Hi! I'm a newb WW reject. LOL! First I want to say I've been reading these boards for the past three days and it seems to be a great place! Hi everyone!

I've done WW a few times with some success. I also did Atkins for a year but gained it all back. But I did learn quite a bit about myself in the process. With Atkins I discovered you don't have to be hungry to lose weight! Wierd! But I think WW encourages carby eating, which just makes me hungry! So I have decided to compromise and go with calorie counting. But I also track carbs. I'm not crazy with it, but I try to keep my daily carbs under 150. I also make sure if I eat something with carbs I add in something with protien and/or fat to level out my blood sugar. I discovered that on WW my main issue with "will power" was more about blood sugar than emotions. I can say no to the junk unless I'm having a blood sugar low. Then all bets are off!

So far it's working. OK, all of 3 days, but hey you have to start somewhere! LOL!

I try to eat three meals a day, plus two snacks and a dessert. My meals can be a little smaller because I know I have a snack coming soon. My snacks are things like an apple and a low fat cheese stick. Desserts have been sugar free pudding made with skim milk, or a Skinny Cow dessert.

So I'm still eating the same type of stuff I ate on Weight Watchers, but I pay attention to the combination of foods. I guess it's the glycemic index really. It makes a HUGE difference in my happiness level while counting calories.

BTW I use FitDay and it counts all the stuff for me. I just put in my entire plan for the day every morning, and then see if I need to adjust anywhere. Not too difficult!

So does anyone else here count carbs or other things besides calories?

Nice to meet you all!

Edie

I try to eat more protein and less refined carbs but I don't really track it. MFP tallies up your fiber/protein/fat/carbs/sugar so I kind of look at that to generally keep everything in check, butI don't use that really as a primary tracking feature.

I only count calories but I find that the quality of calories matters. For example, if I have a huge salad with grilled chicken for 450 calories (boring, I know!) vs. 450 calories of potato chips, I get way more bang for my buck with the healthier choice. I'm fuller longer and don't get the junk food drag afterwards. That being said, there is always a few calories for junk if/when I choose to.

For me and my diet/lifestyle, it's literally calories in and calories out that took all my pounds off. Never went low carb/low fat except that I eliminated trigger foods that cause me to overeat.

Just calories. I typically find myself reaching for veggies and higher fat/protein stuff because it keeps me full longer (my fat intake is waaaaaaaaay higher than MyFitnessPal thinks it should be), but I have the occasional high-carb day too and have never noticed it hurt anything.

I have done a lot of diets (or ways of eating) over the years but calorie counting is really the most basic thing for me to follow. I also watch my carbs only because the more I eat, the more my cravings kick in and then I tend to overeat. I try to keep them under 200g, but 100g is best.

I just try and get the daily nutritional value of the food groups. Whole grains, meat, and fruit are generally easiest for me. I've been lacking in vegetables and dairy lately. =/ Tsk tsk.

Officially, no but I do limit carbs, fat, sodium and refined sugar as much as possible while increasing protein & general consumption of fruit and vegetables.
I'm lactose sensitive so I don't eat much in the way of dairy, either.

Me too! There are days when I make poorer choices and run out of calories without getting much food. That's my bad. But for the most part, I make a huge effort to make the calories count, so that I fill up on little. Today wasn't not a good day in that regard, but I am moving on. I do not count anything else, other than calories. I lost 50lbs and 6 sizes that way.

I am a WW member and do follow WW points. However, I also count calories on My Fitness Pal. I have set there certain goals which do include 120 g of carbs. I pay more attention to the calories than I do the carbs. The 120g is just a guideline and I go over it about 1/3 of the time. However, I rarely go above 150 and fairly often am under 100. So, it is something I pay attention to overall but don't really think I have to meet on a daily basis (same for calories - I have a daily goal but what I really care about is my daily average over a period of time).

I use MyFitness Pal as well and I do pay attention to my carbs vs protein vs fat intake, but I don't necessarily track it. I prefer carbs over everything so I try to make sure I get enough protein in my diet, especially since I work out a lot.

I keep a close track of my Sodium intake. As a cardiac bypass patient, my heart doctor labeled me as "SODIUM SENSITIVE". If I have a little too much salt, I retain water like crazy. I have been known to add 25 pounds of water weight in a single day. I search out very low sodium and no salt added foods on the grocery store shelves.

I just count calories. Some people are sensitive to other things though so they like to keep track of them.

If you're just starting out, start with just the basics - calories. If you're successful, keep on going. If you find you're struggling, try to keep a watch on what seems to make you go up - sodium, carbs, etc. and if necessary, count them.

It's important to not only track calories that you consume, but also those ones that you burn, since weight loss happens when you burn more calories than you consume. My suggestion: be active, pay attention to your daily activities, try to include as much exercising into your routine as possible (make it fun for yourself ;-)) track it the exact same way you track your food caloric intake! Good luck!

I count carbs too as I'm doing a sort of LCHF/keto thing. I struggled with WW, the points got to me!! I find it easier counting carbs and cals, I know I'm still counting but there you go, I was also hungry on WW, jacked it in after 3 weeks! I find I'm less hungry when I reduce my carbs, makes it more sustainable for me.

I don't count calories often but i'im aware of them and try to keep my overall intake to about what it should be to lose weight slowly.

So what do i count:
Because the quality of the food i eat is the most important thing, fresh, varied, fibre rich, vegetable rich, i just know now about how much of different things is acceptable and what the size of a meal should be about.

But some of my rough counts are

2.5 cups of vegetables a day
2 pieces of fruit a day
1 cup of milk a day
some yoghrut and a small amount of preferably hard cheese or cheese for added flavour.
when i add oil to a meal i try to keep to no more than 2 tsp of olive oil max.
I am eating more fish like sardines a week. Generally think 2 times a week.
eggs whatever i feel like but usually no more than one a day.
red and white meat only occasionally because i try to be a vegetarian.
a literal pinch of sugar on cornflakes or in a tomato based sauce and that's it for sugar or sweeteners except on special rare occasions - this rule for me is crucial for keeping my taste for bad carbs under control.
1 glass of wine usually maximum per day
1tsp of mixed seeds and 1tbsp of raw nuts or either

condiments as required.
coffee and tea unlimited

I keep a food diary.

It all works for me. I think i can do this forever. I'm happy.

things like fries and other deep fried foods are not really part of my weightloss diet but if i felt like some i could have it because i am not likely to do it very often.

I eat out at a nice but inexpensive restaurant when i go to the city. Often Japanese or Korean but we don't have a great deal of choice here really. Most of the food places are either really expensive or really bad food or both as far as i can see.