Yo.I'm obese and a recovering binge eater who is a calorie counter. This works for me because it doesn't eliminate a food group, but I respect that it isn't for everyone.
Being the festive season, I've had a lot of social events this week that have involved food. To avoid over eating (that 'all or nothing' mindset that I'm so desperate to avoid) I've gone for an overall balance of weekly calories. I've done this by saving some calories each day before going out, 4 days, in preparation for the meals out : there were 3 evening meals in a row. This way I could afford to splurge a little while still keeping to my weekly calories intake goal. I counted everything but I have enjoyed my food without losing control.
It worked really well, I actually lost weight by the third morning of social outings. Sadly, my body then showed a 5lb gain in one day. I know this isn't the true reality because I'm only 300 calories over for the week. I'm banning myself from the scales for a week while things settle down in my body. I know better than to weigh myself everyday and obsess over the number. The scale results are a major trigger when I don't see what I want to see.