How did YOU stop calorie counting?

To the people out there who have stopped calorie counting, how did you do it?

I've had a VERY successful weightloss and have maintained it for the oast 3-4 months and want to keep it this way forever. However I am still obsessed with calorie counting and was wondering if there were any general rules of thumb you guys go by to help you eat better without getting too crazy with the details?

Here's so more info: I eat a maxium of 1700 calories a day and I work out 6/ days a week (power walking on the treadmill for 40 minutes.) Otherwise I am just at home working on the computer, or in class at school or at religious meetings. So I consider myself to have a light activity level life style.

This would REALLY help right now because I'm going out of state to a conference where I'll be eating at a dning hall for four days. I won't have a computer with me so it's not like I can look up the calories on the internet.

I actually gave up counting because I was having some stress with family issues and had to focus on them rather than keeping track of calories. I'm so glad that happened though because now the odd day when I decide to log it is a major deal--I didn't realise how obsessive I had become. Anyway for me it helps to eat plenty of fresh unprocessed food like apples, oranges, pears, bananas, carrots, lettuce, tomato, potatoes, yams, broccoli, cauliflower, every single day. If I incorporate at least 7 serves into my daily diet I end up eating healthy and not gaining weight. So for me some "meal planning" has replaced calorie counting. I know using a food pyramid works well too, making sure you have the recommended or preferred daily serves.

Examples for me: I feel like a cookie! I reach for an orange instead :) I feel like eating a veggie burger! I go for a baked potato and a garden patty instead. I feel like some chocolate, I go for a prune. I feel like some crackers and cheese, I go for some carrot sticks and homemade hummus.

Your workout routine sounds great! Hopefully the dining hall at the conference will have lots of healthy choices! Good luck :)

ditto everything figurethefat said!

 

for travelling, i like to take along some of those foil packs of tuna in water, and some lowfat string cheese in individual packs.   both travel well, and are good ways to add lowfat protein to most any meal.   i also take fruit, (those orange flavored prunes are great, and oranges and apples travel well) and i like balance bars for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon mini-meal when nothing else healthy is available.

 

but don't stress over the details, i'm sure you've learned good habits, and if you do slip up a little, you know how to fix it when you get back!! 

 

I was basically ordered to stop counting by a nutritionist, as I was only a few pounds away from becoming extremely unhealthy.

At first it was hard; I was forcing myself to eat more, and I was still nervous that I would gain more weight, so I kept eating a little less than I needed to even though I wasn't counting (I need to eat a lot- like 2800-3000 a day). Within 2 months I dropped another 10 lbs.

With the help of the nutritionist I got more specifics on what I should eat more of. So now it's pretty easy for me, because I counted for so long that I more or less know if I'm eating enough. 

With your level of exercise, your activity is not light. It's probably closer to moderate. 

I kind of half count, if that makes sense, I know generally how much things are and try to keep a rough idea in my head. I try to eat lots of veggies and fruits and some lean protein and good fats. I allow myself treats every now and again. I eat out, choose something that looks healthy and eat half.

If I was you I would stop counting gradually, so I disregarding most veggies, except root vegetables, which are more calorie dense. I disregard fruit, apart from dried fruits. I know that my usual lunch choices tend to be a certain calorie amount, say 200-350. I know when I'm cooking for myself, how much carb, veg, protein etc I should eat, and how to cook healthily. I still cheack prepackaged goods, because they are sneaky and can trick you. I still try not to snack and if I do its low cal things, such as raw veggies, 100 cal packs, soy yoghurt, salsa, hummus.

It might help you to cook a certain meal that you know the calorie content approximately (say its 339, and you round it to 350 or 400) and just have in your mind, its about 350... then have a salad and don't count it, because you know its about 100.... then a ceral bar, about 100 again... Just give your self rough numbers, as a safety net, and you can slowly start to discount things! Remember, calorie counting is just a stepping stone to a healthy eating habits, and thats what you want in the end!

Good luck!

xxxx

I just stopped. I know its harder than it sounds, but I deleted this website from my bookmarks and just stopped. I had reached my goal and school was starting back up so I was busy again. I lost a couple more pounds then flattened out (been the same weight since September). From all the counting, I had a generally good idea of what was what and how much to eat. In November I stopped weekly weighing for lunar weighing (same time with respect to my period) so as not to micromanage. That is the big problem, giving up control of micromanaging. If I notice i'm having trouble one week or another (over or often-under eatting - again the lunar thing), I will put in a few days as basically a food log to keep in check. Other than that, take a deep breath and let it go! Just remember the lessons you have learned from counting and maintain a balance and healthy portions.

 In summary, stop micromanaging calories and weight. Don't weight in very often so as to let it slip your mind. You will know when you are off base in weight and calorie because your body will tell you. 

  And I know this probably shouldn't be put in this forum but... STAY OFF THIS WEBSITE!

My strategy was to shift to managing portion-sizes rather than counting calories.   Now I think of meals as a balance of  'a portion of'... protein, carbohydrate, fats... with lots of vegetables and fruit as standard.   I don't eat packaged junk or processed foods generally.  As long as I'm reasonably consistent and the food's fairly natural, my weight stays stable.