Counting Calories Is A Myth & Here’s Why

Calorie counting used to be the way that we tried to understand how much food we need to eat. There are lots of diets that still use this approach. The problem is that it’s not something you can do all year round for the rest of your life. You need to find a way of eating that is more easy and natural instead. If you want to have a healthy diet  – and feel good about how and what you eat – then here are some reasons why calorie counting is not a good idea.

It’s not practical

It takes a lot of work to count the calories in everything that you eat in a day. And if you’re eating at a friend’s house or a restaurant then you may feel nervous about what to eat because you may not know the calorie content. So, calorie counting just isn’t a practical way to approach eating, going forward.

There is more to food than calories

Yes, we need calories. But we also need other things (like vitamins). If you’re only thinking about calories then you are missing out on everything else that your body also needs.

It can mean you have problems with eating

If you are counting calories you may start to feel worried about food and that can mean it becomes hard to relax with how you eat. Some examples of this might include not eating meals to lower your calorie count. Or having a list of ‘bad’ food that you have to do exercise afterwards if you eat. Calorie counting can also mean you feel a lot of anxiety around some foods and have feelings of guilt or shame after eating.

You stop listening to your body

When you’re calorie counting then you are looking at the numbers every day. That means you will stop listening to when your body tells you it’s full or hungry. The best way to make sure you have a healthy weight is to be able to read these signs but you’ll miss them if you’re only thinking about calories.

Weight loss often doesn’t last

We now know that calorie counting diets might work for a month or so. But, as soon as you stop counting calories, it’s likely that you will put on weight again.

The real problem is still there

Calorie counting can make you feel like you are being healthy with food if you lose weight. But it doesn’t look at whatever made you have problems with food in the first place – that is still there.

All the joy goes out of eating

Food is one of life’s pleasures and it’s there to be enjoyed. If your experience of food is one that is restrictive and fearful then you’re going to find yourself unable to enjoy it. Food is part of our culture and it’s important for social occasions so allowing yourself some freedom with it is an essential way of getting the most out of life.

Calorie counting isn’t a healthy way to approach food for these reasons. Instead keeping track of your overall lifestyle is a much more efficient way to keep an eye on your health. Why not download the MyLife365.Me app today to start tracking.