No more counting?

I stopped counting cold turkey just over a month ago because it was playing havoc with my stress levels and honestly, it was really messing with the way I thought about food. I had been maintaining well for about three and a half months, increasing my daily calories by 100 every week or two. When I stopped counting, my daily goal was around 2000, and I hadn't had any significant gains since hitting my goal weight.

Since I've stopped counting, I've been trying to get back in tune with my body -- eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full, choosing nutrient-dense foods whenever I can, that sort of thing. That said, I still get anxious about my food choices, and tend to err on the side of not eating enough to feel properly satisfied rather than risk feeling bloated. I've actually lost another 2-3lbs since stopping counting, so I'm still figuring out exactly how much my body needs. Instead of logging my calories and macros with MFP, I just write down what I eat (but not exact amounts) in my food diary notes. My diary is open, if you want to take a look.

If you don't want to be counting forever, then I say just try not counting for a week, or even a few days if a week makes you nervous. See how you go, and if it works for you, keep going. If it doesn't, maybe keep counting for a bit longer. You won't know if you don't give it a try!

Two other times in my life I lost a significant amount of weight and then stopped weighing and counting calories. Both times I gained all the weight back and then some. So now that I am at maintenance again, I have no intention of stopping what has worked: logging all my food and weighing regularly.

That said, I take care not to make logging food become an obsession. I log the whole day when I get up in the morning. It takes less than two minutes. In the evening I look again and make any changes and post. So no more than three minutes a day. It is so worth it.

I think it's a personality thing. I like counting. It almost always tells me I have a lot more calories left than I think I do, and it's just a habit that lets me see where I am. I do it basically after every meal, but always if I eat an oddball snack I'd forget otherwise. I always listened to my body anyway, so that hasn't changed one way or the other.

For me, it's like getting a cellphone when my son was born and I was breastfeeding. Before I got it, I'd rush home because I'd worry he'd be crying and my husband would be going nuts. Afterwards, I could relax because I knew he was okay and I'd get a call if there was a problem. If I log, I know I can take the extra snack when I'm hungry and not think twice about it if I have the calories.

At first I stopped counting and then lost more weight than I had planned. I needed to log again to make certain that I was eating enough. I memorized that and then stopped for several months. I am back to logging because I want to drop a couple pounds before a Christmas holiday trip. I am hoping to weigh in on my first day back from my trip only 5 lbs. over. This is not easy, but the effort is worth it, making certain that the old ways do not creep up where I wake up some nice spring day 15 or twenty pounds heavier.:sad:

Not at goal but I stopped counting to build some muscle. I have been maintaining so far. I think it has been a couple months now.

It depends on your willpower. I stopped counting and some weight crept back, but this was because I thought "ha! I'm not counting! I can eat anything!"

Counting can get pretty dull so if you feel like stopping, there doesn't have to be any drama, just keep an eye on your weight/measurements and take action if necessary.

I've never counted calories until I came upon MFP several weeks ago. I eat pretty healthy but had no idea how many calories were in certain foods that are in my regular diet. For example, I might fix a large salad for supper thinking I was consuming low calories....until I read that my honey bacon French dressing was costing me 300 calories. So for now I count. I actually only want to lose 5 or 6 pounds, but have played with losing it for several years. I'm 54, exercise regularly, whether using my Nordic Track Skier, fast walking, or push up routine. The 5 or 6 pounds aren't for vanity, it's just that 34 inch waist jeans are too tight and 36 inch are too loose and they don't make 35 inch for men. By Christmas I plan to be between 158 and 160.

Personally I don't count anymore as with me it plays on my mind that i got to log everything i eat, or i got to eat a certain amount of food to hit my goal etc. Some days you may not want to eat much and other days you eat a lot more... this is with nature. I really think its what you eat rather than the amount as such.

I did count for a while, which taught me how much I need just by eye! I try to get a bit of everything in my meals

Im still finding a balance. I know usually know how much I can eat of my typical foods and dont worry about logging them as much but with the hoildays I find logging helps keep me from going crazy.

Has anyone reached their goal and stopped counting calories and macros, and if so, how did your new weight hold up? I'm nervous to stop...

I went into maintenance an continued counting for about a month just to make sure I knew what that basically looked like in a day. I don't count right now except for estimates in my head...I've had enough experience with all of this to be pretty close (I do an occasional spot check).

I maintained all through the summer and into early fall. I've put about 1 Lb per month on since October (I was averaging 183 for my maintenance with lows around 180 and highs around 185 and am currently averaging about 185 with lows around 182 and highs around 187)...this is deliberate and done in a successful effort to break through some lifting plateaus...my body fat hasn't changed either at this point. I will probably do this for the remainder of the year to smash through a couple more lifting plateaus and I imagine in January I will need to do a small cut...I'm anticipating 5 Lbs or so but might try to lean out a little more...we'll see how it goes and how I'm feeling...I'll be starting to train hard for my century ride in January too so I'll likely just naturally drop some more fat without changing much else in RE to my diet.

If I go into a deliberate cut, I will count...otherwise I find it unnecessary and have easily controlled my weight simply by being cognizant of what I'm eating and continuing to get my fitness on. The biggest mistake people make is that they go back to old eating habits and stop working out...if you do that I guarantee you'll put the weight back on. The only difference for me in maintenance is I eat a few hundred more calories than I did losing...nutritionally, my diet remains pretty much the same save for I can afford a couple more beers now...and I rock my fitness.

Has anyone reached their goal and stopped counting calories and macros, and if so, how did your new weight hold up? I'm nervous to stop...

Even though I'm not at goal weight yet, although I'm starting to think that my goal weight isn't my goal anymore, I'm working towards no counting. Mostly because I'm not planning on counting for the rest of my life. I want to live with the changes.

So right now is about learning what the food I eat contains, and what a portion of chips is and when I can and can not fit it into my diet.