iDiet

[a weight loss story]

kathrynoh at nemesis dot com dot au

::16.10.05::

No Safety Net?

Normally I am extremely vigilant about tracking my food and exercise - I started doing in a paper journal, then on Diet Club. So the other night I had this crazy idea. What if I just stopped? What would happen?

I don't mean not watching what I eat and going totally berserk, just not tracking.

The idea is pretty scary. Really scary, in fact. Like what if I eat a whole cheesecake or something and don't realise cos I haven't tracked it. What if I ate like a side of beef or something? I think I have control issues. But I know that sometime in the future, I will have to stop tracking. I mean, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life recording every morsel of food I eat. I have to learn to ease up a little - to trust myself.

One thought I had was to spend the rest of the month not tracking and see how I go - if I still lose weight. But I don't think I'm ready. Not yet. I might just let the idea sit with me for a while to get used to it.

# 8 comments * Post a Comment

The thought of not tracking is really scary!! Not something I am ready to give up yet!
I will be interested to see how you go - if you decide to stop for a while:)

By Leighanne, at 9:02 am

You're right -- someday we have to let go of the obsession, elsewise the compulsion will haunt us, too. Great insight, Kathryn. Given your progress and remarkable success, I'm sure you will know when it's the right time to take the next step.

By not specified, at 10:14 am

I can't stop myself from mentally tracking anyway. I think we just get so used to it that it becomes second nature.

By Suzy, at 1:31 pm

When I don't track I tend to "forget" things I ate. They are usually small things, like an extra apple, a couple of pieces of dry fruit, an extra tsp of olive oil in the salad...but this ends up in 2-3 points over daily, and although not in sugar or bad stuff, it adds up for me.

Give it a go, tell us how it goes.

By Argy, at 3:47 pm

Not tracking is really difficult to get used to - I've weaned myself off over the last month, and my discipline has definately slipped a little. However I AM still counting in my head, and I AM still maintaining, so thats gotta be a good thing :-)

By Emily Campbell - Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator, at 3:53 pm

Everything you've said is so true. I tried no tracking this weekend and it didn't work! I know I still need the discipline and accountability of it. Portion control has always been a huge issue for me too. I think you'll know when the time is right, when you know within yourself that you'll never again go back to your old habits, where you can trust yourself to make a good judgment. Given your vast achievements and inspiring attitude so far, I don't think that time is too far away.

Have a great week xo

By philippa_moore, at 4:39 pm

lol, i understand this, even if i eat way too much, i still have to guess, just so i know how much i have to do to make it up!

By Kt, at 7:24 pm

I wouldn't ditch tracking just yet! I've only just got back into it after a two month hiatus. During the two months, I didn't gain anything ... it was almost like I was on autopilot because I instinctively knew what a decent portion size is and was tracking in the back of my mind. I also maintained my exercise level. However, I also didn't really lose much (a kilo). So now I'm back onto tracking to see if I can finally get rid of those last few kilos.

By Sarah, at 9:15 am