Z. Johnson
Let me share with you a topic that may sound controversial for a lot of weight loss pursuers. If you’ve been on a weight loss journey, I’m sure you can relate to some of the stuff I’m going to address here. And, if you’re just starting out this process and wondering how is it possible to lose weight without counting calories, keep reading.
The story behind counting calories
I’ve been wanting to address this topic for a while now, because as a dietitian, people expect me to support a system that teaches people to rely on counting calories and to follow very restrictive eating regimens to lose weight. However, you may have noticed that these strategies often fail. Wait… before you jump saying, but Zola, you’re a dietitian… I’m supposed to count calories to lose weight right? Hold on, and let me dive into this further.
Now, calories are important, I’m not saying they are not valid, but these are just numbers. I remember when studying in college to become a nutritionist, that we were taught how to calculate calorie requirements based on your age, height, weight and physical activity level. On a simple level, nutritionists do this to have supposed estimations on what a patient needs. But, here’s the thing, our bodies are more complex than simple math formulas. Our bodies are actually biology projects. Therefore, you need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to eating right and achieving a healthy weight. Let me explain some of the big reasons why counting calories doesn’t work when trying to lose weight in the long term.
Calories are imprecise
Believe it or not, calories per se, are not very effective when it comes to real life situations. Think of it this way, our bodies are all different. There is a huge difference when you burn calories while you’re asleep compared to when you’re active throughout the day. Also, if you have digestive problems or have a weak immune system, your body’s ability to burn calories is lower. Did you know this? Well, and these are just a few examples. Also, the tools that were initially used by scientists were so imprecise that they often miscalculated how many calories a person could burn.
Here’s another big fact. The food industry has caused a lot of confusion when it comes to food calories. Yes, we agree that protein, carbs and fats have their own calorie values. But, we’ve seen that food labels are often misleading, just because their products were based on portions that people don’t usually consume. For instance, you can eat a product labeled as “low calorie”, but actually, the package may have a portion size that is not realistically the amount you would eat in one sitting…Then, you notice you ate the whole pack which was maybe the double calories.
But wait, here’s another one: Cooking methods can also change the amount of calories we eat. Apart from that, it’s very common to underestimate hidden calories in food or even ignoring added ingredients. For instance, you can have a salad, thinking it’s healthy, but then the added chips plus the dressing could easily add up. You see how everything makes more sense now when you eat everything “light” but still not losing weight? Keep on reading.
Our bodies are science projects, not math nor formulas
Ok, so this is the point I wanted to stress. Our bodies are actually biology projects. This means that there’s more going on inside than a simple equation of calories in vs calories out. The way we burn energy is not only about food and exercise. I know we’ve all been told that weight loss equals to eating less and exercising more. But the truth is, this is not how it works. Instead of thinking about how many calories you eat in a day, why don’t we shift the focus to the kind of nutrients you have daily? It’s simple, and it’s science. We need to fuel our bodies with the nutrients to support our metabolism to burn fat and give us energy.
On the same note, our metabolism is all about hormones. Yes! You read right, not grams nor calories, but hormones. If your hormones are ok and metabolism is right, you will burn more fat and keep a steady, healthy weight. For instance, eating too many processed foods and high amounts of refined carbs spike your blood sugar, making your body release insulin, which is a fat storing hormone. Knowing this principle, will help you make better food choices that focus on keeping your blood sugar balanced. This means, controlling your cravings, storing less fat, therefore, maintaining a good weight.
Counting calories overlooks nutritional value in food
When you focus on counting calories to keep a healthy weight, you often forget the nutritional value of many foods. That’s why the way I teach people to eat right doesn’t involve counting calories, but rather keeping in mind the nutritional value of foods. The reason is simple: you can eat very few calories and still be malnourished. You can have a “low calorie” meal that can have a bunch of processed ingredients. Worse yet, a low calorie meal that lacks protein but is packed with empty carbs.
Have you thought why it’s so easy to have a full bag of chips in one sitting and not binge on baked chicken? It’s simple. A bag of chips has a bunch of processed carbs and ingredients that make our body crave more and become addicted. While chicken breasts are basically a source of protein, which nourishes our lean mass and gives us more satiety. In other words, eating enough protein, fiber and healthy fats from whole foods is the way to properly nourish our bodies. This will keep a good metabolism and cause us to maintain a steady and healthy weight.
Counting calories is unrealistic and not practical
What if you go on vacation? What happens when you travel? Or simply think about the holidays, weekends. Are you going to rely on calories all the time to satisfy your needs? If you’re the type of person that keeps a calorie counting app or tracker on your phone, you may want to think of a more practical and freeing way of eating that helps you achieve your goals. Focus on food quality over quantity and you’ll notice real lasting changes.
When counting calories, you don’t get to the real problem
Have you ever seen or known someone that keeps eating “low calorie” meals, over exercises 6 times a week but never seems to lose weight? Raise your hand if you’ve been struggling with weight loss after doing countless diets and restricting food groups. I bet it’s time to look at other factors that may be affecting your body’s ability to burn fat. Perhaps, you’re not sleeping enough. That leaky gut or bloating is affecting your digestion, and certainly slowing down your metabolism. Or maybe, you’ve been too stressed lately. What about the amount of protein you serve in each meal? Maybe, you’re missing out on some good fiber and eating way too many carbs. And these are just a few examples, but there are tons of reasons why you’re still struggling to achieve a healthy weight, that are beyond simple numbers. Remember, our bodies are not formulas, but complex beings.
Counting calories can become obsessive and can lead to eating disorders
One of the main reasons why the food and fitness industry is causing reverse health effects in people is because of the constant stress on thinking about calories and macros all the time. As you saw earlier, it’s useless to be counting calories if we don’t learn the science around keeping a healthy weight and eating according to our needs. Many people fall into obsessive compulsive behaviors like binge eating, have food anxiety or feel guilt around social gatherings. This is so draining emotionally and physically, that it defeats the purpose of having a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Relying on counting calories to lose weight can cause yo-yo effect
You may want to step back for a moment and think why it’s so common to have an unsteady weight when dieting. Again, social media and misleading information on the web has taught us that eating less and exercising more is the solution to weight loss. In reality, this is not the case. Not eating the right way according to our needs and ignoring other lifestyle habits can cause you to remain in that toxic restrictive binge eating cycle. If you want to learn how to stop yo-yo dieting for good, read my previous blog here.
Counting calories causes you to ignore your body needs
Eating right is not just about fueling your body with the proper nutrients, but also finding delight in the foods you choose. Nourishing our body is more than what foods we eat, but how we eat them. Tuning into your body to identify your hunger signals and satiety is one of the key principles of intuitive eating. This is key to not only give yourself the right nutrition, but also allow your body to fuel its needs mentally.
It can cause risk of having body image issues
When counting calories becomes the norm in your daily life, you can have not only eating disorders but also body image issues. Many studies show that more people in the weight loss and fitness industry suffer from body image issues due to comparison and food anxiety. Just remember that a lot of what you see on social media is not real life. Most of what’s on there is for marketing purposes. As well, most of the posts have filters, fixed poses and body enhancement procedures. Love and embrace your body throughout the journey. Focus on having a healthier relationship with food and around fitness overall. These are keys to avoid body image issues.
It can take out the enjoyment in food
This may sound stupid and weird to you, but actually having a healthy eating lifestyle involves enjoying food. A healthy journey should never be related to depriving, punishment or feeling uncomfortable. And this applies not only to weight loss, but basically life overall. The dieting culture has made us believe that in order to have a healthy weight, we must have a strict regimen full of “food rules”, where we label certain foods as “good” and “bad”, and where enjoyment is out of the equation. Just remember that pleasure in eating is necessary for emotional wellbeing.
A final word…
If you’re really like “well, this was a serious eye opener”, I hope you had a clearer idea as to why counting calories doesn’t work when trying to lose weight. The idea is to live and be free of food obsessions. Simply, in a fast paced world, being stuck to the kitchen, counting calories and tracking macros all the time is not realistic and is even damaging to your mental health. Trust me, achieving a healthy weight based on science is way more effective and freeing. That’s why I created a balanced eating approach that truly works. You can learn more here. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Share this post with the ones you care for!
