Just a thought....I started out counting and losing gradually. Sort of got the hang of it and started just eating the same amount/type of food every day. I am still losing. I am wondering if this will continue working-the not actually counting thing.

It is amazing because I am really not hungry at all. I think that if I don't binge and stretch my stomach, I can keep this up.

Has anyone ever done this? It just seems too good to be true, but I am losing weight.

Appreciate any thoughts.

I tried going 2 weeks without logging in my calorie book, just going on body cues. I didn't gain any weight, but I didn't lose, either. I started logging again yesterday.

i count but not every day, once i find foods and combinations that I know the calories are a good amount and i still lose weight. I may eat the same foods once I know the basic calorie count. does that make sense ? lol I usually count for a few weeks, if I am eating new foods. And then count every once in awhile to see if I am still in a good range. I try to keep it loose because that way I can keep it up, I know that I am not going to be able to log food every day forever.

Calories count, but there are a lot of ways to count calories that don't involve counting every calorie, every day. You've just found one of them.

By eating similar foods/portions/meals as you did when you were calorie counting, you're limiting yourself to roughly the same number of calories. It can work as long as your portion-size estimations are accurate. There was a research study not long ago that found that dieters portion-size estimations tend to drift upward over time. That isn't necessarily going to be a problem for you though if you occasionally spot check (use your measuring cups or kitchen scale more strictly every once in a while to make sure your portions are consistent).

I calorie count, using an exchange plan. Each exchange has a caloric range, meaning that my 1800 calorie exchange plan, really is more of a 1500 - 2000 calorie plan, but (at least at this point) I don't have to be more accurate than that. The scale will tell me when I have to be more precise. I'm more flexible this time around (because my schedule is more unpredictable), but in the past I ate a set number of exchanges at each meal. Breakfast was 2 protein, 2 starch 1 fruit, 1 dairy, and 1 vegetable. Occasionally I'd swith starch and fruit and I'd have 2 fruit and one starch. Calorically it comes out about the same, because fruits and starche exchanges have 60 to 80 calories.

Today I was lazy and didn't write down any of my meals, but I know I was within my plan parameters, because they were meals I'd eaten many times before. I did use my food scale, just because I find it so easy to use (I put my plate on the scale, and zero it before adding each food item. No dirty measuring cups/spoons).

This is *basically* what I do, but for me, it's a no brainer - at this point.

I eat the same exact breakfast every single day.

I eat the same of one or two lunches - with the same calorie count.

I eat one of several dinners - with the same calorie count.

I eat several snacks a day - which all have similar calorie counts.

So for me, all the counting has been done - eons ago.

My weekends vary a little more, but again, at this point, I've gotten the calorie counts down point, so it's just a little switching and re-arranging.

You're a little early in on this. But once you really, really get the counts down pat and find some interchangeable meals with similar calorie counts, there should be no reason why you can't use this method.

Of course, always be open to tweaking if you see the scale creeping up or something.

rockinrobin, your way makes perfect sense

and you are right...i am early in the game

I've been calorie counting for about 9 months. I log everything as I eat it and stop before I hit my red line limit for the day. But, I have shortcuts I've built into the software I use (fatsecret - and their droid app!).

I realized several months ago that I could put together a 400 calorie dinner with amazing accuracy. I was entering item by item, after cooking, before eating, when I realized that I was almost never off by even 10%. So, I have an entry for a healthy meal of 400 calories. If it's a light meal, 300 calories, I enter it at .75. For a big meal - 500 calories - I'll enter it as 1.25. Every few weeks, I'll double check a meal to make sure that my counts are still "there" and I'm not slopping mentally.

I love the way my body has adjusted to this. I am not exercising right now so I am only losing a pound a week.