My views on calorie counting

I've been reading a lot of fitness blogs lately on calorie counting. Most seem to be against it. Here is my take.
 
Counting calories has been a very important part of my journey. I counted and kept a food journal for years as I learned about food and their place in my diet. When I first started counting, I counted calories on my ice cream, Big Mac Combos, fish sticks, mac-n-cheese, soups, sandwiches and cereals....oh, and the occasional banana that would some how sneak into my diet.

After growing consistently frustrated with being unable to get my numbers where the "experts" said they should be, I began my love affair with diet foods. Low fat, light, low calorie, diet, and lean, became all the buzz words and rules I followed. My kitchen was the poster child of a dieter. Single serving (100 calorie) bags of cookies and chips, low fat cereals, and light canned chili and soups graced my cupboards. Fat free yogurts, diet sodas, Lean Cuisines, and low fat ice creams filled my refrigerator and freezer. I was counting calories like a queen! And I lost weight. I had mastered my numbers!.....

And then I plateaued. So frustrated with never being able to quite hit my weight loss goals, I changed the goal to being healthy. I figured if I was truly healthy, My body would naturally find it's healthy weight.  I began scrutinizing everything I ate. I read books (The Eat Clean Diet) I read labels, I read blogs and discovered "real food".

I continued calorie counting through it all. I wanted to learn. I still strongly believed in the numbers. Discovering real food, I achieved my goal. I was healthy and my weight was too. I continued to count. I would step away from counting for a while, and if I got off track I would resume counting until I was stable again. This was a process I had to go through to get where I am now.

One day, I just stopped counting. Life got busy and I began focusing more on clean eating (which in itself is time consuming). There was not time for both. That is when I realized I was in tune with my body. I began watching my patterns. I took note that if I got off track for too long, I'd gain weight and fall into old habits. I took note when that happened, it took about 3 weeks to take that weight off and get back to my comfort zone of healthy living. ( Comfort zone meaning no longer struggling to not pick up the cookie)

I can't remember the last time I counted.
 It feels great to be in this space.

Would I recommend calorie counting to others? YES! I would tell them to use it as a learning tool. Don't stop progressing until you no longer need to count. And even then, keep learning. It was a great tool for me to get this far.

What I learned:  

Calories = energy and energy is GOOD!!  
A calorie is not just a calorie
There is food and there is junk Food is good. Junk is junk.
Junk is enjoyable but not appropriate fuel. Use it as such in moderation
If it says diet, low fat, fat free, low calorie, or light, it is likely junk in disguise
FAT IS GOOD!! EAT FAT!! (see: The girl who loves fat) 

So yes! Count. But don't stop there. LEARN. =] Because the person who tells you it's one easy step is a moron...It's a life time of baby steps.