I notice some of you guys have a link to FitDay.

Are you counting calories while on South Beach?

I count calories 90% of the time... I just find I stay on track more when I hold myself accountable! I don't have any real idea of portion control unless I use one of the programs-I use calorie king because their database of foods is extensive and they have lots of vegetarian items on there that fitday does not...

I use the FitDay program that you download to your computer. I seldom use prepared/packaged commercial products so it works well for me (The Daily Plate works better for lots of brand name foods).

I use FitDay mainly to see how my daily menus stack up calorie and carb wise as well as making sure I'm getting adequate nutrition across the board. I can only have between 1100-1200ish calories/day for steady weight loss and for medical reasons I have to be on a special diet (no artificial sweeteners/preservatives, low-acid, low-oxalate foods) which severely restricts my fruit & veggie choices. Using FitDay helps me to stay on track nutritionally.

South Beach was designed so you do not have to count calories or carbs. Following the diet as it is outlined in the book(s) would keep you on track without counting.

I wasn't counting calories initially, but I recently began using thedailyplate.com because I wanted to see how many calories I am eating. I think in the future I may have to start counting calories while following "the beachy way".

I was going to ask this question. When I did SBD the last time I didnt count calories but maybe I should. I could tell when I ate a spoonfull too much of pudding though by the scale.

I count calories to make sure I'm getting enough and I also like how it breaks down what the ratios of carbs, protein and fat I'm getting.

I think I'm going to count calories, too.

I lost quite a bit of weight two years ago counting calories but found that my nutritional needs were not being met by a long shot. SB offers a good variety of foods that will benefit me in the long run.

So I guess I'll be bouncing between SB and CC forums for a while.

I'm excited, though. I can't wait!!!

This is my first day and so far so good.

I'm quitting smoking soon. Let's see how I fare THEN!