I stopped counting!

I think each individual has to find what works best for them. Any activity that becomes obsessive is unhealthy so if the counting became unhealthy for you, you should absolutely take a break from it. Only you can know if that break is temporary or permanent. For me, if I stop counting I give myself permission to over-indulge and then I gain. I don't obsess over the numbers, just keep track.

Agree with this! I love information--all kinds--and I actually love tracking because it's intriguing how many calories certain foods have. I think the difference is whether or not the numbers rule the rest of your life in an unhealthy manner.

Counting all the time became too time consuming. It's time I would rather be cycling, walking or doing 100 other things, I needed a couple of months to reach a goal and learn some new ways to approach meals and snacks that kept calories down. Once those goals were achieved, a check in every few days to make sure my menu plans are still on track is all I need. If I change how I'm eating, or come up with a new recipe, I'll come log it in as a reality check and to keep myself aligned with my goals.

I don't count calories. I think that if I am eating healthy, grab a fruit instead of a granola bar, I think I can maintain.

I am certainly not an expert but I don't think that not counting would work for a food addict or compulsiev over eater. Maybe but I must throw some caution out to them.

I am afraid to stop counting. I may count calories for the rest of my life. I could easily eat 5000 calories if i am not keeping count!!

I am certainly not an expert but I don't think that not counting would work for a food addict or compulsiev over eater. Maybe but I must throw some caution out to them.

Absolutely.

I think this is good for everyone to remember. On both sides of the coin.
I DONT need to count forever, (and dont want to be told that calorie counting is the ONLY way), but I need to be reminded that for some folks "just cutting out the whites" and "eat intuitively" doesn't work (though it does for me).

Thanks!

I am certainly not an expert but I don't think that not counting would work for a food addict or compulsiev over eater. Maybe but I must throw some caution out to them.

Absolutely.

I think this is good for everyone to remember. On both sides of the coin.
I DONT need to count forever, (and dont want to be told that calorie counting is the ONLY way), but I need to be reminded that for some folks "just cutting out the whites" and "eat intuitively" doesn't work (though it does for me).

Thanks!

Maybe, but I am the least intuitive person out there and I feel like if I can learn to do it, anyone can (or at least most people). I tried to "eat intuitively" for awhile and utterly failed, was about to go back to logging when I came across the book "how to have your cake and your skinny jeans too" by Josie Spinardi. She lays out a strategy very clearly.

Here are the suggestions from the book:

1. Eat when physically hungry (hunger is hard for me to recognize but she provides good tips for discerning true hunger; I used to do a lot of eating "in advance" in case I became hungry later and have pretty much stopped doing that)
2. Eat what you really want (give yourself permission to have dessert/chips/etc. any time you want it (if you're physically hungry) -- once you know you can have what you want when you want it, it takes a lot of the mental stress away from eating)
3. Be present/enjoy eating
4. Stop when satisfied (this was also very difficult for me to recognize but again there are tricks offered in the book that make this easier -- and they work)
5. Check in with yourself after eating to see how you feel (this helps you make better choices for your body and you start to want what feels healthy and nourishing)

That is the basic approach. It sounds simple and obvious, but I needed these instructions. Once I started doing this, I felt like a different person around food. It is that powerful. I honestly think most people can do this if they try. Many people do this instinctively!

It just occurred to me reading over this that this is really a good problem to have, considering all the people in the world who don't have access to enough food. We are all pretty lucky.

That 5 lb buffer plan is awesome! I am encouraged by that.

I joined mfp because I wanted to lose the weight I gained from my pregnancy. I lost all of it, and now, I'm just trying to lose some extra weight. I was always a healthy weight throughout my life so I know how to lose weight and maintain. I still ate what I liked, but small portions. I ate three times per day as well. I would have one snack too. All that being said, I want to give it a try again. I am disciplined enough to control how much I eat so I believe I'm going to do it.

Be very careful of not counting. I had lost and maintained for over 9 months. Then in May, I stopped and voila - I find myself in mid-August at 10 lbs up. I am back on track. I weigh myself every morning (use this to stop shoving things into my mouth), log my food and exercise and read these posts to get motivated for the day. I thought I could maintain without this discipline but I can't . This might not be everyone but I find maintaining harder than losing. It took 3 months to gain and will probably take that long to lose the extra weight but... it will come off.

I don't count.
If I start packing on the pounds I'll go back to counting, but I find it to be tedious and boring.

I've stopped counting recently, but I've only been logging/counting for a couple months. I've been trying to gain weight, and MFP made me realize my intake was lower than what I thought it was, but now I have a pretty good idea of how much I need each day.

I will start logging again when my routine changes in another month when I try to lower my body fat.

yeah good idea its ok to keep a rough idea but going into it heavily will just make you miserbly

Another non-counter here! This is my first week not counting, and I feel happier than ever. I'm listening to my body, making healthy decisions when I'm hungry, and stopping when I'm comfortably full. I still record my meals under "food notes" for some accountability to share with my friends, but I don't do the numbers anymore. I was obsessing over them and it contributed to the disordered eating I'm trying so hard to beat.

Also, my goal is to maintain my current weight and it has stayed exactly the same all week.

I needed to stop too, It was making me have a more unhealthy relationship with food than before, I became obsessive about what I was eating which was quite ridiculous as I was a gainer, and then maintainer. I counted for a year...now I know how much I need to be eating to maintain, and it comes more naturally...I did mange to change my instincts at least.