I stopped counting!

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  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
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    I posted a similar question and was surprised that I was not the only one who felt that way. Counting had helped me get to where I am, but I got a bit obsessive and would freak out if I did not have my HRM to tell me exactly how much I have burned.

    When I travel, I don't really log. I eat lots and walk lots, and always feel great both emotionally and physically. Maintained weight or even lost some. I think "eat, move, be merry" is really a better way to live.

    Now at maintenance, I do loose tracking. Like many of you, I have learned a lot about portion controls and general calories consumption through 2+ years of logging. I now work out regularly. I know the reasons behind my bad days (binge eating) and it is more important for me to address the roots and get my system in order, than to get obsesses over counting as a crutch.
  • igottaworkout
    igottaworkout Posts: 298 Member
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    Sorry for posting on a zombie post!! But I just wanted to say it's been just slightly over a year when I stopped counting and commented on this thread and I'm still going strong! :) Didn't gain weight back, and am not counting anymore. Having obsessively logged all food eaten for over a year kind of helped reset my body to be stable at where I ended up at goal weight. I'm glad I don't have to log things anymore it is freeing :) I was a bit afraid that I would be gaining back some weight, but I don't vary more then 4-5 lb in a monthly cycle and am still at 115-120lb

    Just posting this because some people said that you can't stop counting and you'll gain it all back but it's not true, I think you can reset your body and stay at a good healthy weight without logging anymore. I do think about what I eat and try to eat healthily which is definitely needed still :)
  • Jbarbo01
    Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
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    I can't stop counting having been an emotional eater, I found points less overwhelming to count than calories. Maybe one day I can do mindful eating but I always overeat if I dont count. Good luck!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Sorry for posting on a zombie post!! But I just wanted to say it's been just slightly over a year when I stopped counting and commented on this thread and I'm still going strong! :) Didn't gain weight back, and am not counting anymore. Having obsessively logged all food eaten for over a year kind of helped reset my body to be stable at where I ended up at goal weight. I'm glad I don't have to log things anymore it is freeing :) I was a bit afraid that I would be gaining back some weight, but I don't vary more then 4-5 lb in a monthly cycle and am still at 115-120lb

    Just posting this because some people said that you can't stop counting and you'll gain it all back but it's not true, I think you can reset your body and stay at a good healthy weight without logging anymore. I do think about what I eat and try to eat healthily which is definitely needed still :)
    Congrats!!
  • HaibaneReki
    HaibaneReki Posts: 373 Member
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    I made it to my goal weight just recently and have been playing with this idea too, I don't feel like not counting just yet, but occasionally skip a log entry for a party, bbq or something. So far so good. One day I won't have to log at all!
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    Good for you!!!

    Just pick healthy options & move more : )

    I know what you mean though - It does your head in!!!!!
  • jamesdavidy
    jamesdavidy Posts: 32
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    I stopped counting and left MFP, 6 months later I am back and up 7lbs. Now the thing is I know exactly why I gained (we all do) it was lack of discipline, I had too many Easter Eggs lol after that my sweet tooth kicked in and for some reason I didn't care. I kept up an otherwise healthy lifestyle, I'm very active and always have been, but damn I do have a sugar problem, so I am back to tracking mainly to keep an eye on the Sugar/Carbs. I feel the need to keep myself accountable, but I have never felt the need to be obsessed to the point of weighing and measuring everything, approx figures work fine for me..just got to beat my sweet tooth, NO CHOCOLATE NEXT EASTER lol
  • Mahsaa18
    Mahsaa18 Posts: 57 Member
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    welcome to the crew
  • Joanne_Moniz
    Joanne_Moniz Posts: 347 Member
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    GREAT! it is not about the quantity of calories it is about the quality!! If you do this and set your macros correctly, you will have no problem EVER

    Joanne Moniz
    The Skinny on Obesity group
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    GREAT! it is not about the quantity of calories it is about the quality!! If you do this and set your macros correctly, you will have no problem EVER

    Joanne Moniz
    The Skinny on Obesity group
    Eat 10,000 calories a day of "quality" food and tell us that you won't gain weight. It always come down to calories first, and then macros.
  • hastingsmassage
    hastingsmassage Posts: 162 Member
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    3rd profile since Feb 2013, lost all together 128 lbs, I count Monday to Friday more or less and I trust myself on weekends. :)
  • coombej2
    coombej2 Posts: 2 Member
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    I would have to agree that once you have established better habits with food and exercise you can stop counting the calories. I have only been doing this for a week or so now and I have seen a difference and have started to lose weight, albeit slowly, but I am losing weight which has not happened for me for many years now despite trying different diets etc...I would also add that the more you look at the calories contained in food you actually get an idea as to how many calories will be in the foods you eat and the counting becomes less important. For now I am a happy calorie counter and my dogs are loving me that bit more as they now get two walks a day instead of one.
  • marthalgutierrez92
    marthalgutierrez92 Posts: 62 Member
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    I count, but i'm not an extreme counter

    Example: Today I ate chicken parm.

    I refuse to count the
    marinara
    and the cheese portion
    and the chicken weight
    and the other bull**** lol


    I simply enter chicken parm, whatever sounds reasonable is what I'll go with.

    Ain't nobody got time for that!! lol
  • fiftysixkilogal
    fiftysixkilogal Posts: 10
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    Counting is a pain in the butt and just makes me more obsessed with food when I do it. My workaround has been to plan all my meals in advance so I don't need to count anything during the week. I've developed a system for myself, which I call "modular meals" - every part of my meals (protein, vegetable, etc.) has 2-3 possible choices of food item which are equal in calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc. so I can just mix and match and It'll still be the same numbers. Let me demonstrate by showing my meals:

    My breakfast contains one 70-gram serving of fruit, half a cup of cottage cheese, and 1 meat. That fruit could be papaya or cantaloupe, which are equivalent, and the meat could be one egg, or two turkey breakfast sausage links, or three strips of center-cut bacon, all of which are also equal. A 12-oz cup of coffee with a tablespoon of regular creamer and a packet of Splenda completes breakfast.

    Dinner can be 4 oz of chicken tenderloin or a fish fillet (usually tilapia; it's inexpensive), and this week I'm adding lean pork tenderloin to the menu. All of those are equivalent. Dinner also includes leafy green salads of various kinds with 6 grape tomatoes and 2 tbsp of a lite dressing of my choice. The dressings in my collection range from 40 to 60 calories per serving, all under 3 carbs, so they are fairly interchangeable as well.

    Snack is a negligible-calorie vegetable (a few spears of cucumber or zucchini, or two medium stalks of celery) with a tablespoon of lite ranch-type dressings for dip.

    So because all my meals are modular like that, I never have to count. The only time I count anything anymore is when adding a new food option to my menu, which isn't often. Also no meal planning and analysis = no need to think about food almost ever. That's helped me break the cycle of a food-centric life more than anything I've ever tried.

    I do something similar because at the moment I'm searching for my ideal maintenance calories while increasing carbs (have been low carb so far). I have a weekly food plan (and shop accordingly for it) which I stick to . I not only count calories but % fat, carbs and protein. I would like to maintain at 20% fat and 40% for the other 2 macros. This may take several months, but the exercise is interesting and challenging. Once I find the perfect balance of calories in/out, I'll stop note booking as well. I've never been serious about calorie counting during my maintenance for any length of time in the past.

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