Am I the only one that doesn't like counting calories?

First of all, I think of it as ” tracking” my calories, not counting. Recording them on your phone will get more efficient the longer you are here. Also, there is a bar code reader on the app. It is very helpful on packaged food. Pretty soon, your usual foods will all be in your log, and you can just click to add. If you are feeling hungry, and aren't already, I recommend eating back all your exercise calories. It works for me:)

I absolutely felt like that when I tried calorie counting the first time. Which is why I quite counting calories. This time around, it hasn't been as bad. In fact, I've been ending up with lots of extra calories most days that I'm wondering how to fill. Exercise helps a lot because then you're allowed more calories. And of course, food choice is vital. If you're on a 1500 calorie limit, then there are just some things that you'll probably want to skip. But really, I don't think anybody exactly likes counting calories. Many people on this site absolutely love junk food, which makes counting calories a challenge, because you have to learn to make better food choices if you're going to survive on a low calorie diet. The good news is that it does get better, and you do get used to it, and eventually you won't have to think so hard about every meal.

I try to keep a meal total instead of a day total. So, one thing I try to do is keep my meals at a set number of calories and my snacks at a set number. My snacks are usually at or below 100 calories. My meals are normally in the 350 calorie range. (this changes depending on my exercise - but I know before the meal what I want my calories for that meal to be) So, try and think of you have X number of calories for breakfast and find something within that range. That might be easier when starting out then trying to keep a tally running in your head.

just plan your meals on here by calories and fat for the week and stick to it. easy.! if you dont plan what your gonna eat each day you will just eat anything and guess it.

What do you mean by planning meals on here? Do you mean making a sort of menu and entering it in the log ahead of time, then eating off of that, or is there a meal planning part of the site I don't know about? My understanding is that you just put in the foods you've already eaten.

There's no meal-planning section, it's just entering it into your log before you have it. You can add your foods daily, after you've eaten them, or add them a week ahead like a plan. Planning can make you stick to your calories more easily but it depends on whether or not you like to be spontaneous. I don't tend to log for the week to come because I want to eat what I fancy on any given day (within my calorie limit, of course).

I try to plan my full day's worth of meals the night before. I count snacks too. At first it was hard because I didn't quite know how much I needed to feel full but still be in my calorie zone, but now I've gotten it down to a bit of a science. Also, if you're really hungry and you used your calories, opt for a snack that is healthy like carrot sticks. If you're not hungry enough to want those, you aren't really HUNGRY, just having a craving.

I feel like I'm eating more in volume now than before. A handful of chips is waaaaay more calories that more filling choices! You can check out my diary if you'd like to see how I'm staying full at around 1200 calories. I don't always eat back my workout calories. Sometimes I do. It just depends.

Knowledge is power. Maybe don't think of it as counting, think of it as tracking. Think of it as an objective way to keep track of what you are eating. I think you can learn a lot just by tracking your intake without even worrying about going over or under your goal, if that part stresses you out. Although I try to "stay in the green", I do usually eat when I am hungry and if I go over my goal, I just go back and look to see where I could have foregone some calories here and there during the day. Try to approach it without judgement and see it as one more tool in your toolbox. I also don't think you have to do it throughout the day -- although it might not be as accurate, you can fill it in at the end of the day. Personally, I enjoy doing it because I find it interesting, but I try not to attach any emotional importance to it, if that makes sense.

Call me crazy, but I actually like counting calories. It's kind of like a game for me.
That's just how I roll...

I hate counting calories and just can't do it. Occasionally I will for information purposes, but not as a means to manage by daily intake of food.

When I first started I didn't like to count calories. I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but here I am 40 days later and it has become a habit I look forward to. Here is what I do. Every morning I plan my meals and snacks out after I get my exercise done (so I know how many calories I am allowed with exercise). I enter my meal plan into my MFP diary. I have quite a food base built up now, so usually its just a matter of a few clicks. I fill in my meals first, then my snacks around the meals depending on how many calories I have remaining. I try to split up the calories in my meals equally but sometimes that doesn't always work and my breakfast is the lightest, lunch is a little more and dinner has the most calories (this is just me and how I prefer to eat). Some days it is even but not always. Then I print out my diary (there is an option on the bottom of the diary screen) and then I have it to reference during the day if I forget. I have a bad memory, too! I have found that printing it out helps a TON. Also it is nice to have records, I have started a food diary binder that I keep all my past food diaries in. Its nice to look back on when there is a problem, or to see trends in your weight loss compared to your eating. Yes it does take me about 20 minutes in the morning to fill out my diary but it is well worth the time for me to plan it all out. (especially when I lose weight every week!)

Hope that helps some!