I dont know if this question has been asked before but for me counting is just so much and I am fairly new to it but I think that it will help me on my journey if I can stay with it. Was it overwelming for you when you started?

For those of you who have been counting for a while, what are some things that make it easier? WHat are some things that I should be careful about? Anything that you want to share would be really appreciated!

Do you have an iphone or ipod.The application for counting calories sounds very conveinent.

My words of wisdom would be to just stick with it. It takes a little time, but eventually it gets easier as it becomes part of a routine. There will be things that you'll eat a lot more often that then become easier to keep track of.

I used to keep a notebook, but now use sparkpeople.com to track all my food, there are other online sites to do it (most are free).

I'm a complete email/computer junkie... and whenever I log onto my computer, I leave fitday up as a tab, which makes me add onto everything. Also, I try to snack lightly every couple hours otherwise my appetite gets the worst of me. Sure, you don't feel 100% full after certain snacks, but preoccupying your time well between snacks helps. I use my classes to pace my snacks and force myself to walk back to my room before I can even snack. It helps limit my intake.

I do it electronically, by hand is too much work.

I use sparkpeople.com- I LOVE IT!

electronically for me too. not least because it taught me how careful of vits and mins I have to be with a restricted calorie budget.

I use www.livingstrong.com/mydailyplate. It has a huge database.

Leaning more on foods that are easier to count makes the whole process more comfortable. Also, if you cook for others, making your own meal in a different container makes things a bit easier. You can still eat the same thing as the rest of your family as long as you're very sure what went into that pot.

I asked something similar.

It does feel overwhelming! My b-day is coming up and I'm hoping to get a food scale, and eventually hoping I'll be able to eyeball portions better. I'm a bit worried I might become overly obsessive and start weighing everything though.

I liked the idea of just rounding off if I can't find the exact number of calories...counting an apple as 100 and not worrying over if it's small or large or how many oz. it is. As the poster who said that pointed out, we didn't gain weight from eating a little more or less of an apple (or lettuce, vegetables, fruits...)

When I have a better idea of about how many calories are in foods I eat the most often it'll probably be quicker to just jot down in a pad. Planning on the free sites is helpful to give you an idea what to eat but sometimes things come up that you didn't plan or you might not always be around a computer.

does the iphone app work on the ipod touch?

I think so Nelie....I dont have a touch though.But I was understanding that applications were universal for both.Let me know if you find out.

I use daily plate on livestrong and one thing I love is that you can create meals once and then just click on that meal and it will fill in all the calories. For example, I eat NF yogurt, granola and berries several times a week for breakfast. Instead of entering each one separatly, I created it once in saved meals and just have to click that whenever I eat it. Also, if there are things you eat often, (ie an orange), it will show up on the side of commonly consumed foods. One MAJOR thing about food recording is "forgetting" to write something down if you ate something bad. I used to do this all the time. But honestly, who are you cheating other than yourself? Just record it, pick yourself up, and eat on track for the next meal. It becomes addicting after a while. Now I record everything I eat religously during the work week and take weekends off, while still eating good. It has become a second nature for me and I'm sure it will for you as well once you do it for a couple weeks.

I write down everything i eat on a small notebook. I will take a few minutes every morning to figure out my meals for the day. Planning ahead of time helps me stay on track all day. I try and eat every few hours and divide my calories up...seems to be working for me

Logging your calories and using a food scale are the top two things that worked for me.

Also using a recipe analyzer.

Food scale and my Bodybugg (although GoWear it is the same device with slightly different measurements-more for less $ so I'd be likely to get GWF i starting up). But the next best would be one o the free sites that have been mentioned above. Also many foods are easier to weigh rather than measure and it is more accurate (and frequently you get more via weight than volume) : )

Good luck to you, you can do this!