What You Really Need To Know About Counting Calories

If you’re confused about whether calorie counting is effective, you’re definitely not alone. There’s so much information out there and it can be hard to decide what you should really focus on for your health goals.

To lose weight, we need to expend MORE energy than we take in. This means we need to consume fewer calories than we expend. And to know if we’re doing that, counting calories sounds like a good idea. While it is good to know what is in your food and how many calories you are consuming, it is practically impossible to count calories accurately.

Here is why calorie counting alone is faulty:

• People are not great at eyeballing calories.

• Food labels can have a % of error.

• Cooking and preparing foods can alter the calories and nutrients.

• Energy burned through digestion varies depending on macronutrients.

• The body burns calories in various ways and every person differs.

• It is hard to know how many calories we burn when we exercise.

• Different forms of exercise have different calorie-burning effects.

This is EXACTLY why being educated about nutritious foods along with learning to be mindful and aware of your choices is important to long-term diet success.

Blindly following a meal plan or diet may work for a while, but what happens when you have to actually make your own choices? That is a huge reason why diets don’t work long-term.

Every person is unique

Everybody processes, absorbs, and uses food differently… also known as our metabolism.

To know what works BEST for you right now, you have to try various things and make an educated decision (how you feel, is it sustainable, are you moving towards your goal, etc.)

And here is another thing to keep in mind: What works today may not work next year. And what worked 10 years ago may not work now. The human body works very hard to adapt/maintain homeostasis. As we age, our resting metabolic rate naturally goes down.

While there are tips, techniques, and best practices when it comes to fitness and nutrition, you will only know what is best for you by trying different things and seeing how your body responds.

I’m a firm believer in enjoying your food but also eating to fuel your body properly. If you want to listen to your body, stop counting calories, and eat nutritiously, intuitive eating could be something to consider. Grab The Bridal Body Cookbook so you can implement it in your life and enjoy the meals you eat!