I've decided to do calorie counting.
I'm having big problems with rationalizing overeating.
I think having to count it all will be a big eye opener for me.
I'm glad this forum is here to help me.

Welcome! Very few people are honest with themselves and what they eat. I know I had to come to terms with the amount I was eating. I calculated what I use t eat before and I was eating around 6000-7000 a day...and I was maintaining at that amount. Scary.

Wow, that IS scary.
Thanks for your support.

I mostly learned about calorie counting here at 3fc. I kept a "handy dandy" notebook for all my weight loss in '09. I really learned so much about my own habits and about food. I learned about "nuclear" food: those little bitty things that are huge calorie bombs. I really had no clue about food and weight loss. My sister's just starting to get more in to nutrition, counting and such. She still thinks I'm strange and too nit picky but I can't lose unless I track and measure. Nowadays I do have a better eyeball for portion sizes but when I'm counting I have to measure to keep me honest.

nitpicky is a small price to pay to keep ourselves honest.

I find counting was a huge eye opener. I think most people really have no idea how much they are actually ingesting. It is SO easy to overeat, so so easy. Everything just adds up so much....I've been counting meticulously and yes in a "nitpicky" way since I started in late June, and I owe my success to being a little obsessive about it. It has on occasion bothered those around me, but OH WELL!

I have been using a bodybugg-type device for a few days which show exactly how many calories I burn a day. I have been tracking as well, and I have learned a lot. It is soooo easy to undo the work at the gym, etc. with just one mocha or other treat. I had rationalized a lot of small things as being ok calorie-wise, when they really add up over time. It has been a real education!

I have recently come out of an attempt to do mindful eating after 18 months of calorie counting. While I worked it and learned a great deal, I managed to gain 18 pounds and had to take a deep breath and re-evaluate just what worked and what didn't.

It wasn't that I was being dishonest with myself, I still wrote down every bite I ate as a backup measure. I wrote about tastes and textures and felt so much more intune with eating. When something is a novelty, it is easier to follow, but once it becomes routine, it can so easily start to slide. I had to halt the gaining and sat down and entered everything I ate during that mindful time period. I was shocked to find that my calories were much higher than I thought. Granted I was eating more than I do when calorie counting, I honestly did not think it was that high.

I have come to the conclusion that I did not get to 317 pounds because I have a good judgment about portions and overall food intake. For me, the reality is that in order to be honest with myself and have a definite clue about my intake, it has to be weighed and counted. This is just the way it is and I accept what I need to do to finish losing the weight and get to goal and stay there.

I do believe I will to always count my calories. Anything else is fooling myself. Others may be able to eat normally, I cannot without a form of control in place.

Good Luck to you in counting calories it’s the only way to go!

Hi, I’m Kit and I count calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. For people who tell me that counting calories is no way live. I think to myself, killing yourself with food is no way to live either.

I find that the people who have to voice their opinions about me counting calories are the people who are eating junk food, saturated fats and Trans fats and are clogging their arteries. Do I harp on them they eat too much salt and sugar and are ruining their health? No.

I know someone who has always been skinny but bad food habits put him in the hospital. This year at the age of 52 he was hospitalized and had to have a heart stint because one of his heart valves was 90% blocked and he almost had a heart attack. Oh, the joys of tobacco and sugar, a deadly mix. He has since changed a lot of his habits and has given up on tobacco and Trans fats completely. I guess he didn’t want to die. Good thing he had excellent insurance because it cost him around 75k with 5k out of pocket.

Most people who complain about people that are counting calories are masking their own bad habits. They want to justify continuing to eat unhealthy, if you eat healthy it makes them look bad and they feel guilty. Why should anyone care what you put into your body? I’ve heard it all from “If I had to eat totally healthy life wouldn’t be worth living…” I just think to myself go ahead and keep eating chips and donuts and you won’t have to worry about it.

The best thing to do is don’t discuss your calorie counting with people other than people who understand the process. This support group is the best I've found. I’ve been dieting for years and failing for years, it’s time for this Merry-Go-Round to stop.

Calorie counting is the only way to have full control of what you put into your body. If you can control your calories, you can control your weight. I can’t wait to be a success and I hope you’re a success too!