Slimmin, Oh boy, do I know how you feel. I have a hunch TOM is wrecking havoc. I have the same problem. Been known to gain 5 lbs or more before and during.

On the counting issue: I found Fitday long before I began LCing when I did a search on a subject called 'pro-ana.' Pro-ana people, mainly girls, are believers that anorexia is a lifestyle choice, not an illness. Many of the pro-ana boards have been removed from the Internet; they are that disturbing and that distructive. All the pro-ana sites recommended Fitday and it makes sense why: Counting everything is part of the illness, according to my LC guru, Dr. Schwarzbein. I have never been anorexic, but I have exhibited borderline bulimia behaviors in the past. I think the only way for me to ever truly concur my eating issue to to manage my health first. For me, that includes a promise to myself to never again count.

I do what Dr. Schwarzbein suggests: I mentally keep a tally of my daily starchy carbs and carbs I get from fruit. Any other daily sums and tallies, including trace carbs in non-starchy foods, calories, fats, are not something I care about. I counted calories since I was a teenager. I counted fat grams during my 20s and 30s. I gained weight throughout! This past year is the first year of my life I have had relief.