In reading everyone's posts I see that some people count fats, others carbs, some do weight watchers points and of course the old stand by.... counting calories. And then there are others who just eat a certain number of servings of protein, dairy, grain, fat and veggies...

Like anything else I imagine its just whatever works best for you, but I am curious to see what the majority of us do.

For those of you with large losses...have you mixed it up?

I have been doing a combination of calories and low fats while watching sodium and protein intake but mostly counting calories since I know if I burn more than I take in I will lose weight! So far I have been successful... but I am just starting my journey so can't really say I have any thing I am married to.

Thanks for your input.

I never counted anything, but I did cut carbs to a pretty low level. It was easy with the band and I found that it was just what worked for me. I found enough other stuff (like fish) that filled me up and made me happy.

I don't journal anything. It was important to me that I don't. After years and years of yo-yo dieting, I just wanted it to STOP. I eat to my appetite. If I gain, it is time for a fill. I've been maintaining my weight for about 9 or 10 months now.

I had a tiny fill last September. Recently I got the iPad app "Lose It" just to see where I am at. I journaled 2 days. I am eating the correct amount to maintain my current weight.

I appreciate all of your replies.... I am eating very little fat and counting calories. I am comfortable with 1000-1200 daily.

So far I am having good losses but it seems to have slowed down alot the past 2 weeks and I am not sure why. But its 7 weeks post op and I think its time to start walking every single day.

I count calories (I aim for 900-1000 a day) but I don't really count carbs or fats. I do watch my protein but if I only eat 30-40 g of protein one day, I don't fret about it (many other days I eat more than 80-85g of protein so it all balances itself out). I track on fitday.com and it creates a little pie graph for me of my carbs, fats and proteins. I try to get the graph as even as I can (33%-33%-33%). I don't do low carb or low fat or protein only or any other type of dieting method. Its most important to me to just eat a balanced menu everyday. So if I go over my calories one day, I worry less about that than if I have a day where I ate 95% of one macronutrient and not very much of the other two.

I absolutely love MyPlate on Livestrong.com. I am pre-band and it has made a world of difference. I think seeing things down in black and white put a reality into it. Seeing the cholesterol numbers and carbohydrates had made a huge difference. I haven't really lost any weight, however, I've gained a HUGE amount of knowledge concerning the way I eat as opposed to how many calories I consume. Also, this is kind of silly, but I love on the left hand side where you track your water...that little CONGRATULATIONS it throws up when you have reached your 64oz goal makes me happy! It's the small things in life!!!

isaviolinist- just imho 33% fat seems high. I would decrease the fat a bit and add in more protien. You may be fuller longer. You will probably find your volume of food can be a little higher if you reduce the fat. Just my .02.

I track nothing.

I do eat low-carb the majority of the time, but I don't count my carbs. There honestly isn't that much to count when your major source of carbs is your morning Protein bar and then fresh vegetables

I suspect that when I reach my first major plateau, all of this will change and you'll see me journalling and counting away.

isaviolinist- just imho 33% fat seems high. I would decrease the fat a bit and add in more protien. You may be fuller longer. You will probably find your volume of food can be a little higher if you reduce the fat. Just my .02.

I average 70-95 g of Protein a day. Its actually too much and the last thing I need to do is add more in (I actually may cut back). I stay full for 5-6 hours at a time (I don't eat Breakfast, I have a Protein shake at noon, and then eat dinner between 6-8pm...in between lunch and dinner I usually have one sample at the super market like a cube of cheese, or something similar). I can barely eat the volume of food that I am currently eating, so I don't need to increase it. I lost almost 9 pounds during the month of January and am decreasing my body fat percentage dramatically (I'm about 5% away from a healthy body fat percentage) and am gaining lean mass despite dramatic fat loss (most people lose some lean mass with such dramatic weight loss). So I'm pretty comfortable with what I'm doing now. Thanks for the thoughts, though.