Is Calorie Counting STOPPING YOU From Losing Weight?

WARNING: This is kind of a rant because it makes me downright SAD to see how much people live and die by the calorie count with no lasting weight loss to show for their efforts and in this post I am PLEADING MY CASE and begging you to understand why breaking free from calorie obsession can help you.   BUT I promise if you read it and get through all of my capital letters and * marks for emphasis, you will be empowered to make your own final judgment on the calorie counting method to make significant, sustainable progress with weight management.

We have been told so many times that in order to lose weight, you simply need to consume less calories than you burn.  Eat less and exercise more right?  Wrong!  This approach makes sense at first glance.  The alluring simplicity of this approach sends you running for the smart phone to download the latest food tracking app and get busy slashing calories in hopes of dropping weight because we all want simple solutions.  But here’s the thing… that theory is simply TOO SIMPLE to work because our bodies simply aren’t that simple.

QUICK DISCLAIMER:  I am totally calling myself out as someone who knew calorie counts of even the most obscure foods BY MEMORY, kept a complicated spreadsheet of my calorie counts, and even had and shared (with my clients) calorie counting software as a primary method of losing weight and staying in shape.  It is exactly those experiences that have given me profound insight into why calorie counting just may be the thing that is keeping the weight on you.

What you talking about coach?
Here’s the deal… our bodies are NOT gas tanks and you don’t get a guaranteed *pounds per calorie* in the same way that you get miles per gallon.  Certain body fat regulating hormones absolutely and totally affect HOW your body processes the calories you consume.  Since WHAT you eat (not just how much) and HOW you exercise (again not just how much) greatly influence those hormones, counting calories as your primary defense against extra bodyweight will KEEP you from losing weight.  Another personal testimony… if it were as simple as balancing calories, I would have NEVER needed to do more than TWO HOURS of cardio per day on less than 1000 calories to continue my weight loss back in my competition days.  There is more to weight loss than caloric balance- hormones are critical components.  RESPECT THE HORMONES BECAUSE I PROMISE THEY RULE THE WEIGHT LOSS GAME!

3 Reasons Why Counting Calories Is Stalling Your Weight Loss

Your calorie focus has caused you to totally ignore the quality of food you eat.

I know some fit pros will argue that 1500 calories of meats, nuts, oil, fruit and veggies will get you the same weight loss results as 1500 calories of Lean Cuisine meals, low fat cookies, and baked chips BUT I disagree.  Your body will process the former in a way that encourages sustainable weight loss and the latter is more likely to cause weight maintenance after whatever initial loss you experience from making an initial improvement to your diet.  You guessed it!  I have personal experience with that too.

Your calorie focus doesn’t help you fight cravings and hunger- it actually causes more cravings and hunger.

When you focus on keeping calories low, you end up making choices like, skimping on meat because it is higher in calories than say popcorn.  The biggest problem with that approach is that meat and other proteins keep you fuller longer and reduce your cravings so that you NATURALLY eat less- without having to use every ounce of willpower and mental energy that you have to stick to a number.  We know too well how willpower as your primary source of staying on track backfires when you have a day when you need that energy for something else like family or work.

Your calorie focus prevents you from paying attention to your body’s signals about what and how much food it needs.

When you live and die by the numbers, you don’t practice mindfulness and intuition.  Considering that EVERY caloric needs formula is an estimation (read guess), the number that you are sticking to like Biblical truth may or may not be the right number for you.  Your body will send you signals such as hunger, low energy, and cravings to let you know that your body fat regulating hormones are not balanced.  When your hormones are not balanced, you are not likely to lose weight and any weight loss you *may* be experiencing is temporary .

In most cases, rather heed the signals and adjust, you *buckle down* and strengthen your resolve to *do what it takes* to lose the weight (no judgment- I have existed on less than 1000 calories before so I know full well how we find ways to endure when we *think* we have the magic number).  Unfortunately ignoring your body’s signals will ensure that either the weight never comes off or that it goes back on just as quickly as it came off.

Now you have the facts and you know why calorie counting *may* be stopping you from losing weight.  I want to hear from you.  Do you resonate with the information in this post OR is calorie counting working just fine for you.  Join the discussion!