Unanswered Stopped tracking food?

bell1986

bell1986

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I have deleted all those calorie/macro tracking apps on my phone.. Been about a month now. I roughly know what i can eat to gain and then i know how to also cut. My weight has increased about 3lbs in the last month so i know i am in a surplus.

Bulking aint an issue with me at all. I can eat like a T-Rex.. When i cut i just swap out certain foods but keep the volume similar and then increase cardio. Ie i cycle to my work each day etc for a few weeks and my weight always starts to drop. I just try keep my protein intake slightly higher.

Anyone else just stop tracking? It is tough! The first few days your like.. Should i just do a rough check and see how i am doing? But i just thought just wait it out.

It was starting to control me at one point.. Not going to certain places for meals with my partner. Picking the **Leaner** dishes. Scanning bar codes in supermarkets to log before even buying it! Just a completely controlling aspect.

I have come to learn that balance and moderation outweighs a calorie/macro counting app. If i go out now i let my partner pick the place and i will ask.. What do you think sounds good on the menu? Then i go for that.

I have built a physique that i am very happy with. If i just can maintain this then for me.. That's all i need.

My biggest fear was i balloon'd in my early 20's. 5ft9 and i was 16 Stone (224 pounds) i hated it and i now float around 160 pounds and 10% bodyfat. So i have put the work in. I love training but i also love having a social life.

Anyone else stop tracking? Or.. Do you still track but are **Flexible** with it? Ie IIFYM diet. I think if you can track but still have a good relationship with food and your goals then that's perfectly fine. But... If you are constantly tracking and worrying about going a gram over on a carb and weigh every gram of food... Then it becomes a problem

Just my opinion

Thanks!
 
Imsaint

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I haven’t really ever thought about it but I think I would struggle with cutting and bulking hard. It takes me a long time to adjust to the calorie swings and the differences in food. Right now I’m cutting and I like to eat different stuff throughout the day so keeping track of calories is important. I tend to overeat whether I’m bulking or cutting if I’m not paying attention. I know because when I try to go and bulk up I start thinking I got it under control, stop tracking as much, before you know it I’m 16% bf and look soft as hell. Cutting is hard for me too because all my fat sits on my mid section. I could have veins popping out everywhere (like right now) but can barely see abs. I’m right where you’re at too right now, 5’9” around 10/11% and 180lbs.
 

Resolve10

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Sounds like you are in a good place! Honestly I'd just keep doing what you are doing if you are happy and I don't think most people need to constantly and rigorously track, especially if it makes you so rigid that you can't enjoy things (considering how so many who are super rigid like that don't even do it for competitions, etc.).
 
Imsaint

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Sounds like you are in a good place! Honestly I'd just keep doing what you are doing if you are happy and I don't think most people need to constantly and rigorously track, especially if it makes you so rigid that you can't enjoy things (considering how so many who are super rigid like that don't even do it for competitions, etc.).
I mean being happy with tracking isn’t really how I feel, but for me, I have to in order to stay on track. I really don’t mind and I’ve come up with ways to make it easier and not obsess over it. I get what you are talking about and I have been like that before, it drove me crazy! Haha
 
bell1986

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I haven’t really ever thought about it but I think I would struggle with cutting and bulking hard. It takes me a long time to adjust to the calorie swings and the differences in food. Right now I’m cutting and I like to eat different stuff throughout the day so keeping track of calories is important. I tend to overeat whether I’m bulking or cutting if I’m not paying attention. I know because when I try to go and bulk up I start thinking I got it under control, stop tracking as much, before you know it I’m 16% bf and look soft as hell. Cutting is hard for me too because all my fat sits on my mid section. I could have veins popping out everywhere (like right now) but can barely see abs. I’m right where you’re at too right now, 5’9” around 10/11% and 180lbs.
Depends where your physique is sitting at just now i suppose?.. For me personally i am happy with how i look. Defo lean looking but i also carry a decent amount of mass. I came from an obese state to looking fairly good so even to maintain is more than enough for me.

I just didn't have a good relationship with food for a few years.. Labeling foods as good and bad etc.. I still eat relatively healthy but i can indulge easier now due to not tracking and being obsessed with macro's.

The way i have worked it out is to just eat and weigh in once a week/fortnight and then up food from their. I just add in a little extra food if my weight drops and just steadily increase. As i says above. I can eat. So bumping calories aint no issue.

When i am cutting... All i do is cycle to and from work 6 mile x 6 Days so i add in 36 miles of cycling and just tidy my diet very slightly and my weight then begins to fall. If it is too quick then i increase food slightly. I also indulge when cutting aswell. If me and my partner are going out... I will eat completely free and not worry. If it is an event ie birthday etc.. Exact same protocol. I had a birthday party last weekend (I don't drink alcohol btw) i honestly destroyed those sandwich platters lol birthday cake.. All the goodies. Didn't think twice. Never weighed in for a week and got back on track

I just wanted to get away from that obsessive counting and firing up myfitnesspal everyday. Could honestly spend hours on that app to get a bang on accurate day and weigh every gram.....

But... If your happy tracking then that's honestly fine. I reckon most people still do tbh
 
bell1986

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I haven’t really ever thought about it but I think I would struggle with cutting and bulking hard. It takes me a long time to adjust to the calorie swings and the differences in food. Right now I’m cutting and I like to eat different stuff throughout the day so keeping track of calories is important. I tend to overeat whether I’m bulking or cutting if I’m not paying attention. I know because when I try to go and bulk up I start thinking I got it under control, stop tracking as much, before you know it I’m 16% bf and look soft as hell. Cutting is hard for me too because all my fat sits on my mid section. I could have veins popping out everywhere (like right now) but can barely see abs. I’m right where you’re at too right now, 5’9” around 10/11% and 180lbs.
Depends where your physique is sitting at just now i suppose?.. For me personally i am happy with how i look. Defo lean looking but i also carry a decent amount of mass. I came from an obese state to looking fairly good so even to maintain is more than enough for me.

I just didn't have a good relationship with food for a few years.. Labeling foods as good and bad etc.. I still eat relatively healthy but i can indulge easier now due to not tracking and being obsessed with macro's.

The way i have worked it out is to just eat and weigh in once a week/fortnight and then up food from their. I just add in a little extra food if my weight drops and just steadily increase. As i says above. I can eat. So bumping calories aint no issue.

When i am cutting... All i do is cycle to and from work 6 mile x 6 Days so i add in 36 miles of cycling and just tidy my diet very slightly and my weight then begins to fall. If it is too quick then i increase food slightly. I also indulge when cutting aswell. If me and my partner are going out... I will eat completely free and not worry. If it is an event ie birthday etc.. Exact same protocol. I had a birthday party last weekend (I don't drink alcohol btw) i honestly destroyed those sandwich platters lol birthday cake.. All the goodies. Didn't think twice. Never weighed in for a week and got back on track

I just wanted to get away from that obsessive counting and firing up myfitnesspal everyday. Could honestly spend hours on that app to get a bang on accurate day and weigh every gram.....

But... If your happy tracking then that's honestly fine. I reckon most people still do tbh
 

_Endure_

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I'd love to get back to intuitive eating. I think I could do it mostly without issue as I eat clean all the time but somehow I feel like I have to track. I'd only question myself on meat portions as sometimes I think I'm right on the money with a said amount and then I'm off 20-30 grams one way or another (mostly not being able to judge water weight etc.) Just like cable, maybe you just have to "cut the cord".
 
Mathb33

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As good as anyone could know dieting and food, to me this sound as logical as someone about to build a 52 floors building without any plan. It can work, but it’s inacurate at best and certainly not optimal when you think about it.
 

jrock645

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Well, if you build a meal plan and get into the habit of eating it, it gets pretty intuitive after a while. You could start making certain swaps for convenience and circumstance, and from a macro standpoint it wouldn’t make a real big difference. A cup of one carb source is roughly equal to a cup of another carb source, at least on average over time in the grand scheme. So you’re still eating about the same number of meals, roughly the same portions. You’re not tracking but the portions haven’t really changed so the calories and macros may not change all that much. Unless you’re swapping chicken and rice for cheeseburgers and fries, I don’t see any problem with this.
 
Mathb33

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Well, if you build a meal plan and get into the habit of eating it, it gets pretty intuitive after a while. You could start making certain swaps for convenience and circumstance, and from a macro standpoint it wouldn’t make a real big difference. A cup of one carb source is roughly equal to a cup of another carb source, at least on average over time in the grand scheme. So you’re still eating about the same number of meals, roughly the same portions. You’re not tracking but the portions haven’t really changed so the calories and macros may not change all that much. Unless you’re swapping chicken and rice for cheeseburgers and fries, I don’t see any problem with this.
Yep that works but then again this is like tracking macros but in your head if you have enough knowledge. If that’s what he meant then yeah but if he meant just go healthy and go on the feel then I really don’t think it’s close to optimal
 

jrock645

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Yep that works but then again this is like tracking macros but in your head if you have enough knowledge. If that’s what he meant then yeah but if he meant just go healthy and go on the feel then I really don’t think it’s close to optimal
That could produce wildly inconsistent results, yes.
 
bell1986

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As good as anyone could know dieting and food, to me this sound as logical as someone about to build a 52 floors building without any plan. It can work, but it’s inacurate at best and certainly not optimal when you think about it.
Are you competing? Or just training to look good? I don't compete but i love weight training and being active. So for me personally i just want to have a proper social life. Tracking constantly is almost bordering an eating disorder if you think about it. Our body's run on very accurate and guided signals. It will let you know its hungry and will also say when to stop... The last couple years i had completely lost those signals and would eat based on my tracking. Fasting for 16 hours and then packing meals in and only meals i deemed as good for me. Not what my body was crying out for. So my brain was sending signals constantly for mixed foods. Even in a surplus i still had an appetite issue. Till this day i still suffer. It's not as bad but still remains.

If your not competing then you can still build a very good physique with intuitive eating. If you push your body to let it know it needs to grow and throw in the building blocks. It will use them I am still making progress even being intuitive. No sure if you have seen Jeff Nippards videos? He intuitively eats and still is making progress and he also... Competes.

Just my opinion man
 
bell1986

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Well, if you build a meal plan and get into the habit of eating it, it gets pretty intuitive after a while. You could start making certain swaps for convenience and circumstance, and from a macro standpoint it wouldn’t make a real big difference. A cup of one carb source is roughly equal to a cup of another carb source, at least on average over time in the grand scheme. So you’re still eating about the same number of meals, roughly the same portions. You’re not tracking but the portions haven’t really changed so the calories and macros may not change all that much. Unless you’re swapping chicken and rice for cheeseburgers and fries, I don’t see any problem with this.
If you have tracked for years like me then you just know how to get all your macros in. You know that lump of chicken you just picked up is 200g roughly and will supply 45-48g of protein. We become number machines after a while.

I just stopped purely due to becoming very unsociable. You know that way your scanning a menu and your like. That's got a ton of fat or not enough protein in that meal. I would always end up with very much the same dishes at most restaurants. Chicken based with potatoes and a veg. My partner was starting to crack up about it and just says. Can you not just relax and have something completely different? So now i pick what i actually want and not what fits my daily intake. I would always skip the dessert menu aswell. Now i never do. That's what i was meaning with stop tracking.

Some evenings you would get to the end of the night and be sitting ravenous and your like.. I can't have anything i have had all my macros today. I don't do that now. I do stock treats at home for periods like that. I do pick a bit healthier options than just dipping a nutella jar lol

Just want a proper sense of satiety back. I haven't had a decent relationship with food for years. Food was fuel and never for fun or occasions.

I don't smoke or drink any alcohol at all so indulging now and again won't impact me that much. Our body's don't just lose muscle and pack on fat as easy as some seem to think. If your an active person and do weight train while eating normally... Not overly binging though. Your physique will improve. Its simple biology.

Anywhoo thanks for chiming in bro
 
Mathb33

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Are you competing? Or just training to look good? I don't compete but i love weight training and being active. So for me personally i just want to have a proper social life. Tracking constantly is almost bordering an eating disorder if you think about it. Our body's run on very accurate and guided signals. It will let you know its hungry and will also say when to stop... The last couple years i had completely lost those signals and would eat based on my tracking. Fasting for 16 hours and then packing meals in and only meals i deemed as good for me. Not what my body was crying out for. So my brain was sending signals constantly for mixed foods. Even in a surplus i still had an appetite issue. Till this day i still suffer. It's not as bad but still remains.

If your not competing then you can still build a very good physique with intuitive eating. If you push your body to let it know it needs to grow and throw in the building blocks. It will use them I am still making progress even being intuitive. No sure if you have seen Jeff Nippards videos? He intuitively eats and still is making progress and he also... Competes.

Just my opinion man
I get what you mean and it’s true for a lot of people. Am I competing? No. But I’m on multiple compound and on test for life and my goal IS to look as good as someone competing so yes imo competing or no if you wanna look good you need to keep track of your food to a certain degree. I do agree with your other post though that if you’re experienced enough you do not need a tracker as you can calculate all that in your head but then again this is exactly like tracking but for more experienced people. My thought was if someone is to go on the FEEL and eat when he is hungry and just make sure to eat healthy this is absolutely not gonna work out. Probably can work for someone who just want a decent body but that’s about it. I’m5’10 202 lbs right now at 11% and will be 225 10% by the end of the year and this isn’t gonna happen by going by feeling. But I absolutely get your point that it makes sense for the casual people
 

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