Haven't posted in here hope it's okay i just join in.. I'm 25 so i figured, might as well enjoy it while it lasts right?! So I'm just curious if there's anyone out there that has successfully lost weight with ought counting calories or points ect..? I don't feel like i will ever lose weight unless i count but i get SO caught up in the numbers i end up binging and not counting anymore. Guess I'm just looking for inspiration from someone that has been where i am. What I'd like to do after i have my surgery is to just cut out all the junk, whites and most sugars and just workout out and not need to count, but I'm not sure if i have the strength to just do it?! thanks for any input!!

sounds like you're interested in intuitive eating. You might want to talk to the ladies in this thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/gene...ting-11-a.html
They should have some helpful info

I'm losing weight by not counting anything. I don't want to count for the rest of my life, so I just decided to wing it. 20lbs and counting! This doesn't mean I don't look at calories on things. I watch my portions and make healthy choices. I have added up a normal day's calories and such to get an idea of how much I'm eating everyday (about 1500-1800). Nothing is off limits to me either, it just has to be worth the extra work in my workout. If I deprive myself of something I know I'll end up binging on it.

I will check out that board thanks! that's how i feel Natalie it's just not something i see myself doing for a lifetime.. but i am concerned if i start working out what if i don't eat enough cal's and just keep running in circles? aahhh it can be confusing. I just want to have enough self control to know when and what i should be eating! great job on losing the 20 that's great!! do you workout too?

I started with calorie counting, but don't do it regularly now. I found that it was really useful in terms of learning how many calories are in different foods (some of them were really surprising!) - that helped me to learn how to make the best choices and how much food my body actually needs. But really, day-to-day, I don't have the time or attention span to keep up with it. If I'm not losing as much as I want, I'll go back to it for a little bit, but now I'm pretty confident with the portions I need to stay on track.

I do workout as well. 4 days a week: cardio all 4 days and weight training at least 2. Feel free to PM me or message me on Yahoo.

I never count calories but I read labels.
I started the putting on two pounds a year and finally got mad when I had to sew my buttons back on pants once a week.
I now follow a modified South Beach menu. I kick started by following the Phase one (almost killed me since I like carbs), then went to Phase Two and easily dropped a steady two pounds a week until I reached my old high school weight of 116. It was making good choices of small meals and snacks, whole grains, power up on veggies, cut sugars, cut fruits at first and then add back in. Basically eat what nature built for us.
Now at my goal, I don't feel bad if I have a treat every once in a while. I just double down on the veggies the next day. I have learned that small meals and snacks keep me from eating everything in sight. I eat a snack before leaving the office so I don't go home hungry and polish off whatever is at home.
I eat to the outside of the grocery store. All the junk is in the middle. I pack small portions of healthy items. Lite soups fill you up. WHOLE GRAINS,WHOLE GRAINS, WHOLE GRAINS.
A hungry tummy when you wake up is how much of the world lives 24/7, so I know if doesn't hurt to feel that way temporarily.
And I can have a glass or red wine. Life is good!

I read labels, and I've done tons of calorie counting, but I kind of "wing it" most days. If I eat a bunch of foods I don't know the count of, I'll use a calorie count to "guesstimate" and make sure I'm in check. Most days, though, my calorie counting is lenient as long as the scale is going down!

I calorie count, and I feel like I wing it on a lot of days too...many things that I eat don't have labels, and I use the "generic" amounts given by fitday just hoping and praying that they're right.

Hey! I'm brand new here. So far I have lost 70 lbs not counting so I tried WW and did the counting thing until it made me loose all motivation in thinking I am going to be counting for the rest of my life. I took what I learned from counting and really just tried to change my habits of eating and exercise good ones. I keep a food/activity journal off and on, but with no counting, just a list so I can see what made some weeks better in weight loss, and hold myself accountable for my chocolate binge moments. It's really all about making good choices. That seems like its possible right? Every choice try to make a good one...and if you mess up, don't get down for the day, make a good choice next time! snacks and night time is where most of my bad choices lay, being aware of your habits and making some good decisions on your own without counting is the first step toward waning yourself off the counting dependency... cause let's face it... who is going to count the rest of their life’s? And I simply cannot set myself up for failure!

that's exactly how i feel sweetannemarie, it's setting myself up for failure there's no way I'm going to be counting the rest of my life. But like many have said here i do my best when I'm keeping track of what I'm eating not being specific about numbers, i know what's good for me i just have a food addiction so breaking free of the mentality that i need to count to lose is what I'm aiming to do! I just need to prove to myself that i can thanks guys!

I tried WW and although I do think it's good for people it wasn't for me. Counting points and calories I found made me think about food and my weight and feel bad about everything all the time. I don't wanna work that hard. I think it is important to know how many calories you should consume in a day to loose weight, and then just be aware of the calories in the stuff you buy and eat. IE: I have to consume only 1800 - 2000 caloried a day in order to loose weight. I think of it generally this way: My meals should be about 400-550 calories each and snacks only 200 calories or less each.

So I guess what I am saying is I am AWARE of what I need and what the foods contain when I purchase them and I don't think about it again for the rest of the week.

I hope that made sense.

I started with calorie counting, but after about two months I stopped because I didn't need it anymore. The counting helped me learn what was a healthy diet and what wasn't. I'll still look at the calories on things I buy in the grocery store just to make sure I'm not buying anything high in calories and fat, but other than that I don't count anymore.

I don't count calories, but as others have said; I read labels. I make sure to avoid high fructose corn syrup (despite what the commercials say...) and sugars, etc. I go for the "good carbs" and fiber rich bread and such and I have lost 35lbs so far. I can't calorie count because, actually, I can't stand writing in journals or tracking anything. I don't have the patience.

I don't count calories. I've lost all my weight by watching my portion size. I make a big batch of meals on the weekends, and package them in single serving containers to freeze for the week. I find having everything planned helps because I'm not grazing, and having it in single serving containers means I'm not tempted to have a second helping (I also only thaw enough food for one day at a time for this same reason).

When I buy food I do check the nutrition labels because I like to know fat content and whether something is deceptively high-calorie, but in my day to day life I just eat my meals and don't worry about numbers.

You need to find a lifestyle you can keep up with in the long term. If calorie counting strikes you as a pain in the butt, it's not for you! You can definitely lose without counting. Good luck!