I have been at this for a few months and it took FOREVER to get see a difference in inches or lbs. I even went back up to 125 for a while and now I've been stuck at 118 for 2 weeks. I eat between 1200-1400 cals a day and I'm so freakin' tired of counting calories. There has been some progress, I am down 3 lbs, and .75 inches on my waist and largest part of hips, and .5 on my upper hips, and .5 on my thigh. I have been busting my butt at the gym (going AT least 3 times a week but usually 4-5) so the lost inches are nice but not that impressive given the effort.

Anyway it is the calorie counting that is grating my nerves...anyone else ready to say screw it??

Me! It worked for me this summer and I lost 15 lbs, but I found it was making me a bit obsessive and I just want to live a normal life. I know I will always think about portions and what foods I eat, but I am through with counting so strictly.

I know it works for a lot of people, and for those I say a wholehearted congrats - if you can tough it out and be happy and see results, then that's great, but it is not for everyone.

Me! I started counting calories since June and I got tired of it. I stopped 2 weeks ago and tried to do it again today but then said screw it. I'm thinking of taking a little break and work on maintenance for a couple of months. I've plateaued for almost 5 weeks and I don't want to push myself so hard that I give up completely.

clevergirl, the less we have to lose , the harder it is, that is just a fact of life.You are close to goal , just about anybody who has ever dieted will tell you that the last 5-10 pounds are the hardest. I almost settled for a higher goal weight but I persisted and it finally came off. Don't give up. It will happen.
By the way for you who hate counting calories, I am at goal and still count calories, I prefer that to ever wearing extra large clothing again.

I agree with bargoo. It gets tougher the lighter you get.
I hope you also calculate the calories you burn at the gym!? Make sure you eat enough when you work out.
I am still not sick of counting ww points or calories (did ww first, now calories) it is quick and efficient on myfitnesspal. No biggie to keep track of it even when I am slowing down a lot too. I think of it as an overview how well I eat now not only about weight loss.

Me!! Ugh I've only been dieting (this time around) for 2 months but I'm so done!
This week I eased up a bit and ate like 1600 -1800 instead of 1200-1400 and I'm up
2lbs! I really need to eat below 1300 to lose and 1300 really doenst go very far!!

i can go one lazier than the rest of you - i can't even be bothered to START counting calories!!!

I would actually be really interested to know how many i consume, but i tend to eat a lot of ingredients in things, eg salads with heaps of different things in them, and cereal with lots of bits and pieces chucked in, and i really can't be bothered weighing and counting.

And i'm losing weight without, but i have plenty of energy, so there's no need for me to do it, other than it would be interesting

I'd have thought that if you have calorie counted in the past though you'd have a good idea how many are in what food wouldn't you? So it would be easy to keep a reasonable estimate through the day without being pedantic about it?

Or do you mean that you're fed up with trying to lose weight all together?

I have always used cc as a way to lose weight. I probably know the calorie content in just about everything... But there are times when I cannot stand even the thought of it. Right now I'm just doing intermittent fasting (not eating most of the day, then being careful in the evening.) I may write down what I ate, but not the calorie content... I think the positive side to not counting is that I can focus more on what I'm eating on a holistic level, instead of just focusing on numbers. Then going into maintenance hopefully wont leave me feeling totally lost (and bingeing!)

My latest approach is to not count on the weekends (when I generally use my extra WW points anyway) and just count during the week. I'm hoping that by doing that, I can train myself to eat in moderation without counting points. Wish me luck!

I've never had any success with calorie counting. My problem is that it makes me way MORE obsessed with food and I'm always looking for ways to fill in th extra calories or I'm just thinking about food all the time, in general, and then eat more.

I've done somewhat of an exchange plan that a nutritionist gave me but mostly I just try to eat well (lots of veggies, protein, and whole grains, no sugar). I've experimented enough to know when my body feels the fullest+foods that give me more energy. Then again, I've been at this for over 1.5 years so I've had plenty of time to iron out most of the kinks (unfortunately new ones always show up, though!).

Like others mentioned, though, the closer you get to goal the harder it'S going to be to lose. You already have a fairly low body weight for your height so realistically it makes much more sense to focus on inches loss. Actually, if you just worked on heavy weight lifting (and increased your calories some through protein) you might even see changes more quickly in terms of inches (and isn't that what matters most in the long run? ).

I know some really need calorie counting to hold them accountable but I'm not that type of person. For me I just need to avoid trigger foods and eat healthy food and I can pay attention to my hunger/full signals and do fine. Ultimately you have to do what works best for you.

I said, "Screw it!!" in July and re-gained 10 lbs!

I'm back at it and realizing that CC is something I'm going to need to keep doing (in one way or another) for life. It's the only way I can keep myself accountable and in control. It's definitely not the right fit for everyone though.

I am so obsessive about cc! I seriously cannot stop. When I took off 2 weeks over the holidays b/c I was eating things I couldn't count, it seriously drove me crazy.
I have been at a plateau since July--crazy also, I know--so, I don't really think cc helps everyone, but my food journal on MFP is like a daily reminder to do what I do--daily.
One day, I'll look back on this and think I was totally insane for ever doing it so long, but I'll face that journey when it arrives.

to you. It is harder the closer you get to goal!

At 5'4", maybe your body is happy at 118lbs.

Are you tired of counting calories or are you tired of feeling hungry? It seems like by now you know how much you can eat and still lose without meticulously measuring and counting - you probably have "set" meals and have memorized the calorie counts in lots of foods, right? Can you take a week off from numbers crunching and see how you do with just eating clean and keeping up with the gym?

I completely know how you feel. As soon as I got to 124, everything just slowed to a complete crawl and there are days (and weeks) where it feels like all the effort is for nothing.

I relaxed myself a little, I still count and I still weigh my food, But I ditched the notebook, stopped writing everything down and started to rely on calculating everything in my head.

One thing I have started doing though is skipping meals or only eating half portions so I can indulge on bad foods or larger meals. substituting good food with bad is NOT HEALTHY but sometimes I just can't help myself. Does anyone else have a problem with this?