Hi all Ive done every diet there is out there and Ive found that I cant stick to any of them for long. It seems to me that calorie counting is a lifestyle change. And thats what I need to think of my journey as. Anyway being 5'7 and 215lbs does 1300-1500 cals sound good to you?

Also whats the best ways to get calorie counts for food items like veggies, meats and un packaged things? How do I go about getting started with calorie counting? should I buy a notebook and write down what I eat before I eat it? Im sorry for all the questions, thanks for reading

1200-1400 I think.
You can either just check on the net for calories, or buy a calorie counter pocketbook. Lists everything, from branded to non branded.
Write what you eat and how much, then find it in the book, and add at the end of the day.
A good idea is to organise meals and pre-count the calories.

I added more because I'm nursing but LoseIt has me set at about 1500 calories to lose 2 pounds per week. I'm also 5'7 and started LoseIt at 216 pounds, so it sounds good to me.

I think 1200 is too low personally, and you can always try 1500 for a week or so and then adjust from there.

I use free Fitday and check it from home and work. Livestrong is good for nutrition info. You need to decide how you prefer to report. If you eat toast and eggs and coffee every morning, you could add separate items each day or you could create a custom breakfast item with all the pieces. You would still get the benefit of nutrient counts. Set it up as you like. I also decided to get a food scale to fine-tune my portion measures.

You'll get lots of advice from people, I'm sure, but here are my $.02.

- I think it's always better to start at a higher calorie range, because you can always adjust down if needed. Starting too low tends to get people in a very strict "on diet" mentality that can backfire (leading to diet fatigue, binges, wailing, and gnashing of teeth ). Remember, this is your entire life, so taking your time is fine. Many people find that they lose weight fine at a higher calorie count.

Check into a few different online calorie calculators: Livestrong, freedieting, WebMD - you can google and find a bunch. This will give you a range to start, but in the end we're all an experiment of one. Choose something you think is sustainable indefinitely and then try it for at least a couple of weeks (not days!) and then evaluate.

For reference, I'm shorter than you and lost fine at 1400-1500 initially. IMO, you could probably lose fine at 1500-1700 for a while before having to lower your cals.

- Tracking is great! I use an online tracker, Livestong.com/myplate, but others use FitDay or LoseIt or myfitnesspal or whatever. Different people like different things. Maybe check a few of them out and see what interface you like best. A handwritten notebook is fine (although I'm permanently attached to my computer, so that's easier for me) but if you have to look up calorie counts that might not save you any time.

Good luck! Feel free to ask questions, that's what we're hear for!

Definitely start out at 1500 calories a day and if you use a food journal program online they usually include a place to put your daily exercise so you can see how many calories you're burning working out. Helpful for me as I walk dogs for a few hours a day so I'm burning some of my intake off.

I personally eat around 1200-1300 calories a day (At 5'6 and 134 lbs). As for how to get started... measuring cups/spoons and a food scale are my best friend. I usually look up nutrition info on fitday.com

Good luck!!

I thought I posted this but it's gone If it happens to show up twice, sorry!! I think calorie counting is a way for me to gain control over how much/little to eat, as well as something that frees me to eat because I know I can have anything I want (just need to watch the portions, etc. ). Since this happens to be my 500th time losing weight, I know calorie counting is all that has worked for me. The next step for me is to adopt maintenance eating into my life - that's something I've never quite gotten a handle on. I think over time, CC becomes easier and more intuitive. Good luck!