Does anyone here NOT count calories? Have you tried Intuitiv

umh...this is a calorie counting site.

I haven't really been counting for the last 3 or 4 months. Like you, I'd get obsessive about it - when I'd go over I'd stress and end up overeating. It wasn't helping my weight loss or my sanity.

I haven't really lost in that time, but I haven't gained either. So that's good. But I'm tired of maintaining, sooooo I've started counting and logging again...

I think I just really needed the mental break. I'd hate to overwhelm myself and give up completely.

I use this site as a guide, to show what is good for me and what is bad for me!!! It helps me see how much i am putting into my body and what i am burning well it isn't 100% accurate but it helps...

I don't obsess about it cause i am here to get healthy and if i loose weight so be it but my main goal IS NOT TO GAIN WEIGHT...As long as i feel good i am good....So far i have lost 2 pounds but that's it if i loose more cool if not cool too i don't want to gain weight!

I find as a society we obsess over how we look cause that is what the media says we should look like....It is mind over matter if u want to stop eating crappy food stop.....we all know what is good and what is bad...By using this site i am more educated about that
Good Luck

I have not given up calorie counting entirely, but I do have a tendency to get obsessive about it so I use a combination of very lose calorie counting and intuitive eating. So far it's worked out well for me

The book 'Naturally Thin' by Bethenny Frankel introduced me to this concept and I thought it was a pretty decent read.

Charmagne

i have tried weight loss without counting calories and it HASNT worked for me. Having a calorie count helps me because it seems to give me more control. The database is awesome because i feel like no matter where i go to eat i can have a guide that can keep me within my calorie budget. I know how much i can eat, it helps me stay conscious of what im eating and im finding out that I can actually eat more than I think i can, and it keeps me from starving myself. Sometimes I find myself having to eat more to make my caloric intake for the day. Plus when i excercise i give myself a little more breathing room with the calorie budget. Its just like money, if you know you have to make that $20 bucks last all day, you will be more aware of how you spend it. So far its working, and when I slip up and if I dont lose that week, i can look back, see what I ate or how much I worked out and make some changes.

I too obsess a bit. However, the alternative to me not counting was gaining 17 pounds. The reality of it all is that weighloss is a simple math equation. More calories out (burned) than in (consumed). The only way to know that you are creating a deficit in order to lose is to keep track of the ins and outs. Some people do not need to do this, as weight is not an issue for them. Those people, however, do not search out a weightloss site to assist them in the weightloss process. I hope you find what works best for you hun!

I have only a couple of suggestions, as I have not ever completely turned off counting calories:

1) Don't nickel and dime yourself. Depending on what kind of deficit you've set, going over isn't a disaster. A lot of women on here are set at 1200. That's the minimum you should eat and if that's what you're working with then 50 or even 100 is not going to send you into gaining. In fact, it's going to be next to impossible to get a big zero at the bottom.

2) Once you count for a little while you kind of get into the swing of it. You recognize portion sizes for what they are, know how much of everything you can and should eat and you don't have to count so ferociously. There are days where I let it go a little more than usual, just because I KNOW I'm not going over because I know what I ate.

If you don't want to count calories (or feel like you can't) here are a couple of ideas. I don't know your diet, but I'll just offer suggestions on food choices to start. Cut way back on meat, especially red meat. If you like fish, stick to that for awhile. Avoid anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup in it, as it is plain junk. The body doesn't recognize it as sugar and sends it straight to the fat cells. Better to choose something with actual sugar in it or sweeteners if you're okay with that. Look at the labels, HFCS is in a lot more than you think. Substitute plain yogurt for sour cream and mayo. I use yogurt on tacos and other Mexican dishes. I also use it on sandwiches--although put it on just before you eat it or it'll soak into the bread. You can also add some rosemary to it on a sandwich to give it some extra kick. Substitute honey as a sweetener. Honey has good bacteria in it which helps keep you healthy. I often use it to sweeten herbal tea or plain yogurt with fruit.

Use fruit a lot as snacks. Fruits are very low calorie in comparison to other snacks. I get canned pears and peaches from the grocery and look for the ones sweetened with pear juice instead of syrup. It took a little time to get used to the difference, since I used to be a heavy syrup girl, but now that stuff tastes way too sweet. I do the same with applesauce, the no sugar added, natural kind. You can use cinnamon to help if you feel like there's not enough flavor.

Cook for yourself as much as possible. Preservatives are I think what's fattening up our society. Homemade meals are usually tastier anyhow.

Avoid corn products, like tortilla chips (or anything sweetened with HFCS). I always go for wheat tortillas or wheat bread. I'm also a big believer in buying local because it nourishes better, so if you can't make your own bread, at least buy from a local vendor (usually it says on the back where it's from).

Granola I discovered while rich in protein is also rich in calories. You may want to avoid it. Peanut butter also is the same story. Good protein sources I use are mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese. Cottage cheese can be made tastier either with honey and berries (you can use frozen ones, they're frozen seasonal and fresh) or adding a spice like basil and finding a low-cal cracker.

Most people recommend the 6-mini meals plan. So as a sample schedule, breakfast at 8, snack at 10, lunch at noon, snack at 2, dinner at 5, snack at 8. For snacks often fruits, and sometimes a quick protein, like cottage cheese or a small piece of sandwich meat. This works better if you're exercising too, because you'll build more muscle which burns fat quicker (not ridiculously bulky muscle, just toned).

Lately I've been doing a quasi-mini meals with healthy snacks in combo with a very light supper and exercise. It seems to work for me. I've never counted calories before, so I'm trying it to shed the extra holiday pounds. When I get back down to my "maintain" weight I'll probably stop the calorie count. I'm using this to help me know which foods are higher in calorie, so that I know where to cut out the extra.

Sorry for the novel. I lately have been using Extra Dessert Delight gum to help with sugar cravings, plus it's low-cal.

Honestly for me counting calories is what always works. I do it for a while, lose weight and then I typically stay at my target weight for a while, start to blow back up and start counting again. When I go over for the day I just stop eating until the next day. Even if you get hungry, the hunger pains WILL subside. I eat 5 meals a day around 300 calories each to reach my goals. I set a timer a 9, 12, 3, 6 and 9 to eat. I eat at all those times and will have a low calorie snack in between if I'm getting really hungry. Just remember if you go over your calories that tomorrow is another day and it's ok to take a 1 day break from dieting every so often.

i dont count calories!...I have learned to eat wisely and on time. I like tracking my progress, fitness, and making efriends!..its better to just write down what you eat in a log...some things we eat sometimes dont have exact calories.