do you log every day or estimate?

I used to log what I ate every day, but for the past week or so I've just been estimating in my head.  I really think I like it better because it feels so much less obsessive, but I also love logging my cals to see what my percentages were (like getting enough fat, etc.) and to make sure to get enough calcium, iron, protein and all that.   It's also easier because you don't have to be counting in your head all day.  I guess in reality, my goal is to eventually stop logging completely and try to live like a normal person and not have to think about it so much. 

So any of you out there, especially if you're trying to be less obsessive/ eat more/ recover from an ED/ etc :  do you log or estimate? 

I still log everything, even salt added, but just because I'm trying to establish healthy eating habits, and before a few months ago, I paid no attention to what I put in my body. Eventually I'd like to stop logging- I guess that's whenever I reach my goal weight or when I know that I'm getting enough nutrients in whatever I'm eating. Nutrition's forefront in my mind, so whenever I feel confident enough about my eating choices I'll be able to stop.

I log when I feel like it, but not religiously. About half the time lately. It's nice to see my nutrition grades (love getting A's lol,) and the calories, but I'm getting good at estimating. 

I use the food log as a spot check.  Calorie counting is a good servant but a bad master.

im recovering from ED and have never logged!! i just come here for the support :D i do estimate tho :/

Yep same, also recovering from an ED so mainly just using the community section for support and advice, although I do sometimes search foods to get rough idea of calorie content as I estimate my totals.

(Also as I'm in the UK, CC generally doesn't have a lot of the brands we have over here so can't really log a lot of stuff)

I keep track everyday (not necessarily log every day).  I actually double log - once on CC when I look a food up and once on my own spreadsheet.  When I search for a food, I just go ahead and add it to my CC log since I'm there anyhow.  However, since I live in Germany, some of the foods I buy aren't in CC (different cheeses or breads, restaurants, prepared foods, etc), so I use the package info and log it in my spreadsheet.  I also have a little graph in my spreadsheet so I can get a quick visual of my intake for the week/month...  With a quick look, I can see that I'm eating generally too little or too much and alter the following few days to get back to my overall goal.

I'm not obsessive about it though.  I jot things down when I'm in the kitchen (keeping track), but sometimes I don't actually log everything until a couple of days later.  The first month, I was a bit obsessive, but I've calmed down now. 

I also weigh and log everything and it keeps me on track.  My question is this:  if I add a supplement (like flaxseed oil capsules) which would increase my daily calories by 60 if I take the reccommended dose - then do I have to decrease my food intake by 60 calories?

i log everything unless i am abroad/away from the compter (it happened once during my diet and i expect this to happen once in every 2-3 months for about 3 days). i plan to estimate more maybe in a year or two, when i am no longer overweight

Original Post by dwestmore:

I also weigh and log everything and it keeps me on track. My question is this: if I add a supplement (like flaxseed oil capsules) which would increase my daily calories by 60 if I take the reccommended dose - then do I have to decrease my food intake by 60 calories?

You don't have to, but yes the supplement counts as food if it has calories.

I logged everything just so I'll know what I'm eating...or else I will munch away mindlessly.  On Sundays for some reason I don't seem to log, but I still keep up with it in my head.  I like to see the numbers in front of me!

Today I will log on what I ate yesterday. I do this because I worked and I have any easier time doing it this way.

I have the same problem!  Although I don't want to be obsessive, I want to log everything so that I get enough fiber, fats, and calcium every day.  I tried to not log things for the past few days, and I don't feel comfortable not knowing what percentage of my foods were fats and proteins on my workout days.  I am just hoping to establish overall healthy eating habits so I don't have to worry about getting my daily nutrients and logging everything.

I log every few days, but usually not dinner, because it's too hard to count and remember everything I've eaten. I don't think this site is 100% accurate because sometimes it doesn't carry the same brand of bread or whatever you're eating so you have to log "commercial" or a different brand and it ends up being more or less calories than you've actually eaten...