Coutnin' calories for the rest of your life?

When I was in my 20s I was a lot more conscious of the calorie count of everything. Now I have a general idea of the relative calorie count of what I eat and I rarely pay attention to the actual count except when looking at nutrition labels. I know fresh vegetables (other than the starchy ones such as beans and potatoes) are near zero, and that grilled is better than fried, tomato-based soups and sauces are better than cream-based ones, etc.

I'm very careful in restaurants because of the "super-size" portions. And yes, you CAN do dinner for 700 calories. Get a salad with no cheese or meat, dressing on the side, and dip your fork in the dressing before stabbing the veggies rather than pouring the dressing on. Instead of a main dish order an appetizer that's not fried or a non-cream based soup. Get a side of steamed veggies if you want. Skip the bread and dessert. Heck, you can even enjoy a glass of wine or a small scoop of sorbet.

No need to stress, and no need to give up and think you can't stay within your calorie limit.

Applejack, is that you?

I've been using MFP on and off for a while. May 2012 I was at my high of 153, I managed to get in to the 140s before I stopped. August 2012 I was back up to 152. I was down to 145 within 2 months and stopped using MFP again. I didn't look at a scale again until January 2013 and I was down to 140- without counting calories! I didn't exercise and didn't pay all that much attention to what I ate. I must have changed my portion sizes though, how else would I have lost another 5 pounds?

So I think that once I'm at my goal weight I will be able to maintain without counting calories because MFP is helping me to make a lifestyle change and learn what proper portions are. I'm not on a fad diet and I will be able to maintain my new weight

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend I haven't seen or talked to for a couple of years. I only had 700-some calories left for the day I had spent the whole afternoon stressin', thinkin' what could I possibly get at this particular restaurant that wouldn't make me go over. I knew my options where next to none. I get there, and start lookin' over the menu and I just decided to eat what I wanted, without worryin' about calories. I ate and I'm sure I went over my remainin' calories, but I didn't stuff my face and I enjoyed my meal and the company.
Upon leavin' the place, I got to thinkin' about countin' calories and if it's really somethin' I can see myself doin' for a long time. The answer is NO. I will long enough to get the excess weight gone, but for me, this has been a journey in portion control and all over healthier eatin'. My goal is to have transitioned over to the clean eatin' lifestyle, and I don't feel like once I've mastered that, I'll even need to really worry so much about calories.
Anyone else out there feel like this? Or do you plan on continuin' to count calories/points/what have you for a long, long time? Any clean eaters out there that don't count calories and have lost/maintained weight?

I plan on logging my food and exercise for the rest of my life. i have been down this weight loss too many times to quit now because everytime I quit thinking about it, all my efforts were for naught and the d**m weight returned. Well, I am 53 years old and don't plan on dying fat so yes I am logging everyday and counting calories forever more.

I'm intending to get to my goal weight, carry on counting at maintenance for, say, 3 months, until I feel like I can keep eating sensibly at that level, and then stop I don't want to do it forever, but if I stop too soon I know I'll just go straight back to square 1.

Sadly, I think I will need to log for the rest of my life too :-(

I plan to weigh and measure foods and to track calories for the rest of my life. Now that I'm old enough to have been around the block a few times, I know that is THE way for me to attain and maintain a healthy weight.

I don't think you have to do it for the rest of your life. It's just a tool to help you gain or lose weight. That's all. I keep track mostly because I tend to undereat. But nowadays, I feel like I really don't need to. Even going over 500 calories will not kill anyone.

I don't know how to keep the weight off w/o counting. It is so easy though, to do. The tools MFP gives you makes it so easy!! And yes, there will be days when you go over. That is life!! There are some of us who just can't do w/o it....others can. As soon as I quit logging, I gain weight. So I will be here forever! It works! I had lost about 20 lbs and gained most of it back by not logging, so am back at it!! 12 more to go!!!

I'll do it until I trust myself to make good food choices in proper portions without it.

I plan on logging my food and exercise for the rest of my life. i have been down this weight loss too many times to quit now because everytime I quit thinking about it, all my efforts were for naught and the d**m weight returned. Well, I am 53 years old and don't plan on dying fat so yes I am logging everyday and counting calories forever more.

^^^ this is how it is for me too. I am now the most healthy I have ever been and at 50 the lowest weight I have ever been...if I want to keep this look I'm going to have to be in it for the long haul.

I can go prolonged periods without logging, but I feel better and can perform better (running, lifting, etc.) when I track my food.

I think of it like managing my bank account. Sure, I can keep a tally in my head for a while, but if I still need to balance my check book manually.

I don't think of it as a way to limit my intake... just a way to make sure I'm eating right.

No..

if your goal is to change you life and change your eating habits you won't have to worry about counting calories, your choices in food will just be correct.

Calories in my view are just a way for us to realize what we are eating and how much of it is a proper portion. They are a tool we use to train our minds the proper way to eat. Once you've got it, counting them will be unnecessary becuase you'll make the right choices most of the time without needing to count.

Gosh I could never do this for the rest of my life. I can eat healthy and exercise and make good choices though.. but worrying about everything and logging it all.. no thanks!

After over 40 years of bad eating, I am thinking I will have to count for the rest of my life. Would it be nice for me to be able to stop, sure, but when I do I put weight on again. For the amount of time it takes me to count calories with an app like MFP, it is not an issue. As for eating out, one meal will not hurt one way or the other, and it would be easy enough to get a meal that is tasty and within 700 calories at pretty much any restaurant. I would just require making some careful choices and perhaps asking them to modify how they prepare things.

^^^ This. It took me to the wise old age of 49 to finally accept the reality that I will ALWAYS have to keep a calorie count to finish losing this weight and maintain it. If I were to only do this til I reached goal weight, then stopped and started eating what I wanted without knowing the cal count, then I would eventually gain back all the weight I worked so hard to lose. I'm not going down that road again, so for me-- Counting calories for Life! And it is definitely worth the effort.

Hmm, This is a hard thing to say about counting calories.....I use to be 200 6 years ago. Then I was not working and worked outside of my home. I did the Bob green total body workout and lost 60 lbs over 9 months. I was very very active, working out 6 days a week to be able to loss that much weight. Now I have 6 years later and need to loss 20 years after having my baby. My baby boy is 3 months old now and is sleep through the night. I am 6 years older and in that 6 years went to school and got me degree and now I have a full time job... How to I loose the weight this time? I have been counting calories and am not loosing any weight. I do not have the energy of the time to loose it the same way I did last time, but I only have 20 lbs to loose. For me calories and your tracking them helps me keep my emotional eating under control. So I think it is a balance of keeping things in control...
Once you reach your goal and stop doing what you did to loose the weight, the weight will come back. So you need to reach your goal and then do what you can to keep it off. Because it will come back if you eat more calories then you burn.
So remember their is two sides of the equation. So if you eat more calories then he had for that day, no worries. Do more walking or activity the next day to help counter act what you ate the night before. Good luck finding the balance that works for you.