Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work and What to Do Instead!
As a Registered Dietitian and Intuitive Eating Coach, a question I get asked all the time is, “how do I stop counting calories (or points or macros) and how can I be sure I'm eating well without a specific plan?”
At its core, Intuitive Eating teaches you how to let go of the external so-called "rules" about how to eat.
Instead, the 10 principles of Intuitive Eating support you in rebuilding trust and connection with your body and its innate eating cues, while also showing you how to adopt a nourishment-as-self-care approach that’s health promoting, gentle, and flexible.
Bonus: it’s far more enjoyable and sustainable too!
But how do you get started, especially if you’re used to relying on calories and food logging apps?
How to Stop Counting Calories and Adopt an Intuitive Eating Approach Instead
First, consider the reasons you might want to stop counting calories. For example, perhaps calorie counting or food logging is starting to feel obsessive, taking up too much of your valuable mental energy each day.
Or, maybe you notice you’re spending more time counting or tracking your food than you are actually being present with the experience of eating or paying attention to how the foods you’re choosing actually make you feel.
You might notice you’re relying more on an app, number, or meal plan to tell you when or how much to eat than you are listening to what your body itself is telling you. Or, you find that you feel more comfortable eating foods with labels—because they have stated calorie counts—than you are eating whole, unpackaged foods.
These are all signs that calorie counting may be disrupting your relationship with food and your body. If so, you might find it really helpful to shift towards an intuitive eating approach to food, health, and body.
Interesting Facts About Calories That You May Not Know
As you consider letting go of calorie counting, here are a few additional facts about calories you might want to know: (TW: Specific calorie counts referenced below.)
Calorie counts on labels are imprecise with a 20% margin of error allowed by the FDA … this means a 350-calorie food may actually contain up to 420 calories, for example.
The cooking method can change a food’s chemical structure and therefore influence how many calories your body extracts from that food.
Different strains of gut bacteria metabolize food differently; so depending on the unique composition of a person's microbiome, different individuals can and do extract different numbers of calories from the exact same food (isn’t the human body fascinating?).
According to the FDA, 1200 calories is the energy requirement of a 4 or 5 year-old child, while a 9 or 10 year-old requires about 1600 calories per day … yet these are the amounts recommended for adults by most diets (no wonder they’re unsustainable and typically trigger rebound overeating!).
You weren’t born needing calorie counts in order to nourish your body. Adult bodies possess the same eating wisdom—you can absolutely establish this attuned connection with Intuitive Eating.
As you can see, calorie counting is not only taking your attention outside your body ... but it's also an imprecise practice!
Ready to Dip Your Toes In and Shift Away From Calorie Counting and Tracking?
Here are a few mealtime questions you can ask yourself instead:
Does this food taste good and do I actually want to eat it?
How long is this food likely to sustain me?
Will this food support and fuel my desired activities?
How will this food feel in my body?
Does this food honor how I want to care for my physical health?
Is this choice gentle and flexible enough to also support my mental and emotional wellbeing?
One last thing before I wrap up. You don't have to quit calorie counting cold turkey (although that's certainly an option!). If you want to baby-step your way into it, consider going just one day a week without tracking what you're eating and practice tuning into your body instead.
Also, if you’re tired of counting calories or being tied to rigid ways of eating that end up making you feel stressed out, frustrated, or guilty around food—but the idea of unlearning dieting and learning to trust your body feels overwhelming—I can help.
Sign up for a FREE Intro to Intuitive Eating call today and let's chat about what this could look like and whether my Intuitive Eating coaching programs feel right for you.