Non-Calorie Counters Out There?

I have recently ditched counting calories and weighing myself because I was getting obsessive.  I know it works for a lot of people, and in the past it has worked for me too, but I was starting to become a person I didn't like being (not going out with friends because I wouldn't have enough calories, being really down on my body for not being a certain size, etc.).

Is anyone else trying to lose without counting calories or weighing themselves?  The weight is not coming off quickly, but I am not gaining and I don't have mood swings that are centered around weight and calories.  So I'm content and confident it will come off eventually as long as I continue to eat less than I used to.

Here's what I have been aiming for.  Please let me know what non-number goals you might have!

1.  Eat a little bit every 3 hours

2.  Don't eat seconds.  Even if you really, really want them!

3.  Drink at least 8 cups of water a day.

4.  Log everything on CC (so technically I still count, but I'm not trying to keep it under a certain number)

5.  Don't weigh myself.  My new goal is to fit into a pair of snug pants by Thanksgiving!

What about you???

I have tried to stop counting calories, but found that unless I have absolutely no idea what the calorie is in the item, I tend to do it anyway without trying. I usually always have some number running through my head though, since now that I know the calorie count for most things (or groups of things), I can give an educated guess to the things that I don't know.  It's a process I guess, to stop doing it, once it has become an "obsession."  Good luck!

ya my doc told me to stop countimg and to take off at the labels off everything,  and i told her this is impossible because i have memorized all my safe foods and even foods i eat occasionally,  before i got sick my boyfriend wuld quiz me on them cause he wanted to know also.  cannot help it,  dont write it down anymore saw that as a huge step

I am not counting either. My reason is this: if I count Im ravenous all day and never feel satisfied. If I dont count and just eat, but eat healthy and within reason, I always feel satisfied and happy. I do a tally at the end of the day and always come in around 1500-1800. For some reason I do better when I dont count. 

MY goal is to keep not counting and lose weight. I dont wanna be hooked on numbers.  

I have stopped counting calories. I mostly stopped because I got lazy and was tired of seeing what everything had in it and trying to be precise. I just think of the foods that I know are safe. if im going out to eat I dont worry about my choice. im eating out everything is unhealthy. But I do make a point to eat at home and make dinner or bring my lunch to work. I have lost 2 lbs in about a month so its slow but it also broke my plateau of being at 141 since april, so I think its pretty worth it. I havnt been excersising though and I think it would be alot more effective.

Good luck to all non counters!

i'm a non counter for a lot of the same reasons here. I admit counting helped me define portions and i'm more aware of what's healthy and what isn't (even if it 'seems' so) ... etc...

counted tended to make me binge too... i've stopped counting and that stopped too.. i've stopped yoyoing drastically in weight because of that too. i guess it's all about people learning as much as they can and finding what works for them.

i still use calorie count to check out restaurant options and etc sometimes.

i completely understand, i was the same way i got kind of obsessive over what i was eating, i took a couple weeks off from counting calories and just ate healthy and within reason, and i have the problem too where i have most foods memorized and i just kind of end up adding things up in my head anyway, but i ate when i was hungry, ate within reason, and i felt better, im counting calories again now, because i wasn't exactly losing any weight, i maintained it though, but i feel better now just taking that break.

i stopped counting for about a year (after losing 30 lbs) and now i'm back counting again cuz i gained back 13 lbs. counting worked for me once and keeps me in line.

good luck to you non-counters!

At the moment I am just trying to maintain my weight, but I sort of find counting calories and weighing myself quite addicting to the point that I get obsessed too... Now I simply log the foods (just like you) I eat because I sort of feel like it is a mini project for me every day. I don't really care how much calories I eat because I know ALL the calories I am eating are healthy. Quality is a lot more important to me than the quantity I am eating. 

My Goals are to continue on the path that I am on, not look in the mirror and think my thighs are fat and continuing my usual work out routine of 2 hours of exercise daily no matter what my schedule that day looks like - as a matter of fact, I woke up this morning @ 4:30am to go work out at the gym because I had an 8 am class to attend and I need to work out before I do anything else in a day!! 

i counted for 3 months and gained 5 pounds.  why?  i was obsessed with food: i would calculate how much i had eaten, i would think about the things i could fit in for the rest of the day, i would wonder how many calories something had.  all this thinking of food made me SO hungry!  and i almost always went over the limit which made me upset with myself, which made me want to eat.  just to make things clear: i'm 5'4" (ish, maybe a little taller) and 150 lbs.  i am not a tiny girl.  i would like to weigh in at 125 lbs.  i think this is a good, reachable, healthy goal.  anyway, now i'm up to 155 lbs and i decided a few weeks ago to stop counting/weighing myself.  i haven't weighed myself since then, bt my stomach is a little flater and my pants aren't as tight.  my trick: i bring more food than i can eat, but it's aways healthy stuff (yogurt, apple, granola bar) as snacks.  and a goos lunch (like a home-made curry, or a mexican inspired dish made with beans, ground tukey, quinoa.  things like that).  i eat all my lunch and snack is i need to.  drink water.  and so far this has been the best thing for me.  i exercise (dance classes) 2-3 times per week and go to the gym once or twice a week.  sometimes none, just the dancing.  and i feel so energized.  positive.  normal.  i can't do the calorie counting thing, but i DO like the recipes on this site so i stick around.  sorry to haave told you my whole story.  but bottom line: don't do anything that makes you feel obsessive or not good about yourself.  sounds simple, but sometimes we forget...

good luck with your weight loss/maintenance!

I used to count. I didn't have a life. I was always hungry and thinking about what I could eat next. I didn't lose any weight either. Now I eat when I am hungry. I know what is healthy and what is not healthy. I make the right decisions and pair it with exercise. I am already losing weight. I am a lot happier too!

It's working for me!

I'm glad to hear some non-calorie counters are having success too!  It's funny how just thinking about food makes you hungry for it.  And when I was counting I was ALWAYS thinking about it.  I am actually looking forward to eating meals out now, as opposed to dreading them.

I don't count anymore either, but that's because I reached my goal weight through counting. I haven't gained any weight since not counting, but I haven't been eating as well as I had when I was counting. I notice I eat a lot more junk now because I don't worry about how many calories it has or whether it fits into my allowance. I also don't eat as often as I used to. Besides the weight I keep off, I'm pretty much back to where I was before I started counting, which is to say in a much unhealthier place. It's not a good thing, but I don't really want to start obsessing over a food log again.

Hi there,

you dont need to drink 8 glasses of water a day :-

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses. asp

yes ive kind of done the same(partly because i have trouble sticking to programs for very long, i have a pretty short attention span lol) but i like the way you've set some guidelines-no seconds, eat something small every 3 hrs, etc) ill try that just to give myself some structure.

ive been losing nonetheless as my clothes are looser, so something's working :)

Yeah, this summer I kind of just had to stop thinking about my weight/size/appearance because I was just getting upset about not reaching goals or not looking a certain way.   I know what foods are not good for me and I eat healthfully; I know I need to exercise and I try to fit it in when I can.  But I don't worry about numbers or hours very much.  I'm definitely happier now and my progress hasn't changed.

Hey! I got down to about my goal weight (117) then stopped counting.

Six months later I am up to 125 and gotta count again lol. So yea...I didn't count for a long time and didn't gain that much weight. Buuut, now I have to get back on the counting wagon.

I counted the first day but now i don't count but i do weight my meats and grains and shredded cheese, everything else i have it memorize, i just get obsess and i don't enjoy the food as much but i know for a fact I'm eating 1900 to 2000 daily.

i'd just like to say i'm supremely jealous of all of your who have such great sense of what your body needs to survive and not gain weight.

i've screwed mine over, and now i can't just eat normally because my body does not allow me to register when i've had enough.

will there ever be a stage at which i can just stop thinking about maintaining weight?!

congrats to all of you :)

That's really good that you are aware of your feelings about counting.  It can be hard not to count, but like you said, it's not good to be obsessive. 

I generally follow what you've got going on in your list, and the only suggestions I have are for what could be problems if you're still wanting to go out.  (Honestly, you're working hard . . . Go out.  Celebrate your accomplishments so far!  You've earned it!)

1.  I always ask for dressing on the side.

2.  Where I live, the water in town isn't very good, so I get unsweetened iced tea or black coffee.

3.  If they have it, oil & vinegar for salads. 

4.  Doggy bag it!!!  (Half the meal just became my lunch for tomorrow!  Woo hoo!  Save calories AND money!)

5.  I've also ordered off a kids' menu before.  Smaller portions and, oftentimes, fun food!  (Caviat: Some restaurants give you a bad time if you're not "12 or under", so I usually steer clear or order that to go.  They can't prove that there isn't a 6yo in my living room.)

6.  Beware the alcohol . . . I usually count one cocktail as two snacks. 

Anyway, those are just some rules of thumb I use when going out to eat, but I do want to applaud you for your healthy goals!  People often fixate on numbers because it feels like we can control them more.  Rather than saying "I want to weigh 125lbs," I'm trying to say "I'd like the clothes I wear now to need a belt one day."  Ha ha ha.  ;o) 

Good luck!!!!

My body always used to self-regulate: I'd get a bit heavier, then a bit lighter. It helps that my favourite foods are mangoes and lentils:p Last year, I just got impatient and that's when I started counting. I ended up obsessed. I focused on food so much that I could only manage about a 100cal deficit, and when I stopped counting I would go crazy with all the freedom and eat too much. So I stopped altogether. I was under pressure with my studies too, and found that I couldn't cope when I was hungry.

During 2 months of living on chocolate and 4 hours of sleep a night, I only gained 1kg. When exams ended, my weight mysteriously dropped 2kg. I tried logging one day, and found that I was eating well under my burn, naturally. My body was sick of all the junk and was demanding only what it needed, when it needed it. I crave protein after a workout, fruit in the morning for energy, and carrots when I've eaten too much starch. So it can definitely be done.

Other things that helped me regulate without obsessing:

• dressing on the side (me too!)
• buying my favourite fresh fruits and veggies, so I can't wait to eat them
  
• sharing a slice of cake if I have coffee with a friend (but leaving a good tip, otherwise the waitress hates us)
• i love seconds. so i just take less than i want the first time round, and then i can have seconds to my heart's content
  
• if I go out for dinner, either having just a main dish, or having a block of steamed tofu before I leave and then just having dessert. For some reason my male friends frown on my eating healthy food, but just laugh if I say I'm cutting to the chase. Also, cake. Need I say more?
  
• if a friend cooks for me, relaxing and enjoying it, and then if it was really unhealthy, eating healthy stuff the next day
• swimming! it really is amazing: you get time alone in perfect silence and can work out all your stress and climb out feeling like you've been washed clean. Plus when I did it 3 times a week it gave me such a flat tummy...