So far 4.5 months out and 68 pounds lighter I haven't been counting calories, but wonder if I should start. Since lately I feel like I might be plateuing. Then again a few times in the past I thought I was hitting a wall and then all at once I lost a few pounds. Maybe I should stop weighing myself everyday? Sorry to ramble

For whatever it's worth.... My surgeon said that not having to count calories is the beauty of the band and that those that aren't bothered by that, stick to it better. Obsessing over calories, fat grams, protien grams, carbs, calories, etc. can get boring, irritating and a royal pain in the ass. It's not necessary. It was one of the reasons I was attracted to the band. I looked up the calories of things my first week, got a good idea of where I stand on that, and chucked the rest of it. It's so nice to not have to worry about it. My little band watches out for me. So I just relax and enjoy my new life. You instinctively KNOW when you're eating to much. If you don't, your band will tell you. You know the rules. Relax.

I'm a snacker, not a big plate person, so my little band does NOT take watch out for me. I do count calories, and try to stay between 900 and 1100 per day. The band makes it easier to do this but it doesn't do all the work for me.

ivy,

first of all, congrats on your wonderful weight loss! you have done a great job..

to answer your question, yup, i am a calorie counter. i use myfooddiary.com and love it. it just helps me make better choices.

Yes, like LosingJusMe, when I stall out I return back to my pre-op days of keeping a food Log, specifically watching calories, carbs, and Proteins.

Just had to do that after Thanksgiving (when I gained 2 #) and after analyzing what I was doing, make the necessary adjustments and have begun to lose again.

There's nothing in the world more degrading than having to change your Ticker UPWARDS!! :scared:

So far I haven't counted calories. I am focused on making better choices right now, and breaking old habits. Since this is for life, I want to be able to figure out what I can eat and what I can't. If my eating plan allows me to lose 1-2 pounds a week, than I know I am eating correctly.

Yes, I count calories. It keeps me in check. It is surprising how much calories are in things that we eat. I try to keep it at about 1200. I don't have much fill yet, so I can easily eat 2500 calories a day, so I have to log it all to make sure I stay within my limit. I use fitday.com.

I counted calories religiously the first few months, when I didn't have restriction and was determined to make this work despite the fact it didn't feel like it did much for me.

Now that I am filled to the brim, I don't count calories. I can eat so little, there's no point in it. I know I'm not going over 1k calories!

I am not a calorie counter per say. I am more of a guesstimator on my calorie intake. I just make the right choices and don't go over board.

For whatever it's worth.... My surgeon said that not having to count calories is the beauty of the band and that those that aren't bothered by that, stick to it better. Obsessing over calories, fat grams, protien grams, carbs, calories, etc. can get boring, irritating and a royal pain in the ass. It's not necessary. It was one of the reasons I was attracted to the band. I looked up the calories of things my first week, got a good idea of where I stand on that, and chucked the rest of it. It's so nice to not have to worry about it. My little band watches out for me. So I just relax and enjoy my new life. You instinctively KNOW when you're eating to much. If you don't, your band will tell you. You know the rules. Relax.

I don't think anyone needs to be obsessive about counting calories just because they do count them. I count calories and Protein grams. Takes me about 5 minutes daily. Doesn't sound obsessive to me and it keeps me accountable. I have found that the greater majority of people who are not losing weight really have no clue how many calories they are consuming. Then when they don't lose weight they have no idea why that is.

My doc keeps us at 800 calories daily during weight loss and that doesn't leave a lot of room for cheating or wasted calories.

It worked for me.

For whatever it's worth.... My surgeon said that not having to count calories is the beauty of the band and that those that aren't bothered by that, stick to it better. Obsessing over calories, fat grams, protien grams, carbs, calories, etc. can get boring, irritating and a royal pain in the ass. It's not necessary. It was one of the reasons I was attracted to the band. I looked up the calories of things my first week, got a good idea of where I stand on that, and chucked the rest of it. It's so nice to not have to worry about it. My little band watches out for me. So I just relax and enjoy my new life. You instinctively KNOW when you're eating to much. If you don't, your band will tell you. You know the rules. Relax.

if I instinctively knew how much and what to eat, I wouldn't need the band..

shakes, ice cream, even chocolate flow right through, and I am properly restricted..

I do best not only when I count all the good stuff, but when I plan and tweak the next day.. takes 5, maybe 10 minutes..

I count calories using Fitday.com and ever since starting, I have been losing. Before counting, I was clueless.

I am the same way. I thought that by having the band I can eat whatever I want and it will somehow prevent me from getting fat. That is not the case, however, as it is very easy to eat a lot of calories with the band. So it was embarrassing because I was banded at the end of August and didn't lose more than 10 pounds.

Now I am motivated and counting calories and it seems to be working. I lost 17 and a half pounds so far. I am trying to eat 1200 calories a day. I eat whatever I want, just stick to 400 cals 3 times a day. If I skip Breakfast, I can do 800 calories for lunch.

The cool thing is, I am eating whatever I want. I go to McDonalds and order a small chicken mcnugget happymeal. It has 4 mcnuggets and a small french fry and is only 420 calories. Because of the band, I am totally full after and I still have the taste of food that I like. I also eat Cereal, veggie burgers, Soup, so it is not all a fast food diet. But I think knowing what the calories are that you are putting in your body gives you a certain amount of control of your weight loss.

I'm a snacker, not a big plate person, so my little band does NOT take watch out for me. I do count calories, and try to stay between 900 and 1100 per day. The band makes it easier to do this but it doesn't do all the work for me.

I do not eat enough in a day to count calories. I had a fill in on august 23rd of this year. Shortly after my fill I got a cold. It blocked my ban and constricted me further. I got over my cold but have not been able to eat very much. I eat about 6 small meals a day. When I say small I mean maybe a few bites. I went on the road with my dad for a month, he is a trucker, and he would order a plate of food and I would eat a few bites off of it. I was very cheap he said. Anyway, I would be afraid to count calories to see how little I actually ate.

I do not eat enough in a day to count calories. I had a fill in on august 23rd of this year. Shortly after my fill I got a cold. It blocked my ban and constricted me further. I got over my cold but have not been able to eat very much. I eat about 6 small meals a day. When I say small I mean maybe a few bites. I went on the road with my dad for a month, he is a trucker, and he would order a plate of food and I would eat a few bites off of it. I was very cheap he said. Anyway, I would be afraid to count calories to see how little I actually ate.

All the more reason to put a ticker up and show off your weight loss. You must be losing quite well, show it off!

I keep a food diary - count calories & protein - I keep my calories 1000 - 1200 daily and I also log my exercise in my diary. It's what works for me..