To be successful, do you have to count protein and calories?
What were you told the daily totals should be?

The most successful people from what I can tell are those who do at least 60-80 g protein daily and keep their calories to a minimum... it depends on where you are in the journey. Have you received guidelines from your surgeon and nutritionist? I was told that to maintain, I needed 1000 to 1100 calories per day. I usually stay in this range... I dropped to below 1000, and lost 4 lbs in 4 days. I cannot lose any more weight, so I had to raise it up again.

Protein is so important...

I count my protein and calories as well as my minutes of exercise, the vitamins and mineral I take, and the ounces of water I drink. I use fitday.com. It's free and comprehensive and easy to use. I count it all because I want to know. If I'm not getting results, I want to know why. I've found that 1000-1200 calories and 90-110 grams of protein seems to keep me at goal weight.

The simple answer is that no it is not absolutely mandatory that you count these things. I know people on this site who are very successful and don't keep track of any of these things. I have been successful, and I continue to be successful and I do count. I think it's not the counting that matters, it's the following of the simple rules that really work:

*protein first
*don't graze
*take your vitamins and drink water
*exercise every day

Good luck and best wishes in your journey