[YP1]

I'll go against the tide. I don't count, never have. I do measure, but I couldn't tell you how many calories my 50g of jumbo oats that I have for breakfast every day contain. I just know that it's the right amount for me, and as long as I don't give myself a 75g or 100g portion, I don't worry about the calories.

I do use calories as a guide when comparing food choices, but I don't then add them all up. So if I'm wanting a snack I know that an apple has fewer calories than a big handful of nuts, but there's no running total that the apple gets added to at the end of the day, week or whatever.

I have no idea how many calories I eat per day, but I'm getting better at being able to judge the total amount of food and whether I'm over or under what I normally eat. I guess it varies by a couple of hundred calories from day to day but evens itself out.

[Gogirl008]

Originally Posted by silverose1209

Or jsut eat only healthy foods?
The nutritionist at the gym said she does not tell people to count. She said only eat the good stuff drink plenty of water and keep up on the exercise routine. '
Amy

Sounds like advice from someone that has never had a weight issue. I count also. I find that it's a very fine line between maintaining and loosing. If I don't count those calories, well, just being off by a few here and there can make or break my week. They really add up for me. As for the daily intake I shoot for 1200. But I probably average 1300-1350. I did what Alinnell said, tracked my old calories to see what my intake was, then brought it down by about 500 a day. Turned out I didn't miss a lot of the junk I was eating. But I think it's a very personal thing. Your diet, your workouts, current weight....all these things will determine your caloric intake.

[mariposita]

I'm counting and it's really helping me stay on track as far as both the number of calories and the types of food. As in, "Did I really eat as many vegies as I planned on today?" I tend to forget what I ate, sometimes within an hour or so, so tracking helps me remember those 8 almonds or whatever I had earlier.

It's also helping me with days where I undereat because I'm really busy. NOT good for me, because I feel lousy the next day and then overeat.

[cantforgetthis]

I counted everything in the beginning and still on occasion, but after a while with an established routine in place, I don't really have to. Every couple of months I will enter everything into Fitday for a few days just to do a reality check. I average about 1800 a day.