do you ever get tired of CC?
 

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.

Tammy

:nono: 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! :joker:

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.

Calorie counting was a challenge in the beginning and I quickly became overwhelmed and sick of it. It does get better with time. I would suggest sticking with it for another month and seeing how you feel about it then. I agree with others that it can be freeing because no food is actually off limits. It has really helped me become accountable and responsible for my food choices. Just seeing all my foods logged and totaled for the day has helped me say no to tempting items many times. I don't like seeing really high totals and I know if I eat too much or a bad food choice, I will have to look at a high number that I don't like seeing. For me, it's all about being accountable.

If I stop calorie counting I start gaining weight. Which is better ? 3 guesses!!

It's my accountability, and also helps me to keep track of general nutrition (am I getting enough fiber? sodium getting high? how about vitamins?).

I do have a pretty good feel these days for portions and such, but, no, I don't really get sick of it, primarily because I am SO happy that we have such excellent tools to help keep track of things. It's much easier since FitDay and TDP came around.

No I don't, especially since I started eucalorics (from the Calorie Queens book).

I used to hate calorie counting, but I don't anymore, because I eat a sufficient number of calories to lose slowly and no longer starve myself.

If I don't do this I gain weight. Period. IMHO, calorie counting, in whatever form one chooses, is the easiest most reliable path to portion control.

Oh, and I count calorie points (NOT Weight Watchers points), which makes it a lot easier and game-like for me.

I guess where I'm getting frustrated is if I eat somewhere that doesn't have the nutritional imformation posted. Like Sunday afternoon we took our kids to chinese and I got my usual stuff. I had a rough estimate on how many calories were in it but not an exact number. At the end of the day I kind of felt like if I can do it exactly then why do it at all.. I got over that and counted the last 2 days and kinda enjoyed it. Some days it feels like a chore while other days not so much.....

zephyr I know what you mean. I have learned that calorie counting is not an exact science anyway, and even a ballpark figure is better than chucking it all! You did good!

When I'm eating out, I basically give up on the cc. I try to remember that the portion sizes are way more then 1 and divide the plate into about 1/3 and only eat 1/3 of the entre and ask for a box. And eat most of the veggies unless they are those really good green beans at the chinese places. I learned that they throw them in oil and fry them before they cook it with the seasonings. Boo-hoo. I really liked those too.

unfortunately, I think that unless it's a restaurant that is specifically focused on healthy food, pretty much every restaurant cooks with WAY more fat and salt than home cooks imagine. Even so-called plain grilled items are often coated with oil and/or butter before grilling.

You can ask for things to be steamed, grilled without added fat, sauces on the side, etc. or some places with have a small selection of foods that are specifically prepared that way, but otherwise, things off the menu are almost always going to have more calories than you think they will.

I just had my one year anniversary with calorie counting, and I get really sick of it. I've lost 25 pounds in that time, though, so it works for me.

I went through one period of almost no weight loss. I was being really faithful with my calorie counting - almost never going over. Now, I don't count on the weekends, and I've started losing again. That really helps me to not mind counting during the week - I know that soon I'll get to be a little freer.

Counting really changed my relationship to food - in good ways and bad. The bad is that almost never do I get to just enjoy food - it's always a dance of how many calories is this, would this satisfy me more for the same number? Will this solve my craving within my allotted points? I spend a lot of time worrying about that, which is really irritating. On the other hand, restricting my calories has taught me tons about proper portion sizes, about how much food I should eat to feel good, versus how much I'd like to eat.

Since starting tracking, almost every day I feel good. Before, I usually just ate whatever I wanted, then felt bloated, fat, overly full, headachey, whatever. Food didn't feel good. Now it does, and that's way worth the hassle of counting. Also, the weight loss is great too! But it can be hard, for sure.

Sure. But I keep coming back to it, because when I don't... I gain. That is why I'm back at 3FC again. I need to count, and I need to be in a community of support.

It it what it is.

I take Saturday or Sunday off for dinner out. That helps. One day isn't going to set me so far afloat that I regain. But I appreciate the mental break and the cooking break.

A.

I will always have my days That i wanna have more calories But Calorie counting has changed my life & I am forever thankful for the weight loss secret that is free & WORKS!THING is that we Must keep it up to maintain one we reach our goal or we will more than likely gain it all back. I am so happy with my results that I will never get tired of it.I think you may just have to still get use to it. The change is super though~& the results well worth it!! HANG IN THERE!

It is in the same category as balancing my checkbook and brushing my teeth. I like my money in order and a healthy smile. Same with CC. I like my healthy weight. Everything has a price.

I think I was tireed of it before I started. But I was more tired of being fat. I am still more tired of being fat. I had originally thought I would only have to count uhtil I got to goal, but I'm sorting of getting it that I will have to count at least to some degree for the rest of my life if I want to stay at my goal. And I know how hard I've worked just to lose these first 18 lbs and I can't even imagine how agonizing it would be to have to start over.

I do like counting because it gives me the freedom to choose what I want to eat. Even if that was 1300-1600 calories every day in chocolate or chips. I'd rather eat the nutritious stuff or modify the junk a bit so I am not starving all the time.

I am a really finicky eater, so I don't think I could ever lose weight on a delivered meal system or someone else's menu plan. I wouldn't last a week if I had to eat fish or peas! LOL!

I AM looking forward to the day when I can have an occasional off plan meal...like Long John Silver's with oodles of malt vinegar...the only fish I like. But I'm pretty sure if I ate fried food every day, I would go right back to being a at chick again. I think something must happen to our bodies once we become overweight that makes them think they can just keep being fat and if we disagree, then our bodies try to make us get fat all over again. Maybe it's just age, or maybe it's a change in metabolism...whtever it is, I will deal with it.

Barb

I feel like I'm in control when I calorie count. I can pick and choose what I want to eat and feel great about it. I've even had sort of healthy snacks (like pop corn or frozen yogurt). When I count calories, I don't feel guilty. I know what I'm doing. When I go out to eat (usually lunch), I merely eat half and take the rest home for dinner. I try to eat as healthy as I can, though.

Barb (Angelskeep), maybe Long John Silver's has nutritional information regarding the fish you like. Most restaurants do. I always look up info before I go to Taco Bell or Starbucks. Good luck to you! You can do this!

Tyla

Barb~I have lost 101 Pounds in a little over 16 months~never had a month of gain~I too love Long John silvers But I eat there just from time to time.Maybe 3 to 4 times since counting calories~& only because I am a penny pincher~there fish isn't real bad on calories so Check them out online & see what you can eat thats calorie friendly there cause we can still eat out too~Just take a water or diet drink to help with the drink...And Maybe 2 pieces of fish & 2 hushpuppies or so~Just keep it in moderation~we do not have to give up everything we love to eat just eat in smaller portions~HUGS & GOODLUCK