I have read so much stuff I am over-read or maybe overwhelmed with data but what does everyone use to track caloric intake for those that do? I am wanting to for a month or so try tracking calories. I am basically eating P2 but maintaining so I wonder if my calories are too high. I ran a tool I found in a thread in the exercise forum for my BMI and for the number of calories I should be consuming in order to lose these last 21 lbs. It came out to just under 1400 calories for a 5'2" 44yr old woman. My goal is 130 and I seem to be stuck at 151 these last 2 months. Now the trick is how to keep track of all those darn calories..you never know how many you are eating/drinking til you add them up

Sue

I use FitDay. I do have the desktop version from back in the days when I paid per use of the Net. There is now an online (free) version but I know there are others.

I use My Fitness Pal.

I have used livestrong but not since I got my smartphone. I think I'd like something now that was phone friendly

I use my fitness pal and a food diary and i don't track all my calories but it does sound like those apps make things fairly easy.

I find just by food diarising and eating fairly consistently, and a little bit of fitness pal i more or less keep in the same zone.

If i eat or do something different, i will likely check up on it in my fitness pal so i can see the impact the new food regime is having.

This way i don't have to spend much time doing the boring stuff. Keeping a food diary is fairly easy and for me its essential. I think i will have to do it even after i reach goal if i don't want to slip backwards again.

I typically track calories in my head, but that being said calorie counting is not something I do in a strict manner, just want a ballpark figure.
I have used sparkpeople website before though & found it handy for calorie counting and food journaling.

I don't track (although I am "calorie aware") but in the past I have done it on occasion, much like you are. At the time I didn't have a smartphone and tried Livestrong, MyFitnessPal, Calorie Count, all web-based. I've used fitday too. I look for one that has the most foods already in there and I also found a calorie calculator for recipes to be helpful.

I just track on a word document, but a small paper pad also works.

Thanks everyone. Its not that I'm not aware of what I eat but I am not always aware how many calories are in what I eat. Also, once you start adding a bit of this & a bit of that to make a recipe you can suddenly have 300 calories or more for a recipe so I'd like to be able to analyze recipes as well.