Are you anal about logging everything you eat here?

My hubby said that he thinks I?m obsessing about making sure I log everything I eat in the food journal. Even when we go out to eat I make sure to get somewhat of an idea of how many calories I'm eating. I usually stay around 1200 to 1400 for the day and then I have an off day, where I can eat whatever I want...( I don?t go really overboard... but like If I want to eat pizza or something to that affect..) Is anyone else anal about making sure they log their food here?

TOTALLY!!!  otherwise, what's the point -- at least that's how I feel anyway. 

I mean, if I'm making spaghetti sauce and I taste a bit to see if it needs more garlic, I don't get out my scale and weigh the little taste!

but even on my "off" nights, I go back the next day and log what I ate, and it's never as bad as I think it was.

I think that if I'm diligent now, and logging everything, then when I get to maintenance, I'll KNOW by looking at food what it's worth.  I tell myself I'm building new skills.

My luvie said I was getting a bit obsessive, but as soon as I explained the above to him, he stopped.  He's actually on "The Coat-Tail Diet" as he calls it -- meaning he's been following my lead and eating the way I am.  In 6 weeks, he's down 10lbs!

Do what works for YOU.

I wouldn't say that I am anal about it.  I do log almost everything I eat.  I don't log things like gum and such.

I don't weight everything either.  I sometimes just estimate what the weight is or the serving size.

Sometimes, I don't log my supper.  I'll know that I am at 1200 today and have room for 500 more.  I'll look at what I am eating, get an idea that its about 550, so I'll be fine.

My fiancee complains about it too, but I shut him up a few nights ago when we were going out to dinner and I said 'one sec', and plopped down at my computer to see what I could eat where we were going.

He said, "Good lord, Elly, it's just one meal, let's go already.  You spend way too much energy on that stupid log."

And I said, "I'm not sacrificing my health for your convenience.  Wait or go and I will join you shortly."

Haven't had a word of complaint since!  :-D

i do log everything, i dont weigh stuff which i should but i think some things o over estimate.

i know my boyfriend goes to me last week, because i was making nachos with these light chips and i was counting how many i was putting on my plate so i stayed within my calories, and he goes "OMG ur not REALLY counting your chips are u" i looked an said yea how else am i to know if im staying within my calorie intake??

hi,
i,m new here.I keep a written journal of the calories i take in during each day(i don't know how to create a log here yet) but i write down eveything i eat each day.The writing really seems to help me focus on what  i'm trying to do.
 When i started 7 wks. ago i weighed 171(i'm 5'6'')yesterday at weigh in i was 158,my b/p is down from 210/140 to 110/68 this a.m.,got to tell ya i feel better,and just amazed at what counting calories,and a half hr walk every day has done,i never would have thought it. from the results i've gotten so far i intend to keep writing every thing down. it works, how do i do a log on this sight?

I try not to be "anal" but I do try to be thorough. Often, though, on weekend days when I know I'm blowing it, I won't bother counting. I also didn't do any counting during our week at Disney World, primarily because they wanted $10/day for internet access in the room. :)

I sure do.  I feel I'm being really pro active by doing so.  And, I do weigh food, too.  That may sound a little overboard to some,  but, I'm no expert at estimating amounts, and I'm dead serious about what I'm trying to do for myself, as I know all you are.  People can laugh at me all they want, but the end result will be more than worth it, right?  It also helps me to track what I'm putting in my tummy, as far as "nutrition" goes.  I check my nutrition analysis to see if I'm on the right track.  I'm a very picky eater, and I want to make sure I'm getting some nutritional foods into my body, too.  I love this website, and I enjoy reading the input of folks like you.   

I log everything.  Everything.  I agree with Tamji, if we didn't log everything, what would the point be?

For me it helps.  It's a deconstruction of bad behaviour, and positive reinforcement of good behaviour.  I try to make my 25/25/50 goal everyday, so it's a metric of how I am doing in terms of lifestyle change.  It's really helpful also with respect to tracking what you are eating with homecooked meals.   

If I slide, and have a mini-tootsie roll out of the office bucket-o-junk-food, I record it.  If I add coffee-mate to my coffee, I add it.  It all adds.

~Verve

I am trying to get more diligent...as far as I know it is good to be accurate...its good to know what's going on with your body.  Ellybell...I just read youre profile and you and I are both 25, I am 6'1 and I would like to get down to 160, 150 would be great.  I added you as one of my friends....sounds like you are doing great on the diet...any other 20-somethings that are tall like us???

Gosh I'm glad I'm not the only "anal" one here.  I'm within 5 pounds of my goal weight (even though I could stop now and still be ok) 

but I think of it this way.  I've been doing this for 6 months now.  However, I've been going 26 years now with bad habits.  Even if I spend the next several YEARS on here logging religiously, I might still never undo all of the bad habits.  That makes me feel a little bit better and not so much like a log-freak.

Basically.

I don't log the sugar in my 2-3 cups of coffee a day.

The yogurt I log is wrong. I'm too lazy to  input the correct numbers.

I don't always input exact weights. For example I'll put in 200 grams instead of 220 for brocolli today.

But in general I log everything.

My husband gets so upset with me! I'm so anal, I even measure every portion-down to the number of nuts I eat (currently 18).

It really upsets me that things like Subway sandwiches can't be exacted. I eat the same thing every time: 6" turkey on wheat with a very small amt. of light mayo, onions, green peppers, pickles, tomato, and black pepper. I think I suggest a food every day.

I'm also anal about my activity log. Every time I walk up a flight of stairs I log it. I park as far from my car as possible and log the 4 1/2 minutes it takes me to walk there and back.

I don't think everyone has to be anal, but for some of us we feel like we're cheating otherwise.

I log, but not here. It didn't work for me, so the nurse suggested keeping a little book at home. I write down as I eat it, and find it easy to look things up from the past. I keep one book for a few weeks when a new one is started. Works well for me.

elttiks .x.

Yup. And I think that's the key to success.

I keep track of everything, down to the pat of butter I put on my toast. 

When I started here in july I was only tracking the big things, like the toast, but when I wasn't loosing anything I realized my calorie intake wasn't accurate because I was leaving things off, like the butter,  so now if I put cream in my coffee even if it's only a drop or two, I keep track. 

I do!  It drives my boyfriend nuts but I really want to know how much of what I'm eating is affecting my weight/calories.

I keep track of everything as well.  And I agree with those above me who say what's the point of being on here if you're not going to track everything.  If I don't measure what I eat, I will have no idea how much I have.  I say keep it up and do what works best for you!

I track it all - as best I can.  Sometimes the data base doesn't have exactly what I used so I find the closest thing and alway err on the side of too much. 

I stopped logging for about three months and I started to gain weight - since I've been back at it, it's under control and dropping back.

So it's not being anal it's being aware of how much and what kind of fuel you're asking your body to burn.  Keep doing what you're doing!

I don't log every oz of water I drink - or my diet sodas either.  I also rarely record my squirts of spray butter or pan spray.  I do guestimate alot but I also weigh most foods or measure most stuff. 

I am now mostly concentrating on sodium intake so have started to log more "little" things that have high sodium.

I dont log my calories on here since I am usually on the go, or if I'm at a computer I'm too busy working w/multiple windows open.  But I dot record everything in my planner.  Of course, I'm not so crazy about it now, only because my boyfriend kept complaining about me reciting every calorie eaten as we eat it.