Here is a vegetarian diet (atleast in phase 1) that does not involve calorie counting, thought I should share:

Fat Smash Diet
Definition
The fat smash diet is a 90-day, four-phase weight-loss program that is designed to ‘smash’ bad habits and make permanent lifestyle changes in eating and physical activity.
Origins
Dr. Ian Smith, M.D., developed the fat smash diet plan after he became weight-loss consultant and judge for the VH1 hit television program Celebrity Fit Club. The plan was originally designed for celebrities trying to lose weight on the show. Smith’ bestselling book, The Fat Smash Diet: The Last Diet You’ll Ever Need, was published in 2006. In April of 2007 Smith published the Extreme Fat Smash Diet, an alternative program for people wanting to lose weight in a short period of time.
Description
Principles
According to Smith, the fat smash diet plan is designed to ‘rewire’ the body and its relationship to food and physical activity. It is based on lifestyle changes that will enable people to maintain their weight once they have achieved their weight-loss goals. The aim of the plan is to eliminate bad habits, while enjoying food without overindulging. The fat smash diet is very flexible and utilizes a wide variety of healthy everyday foods, with the emphasis on whole grains, fresh produce, lean meat, fish, poultry, and healthy fats. Smith’ book includes more than 50 quick and simple recipes. Although the diet does not involve calorie counting, quantities are suggested as a guide for keeping portions small.
The major principles behind the fat smash diet plan are:
•   eating four-five small meals or large snacks daily, no more than three-four hours apart, with the last meal at least one and one-half hours before bedtime
•   establishing a regular eating schedule to avoid hunger pangs
•   eating small portions—just enough to feel full
•   including fresh fruits and vegetables with meals
•   eating ‘good’ carbohydrates and avoiding ‘bad’ carbohydrates
•   eating foods raw, baked, steamed, or grilled
•   a large exercise component, preferably with a partner
•   avoidance of stress
The rules for success on the fat smash diet are:
•   not overeating
•   always eating fruits and vegetables, regardless of the diet stage
•   not eating fried foods
•   not skipping meals
•   continuing the exercise regimen
•   maintaining emotional and mental focus
Before beginning the fat smash plan dieters are instructed to:
•   record their pre-diet weight
•   determine their body mass index (BMI)
•   take photographs of themselves
The pyramid
The fat smash diet is constructed as a pyramid, with each of the four phases building on the previous phases:
•   Phase 1 is the nine-day detoxification, ‘detox,’ stage to rid the body of impurities.
•   Phase 2 is the three-week foundation stage
•   Phase 3 is the four-week construction stage
•   Phase 4 is the lifelong temple stage
The fat smash diet is designed to allow for mistakes. Dieters who overindulge or eat a prohibited food can return to phase 1 for about a week and then pick up the diet at the phase where they left off.
PHASE 1—DETOXIFICATION The 9-day natural detoxification stage is not a fasting diet. Rather it is a vegetarian diet consisting primarily of fruits and vegetables, with some dairy and egg whites allowed. There are no absolute restrictions on how much to eat. The diet is designed to rid the body of toxins from processed foods and the environment, including the elimination of caffeine and alcohol, to make it easier to lose weight. Phase 1 includes 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.
KEY TERMS
Anaerobic exercise—Brief, strength-based activity, such as sprinting or weight training, in which anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism occurs in the muscles.
Body mass index—BMI, a measure of body fat determined from the ratio of one’ weight in kg to the square of one’ height in meters; the BMI from weight in lb and height in inches is determined from tables; an adult BMI of 25—29.9 is considered overweight and 30 or above indicates obesity.
Detoxification—Detox; cleansing; to remove toxins or poisons from the body.
Fiber—Roughage; a complex mixture found in plant foods that includes the carbohydrates cellulose, hemicellulose, gum, mucilages, and pectins, as well as lignin.
Glycemic index—GI; a measure of the rate at which an ingested carbohydrate raises the glucose level in the blood.
five times per week, with a suggested 20-25-minute walk after dinner to increase the metabolism
Foods allowed during phase 1 include:
•   all fresh fruits in any quantity
•   all vegetables in any quantity, except white or red potatoes and avocados; vegetables should be raw or lightly cooked (steamed or grilled)
•   one cup daily of fresh-squeezed—not canned—fruit or vegetable juice
•   one cup daily of cooked unsweetened oatmeal, grits, farina, or cream of wheat
•   up to four egg whites daily
•   any dried beans such as lentils or chickpeas
•   2 cups daily of cooked brown rice (my suggestion: add some lentils)
•   tofu
•   a maxiumum of two tablespoons per day of tahini (sesame paste)
•   2 cups daily of low-fat or nonfat milk or soy milk
•   6 oz (170 g) of low-fat yogurt, maximum of 12 oz (340 g) daily
•   a maximum of two pickles per day
•   one-two teaspoons of low-fat virgin olive oil for grilling vegetables
•   low-fat dressing, no more than three tablespoons per salad
•   herbs and spices
•   hot-air popcorn without butter or margarine
•   a maximum of two tablespoons per day of artificial sweetener
•   2 cups daily of unsweetened decaffeinated herbal or green tea
•   unlimited water.
Foods prohibited during phase 1 include:
•   meat
•   bread
•   cheese, including soy cheese
•   fried food
•   nuts
•   fast food
•   desserts
•   soda
•   coffee
•   alcohol
Canned foods should be rinsed thoroughly to remove excess salt.
Although phase 1 lasts only nine days, dieters can choose to stay with phase 1 for one to two extra weeks or longer.

•  Eat raw, steamed or grilled food. Your menu will include:

1.   Unlimited:
1.   Fruit.
2.   Vegetables.
3.   Chickpeas.
4.   Lentils.
5.   Tofu.
6.   Beans.

2.   Limited:
1.   Brown rice.
2.   Low-fat or fat-free milk.
3.   Oatmeal.
4.   Low-fat yogurt.
5.   Olive oil. --One to two teaspoons of olive oil per day.
6.   Egg whites.
7.   Herbal tea.

•  Drink plenty of water.

I think there is a lot of info on this diet on the net...also, a lot of positive feedback...

lean meat and fish HUH?? I didn't see that 

I eat super-clean and really healthy stuff, all vegan whole foods ....... and I still need to count calories. TAANSTAFL!

I agree with goblyn's comments about the lack of fat. Vitamin A is fat-soluble, the brain is half fat, I found clear brain improvements when I ate more flaxseed oil, lots of people doing SLD report better skin. . . . there are many obvious reasons to think Americans are more likely to eat too little fat (and get too little of fat-soluble nutrients) than too much. You can read a vast amount along these lines at the Weston A Price Foundation website:

http://www.westonaprice.org/

What if we need certain fat-soluble nutrients and when we don't get enough of them in our diet we gain fat as a way of stocking up on those nutrients?

I Love Fat. I drink two tablespoons of it every day.

Sometime I wonder.... My Grand Parents and other generations before them ate very well, they ate meat from the animal, butter, cream, cheese from there farms, they didn't eat process food, no chemical in there gardens, they where not expose to chemical as we are, the carbohydrates that they where eating were very healthy from brown flower etc and they all died younger then us.   I also experienced myself the fact that when I am eating very very healthy, eating junk will make me a little sick. I get to be less resistant to junk food, to the poison. It might be that we need that little bit of poison ( junk food) to survive longer.

It's unlikely that their diets improved their health relative to the current generation. The average life span has been increasing (although scientists are now predicting a decrease, due to lower activity levels and a change towards 'Western' diets).

The average life span in recent history is as follows:
Medieval England, 33
End of 19th Century, 37
Early 20th Century, 50
Circa 1940, 65
Current (in the Western world), 77-81

Granted, there are additional reasons to account for increased life span, including modern medicine and improved sanitation, but I would say they probably survived despite a diet high in animal fats (thanks to modern medical intervention), not because of it.






Karky,

It's true we can find an example of poor medicine and nutritional understanding in the past (and in the present, thanks to the internet and people's desire to believe what they like), but this is really not surprising. It's amazing that doctors were able to treat patients as successfully as they did in the 1800's, considering the limited understanding of cellular processes and lack of technology (diagnostic and operational) that they had to deal with.

We can only be relieved that our medicine relies less on blind assumption and beliefs now--we're far less likely to die due to well-intentioned but harmful medical intervention now. And as you note, when medical procedures are undertaken without doctor's supervision, the results are often less-than-desirable. He may have even lived had the true medical 'experts' (doctors) been in charge of his care, as they would have been less likely to allow excessive bloodletting. It's just speculation, of course...

Regarding fat intake, we are indeed meeting/exceeding the recommended amounts:
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:dEqi0njZ6qAJ:www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/NutritionInsights/insight5.pdf+average+daily+fat+intake&hl=en&gl=us