I have come to the conclusion that counting calories isn't working for me. I am eating less, have modified my eating habits, swapped out the kinds of foods I eat, and believe in eating tasty, nutritious food.

Does anyone want a buddy who's interested in sharing recipes, ideas, encouragement, etc. and focused on eating whole, nutritious foods? I'd like a buddy in my age group (34). SW 170, CW 165, GW 120-130. Anyone interested?

Hi Arabesque. I am 35 with a CW of 165 though I started higher than you and plan to stop sooner than you (150. though suggested goal weight is 136 but I looked like a bobble head the last time I got there). We could potentially support each other though I am a calorie counter. I am wondering why you felt like it wasn't working. I am not the best healthy eater and do a lot more portion control on things I definitely should be eating less of like pizza. SO I could use encouragement to eat better, it would probably make the calorie counting easier. What, if any, fitness tracker were you using to count. I use Myplate by Livestrong.

Hi arabesque and aunrio, i am 30, SW 159 CW 149 GW 125. I also calorie count but I like sharing recipe ideas

Hi all. I’m new to the site and today is my Day 1, but this may be a good place for me. I’m 31 yo, CW 155, GW 130 and I’m 5’9”. I don’t calorie count, and focus more on eating whole, unprocessed nutritious foods. I love to cook and make almost everything from scratch- i am a self proclaimed foodie. I don’t make “low calorie” meals, and instead eat whole fat dairy and organic, grass fed meats and tons of veggies/fruits in our house.

3 years ago (a few months after giving birth) I was 130 and felt great. I slowly gained the weight back, about 1lb every month or two, and here I am today. I weaned my son a few months ago and the scale is still creeping up. I went shopping yesterday and nothing “in my size” fits anymore and was a bit of a wake up call.

Anyway today’s weigh-in was 155.4 so that’s my starting point, I guess.

I have found with calorie counting that I will go to trusted "known calorie" culprits more often because I can be aware of what I am consuming more easily. It makes the diet repetitive but also makes me feel like I am behaving responsibly. I have bad things in my diet, hard not to in the land of cheese curds and beer. I am trying to instill better habits in the little people around my house by keeping fruits and whole grains around for the snacks.