Keto without logging data?

#41

I’ve been doing Keto for three months and am very happy with progress so far. I still need to lose around 50 pounds. I think once I’m nearer target l’ll try not logging and see how it goes. For now it’s an essential tool for me. :blush:

(Susan) #42

I haven’t lost any weight for over 2 months, and haven’t cheated at all, so have been trying to figure out why not, etc. I eliminated a lot of foods, etc. It was suggested to me by a few people to track, so I decided that it was probably a good idea. I was eating way too few calories, fats and proteins. Now I am tracking, I can type in what I have eaten after my lunch and see what I should make sure I get in for supper, so this helps me pre-plan so that I get the proper macros for the day.

I do IF of 20:4 daily, so 20 hour daily fast, and 2 meals at 1pm and 4:45 so no eating from 5pm until 1pm the next day. The only things I consume during that 20 hours are water, herbal tea in evenings, and green tea in the mornings.

I am doing Keto for life, for sure, but not sure if I will be tracking daily for life… for now and during the 130 pounds I still have to lose, and in Maintenance, yes. For Maintenance I will still to make sure I am staying focussed and on track.

(PJ) #43

It took me quite some time of tracking, and then not, and then tracking again, and then not, before I was SO familiar with things that at a glance or a feel I knew about how much protein, fat and carbs was in almost any given thing that might ever be put in my mouth. That includes a number of overall recipe combinations, per-serving totals. It helps to put it somewhere once and then you never have to do it again but have an easy reference for the future. So, organizational abilities and consistent area of keeping the info can actually make things a lot easier.

When I am fine with what is going on with my body, I don’t track much. I have a journal - like a bullet journal sometimes, or sometimes a spreadsheet – where I keep notes. BARE notes. Usually not much, but I do mention supps and my medication because if I don’t write it down, sometimes I can’t remember if I took it or not, and when my schedule goes through cycles where it’s rather inconsistent, it gets more confusing then. Also I try to make a note of my sleep which is seldom enough and sometimes irregular. But it’s not obsessive.

But then, when I am either NOT happy with what is going on with my body, OR if I am on some very specific attempt to see what activity X, sleep Y, supplements Z, and diet Q is going to have on my body, then I DO track it obsessively.

Most people don’t put a fraction as much effort into planning their health – which ranges from “saving their life now” to “setting in motion good health for the rest of their life then” – that they would put into say, building a simple backyard wooden deck. That takes a lot of planning, measuring, calculating, working things out together, doing things in sequence, buying what’s needed, planning for foundations and finishes, and so on. It’s a builder’s project, the deck.

Well our body is a builder’s project too. And if I’m good with the situation, no point to focus on it. But when I want something better, it does take focus.

I think it’s easy to polarize this. Most people I have known are a little like me: they over-obsessed early on, and then went f–k it I can’t stand this anymore and refused to obsess AT ALL, and then eventually, over time, just kind of cycle through “more or less attention depending on the plan of the moment.”

I don’t think it has to be either/or. We don’t have to obsess to the second decimal point of macronutrient counting every day for the rest of our lives. The reality is that if you “pay attention long enough to learn it,” then you don’t usually NEED to obsess on the detail, because first, you already know all the basics, and second, you usually have fairly consistent habits that lean upon what you know, and third, you just become like the grandmas who made recipes “from scratch” – but really, they simply knew the recipe and knew the variation parameters and options.

PJ

(Ellen ) #44

Hi Susan. I was at a stall last week and posted. Feedback was to walk 2 or 3 miles a few times a week. I did and broke my stall. You may already be doing this but if not, try walking. This may help. The stalls frustrate me so much.

(Susan) #45

When I can walk, I will try that =-). Unfortunately I am not fit enough to walk very far yet…going back and forth the mailbox is as far as I have managed so far. I am very out of shape, I have been trying to do some online videos (I last a few min, then collapse, and have to use my puffers, but I figure if I build it up, it will come. Thanks for the idea though, it is an excellent one. I can hardly wait until I am able to do this.

(Cranford Coulter) #46

I don’t log food consumption. I keep carbs very low and almost entirely from leafy greens and white button mushrooms to provide potassium. I do log my blood glucose and blood pressure per my doctor’s instructions, 4x/day. I weigh daily and record it weekly. I would wear myself out if I tried to do more. I can keep a lot of numbers in my head at the same time. Finding suitable paper and making the proper forms for the macros and all would drive me crazy. I never showed my work in trig. I just solved. So, my little log book for BG, BP and weight is about all I can handle on paper.
I don’t have a smart phone, so no apps. I keep track of my laps swum and miles walked in my head. It still works fine. My pants falling down tell the tale. I just had to get some size 36s. I was wearing 44s in February.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #47

I’m planning to count until my cancer is either gone or really shrunk and stable for a long time. I’ll still eat keto, but I won’t need to log at that point. I’ll have a good idea of what I’m doing (I hope) :wink:

(April Harkness) #48

I never logged until this past month when ppl were concerned i was not eating enough. So once to twice a week i input my numbrs just to show that i eat just fine.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #49

No and yes. I have the interesting situation of very little hunger and very little satiety. In other words I have to eat whether I feel like it or not because if I don’t I will lose weight. I am 6’0" and currently weigh 144 +/- a couple of pounds with a body fat of approx 13-14%. I am 74 years old and I do not want to lose more weight. On the other hand, I can eat a lot at one sitting before getting ‘full’. I can eat way more per day than I need to maintain my weight. And I do not want to gain weight in an uncontrolled fashion.

I don’t think I would ‘fail keto’ without weighing and measuring, but I think my weight would fluctuate frequently as I missed my maintenance intake day to day and had to adjust. I would find that more challenging than weighing my food so I can maintain my weight to avoid constant up/down fluctuation. I have maintained my weight at 145 +/- 3-4 pounds for two years. I can use lose/gain to determine if and when I need to eat more or less. This enables me to adjust my daily intake to match my activity quite closely.

So, yes, I intend to continue weighing and measuring because that makes it easier for me to accomplish what I want.

#50

Yes, I think I would fail. Tracking helps keep me accountable to myself and it’s just too easy for me to pretend I ate less of something or mentally block it out. I plan to keep it up until I meet my weight-loss goals and then probably for some time after that until I’m pretty sure I’ve stabilized my maintenance. I’ll probably stop at that point. I don’t want to do it for the rest of my life. Hell, I don’t even really want to be doing it now. I just need to.

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #51

Thanks all :slightly_smiling_face: It’s obviously different for every… Which makes sense, seeing as we are all different.

(April Harkness) #52

I never counted in the beginning. All I did was remove carbs…and was at my goal weight in 4 months. I only started counting when I decided to tighten up and was starting to put a lil bit more weight on. That was about 10 months in. So by August when i reached goal of 115 lbs…i didn’t count one macro. Only removed. By feb /March I was starting to put weight back on. Then I counted and realized I had some carb creeps. Counting was then helpful. I still count now.not bc of weight anymore. I’m wayyyyyy past goal weight( but that’s bc I went carnivore from keto. Another post) but to track meal macros for performance. If I wasn’t into lifting I have confidence enough to no longer track for weight loss. I did it before on keto. I can do it even easier on carnivore

(Keto Koala 🐨) #53

Same with me. I had anorexia 3 years ago but got fat. I have to constantly watch my obsessive mind.

(Susan) #54

If you read my Accountability thread, you will see the history I have with eating disorders as well. I am still working on overcoming them all.

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/momof5s-accountability-and-random-ramblings-thread/88790/2574

Logging now helps me keep track, I use the free app called cronometer.com

(Keto Koala 🐨) #55

Wow Susan, I read your thread. I was an active kid too but when I hit puberty at 11, I had a little puppy fat. My weight obsessed parents would make jokes about it. (They were both horse racing jockeys) My little brother was underweight so I felt horrible. I wasn’t anywhere near fat, I was just getting boobs and hips. But the jokes got to me and I started anorexia and bulimia at 12. By 13 I was a waif and my family were worried but I was convinced I was huge. I hated going out and wore cloths 5 sizes too big for me. Then at age 15 I started eating and maintained a healthy weight but by 16 I started anorexia/bulimia again. I got very thin and at my worst, I ate an apple a day (for the whole day) and on top of that, walked 14 kms a day. By the fourth day I would faint, binge, purge and repeat. I was slim until 18 but then my doctor put me on an antideppresant and I gained 15 kilograms in 6 weeks. When I went to visit my Mum and step dad (who hadn’t seen me since I was slim) my step dad called me fat. It hurt so bad. I continued to have anorexia on and off for years. See, it has been drummed into me from 11 years old, that to be liked I must be thin. My family is nicer to me when I’m thin, the public are nicer when I’m thin ect. I hate how superficial this world is. I usually believe that our physical bodies are just vehicles whist we’re on this earth. The real “us” is our soul. My brother Harry committed suicide in 2011 at age 20 and after that I just lost it. I ended up in a mental asylum for severe suicidal depression. Our father was a VERY abusive man. He used to bash us and emotionally abuse us and put us down and tell us if we were racehorse he would shoot us. Mum finally left him but married another awful man who was just as nasty. Since then she has left him too and is now with a nicer guy. Im sorry I’m telling my life story, it’s because I’m waiting at the doctor to be seen and it’s taking forever :joy:. I love this forum. You seem like a lovely person.

(Susan) #56

Aww, I wish that I could give you a big hug. I am sorry that you have been through all that torment in your life; I hope that you can find happiness and health with Keto. If you do searches on the forum, there are a lot of people on here that have found Keto has really helped their mental health. I hope that you will find this as well, along with the weight loss, and all the health benefits of Keto.

This forum has been a big blessing to me in my Keto journey, I love it as well. I have a long way to go with my weight loss still, I have lost 57 pounds, and I have over 100 to go, but with the encouragement and support around here, it really makes the world of difference. I am glad that you found the forum too, and we will all be here to cheer you on =).

(Keto Koala 🐨) #57

Awww thanks Susan, your so sweet. I too have a lot to lose. How long did it take you to lose 57 pounds? When did you start?

(Keto Koala 🐨) #58

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This was me just two years ago. I have a long way to go to get back to that but you guys all encourage and inspire me :heart:

(Keto Koala 🐨) #59

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This was me when I had no eating disorder at all. Was just healthy

(charlie3) #60

I enjoy the data part. I use crono to log nutrients and activity. I’ve got an app for lifting, one for walking. A heart rate monitor is required on my aiirbike to control low heart rate training.
I’ve learned a lot. I could do my thing now without the data but it’s easy now, i’ve paid the dues. If I wasn’t monitoring or doing carnivore the carbs would come sneaking back.