[Menzy]

I have decided to add calorie counting this round. I think I need to extra accountablility and I think it will help me ease into Phase 2 when I am ready to start. I was just wondering if anyone else does on the board, what online counter you may use, and how many calories I should be eating to lose. I do not have the ability to tell myself to stop eating. I feel that if I count calories that someday I can give it up and just eat SBD foods. I know that may not make sense to some on here but i think i need to go this route.

Thanks,
Menzy

[Schmoodle]

I don't see anything wrong with combining the two methods if you feel that's what you need. Everyone needs to tweak their plan until it is just right for them. I know for a fact you are not the first to use calorie counting with SB, and others introduce the same accountability by using WW points. I did calorie counting for a while, but gave it up because it's a lot of work! But when I first started SB I felt like I needed some education in portion sizes. And by the time I got tired of doing it, I had a pretty good grasp on portioning. Of course the beauty of SB is that calories are taken care of by limiting the calorie/fat dense foods. Which is great for someone like me who gets a little obsessed with things like calorie counting - I did get too focused on counting every little calorie exactly. When I was counting AND following the recommended servings, I was logging about 1800 calories/day.

[fl_mom]

Like Schmoodle, I do it for a while until I get the "feel" of what I am eating. After a while, I don't do it anymore unless I haven't lost in a while or have gained and need to see why.

[WarMaiden]

I'm currently counting calories, which I started doing more because I wanted to see how many I was getting, what my nutrient breakdown was like, and so on...rather than because I wanted to control myself more. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I wasn't overeating hugely, but I'm definitely doing some tweaking based on seeing my patterns. I don't plan to do it forever, but I think it's helping me out right now while I'm trying to push a little harder to lose weight.

That said, I went the first 8 months on SB without tracking or counting at all and lost 50 pounds that way, so I don't see it as necessary at all. Just useful when firmer portion control is desired.

[CyndiM]

I followed SBD for several months without counting but added it in because I was concerned my portion sizes were too large. I do have a history of binge eating issues though so had reason to trust my own judgment with the eat as much protein as you need approach. I use FitDay and counting comes with logging food and is part of my daily routine. feels weird f I don't do it now.

[murphmitch]

I tried it for a few days, just out of curiosity more than anything. I usually ate about 1500-1700 calories per day.