Really hate calorie counting!

[becoangel]

Hi this is my first post and i don't know what to do. I really need to lose weight i'm 17 st 3ib, the biggest i've ever been. I like healthy eating but I hate counting calories. It makes me depressed and I can't stick to it at all.

Any advice?

[Hidden]

- If are sure you are eating good healthy food you can simply keep your portions small. Elect a small bowl or plate as you standard and only eat that amount on meals.

- Be careful with drinks, even if they are healthy! Prefer oranges to orange juice, for example. Is very easy to drink up loads of liquid calories so focus of solid foods.

Hope that helps!

[SimoneHU HealthUnlocked]

Hi becoangel,

I really like the way Marion Nestle explains and approaches the knowledge about calories. She always says: "Don't count calories, you can never do it accurately enough. Just cut the portion size"

See a video here: youtu.be/-bS7Lnu8dGo(Not working as expected?)

[patliputra]

Do you really want to loose weight?No need to count calories.Just share your 24hours diet and follow suggestion of the forum members.

[NettyH]

it's an old saying that we are all different but it's true and we will need different things to motivate us. By cruising the different forums you will find people who are motivated by the same things as you are and be able to support each other.

For example my partner lost 8 1/2 stone over 18 months by calorie counting but he was and still is very careful about weighing every aspect of his food. I have lost weight and yo yo'd back up but I'm back on track again, however the way I'm doing it is to get regular feedback from my activity tracker - I have to log what I eat in a day which is tedious at first but once the food is logged I only have to start typing in the name and all the information comes up for me. It also tracks my steps and different activities so that I can set targets even if they are only small ones - the important thing is they are my targets not someone else's.

Food has always been associated with treats and rewards with me so when I combine my tracking with a weekly eating plan that I have worked out based on getting the right amount of calories from food that I really enjoy - it works for me and that's 5 pounds lost since starting 3 weeks ago.

This all works for me and I'm sure that you will find the way that is right for you and feel so much confidence from getting your weight loss under control.

Good luck

[Pklme]

Try logging your food, with an app like my fitness pal. It does give you a daily calorie target but it doesn't force you to cut down, and you don't have to stick to it. Logging helps keep track of portion sizes, and to realise that some foods just aren't worth it (the two jammy dodgers I had last week) while others definitely are (yesterday's pint of beer!).

I hate being denied certain foods, so I am choosing instead to eat loads of raw veg (in a smoothie for breakfast, a salad for lunch ) and eat pretty much whatever else I want as long as I log it.

Good luck!

[Hidden]

I went to the site you linked here and was overjoyed to see that there are more people yet who are figuring it out! After reading Lustig's book Fat Chance and Taubes' book Why We Get Fat, I became a true believer in the high fat low carb diet and have proven it out. It's a little difficult right now with all the wonderful fruit in season now, but I just limit the grain carbs and seem to be holding my own. Instead of sandwiches, I started making big ole salads with lots of different vegetables and some kind of meat, then sprinkle on seasonings with a little stevia and load it up with olive oil. (Never could come to terms with vinegar and oil!) And I use sweet potatoes for dinner when I want a potato. Counting calories just won't work because you go hungry, and a calorie is NOT a calorie. It depends on if it's a calorie that will go to glucose and trigger an insulin release. Sorry, I get on a soapbox rather easily over this one. Thanks for the link; it's going into favorites and into my blog post on weight loss.

[Dormouse7]

I recommend 'cronometer' for logging your daily diet as it will give you figures for the main nutrients, vitamins and amino acids - there's more to being healthy than not being fat! It also lets you log all sorts of measurements such as steps walked. blood pressure, pulse, mood etc. It is free although you can pay for extras but I never had and didn't feel I missed out. It revolutionised my daily diet a few years back.

I'd also advise anyone and everyone to invest a small amount in a decent pedometer that you keep on you all the time - you will soon be doing extra things to get nearer your 10000 steps, upping the number of calories lost and getting your 30 min aero (moving consistently, ie walking) will be a delight each time you achieve it. If you are an office bod like me, you'll be shocked on day 2 of wearing it!

I'm 5"1 and consistently 8 stone - a tad over what I should be according to the BMI scale but I wouldn't want to be much thinner as I'd be skinny which I don't want to be.

DM