Tired of Counting Calories

abr25
abr25 Posts: 179
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All!

I've been on here for 1 year tomorrow and have lost and kept off 50 lbs by counting my calories and exercising.

But I don't want to have to count my calories forever. I'm tired of feeling tied to my food diary so much and just want to live easier with less anxiety about every single calorie I am eating.

Anyone not count calories or have advice on how I can ween myself off counting all my calories?

Replies

  • lizbeth787
    lizbeth787 Posts: 101 Member
    I've been a calorie counter for years... and honestly, it's second nature now. I don't really have to log every day if I don't want to. I "know" how many calories I have consumed. I also eat the same type of foods all the time, so even when I do go out for dinner or want to indulge, I know I can because i'm well aware of what I normally eat! Hope this helps!
  • lemonllama
    lemonllama Posts: 124 Member
    Well are you shocked at the end of the day when you do your totals? Or do you pretty much know around what you've eaten before you enter it?? If so, then you probably don't need to anymore!! I tracked for about 8 months and lost 25ishlbs, then stopped for about 5 months, and I KNEWWW when I was over and when i had done good, but stopped losing weight, but still maintained about the same weight, I only really track when i want to lose, just because I like to SEE it...

    If you're tired of tracking maybe just stop for a few days, and weigh, see if you've gained, also judge by how your clothes fit, if you stop for a few weeks and your pants start getting tight maybe you should start tracking for a while... I think the goal of it is just to be able to eat healthy and the right amount of calories WITHOUT having to track...

    Good luck =)
  • debmac63
    debmac63 Posts: 459 Member
    I have 35 pounds to go and I will be at my goal weight. My plan at that point is to try to maintain my weight by continuing to make healthy choices in food and maintaining my exercise, all without logging food & exercise everyday.

    If I see that the weight starts creeping back on I will continue to log food and exercise until I'm 6 foot under.
  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
    You have developed healthy eating patterns and know how much of something you can have. So continue to eat what you've been eating. Don't let the junk back in and what the carb monster.
  • epappas09
    epappas09 Posts: 50 Member
    I had so much anxiety about plugging in what I eat, it was interfering with my life! So at first i went to only entering breakfast and lunch, but now I am entering just breakfasts most days, and rarely lunches if I am unsure, and it seems to be working out!

    give it a try!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    It's an interesting point, and it's different for everyone. I know that me personally, I don't need to record everything I eat any more, because I just know now how many calories are in something (within a range that is), and now that I'm on maintenance there some leeway on just how many calories I eat. Some days I'm over a couple hundred calories, some days I'm under, but I know generally where I am without actually sitting down and calculating the calories.

    For the last year or so I have been doing this, and staying at the same weight comfortably, if you put the effort into not just writing down the calories, but actually learning what kinds of foods have what kinds of calories, you eventually can make informed decisions without having to look something up before you eat it. It's actually quite liberating to look at a menu and just know what you can and cannot eat (or rather should and should not, I CAN eat anything I want, but I choose not to eat unhealthy).
  • FitnessOver50
    FitnessOver50 Posts: 35
    I never count calories any more. It is a pain. Frankly, it never worked for me.

    I just make sure that most of the food I eat is not processed in some way. I find that if I eat more natural foods that have not had the fiber removed and prepare my meals from scratch as compared to frozen dinners, etc - I can eat pretty much whatever I want. This combined with regular exercise seems to work for me.

    Also, I stay away from restaurants a fair bit because their meals are high in calories and have high levels of fat. Ironically, restaurant salads can be the worst items on the menu.
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