Why You Don’t Need to Count Calories

 

While it is helpful to be aware of the nutritional content of your food by reading food labels, many assume the only way to accurately fuel the body for performance or improve aesthetics is through tracking calories and/or macros. While this method works for some, it is but one tool in the toolbox that is usually too time consuming for most to adhere to, not to mention counting calories is not as simple as calories in/calories out:

 

• Food labels can legally be inaccurate by up to 20%.

• Nutritional estimates from restaurants are just that—estimates.

• Not all the calories we consume are used. Some aren’t absorbed in the gut and others are burned off from the thermic effect of food.

• Most calorie databases, like MyFitnessPal, are created by users rather than from a bomb calorimeter (the only instrument that accurately counts calories).

• It’s impossible, or at least unhealthy, to weigh and measure everything you eat in order to track as accurately as possible (you don’t want to be the person who travels with a food scale).

• Unless done in a lab setting, calorie recommendations are from equations that estimate your total daily energy expenditure based on imprecise self-reported numbers regarding age, weight, height, and activity levels; most people inadvertently overestimate their activity range.

 

So what can you do instead to ensure you’re properly nourished if you’re not hyperfixating on numbers?

 

• Tune into your hunger fullness scale (see our January 11th post if you’re unfamiliar)

• Eat approximately every four hours

• Sip water throughout the day and increase around activity

• Use a hand portion control guide (search Precision Nutrition’s portion control guide for an example) or aim for balanced plate that contains protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats

• Enjoy tasty, fun food without guilt or shame

 

If this sounds stupidly simple, that’s the point. Trust your body; it will do what it’s supposed to do to operate optimally without your continuous monitoring and false control if you allow it.