Blitz wrote:DD Diva wrote:Hey Josie - I'm curious about your calorie counting routine (promise not to shoot ya down)...as it is something I've never done (much too hard work for this lazy guy

)...do you record it each day? Do you have a weekly average target? Do you you strictly count it or can you "judge it in your head"? Share your secret methods with the Forum. Calorie counters of the internet want to know!
Kim
It's cool Kim, I don't mind if people take a swipe, as long as they are man (or woman) enough to do it
directly and not post snide "passive aggressive" (and childish) comments masked as fairy dust "I'm so nice" pretence!!!

I count (and record) my calories everyday and enter them into my phone app MyFitnessPal (fantastic app by the way, as is Calorie King!) I use it to record my exercise activity as well, it calculates that too!!
I alternate the days between "high" and "low" or whatever title you want to give them. The lows are approx. 400 the highs (min. 1200; max. 2400 though I RARELY get to 2400; it's just too much food for me these days and I am physically ill)
Most days (mainly the "low" days) I count religiously so that I stay within the set limit. On the "not-so-low" days, I used to count them religiously once but then (being a creature of habit, and with the tendency to eat the same things often) I "guesstimate" the calories based on the portion size (which is pretty much as you do by looking at it). The beauty of the app is that if I plan (and there's another key) a particular meal that I've had before, I can just copy it from my "saved meals" or just select it and copy it to the day that I plan to have it (no working out etc; it's already done)!! Too easy....
By mixing up the caloric intake it "keeps the body guessing" and minimises the possibility of it holding on because it doesn't know what you're doing, and as such is reluctant to have it's survival mechanism kick in because it thinks you're starving it.
You have to be very discipline especially on the "low" days; they are tough going!!!

But as you get through a few, you get used to it. To begin with I wouldn't recommend it for someone who isn't good without a lot of food, maybe start with a low day once a week and a more conventional 1200 calories the rest of the days and work on that until you can manage a bit less. Mix it up, doesn't have to be one low, one high (that's just my preference, and I too also mix it up at times if the occasion calls for it).
But whatever you do......PLAN PLAN PLAN don't (if you can possibly avoid it) not have some idea of what you intend to have for the day. Sure there'll be times when you "wing it" and have the extra piece of fruit etc, but if you map things out, it helps keep you in check which is very important at the start of this regime!!!
Hope that helps, and happy to answer any questions!!
