Calorie counting - how long did you keep a food diary?

[The Escapist]

I've been keeping track for a couple of weeks and know what's in my breakfast and lunch (cos I always have the same thing lol). Dinner's a little more tricky though. If I cook myself or my Mum makes meals with a small number of easily counted ingredients, then fine. Problem is when she cooks something that isn't convenient to count...

At this stage I have a decent idea of portion sizes and calories and so on, do I really need to be keeping track indefinitely or do you allow yourself a bit of leeway and just 'know' what you're eating even if it may have you a *little* over or under your daily limit due to imprecision?

Opinions welcome

 

[maleficent]

I faithfully kept a diary -weighing and measuring and creating recipes that I knew calorie counts and portion sizes for over about 18 months...

When I was being faithful - weight loss was easy -

the past year -I've not kept a food diary instead estimating portions etc... I've never stopped beingg aware of what i'm eating I just don't keep track of it as I used to... and in that past year I've maintained what I lost...

I think once you hit a goal weight then you can stop counting everything and just be aware of how your clothes fit, etc... but while you're losing.. counting is critical... because little things do add up

 

[The Escapist]

I know they do, which is why I set my weight loss deficit from maintainence to 1,000 as opposed to 500, so I'm always safe even if I do creep a tiny bit.

It's just not practical for me to keep a food diary indefinitely as I don't prepare my dinners. Breakfast and lunch are fine, I know what I'm eating, so I know how much I have to play around with for dinner and can make fairly accurate guesstimates based on counts and portion sizes I've checked in the past.