i count before when i am at home. but if i am out i try to get the healthiest item on the menu

I plan my menu for the day and log everything in advance.  I print out my log and jot down any changes (for instance, if I decide to go out for lunch), then I make the corrections in the evening.  I don't log during the day because I don't like fussing over it.  I just want to plan it all out and then not have to make any decisions or mess around figuring out what to eat.  I refuse to let it dominate my life or become an obesssion.

sometimes before sometimes after. If i know is low fat then i do after if i get catered food at work i find out before what has the most calories and what doesnt so i don't eat the fatty foods or else i will eat it thinking is lesser calories and when i input it i go Holy  Crap and can't eat no more for the day. So that's what i do.

I normally count them before, unless it is one of my "usual" meals.  I have the same thing for breakfast almost every morning (Fruit, cottage cheese, and a whole grain english muffin).

If it is a restaurant I am not familiar with or a new receipe I make sure to count them before I eat, because I don't want to go over my calories.  If it is something I eat on a regular basis I normally have the calories memorized already.  I also always count my calories for dinner before I eat, because I love to have a snack before dinner so I will make adjustments to my dinner to allow me to do so.

Before.  In the morning I log my calories for the whole day, deciding what to eat for supper is based on what I ate/brought for lunch.  It also lets me know how may calories at the gym I have to burn off, and if I have any room for my fave post workout snack: chocolate milk!

Sweetie, I think in your case you could eat all you wanted and not "worry" about counting the calories at all!  But, I personally count before I eat.  That way I don't get a nasty surprise at the end of the day!

I usually add eveything up on my spreadsheet while I am cooking dinner. I can see what I had for breakfast and lunch adds up to, so that I know exactly how much I can have for dinner and whether or not there is room for dessert. If my protein is low, I might have an extra peice of chicken, and feel ok about it! If my carbs are low but fibre is an acceptable level, I will go ahead and have some "empty" carbs via Skinny Cow ice cream bar, yum.  If fibre is not acceptable, I might have an extra serving of vegs or skip the Skinny Cow for a serving of whole-grain something...you know, just make sure it's all balanced. My food choices are usually pretty bang-on when it comes to balance and total cals, but I still like the comfort of the Spreadsheet telling me I did well.

If I eat out, I try to choose something healthy and request no mayo/no cheese/less cheese whatever, and then approximate it on the spreadsheet when I get home. It's usually an illuminating experience - some things that seem like good choices are really not! I feel like I am learning a lot as I go.

wow, some of you sound psycho.

i eat when i feel like it, and count/estimate as i go along... I try to reach a certain goal each day, and make sure that I have at least 300cal left for dinner. Other then that, if I want a bigger breakfast then I will have it, since I know that I won't be hungry again for hours.

I won't say I can ONLY have '200cals' for breakfast, because then I will feel hungry soon and end up snacking/binging/overeating later.

I find it is much easier if you just listen to your body.

saying that you can only have THIS MUCH, will lead to rebelling

and if you count your calories first, and then nibbling on something that wasn't originally planned, will just make you feel like a 'failure'

I find i eat better if i preplan and log the night or morning before but as i'm getting to know the foods better, sometimes i get lazy and log after. I like logging before because it takes the "what am i going to have for dinner" annoyance out of my day and enables me to make sure i'm not going over!

Before most definitely.  That way you don't over eat and then freak out!  lol

Pre-planning doesn't work for me. If I don't feel hungry I'm not going to eat since this is such a rare occurrence and normally I struggle to stay within cals. If I don't fancy what I've planned and am really craving something else I'm not going to eat what I planned because I'll just feel like I'm missing out on the thing I'm craving and sometimes end up eating that too. So for me it's sort of a mental tally and logging after.