People that only care about calories.

I am a calorie counter above and beyond anything. My goal is to do what I can with the tools that I have. That said, I try and keep my macros in line and watch my sodium. But, I don't sweat it, I am slowly getting better and I am making better choices all the time. I guess that's the biggest part, NOT beating yourself up (or letting anyone else get to you who feels the need to belittle you or your choices). So yeah, calories first, but not only.

Calories are the main thing I pay attention to.
The only others are Sodium and Sugar. Both of which I normally consume too much of.

I'm kind of an "exact" person in nature if that makes sense, so I'm pretty set on counting calories, measuring every meal I can and eyeballing what I can't, and I've lost more than I thought I would by doing so. But at the same time, I do try to manage the other types of intake like sodium or carbs or fat on the food diary's tracker. Sugar's something I don't particularly care about anymore on the food tracker here since I do eat/juice so many fruits anyway, but I try not to overdo certain categories, since so many of them can be stored as fat in a heartbeat.

I can see how counting calories doesn't help some people--I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing how diet coke is an easy crutch at 0 calories when its practically ALL artificial and hard for your body to digest and yet they still drink it without guilt and wonder why none of the weight's coming off. Some people rely on the number and that helps them sleep at night, and some people just watch the kind of food they put into their mouths. I think it all depends on the person, as common as that answer sounds. Some people don't digest sugars or fiber or what have you as well as other people, so that's another possibility why counting calories works for some and not others in terms of total weight loss. A balance between the two, I think is pretty much a good, healthy way to go.

I just counted calories before coming back to MFP, didnt work well, I was hungry all the time. Now I watch the macros I feel better, my skin and hair are great, the weight is coming off and Im not hungry :happy:

I'm one of the people who just counts calories (and I don't really know what macros and micros are). When I started the weight loss nearly 18 months ago now I decided that the only way it would work for me and be sustainable into the future was to continue to eat all the things I like - just less of them. And the things I like do tend to be crisps, cakes, chocolate etc. Still, it is working for me. I've gone down from 86.6kg to 58.4kg

Originally I just counted calories, once I felt that had become habit I started focusing on nutrition as well. I lost weight just coutning cal however I feel I've had better progress since focusing on nutrtion not just in fat loss but I've noticed much better progress in my fitness abilities, had more energy and less acne and stomache issues.

^^This
Divide tasks and conquer.

I think if someone just start counting calories, they are on their way to getting healthier

Like everyone else, calories are king and need to be reduced in order to lose weight. I try to balance the amount of calories ingested by eating healthy and therefore I do watch the marcos somewhat closely. The goals I set for myself are 55% carbs, 15% protein and 30% fat. I try to maintain 200 mg of cholesterol or less and try to keep sodium under 2000 mg. Everyone should keep in mind that these are goals.

I count calories and watch my protein intake. I know my first priority is to plan for over 100g protein in a day. After that I relax and eat whatever I want as long as it's under my calorie goal. I feel better when I eat more protein but I subscribe to the 80/20 rule, where if 80% of your diet is healthy food, the other 20% can be discretionary. I enjoy wine, soft cheese and candy as my discretionary stuff.

I started out just counting calories but now pay attention to the macros and feel better for it. sometimes i am over on carbs but as a runner I don,t worry too much about it, as long as i am on 40 protein most of the time its good. I am always low on iron can,t seen to get enough no matter what i eat but I have my bloods checked regularly and my haemoglobin is fine so again i don,t worry. I also always go over on sugar mainly bacause I eat fruit. Initially I found it very hard to get in protein as i have never really liked meat but now i am finding myself quite enjoying steak or chicken something I would have eaten before because it was good for me but not really enjoyed. Sodium is never a problem I cook most things from scratch, don,t add salt to my food and don,t eat salty snacks usually I am way under.

I'm a month in, and right now, my main focus is calories. I try to keep my sodium in check, but it isn't something I strive for, yet. I've lost 13lbs in September (again, new and 80lbs total to lose, so I'm sure it comes off quick for me).

I'm taking the "if it works, do it" approach. I am hardly exercising as well. As soon as what I'm doing stops working, I will change things up. I'll follow the macros, I will throw a butt-load of exercise in there. I think I failed so many times before because I jumped in, exercise and calorie counting, and then lost my momentum. I was sore from a hard workout, so I didn't work out the next day.. and ate bad. Then it became habit and I was back where I used to be.

I'm going to get this eating part done right, and then worry about exercising (although I plan to do the 30 Day Shred this month! eekk!!)

As someone who has dieted my entire life...I count calories (now). In 2002 I dieted, lost 70 and gained back. In 2005 I dieted, lost 84 and gained back more. In 2012 I changed my thinking, didn't diet and I have lost 106 and continue to lose!!! I eat whatever I want, I live my life! If I am going out to dinner I eat less during the day. If I want to eat a piece of cheesecake I eat it! BUT I go for a walk or hop on the treadmill. I listen to what my body needs. I am not on a diet AND I WILL NEVER DIET AGAIN. Do what works for you.