If you calorie count for a few months, you get used the the idea of how you should eat and what portions. You can sacrifice a month or so and then use intuitive food counting. I will never go back to calorie counting because it was too overwhelming and annoying to do it all the time but after a really long time of doing it I am pretty used to what I should eat. I do 3 meals a day consisting of 3-4oz of protein, 1/2c of carb or 1 slice of bread, and however much veggies I want. For snacks I do: 2 fruits, .5c of berries, 1 oz nuts (You can adjust that based on your calorie goals). For fats: .5 avocado, 1 tbsp oil or olives. Once in a while I will have something extra on top of this plan. If I stay around this meal plan and exercise I can lose weight and I don't need to deal with counting calories. I still use a scale to measure things out like protein and measuring cup for the carbs but when you go out or eat with others you can pretty much eyeball it.. piece of protein like the size of your palm, a little carbs, and whatever veggies you want. It works for me and I feel much more free without having to log stuff and calculate meals I am cooking. If I make any changes to my diet then I do a few days of logging to see how many calories that is.