The TRUTH About Calorie Counting…And Why I Stopped (part 1)

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If you're brand new to learning about metabolism, I'd recommend watching this video first where I talk about how your metabolism works, genetic differences, and lifestyle factors affecting it.

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[michael_braithwaite]

I really enjoyed this video! I wish I was able to stop weighing/counting cals but I tend to over eat very easily. Even if its "healthy" food I will over eat a lot of it.. I'm 190lbs, 5'11 - and have been on a weight loss journey for a while now, trying to get down to 12-15% BF.

Side note: Counting cals is especially frustrating when you think you've hit your target numbers but wake up the next morning and weigh in HEAVIER lol

[katisawriter]

I think calorie counting can help you learn how to visualize how much a proper portion is but it's such a slippery slope. (You mentioned this later on in your video)

[simplyarwen]

Tracking definitely helped me learn more about micro and macro nutrients, eating enough and what feels good to me. I eat intuitively now, and on the odd occasion track just to see the composition of my diet to then make teeny changes for my benefit 🥰

[TORRIE_B]

I tracked calories for years and I just got so fed up with it because it caused me to have negative views on food and I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I quit cold Turkey and just started eating the 80/20 healthy food approach and I have maintained my weight for 4 months. Gained more definition & lost inches from my waist. I still feel tempted to count calories because part of me wants to look just a bit leaner & I feel like counting calories is the only way to be in a calorie deficit for weight loss. However, I just feel so good and unrestricted not counting. I truly feel happier!

What would be interesting to see in your series is maybe you talk about what goals are good for non tracking, like if your goal is to lose weight is counting helpful or not, or id you are trying to maintain your weight would you recommend it or not and if not what would be a better option.

[craig]

I am absolutely loving your videos! I am a 51 year old guy who has spent the last 10+ years obsessively dieting, tracking, weighing (food and myself) to the point where I've completely lost touch with my own hunger and fullness cues. I also happen to love running, but I've never done it outside of the context of obsessively dieting. It's been months since I ran, and I'm going to take your lead and just start running without changing my eating. Sounds exciting but terrifying at the same time, we shall see. Thanks for all you do!

[MSS]

Thank you so much for this video! I completely agree with you on that calorie counting has its place on some people's fitness journey. I stopped calorie counting once I felt I had an understanding of the portions to maintain my progress (about a year in for me) . But my main reason to stop is that I felt like I started seeing food as the enemy that I needed to control instead of a source of energy/nourishment. Now about 2 yrs since I stopped calorie counting the gains are still here and even better!! Currently, I just eat intuitively minding my portions and though its not perfect, it has worked consistently for me 💪🏾😊

[VeggieVllc]

I’ve learned from tracking calories for years that I only need about 1350 calories to maintain my weight, which seems super low. I’m pretty inactive even though I lift 4-6 times a week. I’m 47, female, 5’5” and 110 pounds.

What calorie counting has showed me is an estimate of what I need. I can estimate my weight based on caloric intake. I find the data fascinating.

[Radjehuty]

I do like this video. At first I disagreed about taking calorie counting off its pedestal but in context, I agree with you that different strategies work best at different points in your journey. I do think though that calorie counting can be good for newbies if their goal is weight loss because at its core, it very quickly teaches you about budgeting calories as well as calorie density in foods. For example nuts are known to be healthy, but their calories add up extremely fast in comparison to fruits. Potatoes are often seen as "bad" but you'll quickly find out that they're actually fairly low in calories by weight and they're often pretty satiating. Lettuce is a simple way to add bulk with extremely low calories. The list goes on and on. At some point though, you're right we can get obsessive with numbers and we need to start trusting the intuition we should have been training to have a better relationship with food. There's definitely a time and place, but as a newbie, calorie counting was definitely invaluable.

[nightaesthetics]

I use the lose it! App only because if I eat without seeing the calories and sugars I feel like I ate something unhealthy or too much of something even if I know that I consumed a small portion, I just have to work on that but I don’t know how, but this helped a lot! Thank you for posting! 😁☺️

[lisal]

Any and all obsession about food is what I attempt to avoid to all costs. Any time I restrict, overeat excessively or obsess, it always backfires in the long run. Took me a very long time to get here but yes, you can be fit and healthy without tracking calories. Giving up the control is the hardest part but once you stop putting food in bad and good categories, the restrict/overeat cycle stops and body fat gets to a healthy range. I stopped believing I had no control over my intake once I stopped trying so hard to control everything.

[softenbysam]

I spent like a year and a half losing weight, going from 285 lbs to 148 lbs as a 5'10 AMAB person. I got my RMR test done the other day, and it came to 2232 kcal. I've kept the weight off effortlessly now, put on more muscle and actually lost even more body fat than when I was at 148 lbs. It's almost effortless, and your body keeps burning away as long as you care enough to eat a healthy diet.

[jessicacollier]

Thank you for this video because calorie counting and weighing myself started to become a source of anxiety, so I just stopped altogether and just started listening to whatever my body wanted (within reason). It helps to a degree, but I've been wondering if there's a way to track without going crazy. Like does anyone know how hard it is to have ADHD and have to track every single crumb you've eaten? And no one prepared me for how labor intensive cooking can be, even simple meals wipe me out.

[rahabhenderson]

I'm excited to see those because I want to stop calorie counting..it does work I've lost 22 lbs but now I'm ready to go back to lifting and changing my body without being nervous I haven't counted and gone ovet

[whythinkingisimportantkaja]

This is a video I have been looking forward to! I have this year started a major wellness transformation and part of that is building some muscle and trying to get to a weight that I feel good at. I am actually using the team plans lean sculpting plan and in the first month I saw major results but I feel like the results have slowed since the second month and I am now in the third month - even though the plan suggests calorie counting my history with dieting makes me so scared to do that. I would love strategies for losing fat, measuring results that don’t trigger those number obsessions that can just take over your relationship with yourself.

[willowmallow]

90% of weight management is unconscious, and regulated by your hypothalamus. This is the latest science (I know because i am an editor for a science journal that publishes this stuff). The best summary i have found is the book “why we eat (too much). It is crucial to understand this if you want weight management to be as efficient and permanent as possible.

[bellaabocc]

abby your videos are always so great !! i also recently starting taking Seed and so far i love it !! was curious if you were still taking it 😇 much love !! xx

[nicolefreitas]

Where can I find the mini series you mentioned?

[lauraezeanishealthyliving]

IT DEPENDS... all of this conversation about tracking calories or not for weight lost can not be generalised!!!! In order to loose fat you need to be on a calories deficits.. wheter you want to track or not is up to you

[teatvrtkovic]

There’s so much information when it comes to nutrition that I don’t know what is right what isn’t anymore. So if this isn’t the best strategy, what is??

[KelliRocks]

I always love your videos, but where is my "Hey! What's