didn't track.

I agree with the article that calories are imperfect, but it's the tool we have. Weigh****chers stopped using calories, and converted foods to points in their system. I don't think the calories in my system are accurate, and I think about them more as points. As long as I am fastidious about counting, my results are consistent.

I also wholeheartedly agree that just the act of tracking every day keeps our head in the game. We stay on track, when we track. It really takes very little time to do, once your most often used foods are in your diary.

Not everyone who is successful tracks every day. But I know many people who track for a while when they've gained some, then stop tracking when they've lost some. And a few do great, and never track. But I think they are rare, and I am not one of them.

Grim - I came across this verse yesterday.  I don't know if your are a professing person, but it applies to you.

Ecc 7:5.  It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.

A good read. I suspect there's something to the notion of burning some calories more efficiently than others but I haven't had to get into that to maintain. But I probably could now if I needed to.  

I don't think I would have taken off as much weight as I did if I didn't track. I was super stingy with calories so I needed the feedback to make the best decisions for getting my required protein in. Also, I learned what a poor judge I am (yup, still am) of how much I've eaten. 

I continued to track through my first year of maintenance and it really helped me get a handle on my food choices. Now I only track when I'm dialing back calories after hitting my red line weight. Basically, if I need data this is how I get it. 

I would guess that's there's a strong correlation between daily tracking and weight loss / maintenance success. Over and above the data provided, I think the self created discipline and mindfulness are great habits to get into. 

I like how well-balanced that article is. Food journaling doesn't necessarily have any predictive value (e.g., "if I eat X calories a day I will lose X.X pounds by date X). However, I have a 438 day streak on MyFitnessPal right now, and despite fluctuations and estimates, it keeps me constantly aware of what I put in my mouth, which is its most redeeming feature for me. When I weighed 300 lbs, I was very good at staying in denial about how much I was actually eating. Logging everything in MFP is the single biggest factor that helped me lose 80 lbs pre-op as well -- it made that much of a difference just to pay attention.

Back in 2008-2009, I used a PC program called Diet Power that was similar, but not web-based. Anything you ate, you had to add to your own food database before you could log it. It was a pain in the butt. The apps that are available now make it so easy to track, I'd definitely recommend everyone at least try it to see if it helps them.

I really like that Doctor, I follow him on FB.... I do not journal all the time... I periodically go back to journaling on MFP just to check myself and see what I am doing. I do try to pre-plan my day,(I guess pre-journal) on paper so I am not eating randomly and have accounted for the food in my house, special events etc... so i am not caught off guard with "what do I eat??"

I find weighing daily very important. I only record my weight on Wednesdays and the 23rd of the month - I had my surgery on a Wednesday on 23rd of the month. That way I can follow trends.

This sounds reasonable for me.  I already need to pre-plan and have several servings in the freezer, so I do not get to 7pm and have to go to the store and make something from scratch (that would still be a risky situation for me). 

Thanks for the info.