I've only been counting for just about a month now. It's definately not something I want to be doing forever but I just figured it would be a good thing to do right now while I'm trying to lose weight. I'm already getting tired of it. I'd like to keep going for another few weeks at least and then see how I do with losing without counting.
Every single day I get tired of it. I get tired of not being able to just EAT without worrying....but...
I also know that eating without worrying is what put me up over 220 pounds to begin with. I'm going on two years in maintenance and still count every single day
I'm tired of it every day. But unfortunately it's something I will have to do for the rest of my life in order to maintain my weight. I've gotten to a point where I'm familiar enough with calorie counts that I don't have to do an exact count every day, and I also tend to eat the same foods over and over. So it's not as bad as it used to be but at the very least I have estimates in my head every day.
I agree with the previous 2 posters. I do get tired of counting (I count points), but I also know that if I don't account for what I put in my mouth..... I will gain my weight back. It is just a sad piece of reality that I will have to count for the rest of my life. But, it is better MUCH better than the alternative.
For me it's more of a stressor if I don't count. Since I started counting calories I have been able to pretty much eat what I want but I learned to modify portions. I count everything and on days when I'm not as accurate as I can be I get paranoid about how close I am to my budget. Like anything else, the more you do it the easier it gets. I eat a lot of the same things everyday and some days I throw in something different and I am calculating everything as I prepare it.
The results have been fabulous. All the other things I tried lasted about a month maybe two and maybe because I felt like I was restricting myself so much so I quit. I'm going into my 3rd month and can't imagine doing it any other way.
I don't hate it yet, but some times I feel a bit obsessive! I'm partially viewing it as raw data in a science experiment. I can use my weight loss information to calculate how much calories that I'm actually burning in a time period as well. I even record the days where I feel I've slipped off the diet so I can tell how that impacts my progress. I'm finding it is also making me more accountable since I know I have to record what I eat.
But ask me in a couple of months how I feel about it!
Honestly? not really. I've been doing it since January of last year. Sure, there are sometimes that I want to eat just whatever the heck I want to. And you know what? Sometimes I do. My son's team won a major tournament yesterday so we took the boys out for a celebratory lunch afterward yesterday and I ate fried junk. However, on a regular day I know pretty much the general amount of calories in things and just eat what I know is healthy/decent calories. It's just become part of my way of life. I've really come to love healthy eating. Just had a snack of banana and peanut butter and it was divine. In my previous way of eating I would have had something junkier but I know that that banana and pnut butter are wayyy better for me and way more filling to boot.
Mostly, I like it. I generally put my entire day into Fitday in the morning, so I know that I'm hitting my target. I can add if I want to eat something extra, or if my calories are higher than I want and I'm not going to hit my target deficit, then I can easily adjust things around. I'm much happier doing that ahead of time than getting to the end of the day and finding out that I ate more than I should have to hit my deficit goals!!
Last month, I did take a 3 day break from logging my food into Fitday - I didn't eat everything in sight, I just didn't log. But I know myself, and if I tried to do that for any extended period if time, I'd get off track. However, with a planned break, it was ok, so I know I can do that again, for a few days here and there, if I need to, and then get right back on track. I do plan to count calories forever, but I don't plan to be perfect! lol!
Actually, at this point, I can't imagine stopping CC. After doing it for a few months, it's the norm for me. I *KNOW* if I stop counting, I'll start gaining.
Yes, I do and I'll stop for awhile and then either gain weight or stop losing weight if I'm lucky. I can only lose weight when I keep track of what I'm eating constantly.
No, I don't get tired of it all. I most relate to what Jiggle said. I find it freeing. I have permission now to eat whatever I want within a certain caloric restriction. Nothing is off limits. I've just had to learn about portions.
I love the results too much to get tired of this.
I am not a strict counter though, and I don't journal. I eat six meals a day equally portioned to around 200 calories each. So I really don't have to count above 200 ever and I've been doing it long enough to pretty much know how many calories are in what I eat.
In the past whenever I stopped counting is when the weight came back on, so I keep telling myself that. It can be tiresome to have to count numbers and plan all the time, but it's important for me. Hopefully you can find a happy medium.
I don't get "tired" of counting, I just think it is sort of unnatural approach to eating overall. However, it works. I think of it as as a prescription, something I must do to get well again. I think CC is the reality check I need. I've been counting every day since Sept 1, 2009 and will continue to do so until I weigh 157. At that point, I will transition to intuitive eating and small portions. I have already promised myself that if I hit 160, I must calorie count until I am back to 157. It will probably be a part of the rest of my life. I am already working on intuitive habits (eating slow, savouring tastes and smells, paying attention to hunger...etc) along with my allotted meals within the calorie framework. Works for me.
I've only been at it for a week and a half, but I'm actually enjoying it. I constantly obsess over food anyway, so this makes me feel in control, and I'm proud when I can keep it down in the range I need to. It also feels nice when it's dinner time and I know I have calories left.
BUT I'm sure once the initial rapid weight loss slows down, I'm going to HATE counting without seeing the results I want.
I can understand how frustrating it can be. I don't think I would have been able to stick to counting if it hadn't been for an app on my cell phone. It comes with a barcode scanning option as well as listings from resturants and grocery stores. It just makes everything so much easier.
Every once in a while (doesn't happen very often anymore), I would take a full day off of counting and enjoy something I wouldn't normally eat.
do you ever get tired of CC?
For me it's more of a stressor if I don't count. Since I started counting calories I have been able to pretty much eat what I want but I learned to modify portions. I count everything and on days when I'm not as accurate as I can be I get paranoid about how close I am to my budget. Like anything else, the more you do it the easier it gets. I eat a lot of the same things everyday and some days I throw in something different and I am calculating everything as I prepare it.
