I don't know how people do it. Calorie counting. I just can't do it, it's too much effort for me. To loose weight do i HAVE to calorie count. Basically i just read the nutrition facts or us common sense to tell if it's good for me or not.
What i usually eat on a daily basis.
Breakfast- Banana, PB with fig preserves on one slice of whole wheat toast, and a v8 (low sodium of coarse), fallowed with 20 oz of water.
Snack- Cheese stick, 16 oz of water.
Lunch- Trail mix unsalted. 16 oz of water.
Snack 2- Carrot sticks. 16 oz of water.
Dinner- Red lentil soup. 20 oz of water.
Snack 3- Yogurt, or chocolate cheerios. 16 oz of water.
I slowly want to eat healthier, Then move on to exercising.

I don't know if you have access to this. But I use an application on my iPhone. I scan the food I'm going to eat, or type it in to look it up. Then I add it to my food intake log. Its easy. It does all the work, all I have to do is scan the barcode!

I was the same way. I thought it was a stupid time consuming task. But its really the only way. You HAVE to count calories.

If you have a smart phone, download " MyFitnessPal". It will make life SO much easier!
Good luck!

I much prefer counting calories to wearing XLarge clothing again.

Calorie counting is hard, being fat is hard, not fitting in your clothes is hard. Pick your hard.

First of all, you didn't mention the calories with your food but I think you don't eat enough!!! It is not balanced and you might also drink too much water.
Calorie counting can be quite quick and easy if you sign up with MyFitnessPal or some online community. They have hugh databases that are easy to search and you can create meals and copy food to the following day. I usually eat the same for breakfast so it is a two-click thing to log it for the new day. No biggie. If you have an iPhone or so, it is even quicker since they have barcode readers for them.

You're right, I have been trying to calorie count recently. I just don't know how much i should eat, and burn.
That's the thing i'm really confused.
:I

I posted something similar a couple of months ago and got a similar response to my post from other 3FCers.

Calorie counting is not the only way to lose weight. It works for some, it won't work for others. You have to do what will work for you and your lifestyle. If it isn't something you can keep up with for a long time, don't set yourself up for failure - find something that suits you.

Don't let anyone tell you that their system is the only system. I think it's unfair for other posters to say that what they're doing to lose weight is the best and only way to do it and if you can't do it then you're sunk.

I hope you find something that works for you. As long as you are happy and healthy, that's what counts.

I like to use an app called "Lose It," which is free. I think they have calorie calculators and a giant database of food. It's actually kind of fun to use. You might also like Weight Watchers, but it's not free.

I have counted calories in the past the old fashion way. I love this program on-line. If you have a SmartPhone it is even nicer! You can access everything on-line on this program. I am a gadget person and I love entering my foods. It will also keep track of your exercise and it will tell you what nutritional values you have eaten.

Check it out!

While I agree that people have different success on different programs, the terrible truth is that burning 3500 calories = 1 lb of weight loss. I think it is possible to estimate calories to a great degree, and some people have a lot of success with that, but to get it to work, I think you generally need to measure out portions for a while so you can see what they really look like. While it doesn't look like you're eating "that much" food, if you're eating a cup of trail mix for lunch, which would not be very filling, that could easily be A LOT of calories and fat with dried fruit and nuts. You are eating healthy foods, to be sure, but eating too many calories of ANYTHING will cause you to gain weight.

That said, are you losing weight on what you're eating now? if you are, then it's working for you. If you're not, maybe you should re-evaluate.

People are notoriously bad at estimating their calories, normally underestimating by 100's of calories. This has been well-documented.

I don't think your daily intake is balanced and you probably are not eating enough.

I recommend that you go to the Mayo Clinic website and going through their diet section. They are trustworthy and have some good advice. You can also determine what you caloric needs are.

I think we get frustrated and "tired of" calorie counting/dieting because we're taught to do so. It's a pattern we follow, because we see it repeated again and again all around us. All the time, we see and hear people complaining about the monotony of their dieting struggles - of calorie counting, of measuring, counting, watching, thinking about food and exercise - of going to WW and other weight loss support group meetings or to the gym... We hear people complaining and then see them give up. So when we get "tired" we give up too, because it's just how dieting is done.

Calorie counting isn't inherently frustrating, monotonous and aggravating - it's all those things because we've been taught to feel that way about it.

Now there are a lot of things people complain about, but do anyway (like getting up and going to work every day, like balancing the checkbook and paying bills).

And there are things we don't complain about and just do (like brushing our teeth and bathing)

And there are things we complain about until we give up (like dieting, sometimes saving money for the future...)


We're taught to see calorie counting as monotonous and boring, rather than something that just can fit into a normal day - like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, making a grocery list... It doesn't have to be torture. It's just taking notes a few times a day.


I use an exchange plan, which some people consider harder than calorie counting because you have to keep track of more things (starch, fruit, fat, protein, dairy, and veggie exchanges - and their values).

But I use a checklist style food journal page that I print off (there are tons of them online. I've gotten them from tops.org and the frugalabundance.com websites and others).

If I have a large apple, a glass of milk, and two hard boiled eggs - that's 2 fruit, 1 dairy, and 2 protein.

I don't even have to write it down (but I usually do).


Once you're used to counting (whether you're counting fat grams, calories, WWpoints, or exchanges) it takes at most 5 minutes per meal. Is it really that horrendous a job that you can't take 15 to 20 minutes out of your day to do it?

I'd rather count calories than use a curling iron - but a lot of people do that every day without blinking an eye. I'd rather count calories than clean the toilet every day (which is why I count calories every day, but only clean my toilet once a week). I know people who do clean their toilet every day.


Calorie/exchange counting, food journaling and exercising were all things that I used to think "I can't do this forever," and because I thought that, I couldn't. I'd get so sick and tired of all the trappings of weight loss, that I'd give up.... because that's what most people did. I was just following the crowd without realizing why or how.

Now that I make a concentrated effort to look at every change I make as one I intend to do forever without seeing it as a hinderence. When I tell myself "my food journal is just like my checkbook, my grocery list, my teeth brushing, washing my face.... it's a normal routine task, not an unbearable drudgery."

But if you look at it as an unbearable drudgery it will feel that way.

You don't need to count calories. But you do need to eat at a calorie deficit, and you need to track what you're eating in some way. So what I think you need to do now is think further about why you're currently feeling frustrated with the whole business. Is it the hassle of logging calories? Using dieting software such as MyFitnessPal can help, or alternatively doing something like an exchange plan as Kaplods suggested, or the Weight Watchers points system. Do you feel hungry on what you're eating? Talk to people here about how to change what you eat so that it's more satisfying. Do you feel that what you are eating is bland or boring? Same solution.

The important thing is that you are evidently making a strong effort to do this, and you've already succeeding in losing 10lb. You're doing very well. Floundering a bit is perfectly normal, and learning more about how to diet successfully usually does the trick. Folks here can help you work out the right number of calories for you as well.

Nobody said weight loss is fun and play! Weight loss is hard work. We are just lucky that we have great tools online now whereas my mom's generation had paper, pen and a book listing calories. I think about that and go back to myfitnesspal account (and app) and quickly scan a barcode. Technology is great.
Considering that I do count WW points and/or calories since January I got to say it is not really hard to do. Way easier than I thought in the first few weeks. You get used to it. It's second nature now like brushing teeth.
You will get into a routine, know your typical foods and notice there is a lot of repetition which will make it very quick when you get the hang of it.
And I guess it comes down to the question: How badly do you want to lose weight? If you are serious about it you will be gladly spend 10 minutes or so looking up and journaling calories every day.

Oh and about the how many calories to eat and burn: There are tons of homepages out there with calculators and guides. Google will help you.
I am on myfitnesspal and it is all built into the homepage. They will asked you a bunch of questions to set up your calorie limit, then you tell them what you want to do (lose, maintain etc) and they will reduce it for you. They also have a database with exercises that you can add to your journal which gives you more calories to spend.