I started this year doing IP Diet.... but very costly in May I started using alternative protein......... from January until September I've lost 50lbs ---- BUT since Sept I've gained 10lbs back............

So I was thinking of continuing with the protein shakes + counting calories.... to keep me on track...
I still drink the shakes for breakfast & lunch, but I've lost control for suppers and then the weekends are terrible....so hopefully counting calories will help!

So my question is:

Does everyone use a web site to count their calories if so which one do most of you use.

Does anyone use paper and pen if so what type of spreadsheet do you use.

I use MFP you can down to phone and keep track of every calorie.

I use actual pen and paper, no spreadsheet. I find it easier than logging my calories into a program.

I use jumbo sticky notes and a pen. I just slap one on the door of my fridge every morning and count my calories as I go. Simplicity hath its merits...though I suppose this might not work as well if you didn't work from home.

I, too, use the MyFitnessPal app downloaded on my smartphone (was previously using Calorie Count). I really love using an app to track my calories. I used paper and pencil during my last calorie-counting attempt many years ago, and to me, it is much easier to use the app. It takes me no more than 5 minutes a day to log everything, including exercise.

livestrong, loseit (very good). I use caloriecount.com just because I got used to it.

I suggest tho that you have a plan for your snacks and your dinner meals, and a strategy for the weekend. Knowing ahead of time what your choices can be, and having those snacks to stave off hunger can help avoid throwing you into a nighttime/weekend out of control mode.

I'm using the PC version of FitDay myself.

Since you're finding it so hard to deal with dinners and weekends, are you sure that this protein shake approach is a good one for you? I'd certainly find it extremely difficult to deal with, the feelings of deprivation would completely mess with my head.

...goodness, it's been too long since I've posted here!

I have been using FitDay for years - I like it because it has listings for many homemade foods, plus after this long, a lot of the foods I commonly eat that are NOT listed, are on my custom listings. I "fell off the wagon" for this past year or so, and was hoping to give myself a "new" boost by using LoseIt! in addition to Fit Day. I like that LoseIt has a "countdown" ticker for daily foods, and little 'atta girl' emails. What I am getting frustrated with is the heavy dependency on name brands - I do a LOT of scratch cooking, and the thought of putting so many things on "create foods" seems like a lot of work , since there is no "homemade" option in the listings.

I tend to have the same thing for breakfast and lunch, and would love it if either of these calorie counting software programs just had a button to post these same foods with fewer keystrokes - but that's just me!

I use livestrong. It isn't perfect but I've tried several alternatives (myfitnesspal, fitday, etc.) and so far it has worked the best.

I use sparkpeople. This was just the first one I tried and it stuck, but I think most of the sites out there are comparable.

I use the Tap n Track app. Sometimes I track in advance if I know what I'm going to eat for the day. Or I may take notes on a little notebook I keep in my bag of what I ate during the day and enter it at night. But most often I just enter it as I go along the day into my iPod. It let's me know how many calories I have left at any given point based on my calorie goal settings.

Pen and paper and a calorie counting book from 1992. Hey, a banana will always have the same amount of calories, right? I also check the packaging for cal counts. I've gotten to the point that a lot of what I eat I've just memorized the cals. For things I cook from scratch that are hard to figure the cals, I guesstimate and try to guesstimate on the high side.

I guess I'm the odd one out but I don't write anything down. I use my phone and computer to research calorie counts, but the only thing I keep track of in a spreadsheet is my weight.

For some reason I can just keep an accurate track of the number of calories I've eaten in my head. I never miss anything and I've never felt the need to write anything down or track it in my phone.

So I know I'm breaking a giant rule here, but hey, it's worked for me thus far so I'm going to keep doing it

I use webmd.com's food and fitness planner. I really like it so far.

I have used various diet software, Diet Power, Nutribase8, Diet Organizer and now NutriNote.

I prefer using a software to track because of the reports, being able to see the trends, being able to be accountable to myself and not falling into the trap of self delusion about my eating. But the biggest help of all has been to write in my blog, working it, coming up with ideas, having a place to vent the frustrations.