i hate counting calories, carbs or doing any kind of homework. now that doesn't mean i'm gonna go out and eat everything i shouldn't be eating, i stick to small portions and stay way from the bad food. i just don't like having to count points or numbers or keep a food diary.

has anyone had success in NO COUNTING???? what do you do? how do you do it?

or am i stuck with counting and doing homework if i really want success???

Well I did keep a food diary for about the first 2 months to ensure that I was getting enough protien and keep myself accountable but that's about it......I had surgery in april 2011 and am only about 20 lbs from my goal weight (already below surgeons goal weight)....basically it can be done without the counting as long as u r getting protein at every meal (60 plus grams per day)....good luck. Oh and exercise is an absolute must!

I don't count. One of the reasons I got the band was so that I could give up what I considered to be dieting. I lost all my weight by just eating smaller portions .

I have gained a couple of pounds recently and keep trying to find the motivation to lose them again. I want to lose between 4 - 6lbs. I have tried using My Fitness Pal and it is probably great if you exist solely on preprepared foods. But when You cook it is a PITA. I mean seriously who wants to weigh and measure every ingredient that they put into a recipe, my style of cooking is more just chuck in whatever I think might taste good.

I know lots of people have had a lot of success with journalling and swear by it but I do think it is possible to be successful without it.

i'm getting the exercise in daily. by the grace of God but i AM doing it!

i guess i can just focus on the Protein every meal and working towards 60grams daily. maybe that'll work?

exactly! i think that's why i get frustrated! how am i supposed to figure out home cooked meals???? i have MYFITNESSPAL too but i don't always eat meals you can easily find in there. it just gets frustrating that i'd rather just learn to do something else to help me lose weight.

i know the smaller portions has helped me as well.

I've never been able to count carbs. My dad is diabetic and he can calculate carbs and grams of carbs in no time. The whole thing confuses me (he's allowed x amount of grams of carbs, so many carbs equal a gram...??!!). I do track every calorie that I take in though, using MyFitnessPal. Sometimes I have to do the closest thing if I can't find the exact food, but the barcode scanner makes it so much nicer. I just cut out foods that I know are higher in carbs (crackers, breads, etc).

i hate counting calories, carbs or doing any kind of homework. now that doesn't mean i'm gonna go out and eat everything i shouldn't be eating, i stick to small portions and stay way from the bad food. i just don't like having to count points or numbers or keep a food diary.

has anyone had success in NO COUNTING???? what do you do? how do you do it?

or am i stuck with counting and doing homework if i really want success???

i certainly dont count but occasionally will get my little calorie counter out and just check the cals for the foods im eating. not daily... about once a week. im not going to get myself tied up in knots over counting everything either. if we stay away from what we know is bad... and have the small quantities we know we have to eat with the band in place, there shouldnt be a need to be obsessive about cals. Thats my point of view. My weight loss is slow... the way i want it to be. im well over the half way goal now... another 20 lbs to go.

I don't count, I'm just not consistant with it. But, I know what I do need. (water, protein, vitamin, exercise) And I know what I need to stay away from. (bread, processed foods, sugar) So, I just do my best. One of the hardest things I had to learn how to do is simply push away my plate when I got full.

I have lost 34 since April and I haven't logged a thing. I used to log my food neurotically. But it got harder and harder as I transitioned from pre packaged foods to home cooked meals.

I just make sure my meals are low in carbs and sugar and high in Protein. Keep my portions in check. It has been working well and I have more time to focus on exercise, hobbies, & life. Doesn't feel like a diet as much.

Do what works for you. I would have sworn last year logging every calorie was a necessity. Not so for me now.