Does anyone count calories my way?

I keep a running total in my head. I'm also familiar enough with the cals of the things I normally eat that I guesstimate. If I'm not sure, I round up. However, I usually look up restaurant food. I think I'm pretty accurate because I've lost at a good pace over-all. If I had to log all this manually, I would either become obsessed or give up in frustration. I'm just that kinda' girl. Anyone like me?

Actually, EVERYTHING I eat (except water and Crystal Light), gets entered in my food log.  I always want to know exactly what I've consumed.  I totally enjoy making the entries, but I'm almost always on my computer, so it's no problem for me.  Everything I eat gets weighed, measured, or counted, and entered as the day goes along.  I often enter it BEFORE I eat it just to make sure I won't go over my 1200 calories.  But, different strokes for different folks.  I know that what works for me doesn't necessarily work for others.   

i kinda do both. I do keep up with them on this site, because having the visual of the cal count, foods, and grade helps keep me on track. Having said that, sometimes I cannot get on the site for a day or two, so I also have to keep running totals in my head, round up when I'm unsure, and tend to eat the same foods often, so I have the cal count memorized for a lot of food. I will tell you though, have the numbers, grades, etc right there for you to look at and analyze has really helped me become more disciplined with healthy eating. I HATE picking my food out and seeing that it has a "bad" grade, and seeing how many calories I've "lost" in a day is a big motivation. I can log my 3000 calorie saved/per lb loss pretty accurately. But everyone is different. If you have a system that works for you, stick with it!!

I'm 6 weeks in, and I've gotten to where I can eat and know the calories since there are things I've gotten to know over the last 1.5 months.  If I'm eating something different, I'll of course verify calories before proceeding.

However, I still log everything (both on CC and in Excel). 

Sorry I don't have a pic!

I do best when I write things down.  I've tried counting calories in my head and what I usually end up doing is "being kind to myself" and allow myself a few extra calories.  Guess that's the lack of discipline. . .

Logging what I eat helps me think things through and I don't beat myself up when I eat a burger and chips because just maybe I have not exceeded my calorie count. . .it's a good way for me to balance things out.  Like today, I know I need to eat a lighter dinner because of that burger and chips. . .

I admire and am fascinated by all of you who can instinctively "count" your calories in your head and not gain weight.  I have found that I must log both daily weigh-ins and all calories or I have no idea if I will lose or gain weight over a week's time.

That's just it. . .when I try to count in my head, I find that I don't lose weight and then wonder how I gained a few pounds. . .I think you can develop a habit to eat just about the same thing every day.  But then there is the wine, or the beer or that extra cookie. . .logging my foods is the way to go for me. . .until I can re-establish some good eating habits.

I used to log everything I ate when I was actively trying to lose weight.  Now that I am trying to maintain (much harder than losing!), I don't log unless I run into a problem with gaining a couple of pounds and not knowing why.  I do tend to keep a running total in my head of what I have eaten to know where I am at.  More often that not, I haven't had enough and need an evening snack to compensate.  My sister in law tried the I know the cals and don't need to weigh/log and didn't lose anything.  She has given up for now and then is going to try again actually weighing/logging to see how that goes.  I keep trying to tell her that she is probably eating a lot more than she thinks she is, that "small" baked potato she likes so much is probably not "small" by weight.  I figure everyone is different and whatever works for you is right for you.

I just keep a running total.   Never got into logging on CC, I just chill with you guys in the forums and use the tools.  If I really want to know-  I use CRONOmeter because for the same effort it gives me a lot more info about  where I'm going overboard or not getting enough of something.

I used to log everything, then became neurotic, and now just count in my head.  Like you, I estimate up if necessary.  I figure that account for all the little 5-10 calorie things in my day anyway!

I keep a running total in my head as well.  I have been losing steadily for quite a while now. I have never really  been a binger or anything though, and have always had a relatively healthy diet (really just needed to adjust my portion sizes).  I usually round up most things to the nearest 25. So if an apple is 75, I just call it 100. This way I hopefully account for small under-estimates (such as manybe a slightly larger piece of chicken then ususal), plus it is easier to keep count. Always use CC to look up calories though and analyze recipes sometimes when I'm unsure. And of course I chill and lurk in the forums....good way to kill time at work.

I am exactly that way!  I have many many things permanently stored in my head like grocery prices.  I can tell you exactly how much something should cost at which store.  Calories are exactly the same.  I already know and keep a loose tally in my head to make sure I'm not eating too much.   AND I round up to be safe.  I still use my food scale just to ensure my portions are in the right range.  If I log food, I tend to eat more because I'm thinking of food all day.

OMG, fallingstars! I'm the same way on grocery prices. My mind is like a trap when it comes to numbers-phone numbers, ssn's, adresses, whatever. I even can keep a running total while I grocery shop and get within a dollar of the register total.

 Dang! Now everyone knows I'm weird.

yep i do that all the time, i can never be bothered to sit and write it all down but ill keep track of it in my head, although i think i manage to do it pretty accurately as I still lose weight or maintain my weight.

Ok, people you have now caused me to feel challenged. . .sounds like a fun new goal. . .can I calculate what I am eating and still lose weight without writing it down!!!???

For those of you who can. . . brilliant!!

thanks!

I used to almost enjoy logging everything, but now that school is in I can't log it until I get home and it feels like such a hassle, especially since I've been eating mostly the same things for breakfast and lunch, where it's a problem. So tedious. :/ I also try to round up, but sometimes if I eat like a single baby carrot or something of that nature I won't even bother.

I have a little notebook I write everything in and I come on here to look up things like fruits and veges!

I say do whatever works best for you. If you can keep your daily intake in your head and still see a steady weight loss, go for it!

I fell off the bandwagon when it came to logging each and every calorie, telling myself that after a year of logging the info I could just tally it in my head. Long story short, I am just now starting to come off of a 6 month plateau because I haven't been logging my calories. I didn't gain any weight during these 6 months, so I know that when the days of maintaining comes along, I shouldn't have to log everything then.

But again, that's just me. It is different for everyone.

Definitely different for everyone. I think if you're prone to mindless snacking, or have a very specific deadline/goal, or you just generally don't have a very realistic idea of calorie contents...then it might not be a good idea for you.

One little thing I do to keep it simple is I pretty much count all veggies as 50 cals per cup, and all fruit as 100 cal per cup. I don't get overly concerned with small discrepencies. This way I feel like I am still keeping careful track of what is going into my mouth but it's not overly time consuming, and for me it just makes life more enjoyable.

im a good guesser. im usually over my count by 50 calories if anything. but ya running log in my head all day.

I logged until I had lost 30 lbs - now I just keep a running total in my head and I am losing more slowly.  But over the past couple of months I have lost another 7 lbs so it aint all bad.