I haven't lost any weight in the past three weeks despite a healthy diet and exercise 4-5 days per week, so I decided to start calorie counting yesterday. I'm sick of it already. When I'm counting calories, it really consumes my life! It's all I think about. I can't enjoy food because I'm too scared that I'm eating too few or too many calories. I just don't think I can do that. That's why I never joined WW--counting points is the same concept. It just drains me.

Am I the only one with this problem?

I have been a calorie counter for over two years now. I like it well because it's extremely adaptable and flexible. I also tend to plan out my day's food, because then I don't think about it, I just eat it. And substitutions are fairly simple to do once you've got it all down.

I don't stress over "exact" calories much because even the calories on the label are an approximation. Maybe try to aim for a calorie "range" instead of an exact number.

Or perhaps calorie counting isn't right for you. It's not for everyone (like, I wouldn't like weight watchers). It does get easier to estimate calorie counts. I almost never have to look anything up anymore, and I can plan out a day's worth of meals in under two minutes no problem.

Hope that helped at all.

<<I don't stress over "exact" calories much because even the calories on the label are an approximation.>>

Same here. I do an estimate at best (food labels help a lot) and never write anything down. As long as you're honest with yourself about what you're eating, there's no need to agonize over the exact figure, IMO. And it gets much easier over time.

F.

Loseit.com has a wonderful calorie counting app.

Yes, I get extremely annoyed at having to do it. But it is what needs to be done for me. I try to stay in a range of 1200-1600. That's a big range, so I can usually accommodate most things.

I feel the same way. I'm more portion control and paying close attention to calories, but I don't really count them. I keep a tab on them, but I have a feeling I know what I should be eating and how much of it I should be and it's been working for me so far.

I hate that I have to count calories, but I hate weighing over 200 lbs. a lot more. There's definitely a learning curve with any program but this program is free so I think it's worth it to give it some time until you're used to it. Hang in there....it gets better. You can always stop later if it doesn't suit you.

Every time I start counting calories I become a little bit addicted to planning and inputting. It seems like counting takes the place of eating for me which is alright. I use an app on my phone called calorie counter (by fat secret)...it takes just a minute to put a meal in and seems to be pretty accurate. It is quite a bit of work, but so far its working for me so ill be sticking with it

I disliked doing it on paper but didn't mind keeping a mental count this time. I have been using www.fitday.com though for a week or more and I love it. If you eat X item a lot, you can create a custom food so that the information on it is always there, all you gotta do is click to add it to your journal. Saves lots of time and breaks down so many stats for you that it's kind of hard to keep from getting into it.

Even when I didn't officially write it down I still counted in my head. Writing it down is less stressful to me. I have a serious issue with organization so I usually plan seval days of meals out in advance. I use an app on my phone to calculate it and it's very easy that way. There are many apps out there and websites as well that can do the hard work for you. Calorie counting is less restrictive and doesn't feel like a diet to me.

I hate calorie counting, even with my Iphone app (but it does make it better)... What I have done to solve this problem is by not having 1000000000000 choices. I tend to rotate between the same 3-4 breakfasts, 5-6 lunches, and 7-10 dinners. I have all of the info for these meals already written down, so when I eat them, I don't have to count everything up again. I just go to my little book that has all the information in it and BAM I'm done and I only ever had to count them once. Makes my life sooooooooooooo much easier.

YES. I hate it too......pain in the ***...especially at night when I am cooking because I measure EVERYTHING before putting it together.

I got a nice free app on my phone called CalorieBalancer. You can add your intake and it has a deduction part too based on time worked out, weight, and activity. I do try to round up on food (down on exercise) though if ever in doubt just to make sure I don't go over!

It gets easier. Find a free app you like. I use one that allows me to save my favorite foods so they're easy to find, along with "groups"--lots of the meals I eat are the same groups, and now I know...oh, that's a 410 calorie lunch, and this is a 370 breakfast, etc.

I hate to admit it since I've been at this for so long, but yes it does get frustrating and exhausting. Either it's too much or too little calories. Unless you eat alot of prepackaged food with labels, you have to add up all your recipes and make sure you get the right sized portions and the right calorie counts.

I agree that calorie counting can be a lot of effort, especially in the beginning when you are not yet accustomed to it, don't yet have a staple of foods that you eat often and know the calories of, and so on. I also agree that calorie counting may not be the right approach for everyone.

However ... any method you choose for losing weight will require mindfulness of what you are eating and how much. And, if you are like me, and grew fat by eating mindlessly of whatever looked and tasted good to your appetite at any time, then adapting to mindfulness takes a whole lot of effort at first.

Put another way, it's not that calorie counting is particularly hard - it's that the transition from mindless eating to being completely mindful of every morsel you put in your mouth is hard. And that transition is absolutely necessary if you are a fat person who wants to become a thin person. Changing your habits is ALWAYS hard. It always takes effort. That effort will, at times, be exhausting. If you want to lose the weight, though, at some point you will have to put in the hard work of changing the way you eat - whether by calorie counting or any other method. It does get easier, but it also does take time and effort to reach the point where it is easier.