I find careful measurement of activities is extremely helpful as a starting point for life change. After a certain point, you can leave the measurement behind,

I find careful measurement of activities is extremely helpful as a starting point for life change. After a certain point, you can leave the measurement behind, or at least back off the intensity. This is fortunate, since keeping such careful track of your life can be frustrating. For example, when I wanted to get in better shape, I started calorie counting (in addition to exercising more, etc). I entered everything I ate into a website. This helped me become aware of what I was consuming- which can be quite deceiving. Once I got a better handle on what foods were "dangerous" (not just bad for me, but which I ate in large quantities), I stopped calorie counting, but I'm maintaining my shape. I may go back to calorie counting every once in a while to see if anything's changed, but just that initial investment of time paid off quite well.