I'm not a full-fledged maintainer yet, but I've lost 86 pounds and kept it off for about a year. I've wrestled with the last 30 or so, lost em then gained them back, so now I'm back on Weight Watchers to finally get them off.

Do you guys still journal what you eat? I've found that as long as I write it down and count points (or calories, I've done both) I can stay on track. When I quit going to meetings in October I quit tracking and gained back 14 pounds.

I guess I'm going to have to write down what I eat for the rest of my life since it seems to keep me accountable. What do you do?

Hi there! Welcome! You definitely sound like a maintainer to me!

I still log my food on The Daily Plate every day, every single thing I eat. When I remember I also post it in an accountability chat in this forum, but I'm way behind on that.

I have to keep the journal going or I lose track and start to slide back into bad habits.

I log everything.

I think it's good to track it consistently--maybe not "forever," but like you, I've noticed that if I'm not tracking for awhile, my weight tends to drift, and not downward. So, when that happens I'm back to tracking every day for several weeks. I also reacquaint myself with measurements and serving sizes in a formal way so that I'm not drifting there, either.

Given that, one might as well keep on tracking!

Jay

Yes and no. Right now, yes. Basically, I have a maintenance "range." If my weight gets to the top of that range, I start logging again to get it back under control. As long as my weight stays in range, I don't always bother to log. Since I had some regain, I have been actively logging for quite a while now.

Even when I am within range, I often write down what I ate, but I don't bother to write down portion sizes or count calories. When I'm getting too heavy or trying to lose I need to log all the details and count the calories.

I still log every day. Usually I plan my meals before breakfast and fill it all in Fitday, then update it if I substitute one thing for another. Even though I know the calorie count to just about every food and could track in my head, it really helps me to have a plan for the day in advance. And funny, the calories always add up so much faster than I would have guessed!

My Fitday records go back to June, 2001. It's one of my most important maintenance tools. And it only takes minutes a day.

I'm not a maintainer yet, but like you once I stopped logging my food I gained a handful back that I just finished re-losing. I think when you stop writing it down it's too easy to ignore how you're behaving. As if you're fooling anyone right? "If I don't look it's not happening!" and sometimes it's easier to play the avoidance card, but logging in the end is worth the hassel.

If I log I keep myself on track. If I don't I generally start to sneak a few things in that invariably show up on the scale.

I tend to write all food items down when I'm in my maintenance zone and get much, much more specific if I see some regain happening. Then I write down everything in the morning that I'm going to eat for the day, tally the calories, and adjust as needed. If something gets substituted I recalculate. If there's something new I look it up in my big calorie guide book.

This is all a PITA but I find it totally necessary to avoid the dreaded "creep".

Dagmar

I've been on this trip for almost 2 years now, and I have logged my food every single day except 2. Christmas Day of 2008 and Christmas Day 2009. I still wrote in my journal though, I just didn't weigh, measure or calculate...etc. Each and every time I have ever successfully lost weight in my life, I food journal-ed. Every time I quit recording my food, I gained back all the weight...plus. So this time, I don't plan on ever stopping. It's such a tiny price to pay to stay a healthy weight....like literally 3 minutes a day tops.

I love what Bright Angel said about it being a "pleasant habit". And Lori's right, it's certainly no more than three minutes a day. A VERY small price to pay!

Every day, and I agree, it's such a tiny commitment and for me, it makes such a huge difference! So worth it!

The few minutes it takes to journal is a minor inconvenience compared to what it would be if I gain all of my weight back.

Thanks for the responses. I know for a fact that if I don't journal I'll gain my weight back. I figured it would be the same for you guys too. I guess I was hoping that you all would say you had it down from so many years of losing that you didn't have to journal.

Once I reach my goal weight you'll be seeing more of me!

I have been maintaining for 8 years and still keep a food journal. It is crucial! I always plan the night before what I'll be eating the next day.