I think I need to start calorie counting. I have been trying to lose weight for 5 months now, since the start of this year. Literally, I have been trying to lose the same FIVE POUNDS over and over. There was a few weeks where I was counting the calories, logging it into a notebook, and thought that after that I can figure out how much I'm eating based on estimates that I previously measured and for meals that I previously made for myself.

It worked for a little while, not counting and just estimating based on my own intuition, but now I must be totally off the charts with my calories because I'm not losing, and sometimes even GAINING

However, this doesn't seem to work for me now. Maybe I am eating too much. I guess the only way to know is to go back to calorie counting again.

My problem is this...I find it to be so tedius sometimes, and having to look up calorie amounts online for produce is tiring too.

Does anyone have some suggestions for me? I know there are online programs, phone apps, etc. I guess I'm just trying to gain some hope that I can do this and make it a part of my weight loss journey until I get back down again.

Any stories, struggles, suggestions welcomed. Thank you!

I track on fitday. I just do it on the computer, but I know they have an app. It's a can be a little slow sometimes, and the food choices aren't perfect, but I make it work. And once you've logged a few days, it's easy to check your recent foods and just add them again, if you eat similar things.

I've lost weight before, and in the past I tracked for a couple weeks and then stopped as you say you did. I could continue losing without tracking, while I was motivated, but eventually my motivation would slip and I'd start gaining again. This time I'm using calorie counting not so much as a guide to tell me how much I can eat, but as a tool to keep myself thinking about the choices I'm making.

If you have any sort of routine - eat the same foods all the time - it might be easy just to start an excel spreadsheet. Then it's just copy & paste, copy & paste... I use caloriecount.about.com to look up nutrition facts.

I am a calorie counter, it takes me about five minutes to plan my meals for the day. I prefer this to ever have to start wearing "Queen Size" clothes again.

the first few days may take a little time, but then you will get the hang of it. I used an excel spreadsheet. One page was a list of foods I normally eat and the amount of calories. Then one page for each week, and I could just copy and paste foods on to each day. It went fast. There are tons of programs online, but it was easier for me to just do my own.

^^^^^ Yes! For people who are creatures of habit and don't mind eating pretty much the same thing daily, calorie counting is cake. I eat the same exact breakfast almost every single morning, the same snacks, the same type of lunch, etc. It's not doable for everyone because I don't think many people enjoy eating the same thing over and over, but it works for some! Just be patient, figure out what works for you, and then take-off full blast!

Prepare your meals in advance! I have a "cooking day" in which I cook, cook and cook some more. I input the ingredients of each main meal in calorie count dot com and how many servings I got out of it. It gives me the exact nutrient count including calories. So everytime I pop one my delishous frozen entrees out the freezer, the counts are already done. Snacks/fruits are easy to count, and viola...progress!

Hmm...well I feel like, and don't get offended, if you find taking the extra 6 minutes it takes to look up and log an item as "tedious" and "tiring" then maybe calorie counting isn't for you. With all the new technology there is, you can literally carry an app with you that can keep track of all the food you've eaten or are planning to eat. I enjoy calorie counting because if I'm going out, I can look up my meal ahead of time (or even when I'm there with my mobile) and make the right choice for me.

And I don't think you have to be a "creature of habit" honestly, the only time I've gained is when I stopped counting. Assess your lifestyle and make sure calorie counting is something you can do.

I track on My Fitness Pal. I spend probably a total of 10 minutes (max) adding everything up. Once you have most of your go-to meals logged under your "Most used" list, and your go-to recipes calculated up (which does take a few minute of time upfront), it's super fast.

Thank you ALL for your responses. I guess I needed to hear how effective it was for you and to convince myself that it IS worth the extra time to count the cals.

Some of you have said that you would do it and then stop, and gain as a result of not tracking. That has been my problem. I need to count the cals as a way to stay on track and make better food choices. Many of you said that you eat some of the same meals from day to day, and that is what I do sometimes, so I guess that will help me out.

I will be doing it again. I'll check out My Fitness Pal and FitDay for starters.

Thanks again!

I'm LOVING MyFitness Pal's calorie counter! It makes counting so easy! Before, I was doing it hand written, and looking things up on the computer, and writing it down and calculating it.

Now I just look it up on the computer, and click, click, it's recorded and calculated for me! It even tells me carbs, protein and fat grams! And it also tells me calories remaining for the day (for my goal), and grams remaining for the carbs, protein and fat. There's a glasses of water tracker too.

There's even a FREE phone app for the website.

Thanks all!

MyFitnessPal is DEFINITELY the way to go. I'm not sure if you have an android or iphone, but if you have an Android, the MyFitnessPal app has a barcode scanner which is also awesome for pre-packaged foods because all the nutritional information is already included. I would always double check the nutritional info to make sure it matches up with your item you are scanning, because sometimes it can be a little off.

Hope it works for you and good luck!