group of people who *don't* count calories: how did it work for you in the long run?

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  • bendis2007
    bendis2007 Posts: 82 Member
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    I measured out portion sizes like you did so that I would know how much a real portion is which certainly helps. I do not count calories anymore. I will LOOK at calories on boxes before I get them and if the caloric intake seems a little high I will usually talk myself out of it and head over to the vegetable aisle. I've lost an additional 10 pounds without obsessively counting the calories. Pre-planning meals helps BIG time though. I make a breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have healthy snacks in my office if I get desperate with cravings. And when I do buy bad foods I spend the extra money and buy them in little singles containers so I won't go to town on the whole box. Also I have peppermints with me and if I think I'm getting hungry I pop one of those. They're like 5 calories and with a cup of water it gives me fresh breath and I'm less inclined to mindlessly eat for an hour afterwards.
  • OneHundredToLose
    OneHundredToLose Posts: 8,534 Member
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    I didn't count calories for the majority of my life, leading me to where I was 2 months ago. Then I started counting my calories, and am slowly working my way to health.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    edited October 2015
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    For about 40 years not logging worked great for me. I gained and lost weight during that time, but never became overweight. Then I did become overweight. For the past 1.5 years I've been slowly losing that weight without logging, except for about a month on here where I logged before giving up because it seemed like a chore.

    I eat a healthy balanced diet, but I do not restrict foods except by personal preference. I eat processed foods and sweets and chips and other 'junk food', but not as much as I eat normal balanced meals. I just use a common sense approach to eating like I did for all those years before I got fat.
  • DorisSilver50
    DorisSilver50 Posts: 98 Member
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    I totally understand what you are wanting to accomplish, I can say that when I lost weight it was religiously tracking every mouthful to the point of obsession! Since moving to maintenance I have pretty much stopped. Like many others have said, I learned a way of life...which for me included not tracking everything. Some days I don't track anything, some days I do, just don't obsess about it any more. I have found that eating 6X a day works best for me (I was a consummate snacker), I just make better choices. Do I still have foods that I wouldn't have touched during my 5 months of working to lose 40#, you bet! I do not restrict myself from anything, with the exception of fried foods and most processed fatty foods (fast food burgers and fries, hot dogs, etc) only because I have a gall bladder that doesn't like me and I am trying to keep it as long as possible (my grandparents, parents and brother all lost theirs!) so I just avoid the pain and suffering...or if I chose to eat some of the food, know that I will pay for it later:) Right after moving to maintenance I had a bad fracture of my wrist that necessitated surgery and being off work (and I skipped exercise) for 7 weeks, and I didn't gain any weight back! I let the scale be my guide checking my weight once a week; I allow myself a 5# fluctuation of weight. I have just started dedicating myself to getting back to routine exercise, drink lots of water, and enjoy life! Whether you are trying to lose weight or maintain, IMHO if something drives you crazy you won't want to stick with it, so figure out portions, eat a balanced meal, and let your clothes and scale be your guide. I believe you will do fine, especially since you are working with your nutritionist!
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
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    I don't track food anymore, only my workouts.
    I kind of became obsessed with it and I burnt out.
    I tracked for a few months and it was very helpful -- I learned what portions look like (versus the amount of food that I was eating before thinking it was "1 serving") I learned, for example, that I had been adding about 200 calories worth of cream and sugar to every one of my (3) morning coffees. Wha?!?

    So now that I have an idea of what I should be consuming (using a scale for months) and what frequency of meals, size of meals, macro combination I should have....I feel much better. Less pressure. I am not obsessing.

    I still love to track my workouts on MFP, but I feel better (mentally) not stressing if I don't have my phone handy to log everything I eat.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I've more or less maintained the last 2.5 years without logging. I tend to gain 5-8 Lbs over the winter which is largely attributable to eating about the same, but riding less...it comes right off in the spring when I start riding again.

    I eat a pretty healthy diet and overall live a pretty healthy and active lifestyle, so it hasn't been an issue for me.
  • mom2colbyj
    mom2colbyj Posts: 119 Member
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    I agree that you don't have to log calories to lose weight. Portion size and eating the right foods is most important. I was placed on a sodium restricted diet a couple months back so now I'm logging to keep an eye on that and not calories. It sounds like you are doing what's best for you and what is advised by a professional. Keep on doing what you're doing and I wish you all the best.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    It's prob easier to not count and still meet your goals if you are eating lots of fruit & veggies & lean protein rather than beer, donuts, pizza& other high cal foods. It's more forgiving if you are off on your portion sizes etc.

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