Logging Food but not chasing macros

(Todd Batitis) #1

OK, I have been thinking about this as a thread for a while. A lot of us come from using things like My Fitness Pal to log our food and get our macro numbers and such and I think that for people who are truly new to losing weight seriously, keto or not, this is VERY important as it lets you truly learn about what you are eating. We live in societies that have lots of generalized thoughts about what foods are good, bad or better for you than what you are eating. I know that for me, when I first started doing LCHP that it was a complete wakeup on what the numbers were compared to what I should be eating.

With Keto though, there is the push and idea to simply eat fat to satiety. Lots and lots of people don’t log at all and just go by how they feel and that is all well and good but it takes a good while to be able to learn how many carbs is 20 or less or how much protein is in that charcutterie that YOU think looks REALLY fatty.

The problem that many who come from a logging background do though is log as they go and never really get to stopping eating because they don’t FEEL a need to eat anymore. They log and at the end of the day, say “OK, I have 30 grams of fat I need but am 400 calories low so I should eat more but unless I eat pure fat, I am going to end up over my protein.” We feel like we have to HIT the numbers even if we don’t really feel like we need to eat.

What I started doing to combat this is that I still log everyday but the difference is that I write it all down, and log it the NEXT day. This way I eat to what I FEEL and not what a log tells me I should. This lets me see what happened without me feeling like I need to adjust at the time because I can’t go back and eat more or less YESTERDAY. :slight_smile:

(Bob M) #2

Sounds reasonable. Or you can do what I do, and ignore macros. I just try to eat meat and (a few) vegetables, with the occasional dairy and keto meals thrown in.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #3

Or you can do what I do which is have all the carb counts memorized and stay under 20 g carbs and not count macros.

I will admit, however, that I did write every single thing down for a month (and 20 yrs ago for a year on Atkins) so I learned a whole lot. I tried Cronometer and some of the carb counts weren’t matching what was on the labels right in front of me. I know people really find them convenient and helpful, but doing it the paper and pencil way has always been easier for me.

I’m also open to counting macros in the future if I hit a stumbling block.

#4

I find it better to have a plan for my meals ahead of time. I’ve never been able to track macros for more than a couple days at a time. Maybe a week at most. I know what I need to eat at this point and it works for me. It is Ok to overeat at first and then let your body tell you when to dial it back.

(Laurie) #5

@UncaToddly, your idea looks good.

However, like @Rgb0414, I plan what I’m going to eat each day, so logging my intake during or after isn’t necessary. I guess it would be if I ate off-plan frequently.