Not as obsessed with calorie counting!!

Hi everyone!

Just thought i'd let every know i've stopped become as obsessive with calorie counting!

It started when i got back from holiday 2 weeks ago and i only put on 3lbs. after a week of eating and drinking lots of alchohol, i felt the 3lb gain was worth it

Anyway that weight gain has come off now, i now feel that i should eat what i want but in moderation!!

When i first started MFP I was calorie counting the tomato ketchup and drinks at 1 calorie or less! it drove me mad!!

Now I sometimes miss days from my diary and eat mcdonalds once a week and feel so much better for it!
My weight loss has now stopped taking over my life! and i am still losing and mantaining me weight!

anyone else feel this way??

Yes and no.

If someone can count calories "most of the time" and incorporate periods or days where they don't count, and they can still manage to lose at a reasonable pace, then I think this is superior. It can quickly become mentally exhausting (and OCD) to meticulously track calories.

The other solution is to do as you're doing and track "most of your stuff" but not literally everything.

The problem that comes in is that many people can't do this successfully. People often under-report calorie intake and then post on the boards about how they can't lose weight at 1400 calories when they're really eating 2200 calories, they just don't know it. Whether that's poor tracking, failure to measure/weigh foods, etc.

In the end, a calorie deficit is a REQUIREMENT for losing non-water weight. You don't necessarily have to track the calories to be in a deficit, but it's probably a good idea to do so often enough to make sure.