Do you expect to count calories the rest of your life?

I've tried several diets in the past. I always spent the entire time I was on the diet looking forward to getting off of it! And I always added the weight -plus- back on. This time, I'm not on a diet, I'm changing the way I eat. I've cut out most sugar and starches. No more sweet ice tea or sodas. No more potatoes/chips/fries/etc. No more pastas. No more rolls with honey butter at the steak house. Very little bread. I mainly eat meat, salad, and vegetables. Now, sure, I have a glass of sweet tea, a few chips, or a few fries once in a while, but my old habits were 3-4 glasses of tea a couple of times a day, and a lot of times lunch was a bag (family size!) of chips.

I've been doing this for about 9 months and am at 228 lbs, down from around 270. (I didn't pay too much attention to the scales when I first started until I dropped a couple of belt notches and a shirt size.)

Bottom line, I LIKE the way I'm eating now. I'm not looking forward to getting off the diet - I'm looking forward to continuing to eat this way. When I decide I like my weight, I'll stop watching calories, but I'll keep watching the scales. If they start creeping up, I'll be back to watching calories, too.

I actually enjoy logging my meals so I don't mind doing it.

^^ this

I actually enjoy logging my meals so I don't mind doing it.

same for me. I like to plan what I am eating in advance anyway so I often log for a few days in advance and then I can just tweak it if something changes but it gives me a clear plan of what I intend to eat. I love planning & making lists in general for everything so I do quite enjoy logging my food and don't see it as a chore.

Occasionally.

At maint, I'd keep an eye on the scale .. if it creeps up a little, a couple days of calorie counting will be in order ..

Otherwise, there's no need.

This is my plan, too.

Fortunately through counting calories you learn to eat smarter and get a better feel for what your calorie "budget" looks like to maintain a specific weight.

I will probably not always count, but will always weigh myself weekly. This way I can get a head start if I notice a weight trend I don't like, and retool calorie counting as needed.

That's a good question. I'm not sure. I've never had much trouble staying slim but I'm a woman getting older, my job is sedentary, and my BF's lifestyle isn't healthy. So I put on some weight and it took a while to get serious enough to take it off. Now that it's off and I'm used to logging, it seems like a really simple way to maintain. I think once I'm retired (9 1/2 years but who's counting?) I'll be able to exercise enough that I can go back to not counting, but for now this seems like a pretty straightforward solution to keeping my weight in check. I don't even have to feel guilty when I have my sweets because the calories are all logged and accounted for. It's just nice to know where to draw the line.

I don't weigh my food though. Never got that serious.

Absolutely not. If I can't learn about calories and anything else I need to know in these past 6 months then there's something wrong.

Yes. I also expect to have to eat healthy, weigh myself regularly, see a doctor for check-ups, and work out for the rest of my life...at least if I want to keep living and having a good quality of life.

^^this

yes,

oh, hold on a minute……………..

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do, not necessarily for the total calories, but for the macros totals. I want to ensure that I get enough protein and control my fat intake for the rest of my life

Yes, because I want to keep the weight off! Losing weight is hard enough the first time.

Probably, but I do have a good idea of how a reasonable days food is going to unfold so I could probably not count calories on most days but count them on days I need to make sure I'm consuming enough calories to fuel workouts or burning enough calories to eat more than is normal or food that is more calorie dense than I typically consume, especially any thing that might include salted caramel which while I no longer fear it, I respect it and the damage it can do to my efforts if I allow myself more than is reasonable.

...no way!

Yes, I do.

I will probably continue to do so for a while and then stop to see if it works or not. I eat pretty healthy and I work out a lot as well so I'd like to think that I won't gain without tracking my calories. But I don't have a problem with tracking my intake, it's actually fun.

And I'd totally go for that magical animal to track my calories for me, even easier and more fun that way. ;D