Can I?

It is possible, I've done it with success at other parts of my life, but it can be more difficult. I'm sure there are other ways, but the one I used was to follow a meal plan (from the book Get Skinny the Smart Way, which I believe is out of print), that already had the recommended amount of calories per day.

I do find it a lot easier to count calories, but I can understand it not being good for your mental state. Could you count servings of veggies? While I count calories, I do find that days I've gotten 7-9 servings of veg and 1 serving of beans/lentils, I am under my goal without even thinking about it. That and knowing what my "treat" will be for the day. ...actually, the more I have planned in advance (the night before or that morning) the less I think about (OBSESS!) about food, and the less likely I am to run to my pantry and have a snack. That would probably be my first point: plan what you'll have. I make a big pot of lentils on the weekends and Wednesdays, with lots of frozen veggies, sometimes with chicken or sausage (but only a little), that's my lunch most of the week. It SOUNDS boring, and it can be changed with spices and the additions of tomatoes, etc., but the truth is that the less I'm thinking about it and the less diversity I have, the less likely I am to overeat.

Secondly, I've started forcing myself to drink herbal tea (we have a STOCKPILE, as it was something we already enjoyed) whenever I feel myself reaching for something else. If I still want it after heating the water, steeping the tea, drinking the full 10 oz., I can eat it, but usually I find that having that 15 minutes really dispels my craving. And since I usually just want something in my hands and mouth (ex-smoker), the tea solves the problem. Do you have any "rituals" you could use like tea? For me it's especially important at night, when we used to have cookies or ice cream while watching TV. I even bought special mugs for our nightly tea.

Lastly, in order to slow down how fast I eat I force myself to have a small sip of water between bites at meals. This forces me to put down my utensil after each bite, something that feels silly if you don't have something to reach for. It isn't the AMOUNT of water that you drink that's important, just the fact that you suddenly take a lot more time to eat each meal.

I've lost 15 lbs. since December using these tricks, without changing the amount I've been exercising. While I count calories with MFP, I seldom actually use the numbers during the day to consider if I might do something differently to make it easier. I have a giant box of York Peppermint Patties in my pantry, and made it through Christmas, New Year's and Valentines Day with the scale moving down. I haven't made anything off limits (though I have needed to stop having ice cream due to a medical issue...I miss it so much!). I have noticed that I don't feel as hungry anymore, and when I DO feel hungry it's REAL hunger, not the "I could eat something now" feeling I used to obey.

So, yeah, I would say it's possible. If you're willing to check the scale every other day or so to make sure you're on the right path and not missing something. I also would still recommend writing down WHAT you're eating, even if not counting the calories. Oversight is an amazing thing.

Hope this wasn't too long!

You can absolutely lose weight without counting calories, I would say that most people don't spend their entire lives counting calories and many find it draining.

However there are a few caveats.

First, I would suggest counting calories for ~2 weeks, just so that you get an idea of how many calories are generally in certain foods. As well, so that you know what you'd have to be eating like to get in enough protein.

Secondly, after that, you would go by your own hunger signals. For many people, especially those who are overweight, hunger signals are not heard very well. Even for myself, I have a very hard time hearing them and listening.

Sometimes it means that you won't finish your entire plate - can you handle that? Sometimes it means that you have to learn the difference between just having a craving for something sweet after dinner or if you're actually still hungry.

Third, and this is the hard one for most people, you have to base your diet primarily around non-processed foods. Not for specific health reasons or anything like that, but because our hunger signals often respond to eating 500 calories of oreos by wanting to eat more and more, yet they respond to 500 calories of chickpeas quite differently. It certainly doesn't mean you can't have treats, but you have to understand that treats have a lot of calories and do roughly nothing to blunt hunger.

Listening to my stomach is an ongoing quest for me. I think you can absolutely do this, and in the long run it's what most people should aim for! Best of luck and let me know if you need anymore help!