Are you really happy with it?
Yes, absolutely. It's really the only way I know that I can watch what I eat while still making meals for my BIG family.

Does it make you miserable?
No way. It gives you flexibility to eat what you want w/in your limit

Is it easier than other diets you have tried?
absolutely. I've never been able to follow a strict diet plan because I have 4 kids and a husband to feed and it's too hard to cook separate dinners or get them to eat what I'm eating.

What do you like most about it?
I love the flexibility. I also feel more in control. I've taken several online profiles to come up with my recommended calorie intake and I've gotten a big range so I like that I got to test it out and see which daily intake works best for me. I feel like I created my diet myself.

What do you not like about it?
Not much. I'm still fairly new and I need a more "to go" way of keeping track, but it's been recommended to me to get a calorie count book and notepad. I keep a big enough purse that I can keep those things on the go.

How much weight have you lost?
I had lost 13 lbs before TOM visited this week and I gained 4lbs back!!! But I'm sure that'll disappear just as soon as TOM does.

How long have you been counting calories?
Well, I did WW for about 4 months and that's pretty much the same principle and I lost about 20lbs with that. I've been doing just calorie counting for about 8wks now.

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term?
Definitely. I'm sure that as I continue I'll just "know" the calorie content of certain foods and won't have to measure everything and will jsut be able to see the right portion size. But it has saved on my grocery bill because now that I'm measuring my portion size I don't cook 2 boxes of rice a roni or have tons of wasted leftovers.

I hope all this helps you. Good luck on your weight loss plan!

I've only been counting calories for 2 weeks but I've already lost 3 pounds. Like others, I really enjoy the freedom of knowing that no foods are off limits...I just have to control portions and/or make trade-offs later in the day to stay within my calorie limit. I found a calorie-counting program on-line that is really easy to use. Calorie counting really makes you get real about what you're eating instead of offering some "magic" solution to weight loss. Plus I could never sustain a diet long-term knowing that pizza, fries or potato chips were off limits forever!
I've tried Weight Watchers and Atkins with only short-term success.
Good luck with your choice!

You ladies who have lost so much already are just awesome!

I don't think I could add much to this post except to say that I have never believed that cutting carbs out of your diet is a healthy thing to do. Carbs are your body's preferred fuel. We love them for a reason. The most important thing is to choose foods that are healthy for us and not just because they are low in calories. To paraphrase what someone else said, you have to make sure you get the most nutritional bang for your calorie buck.

Are you really happy with it? Very happy.

Does it make you miserable? No. It makes me miserable (like Mindi) when restaurants don't have their nutritional information available.

Is it easier than other diets you have tried? Very.

What do you like most about it? It's simple portion control. I can eat whatever I want, but make healthier choices, and eat the things that are "bad" in moderation. You can work anything into your meal plan and stay with in calories.

What do you not like about it? There really isn't much not to like.

How much weight have you lost? About 30-35lbs.

How long have you been counting calories? Since September of 2008.

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? Yes. When you're dieting you can't tell yourself you'll never have bread, or ice cream, or a glass of wine ever again. It's simple, easy, and you can enjoy the things you love.

Are you really happy with it? Blissfully happy!

Does it make you miserable? Not at all. It actually does the opposite. It makes me happy to know exactly, or as close to exactly as possible, what I'm eating from day to day.

Is it easier than other diets you have tried? It is much easier, yes. Though to be fair, I never really tried hard at any other diet - they were too much trouble.

What do you like most about it? The freedom to eat what I want as long as I plan for it in the calories and am prepared for the ramifications of my choices. For example, one day I had 35% of my calories in sugary junk and felt rundown and gross for two days... Didn't gain long term, but paid the price for my indulgence for over a week in water retention.

What do you not like about it? At this point, nothing. I don't like the fact that not everything has calories listed, but that isn't the fault of the plan.

How much weight have you lost? In total, 60 pounds. The first 30 were informal calorie counting - I reduced calories when I met my now DH because I was too busy to snack. The last 30 was deliberate counting. I've also maintained that weight loss for six months come Friday.

How long have you been counting calories? 390 days

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? Absolutely. As I get more comfortable with the foods I eat I find I can estimate more and measure less and am still comfortable I'm in range. I do touch base with weighing and measuring every so often to make sure I'm still in line. And, as others have said, I don't have to say no to indulgence foods all the time and can still maintain my weight.

And add to the other positive things already said , it is FREE!!!!!!

1. Yes, I'm happy with calorie counting. It is the best "diet" I ever been on.

2. No, it doesn't make me miserable. Occasionally I get annoyed by the fact that I have to think about every single thing I eat, but really I was doing that anyway, so what is the difference?

3. Yes, it is definitely easier than other diets. I don't see results as quickly as I did with low-carb, but then I couldn't stick with low-carb.

4. What I like most is that I can eat whatever I want, just in smaller quanitites. It feel basically "normal".

5. I don't really dislike anything about it, except maybe that I have to do anything, but that is mainly a problem I need to take up with my metabolism!

6. Overall, 62 lbs. Since starting calorie counting about 35 lbs

7. I'm not entirely sure about the exact date, I think it was sometime May-June.

8. Yes, I can stick to calorie counting long-term. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is something that I'll be doing for the rest of my life.

I hope this helps!

Are you really happy with it? Yes

Does it make you miserable? Sometimes, when I'm PMSing and I want to eat an entire cheesecake...then sure, I'm miserable.

Is it easier than other diets you have tried? No, it takes just as much work, planning and dedication as anyother "diet" I've ever tried. The weight does not just magically melt off by counting calories. Only if you cut calories will that happen.
What do you like most about it? I've successfully lost a bunch of weight and feel great and in control 95% of the time vs. 5% of the time before I started.
What do you not like about it? That I have to do it and I'm not naturally thin. I'll be honest here. It sucks! Restricting calories is not joy time. It's not a picninc or like Christmas. It's tough and it takes work. It's just as difficult as any other diet for me.
How much weight have you lost? 149 pounds

How long have you been counting calories? Since March 4th, 2008

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? I sure hope so! I've stuck with it almost a year, and in doing so I think I might have added many more to my life span.

1.Are you really happy with it? Yes when I'm not Plateau ing

2.Does it make you miserable? Yes, when I hit a plateau because I was restricting and working out and nothing worked but then, I upped my calories and It started working again like magic so then NO.

3.Is it easier than other diets you have tried? I haven't really committed to any other diet before..


4. What do you like most about it? That I can have anything I want as long as I factor it in

5. What do you not like about it? when I have to "guess" at the calorie content when I eat out.. I get obsessive and start panicking I've estimated wrong and kind of dwell on it.
How much weight have you lost? 20 lbs

How long have you been counting calories? Since December 29th, 2008

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? Yes, I really hope so.

Thank you all so much for your responses.

I think I had already made the decision, I just needed motivation to do it. This is great motivation.

It's going to be really strange switching over to low cal foods. Honestly I have gained more weight than I have lost eating low carb. Mainly because I couldn't stick to it and I would end up eating all that fatty food and then I would break and binge on carbs. That is a bad way to live. It would excite me when I saw a huge drop on the scale just within a few days but when I would binge I would avoid the scale because I knew the weight would come right back on and plus sometimes.

I went to the grocery store today to pick up some staples to last me through the weekend. I don't want this to be all about low calorie convenience foods, because I think anything that is processed is bad for you.


Now I guess I need to figure out where to start as far as calories go. Also I guess I need to learn how to balance my meals as well. I guess it's not rocket science but I have a tendency to make it that way.

Are you really happy with it? Yes

Does it make you miserable? Nope

Is it easier than other diets you have tried? Yes

What do you like most about it? I can eat anything in moderation, I can plan in advance for things I want to eat, and if I screw up there's always tomorrow to fix it. I'm an organized person, and counting calories fits my personality and lifestyle very well because it's a logical and organized way to lose weight.

What do you not like about it? Tracking my calories in the Daily Plate is a bit tedious sometimes. If the online websites were faster and had better food databases, it would not be as tedious.

How much weight have you lost? 15 pounds since last year, and I'm now at goal

How long have you been counting calories? Since January 2008

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? I think so. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I just make it part of my daily routine to track my calories, and part of my weekly routine to plan all of my meals

The beauty of calorie counting is that you do not have to stiock to low calorie foods. You can eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie allottment. Of course an apple is many calories less than a donut.

Are you really happy with it?
Yes

Does it make you miserable?
Not at all. Like others have said it makes going out to eat really unappealing, but luckily I want to save money to so I call that a bonus most of the time.

Is it easier than other diets you have tried?
I haven't tried anything else, really tried anyway.

What do you like most about it?
Flexibility, control, accountability, and education. It makes me think about what I'm eating. Tracking online has been great, it gives me a record to reflect on when I'm doing good, and lets me see when I'm straying. I've been a victim to "I'm eating healthier, why arent I losing??" when I really would eat healthy three days a week and not healthy 4!

What do you not like about it?
Um, it feels tedious sometimes. But honestly it makes me take time out to think about my health, which is important.

How much weight have you lost?
13 pounds this year
How long have you been counting calories?

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term?
Yes, it's coming more and more natural to me to estimate what I'm eating though I will probably always track. I've got a long way to go until I have to worry about maintenance though.

I have only been calorie counting for a little over a week but got really serious about it in the last couple days. The thing I like about it is that I can still eat what I love just much smaller portions. I am eating 1800 calories a day with 45 minutes exercise (just starting out and need to work my way to longer) per day and I was craving pizza today so I worked out ate a small breakfast 1 cup cherrios, 1/2 cup milk, and an 80 cal. yougart that put me at 240 calories for lunch I had 2 slices of pizza each slice was 280 cal. and after lunch I had dessert, a 60 calorie low fat fudgecycle. Now this was not my best day and not a healthy lunch but with eating that I still have pleanty of calories left over for dinner and a snack. 940 to be exact. So there are days like today that I feel like I am cheating but I am still within my calorie range for the day.

Tina

Are you really happy with it? yes!

Does it make you miserable? not at all

Is it easier than other diets you have tried? yes in that it's not soooo restricted, no in that I lost quicker with low carb

What do you like most about it? I know that it's good for my body and that it's likely to last in the long run

What do you not like about it? nothing really

How much weight have you lost? so far? about 10 lbs in the last 2 months

How long have you been counting calories? strictly? about 6 weeks

Is counting calories something that you thing you can stick to long term? definitely