Do any of you NOT count calories?

MJA1970

I don't have the patience to sit down and enter my food, so I keep a "running total" in my head during the day. I don't want to have to do this forever, obviously. I am hoping that once I reach my goal weight, I can stop and instead weigh myself every 2-3 days to keep a close eye on any gain so that I can nip it in the bud. In the meantime though, I count everything to make sure that I stay around 1500 cal/day. Do any of you NOT count calories and still lose weight? How?? ;-)

MJA1970

I don't have the patience to sit down and enter my food, so I keep a "running total" in my head during the day. I don't want to have to do this forever, obviously. I am hoping that once I reach my goal weight, I can stop and instead weigh myself every 2-3 days to keep a close eye on any gain so that I can nip it in the bud. In the meantime though, I count everything to make sure that I stay around 1500 cal/day. Do any of you NOT count calories and still lose weight? How?? ;-)

chantybear

If I do not count I eat wayyy too much. Logging makes me realize I have eaten enough for the day, and do not need to eat that chocolate or what ever. Just keep it really healthy, and do not snack.

havingitall

If I did a running total in my head, I would way underestimate what I was eating. I log it all

soxygirl

The reason I sought out this site was because keeping track in my head wasn't working . . . I definitely underestimated the calories I was eating, or more specifically the portion sizes, until I was writing it down. If you feel like you are close, though, then more power to you. I, too, hope to someday be able to go back to eating without tracking, once I'm in the habit of making the right choices. Until then, it's definitely been worth the extra fuss to keep track on here.

Binkylove

Oh no!!!! defo have to log all my calories or i would eat way too much!

e11xoxo

I think that if I reached my goal weight and stopped counting calories, I would gain the weight back. I understand how running a total through the day would get annoying. I actually plan my meals for the next day the night before. I pack my lunch accordingly, and the next morning grab my lunch box and head out. That way I'm counting calories for 5 minutes at night and not thinking about it through the day. Sometimes I have to go back and edit but overall I go by my plan.

CasperO

Double post (oops).

CasperO

I've done the running total before,,, Pretty soon I got bored with it, and I quit, and then I blew up like a balloon. :grumble: Now I use the food diary here to keep myself honest. It just takes a few minutes each day once you get the hang of it.

My wife is absolutely obsessed. 'couple days ago she asked "how manv calories are in a Tic-Tac?" (And no - she wasn't kidding :noway: ). That kind of dedication has helped her to lose 25 pounds in the last 3 months and changed hew whole body composition. This program does work if you use it diligently.

justdoingit

I have tried it all from diet pills, to Nutrisystem, Slimfast, Adkins....you name it, I've tried it. I always gained the weight back. For the first time since I've had my kids, I am actually weighing what I did before I got married!!! The only thing that has worked for me is counting calories and keeping a diet journal. As you can see from the time I first signed up to MFP, I have also struggled with keeping an accurate track of everything I eat but I started again in earnest on January 9th of this year and so far, I have lost 18 lbs.

At first it did seem tedious but now it's a habit and I don't mind logging everything I eat....

ngwife4life

Nope. Die hard calorie-counting plan ahead perfectionist here! I am like many others here that plan my meals all the day before or at least in the morning when I wake up so that I know I won't go over for the day. If I tried to add in my head I'm sure I'd max out by lunch time! I also weigh and measure every last bit of what I eat whenever I can.

singfree

During the week I usually eat the same things, with very little variation...so I am aware of how many cals I eat on a particular day. This is not exact, unless you precisely measure all of your food, which I will not do. I use a HRM to closely compute how many cals I get while exercising. I do not weigh myself, but I gauge my progress in the mirror and how my clothes are fitting. It may not work for you, but it is an adequate system for me!

riveraphx

I gained my weight back by not counting my calories. I was totally confident, going i got this, I'm a pro now, oh no, I was way wrong. I now have a plan b, for when I reach my final goal.

charliesgold

While I know the general calorie amount in what I eat since i've been tracking it for a couple of years now I still don't trust my estimations and prefer to enter my foods to keep track of them, it has helped me to SEE my progress more than I would otherwise. That being said there are occasions that I do not track - such as a vacation, in these instances I do not consider myself to be eating healthy because I allow myself that week or so of the year to "splurge", that is the week that I keep a running tally in my head because it's become a lifestyle for me to track my eating habits so I don't wind up where I was before.

etandit

Using the food diary, is more than just a cal. counter. It also breaks down fats, carbs protein and 2 other classifications that you can select. I also kept a running count...no biggie, right? Yep, well how long can you remember the running count for each day. Even if, i were to write it down, is it actually a very accurate count? and , did i get a proper break down of the other categories? I thought I would not be able to do this..,also, but, surprise surprise, i did, because i can see why it was a benefit for me to do so......I wish you the best with your weight loss, but would encourage you to use the food diary.

GIBride01

I really and truly think you need to get pretty stinkin anal about calories ie, logging, food scales, measuring cups and spoons, when starting out a diet, just for the education value if nothing else. Most people really do overestimate what a portion size is, and what a TBSP of something is. I can see how your system might work if you were at a comfortable weight, healthy and just trying to maintain, but I think you would be chasing your tail and not really getting anywhere doing mental calorie counts while trying to drop weight. Maybe try logging what you are going to eat tomorrow the night before, help reduce "logging time" and increase accoutability? Hope that helps!

OutinR

I do not count calories, I count fat grams. For some reason if I have over 20 grams a fat a day, my weight loss is slow. I am doing a 3 day test on this theory and I will see if keeping my fat grams under 20 grams a day will increase weight loss (this includes exercise as well).

1harleygal

I totally use this every day for counting the calories and logging in my excercises. I also prepare my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the next day plus my excercises so I know how to portion it out although my largest meal is dinner where I eat a huge salad to keep my full until breakfast! It really makes it much easier doing it a few minutes the night before and not trying to keep count in your head all dayk, that really doesn't work well for me! That is why I have only lost 10 pounds in a year, counting in my head, now since I have gotten back to inputting my info in here every day I have lost all that I gained so I am back on track!:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

angelascott919

For many years I kept a running total in my head and it has gotten me to where I am now, fat and sick. I always underestimated it and thought well I will do better tomorrow never came . Logging everything I eat keeps me in check, lets me know what i am really eating and is getting me to the place I need to be. For me taking that few minutes each day to log what I have eaten and planning out what I will and have eat keeps me where I need to be.

If you are planning everything ahead of time and know exactly what you eat then you may not need to log it but for the most part logging keeps you in check. I will help you know where you stand on a daily basis and know where you need to cut or add foods.

MOMOFTWO29

nope, I log every single bite of everything I eat. If I didn't I would over eat and gain all that I have lost and then some.

LostinCali

The biggest reason I love this site is because it does the counting for me. I never paid attention to how much was in everything until I saw it in black and white all totalled up for me. On days I can't get to the computer, I'm scared to type it in the next day cause I know I over eat.

muimuimui

If your main problem is not having the time to log your calories, then don't

I find that it takes up too much time, so what I do instead is...

make sure I know the amount of calories in the foods I'm eating
know how much I usually should eat in a day before going over
over-estimate my calories
use set plates, bowls, and portion sizes that I know the general calorie amount of already
count off how many meals I'm allowed to have in a day and how many calories I usually take up for it
keep a general idea tracked in my head

I'll log down what I have every now and then on certain days, but that's only to double check if I can have a treat or two.

In fact;; I spent last week studying for the finals I have this week. There was no exercising. There was no calorie counting. Still lost a pound.

But then.. while I love food I don't really have a problem going without it so.. it depends on how you work too.

LeanLioness

I don't count calories, but I count carbs.........

No matter what type of weight loss plan you follow, you are going to have to count something to keep everything on track.

I log everything here to make sure my fat, carbs and protein ratios are where they need to be.


I best advice to you is invest in a food scale and weigh your food before cooking.

When I first started low carbing, I was counting everything!! Then I was a professional low carber as I was giving everyone else advice and it was working for them, but I wasn't following my own advice and I ended up gaining all the weight back again.

So, back to counting I went!!!

iRun4wine

I always log- have to say, I almost enjoy it! Once I got into the routine, I couldn't imagine eating without logging. I don't necessarily see myself doing this every day for the rest of my life, but for now I'll certainly stick with it :flowerforyou:

slimkitty

I have been loosing my weight in cycles. I work really hard for a few weeks, keeping track of calories (logging everything I eat) and then I take a break and just try to maintain my new weight. I do not log food during this maintenance phase. I just eat slowly, try to be relaxed and have a conversation with my kids and husband while I am eating. That way I take my time and don't overeat. When I go into my next weight loss phase I count and log everything I put into my mouth. So I seem to be able to maintain my weight without logging everything, but I don't think I can lose weight that way.

soccerbum72

Not anymore! I was becoming too obsessed with numbers and staying perfectly within my limit and didn't like having the constant thought of food on my mind. Since I used to log, I generally know what I'm giving my body. Now I try to stick with real foods and control my portions while exercising on a regular basis. I should note, however, that I'm not looking for any major weight loss. I log on to read everyone's posts and messages

Tamishumate

I log EVERY SINGLE CALORIE I eat, ALL of it. IT is the only thing that works for me. I dont think there is any way around it really..

Georg

For many years I kept a running total in my head and it has gotten me to where I am now, fat and sick. I always underestimated it and thought well I will do better tomorrow never came . Logging everything I eat keeps me in check, lets me know what i am really eating and is getting me to the place I need to be. For me taking that few minutes each day to log what I have eaten and planning out what I will and have eat keeps me where I need to be.

:bigsmile: Absolutely!

Sapporo

I stopped counting calories last week and went back to counting servings. I eat on average 5 servings of vegetables, 2-3 of fruit, 2-3 protein, 2-4 carbs, 2-3 dairy, and 2 fats. The higher numbers are for more strenuous exercise days when I need more fuel.
I lost 50 lbs counting that way last year (kept most of it off), this year calorie counting since January I've only lost 18lbs so forget it.

MyaPapaya75

I don't have the patience to sit down and enter my food, so I keep a "running total" in my head during the day. I don't want to have to do this forever, obviously. I am hoping that once I reach my goal weight, I can stop and instead weigh myself every 2-3 days to keep a close eye on any gain so that I can nip it in the bud. In the meantime though, I count everything to make sure that I stay around 1500 cal/day. Do any of you NOT count calories and still lose weight? How?? ;-)

I dont have ti count much anymore however I find I am way under calories if I dont count....so I keep track of the main things like meat,treats and carbs,sodium....but I dont count fruits or fresh veggies...

mom_luk

Definitely count calories. I think part of this is learning to eat properly as well. Counting the calories/watching the nutrients is sortta like studying.

And it is surprising how many things that one "disregards" if you don't log it (ie coffee with cream and sugar- Timmies one and one is 75 calories. , handful of raisins out of the pantry on the way by).