I cook the same way, a little of this and that. I peek at recipes to get some ideas but I still end up making it my own way. I don't count calories, I have been around long enough to have a general idea of what has lots of calories and vice versa. I do avoid some things that I know have a tendency to put weight on me. I don't have time for all that counting stuff, I want to enjoy life!

We are carb counters because my DD needs that information to know how much insulin she needs to give herself. However, we treat it as more of an art than a science because there are too many variables to keep track of. One major part of it comes down to the portion size. We have an idea of what certain types of foods have as their carb count and dose her insulin within that range. Sometimes it comes out perfect and sometimes less so. There are some conditions where people have to be extremely vigilant and precise, and my hope would be that if I were cooking for such a person, they would let me know ahead of time. For others, I think they are just spoiled with the readiness of information on packing labels that they have not learned how to think through the information themselves and to understand that even labels are often a very educated guess, but may still be off.

Tish, I definitely understand the need to be precise when it comes to a serious medical condition and especially dosages that require accuracy. I think that's a given.

My husband needs to follow a low sodium diet, but his doctor has recommended anywhere from 1500 - 1800 mg sodium. In fact, he originally told us to try to stay around 2000 mg per day. So there's a lot of leeway, and as long as I'm not using a lot of heavily processed foods and no added salt, I don't fuss much with the exact count. But that's a very different situation from what you're describing.

I don't have a need to do a precise tracking of anything, even for the elders. I do look carefully at packaged foods, both for ingredients and for nutrition information. The amount of salt in some foods that don't need any can be staggering--far more than one would think is necessary for preservation. I have enough Calorie/fat/salt info in my head (and carps are kind of visible), and I make portioning decisions based on that, like how much of what to put in a sandwich for balance. I cook more like you do, and generally portion meals by eye. It seems to work. I understand about precision necessary for some conditions and am glad I don't have to cope with that, because I think I'd be very bad at it. Like deglazing with wine, oh, no, the carbs!

Unless there's a very good reason then no. Life's too short. You'd need to live with your head in a bucket these days not to know what foods are good/bad for us and not to eat industrial food, or things with names I can't pronounce! For some, it's essential but not for most.

If you watch nature documentaries, you will notice that animals in the wild know when to eat, how much to eat and what to eat.

Listen to your body. Don't assume that we are not part of the animal world.

dcarch

Thanks for your comments. I know I don't fit in with most low sodium followers because I don't track the sodium in basic foodstuffs like, unadulterated meat, vegetables, flour, etc. I figure I have no control over how much sodium is is a stalk of celery. The only thing I can guard against is adding salt or using uber-salty prepared products. But mine is not a popular philosophy. And if I had to do precision tracking of sodium, as plllog said, I'd probably be very bad at it and give up.

I roughly track protein, calories, fat, sugar & sodium when I feel compelled, but not all the time. Protein is the thing I concern myself w/ most often; calories are often second.

I certainly would never be able to give anyone a precise accounting of how much sodium (or really anything else) per serving in anything I make - unless it's out of a package, & I can't even recall the last time I ever served anyone a dish not made from scratch. I do prefer to under-salt most things while cooking - it can always be added later, if necessary. I never salt the water for cooking pasta either.

i decided to quit counting for a while i am now focusing on what can i eat that would provide the most nutritional value, suit my palate and the least carbs/salt possible i'm happier with this, at least for the time being....

Nope, I don't count anything. I was careful when Dad was alive, as he was diabetic, and I was careful with stepmom, as she had kidney disease and was on dialysis. But on a daily basis I eat what I want. I buy virtually no commercially prepared foods and seldom eat out. I cook from scratch and grow much of what I cook. If I'm cooking for someone with health issues, I depend on them to let me know what their parameters are.

Shambo, I cook a lot like you, I know some people insist that you must follow a recipe, even to the point of weighing ingredients, but that's not my style. I usually make it the way it's written once, then I "improve" it, LOL. Sometimes it's not really an improvement, and then I go back to the beginning...

Annie

I do not count, I eat what I want. I figure I have reached the age of close to 82 and no need to start now! That does not mean I eat and eat all the time or anything, just don't count the stuff.

Sue

Nope. I just go low carb without counting. Works for me.

No counting for me, but as many of you know I need to eat carefully. I'm now mostly following the AutoImmune Paleo diet to determine which foods cause my body the most inflammation. In addition I'm allergic to wheat, yeast, the onion/garlic family, bananas, peanuts, cashews, pistachios and sesame. I'm avoiding all grains, nightshades legumes, nuts, seeds and beans-- except an occasional cup of coffee and a little chocolate!!

I'm not eating prepared foods and I miss the flavor that pepper adds to my foods, so I do add sea or Himalayan salt to enhance the flavor of my foods.

Around 4 years ago, I began an effort to get in better shape. The basic parameters were eat less and exercise more. It's not complicated, but it's not easy. I eventually did count calories and still keep at least rough track on weekdays. I did not track other macros. I lost over 100 lbs and have kept it off. Calorie counting was helpful for me because it really taught me to be more aware of what I eat and to be a better eye-baller of portions. As long as I was acountable for what I ate, I ate anything I wanted to. I, personally, don't find elimination diets sustainable. Although, there are some foods that I basically just don't eat anymore because the calories aren't worth it - I'm looking at you pepperoni.

Marymd7 makes a great point about getting familiar w/ things like calories & being aware of what you eat. Learning what a proper serving looks like for different foods has upped my awareness.

No, I'm not a counter. I was put on a no sodium diet back in 1969. No, that 'no sodium' is not a typo. The doctor actually meant NO sodium! Including the natural sodium found in many foods, like broccoli, celery, etc. The list of things I could not eat was extremely daunting. And I suffered through it, as best as I could, for a number of years. When that doctor retired, I was blessed to find another who was empathetic and much more understanding of human nature and quality of life. He immediately changed 'no' to 'low'. What a difference! Anyhow, 1500 to 2000 mgs per day has been the recommended amount since. But I have never actually 'counted' mgs. I do read labels on any packaged foods I buy very carefully. I don't eat out very often, but when I do, I try to choose dishes I know to be low sodium. I also try to be extra careful the day before and the day after I eat out, to help balance out the splurge. I don't add any salt to anything I cook. And add only what is absolutely necessary to whatever I bake. This method has worked very well for me for a number of decades now. And I hope it always will! I'm afraid I'd be a miserable failure if I ever had to actually count mgs!

Rusty

Rusty, what a tale! I can't imagine even attempting a NO sodium diet. In fact, I can't really think of any food that doesn't have some sort of sodium in it naturally. I'm glad you finally found a more reasonable doctor.

I'm counting points and calories right now because I joined weight watchers last month. I've lost 10 lbs so far. Tracking is the key: like a lot of people I completely underestimate how many calories I'm eating. I'm on a roll now so I am not hungry on about 1200 calories/day as long as I get enough protein.

I should maybe have added that I used My Fitness Pal to track my calories (and still do). MFP will track a broad range of nutritional macros, including sodium, although I didn't really use that feature. There are many calorie tracking apps now available. I think one of the virtues of WW is that the point system makes it easy for people to track. Agree with you, Cassandra, that there's nothing like writing it down to make you realize how much you're eating and what you're eating. Also agree with you that protein is the key to managing a big calorie reduction without gnawing hunger pains and crankiness. I ran on 1200 net for several months (I ate back a lot of my exercise calories so ate more than 1200 total).

I'm not a calorie counter either. The only thing I do is not eat cheese every single day. I now have less cheese than ever in my life. It keeps my weight normal as I love cheese. Did I say I used to overeat cheese. :)

Having done the WW diet many years ago, I have a general idea of calories in food. I find the tracking of a daily total helps me keep my weight at a normal range for mem I use myfooddiary.com When I go up, I usually know what I've been doing wrong and I can correct it .

I weigh myself 3 or 4 times a week, it helps me say no to sweets. As for sodium, I should track it more, this is a good reminder.

I used to try to track calories using the Calorie Count website, but it got too complicated and time consuming too fast. Since I cook mostly from scratch, I had to add recipes for almost everything I ate. It didn't take me long to figure out how much I was eating. And yes, it is a wake-up call when you find out that what you're used to eating has a lot more calories than you thought.

Rusty, I can't imagine a reputable doctor putting anyone on a no sodium diet. That is as dangerous as eating too much sodium, as the body needs sodium. I'm glad you survived it. My father in law has ended up in the hospital twice for too low sodium.

Sally