Chicksinger,

I think you're taking a wise approach. I was pretty strict about my counting when I first started out. I think you have to be. But yes, after a while you become much better at guesstimating and don't get as freaked out if you don't know the EXACT calorie count in everything (eating out is MUCH less stressful now than it was when I first started.)

Of course some people continue to be strict counters all the way through, but for me, it wasn't as much of a "fun science experiment" (good analogy), after I'd been doing it day in and day out for more than a year.

But whether you're strict or sloppy, I think it all boils down to accountability and awareness in the end. You think twice before eating something you know is highy caloric and lacking in nutrition. Both a sloppy counter and a strict counter know to make adjustments if their current calorie intake isn't producing the results they want. If I lose on a sloppily-counted 1500 calorie budget and you lose on a strictly-counted 1700 calorie diet, it's all pretty much the same in the end. Bottom line: there's room for both Felix AND Oscar in the CC world :)