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Counting is for accountants. Ever see an animal in the wild count calories or look in the mirror?
Eat when you're hungry, stop eating when you're not and consume very few (esp refined) carbs. That's all there is to it. No counting required.
As for exercise, 8 minutes of intense cardio each week is more than enough outside of some brisk walking here and there.
how about all the animals that only eat carbs? Gorillas, elephants?
Many of them also burn a lot more than most fat lazy americans.
Plus, what you eat actually has no bearing on weight loss. It's 100% calories. WHAT you eat only determines what kind of weight is lost (fat or muscle) and energy levels.
Not to mention, as a whole, complex carbs will hold a person over more than protein or fats. I weigh and balance all of my food and have tried replacing carb calories with fat calories, constantly starving. To maintain I have about 300g protein and 400g carbs a day.
how about all the animals that only eat carbs? Gorillas, elephants?
Many of them also burn a lot more than most fat lazy americans.
Plus, what you eat actually has no bearing on weight loss. It's 100% calories. WHAT you eat only determines what kind of weight is lost (fat or muscle) and energy levels.
Not to mention, as a whole, complex carbs will hold a person over more than protein or fats. I weigh and balance all of my food and have tried replacing carb calories with fat calories, constantly starving. To maintain I have about 300g protein and 400g carbs a day.
Not to be rude, OP, but if you can't even google "how to count calories" because that seems like too much "work" to even find out HOW to do it, you are not going to like counting them, as it's far more tedious. If you aren't losing weight, I think you need to be more motivated. Figuring out "how" to count calories is the easiest part, actually doing it, and having the will power to eat that number, is going to be 1000x harder. Good luck.
I've been working out for 3 months now and have only lost 4 pounds. I had a doc appointment yesterday and my doctor said my problem is not the exercise but what I'm eating and that I need to count calories in order to lose weight.
I need to lose about 30 lbs. Every time I think about counting calories, I get overwhelmed. Basically, I don't know how to start/how to do it. I cook. I made chili today with ground turkey, canned tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, canned kidney beans and a ton of spices....how do I count the calories in that?
This may have already been said, but watch your portions as well. A "portion" of chili is less than 1 cup. How much of this chili did you eat? Did you add cheese, sour cream and/or corn bread to this meal?
counting calories is important for weight lose....you need to read labels and educate yourself on calories and serving sizes
I want to chime in another vote for Weight Watchers being a good place to start and get the basics down. While I am just a few pounds from my goal weight and doing a low carb diet now, I started off with my weight loss with Weight Watchers and it really does help (I lost the bulk of my bulk on WW It was only after a long plateau that I switched things around).
It's not as overwhelming as counting calories and with an online database of foods and an app, it's easy to track. If you follow WW, you start to become aware of calories, serving sizes, etc.
WW doesn't have any crazy rules or banned foods--which makes it a good starting point for people who feel overwhelmed and want to start with baby steps in the right direction. They also have you count "points" which is, in essence, really counting calories. You can do the online version, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to follow. It also allows you to record your exercise which allows you to see just how little working out offsets over eating. Weight Watchers also gets good reviews from independent sources.
The truth is many of us who have tried to lose weight, have tried many times and have been on various eating plans like WeightWatchers where, if you attend the meetings and eat on the plan for some amount of time, you are taught the proper proportions and what foods need to be eaten in moderation, etc. If you are a serial dieter, you probably know what foods to eat and how much and you don't really need to count calories....you just need to be honest about what you eat and how much you are eating.
Another woman and I who need to lose some weight just had that conversation about a coworker of ours. He's been going to the gym for 15 years, and he looks strong, but he is still overweight. He was talking to the other woman one day, complaining about how he doesn't understand why he isn't losing weight. The whole time he's saying this, he's reaching into a nearby bowl of M&Ms and eating them one at a time. I bet he's not counting them. Lying to yourself doesn't help.
Another woman and I who need to lose some weight just had that conversation about a coworker of ours. He's been going to the gym for 15 years, and he looks strong, but he is still overweight. He was talking to the other woman one day, complaining about how he doesn't understand why he isn't losing weight. The whole time he's saying this, he's reaching into a nearby bowl of M&Ms and eating them one at a time. I bet he's not counting them. Lying to yourself doesn't help.
Yep - I've known (and know) people just like this...many friends and family members over the years who say they are eating 1000 calories a day and running/exercising daily for hours but can't lose any weight (yet they are maintaining their obese bodies by eating enough calories to keep their bulk intact)....they are fooling no one but themselves.
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It was only after a long plateau that I switched things around). 
