Do I have to????

I also count everyday. It has just become habit and it keeps me accountable. Do what works best for you! it may be smart to keep counting at the beginning of your new portion control thing so you can get used to seeing how many calories are in those portions...then you can get to where maybe you wont need to count them anymore. Good luck! Let us know how it works!

I was working out everyday for at least an hour and didnt worry about counting calories. When I was doing that I dropped a ton of weight. when I started on this website I focused too much I think on the calories and tracking everything instead of sticking to what I was doing and now I have stopped losing. So I will be going back to being me tomorrow I think and not tracking my food as much but portion size. Need to get back on track. Good luck to you.

Counting calories has been the only successful thing for me when it comes to weight loss. Portion control is great, but even certain times (i.e. cheese) can have a lot of cals within them and the portion so small. Calorie control also brings in portion control...but if one works better than the other, go for it!

I used to think eating less calories would be hard, but I am not as hungry as I thought I was and its a lot easy after a few weeks.

Whatever you choose, mucho good luck and you can do it!!

I've been on here less than 2 months. I count every day.... even the days that I didn't keep in goal. My opinion is that we aren't PERFECT... we're going to have days when we do something ourside of our goal... but if you lose site of the goal (don't count calories) you'll never make the goal. The ultimate goal is to get healthier... ditch a few pounds... and change life long eating and exersize habbits. Different methods will work for different people. Don't close your account..... try out the new one and see what kind of results you get. You can always come back and add this to your portion control method as well. Portion control is what will keep you at your calorie goal anyway

Either way.... Good luck!!!

I count calories most days. I do have a few days a month where I don't track my food, but for the most part I log everything.

I've tried so many different diets; ultimately counting everything, food and exercise, is the only that is working for me. If counting calories is stressful for you, you have probably set unrealistic goals; drop your expectations slightly, switch over to nutrient dense foods, rather than energy dense ones, and you will start finding the pounds dropping off.

Also, track everything! Don't eat a small cake and say "it's just a small cake, I probably don't need to track that", as in the end you are just cheating yourself out of your own goals.

Here's the real truth that I'm actually surprised I haven't seen yet.

The ONLY way to lose weight is to eat less calories than your body burns. That is it. There is no magic formula beyond that. THAT is why counting calories is a good idea... you can maintain a calorie deficit and lose weight.

I've tried portion control programs in the past and I'll tell you EXACTLY why Nutrisystem didn't work for me. If I ate everything I was supposed to each day, I'd only consume about 1750 calories... which is good. Sadly, I was constantly hungary and I'd find myself cooking two meals instead of one. I figured it was healthy food... so, what the hell.

I was saddened when I gained weight.

Once again, speaking scientifically, eat less than your body uses (I recommed a real BMI test) and you WILL lose weight... eat more, and you'll gain weight. If you eat the same... you'll stay the same. It's really that simple.

Do you HAVE to?

No. If it's too hard for you personally, then you can try to find a different method. This site is pretty much geared around calorie counting, so most people on here will say that they do count their cals each day. But it's certainly not the ONLY way to lose weight, and if it causes you a lot of stress then mayeb a different routine would be easier to stick with long term.

Good luck!