Why You Should Stop Counting Calories to Lose Weight

Counting and restricting the number of calories you consume is a well established strategy for losing weight. Many people and fitness influencers swear by it, but scientists tend to disagree...

So we've sent our own scientist, Dr Oliver Bridgewood PhD, on a mission to explain why it doesn't work, but, also why it kind of does.

00:00 Intro What is calorie counting?
00:52 What are the benefits of calorie counting?
01:37 What Is A Calorie?
01:58 Does Calorie Counting Work?
04:03 Can You Accurately Measure Calories?
05:20 Does Cooking Change Calories?
05:55 How many calories do you burn in a day?
07:02 Are all calories the same?
08:36 Why calorie counting ISN'T a complete waste of time
10:40 The benefits of a food diary
11:33 Periodise your carb intake
13:00 So should I count calories?

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[gcn]

Do you count your calorie intake? Let us know 👇

[I-am-theStorm]

There seems to be a change of style with your latest videos, and I applaud you for this. This new theme you are following of addressing and talking about health and well being, will help everyone regardless of income, and not just those with significant amounts of disposable wealth who can afford all the stupidly expensive equipment. Great video Ollie, and thank you to the whole of the GCN crew for taking this new and exciting approach.

[Mohr-Barker]

I have a Chronic illness called Crohn's Disease and calorie counting for me is really important in that I use it to make sure I am not going to lose weight. It is my way of making sure I'm keeping my calorie intake high enough and my macros balanced. Also just a side note, since I started cycling just over a year ago my overall health has improved so dramatically, I'm literally the healthiest I have ever been :)

[Miragexe]

I think it's worth doing just so you become more conscious of your eating habits and also get a feel for what is in foods.. that cookie you figured must be around 200 calories was actually 500.
Whilst I would not recommend counting every single calorie, I do just check the packaging to see how many calories I'm roughly consuming and aim for a certain number at the end of the day that in theory should lead to losing weight.. but if you don't, for all the reasons and variables mentioned in the video, you can just adjust your calorie intake.

[JonCannings]

Ollie, my appearance fee is not in my bank account yet, could you chase this up? Thanks

[pawel]

Ollie graduated with a PhD from Uni. of Nottingham's chemistry department, he knows that the nearby canteen (Coate's Road) served such awful food that losing calories wasn't exactly a challenge.

[alepea]

Calorie counting is difficult mainly because people consistently underestimate how many calories they consume.

[trevorknowles]

Ollie is a great explainer. Another good one. Most useful video ever was the one where Ollie explains how he got in such good form. I followed half the rules and got in the best shape of my life last year and finally rode Trans America route. Really just drinking less, trying to avoid processed foods, no food 2 hours before bed, and go for at least 30 min ride 6 days/week did it. We all sort of know that stuff but somehow that video made it easy to put it all together into actionable plan. Thanks!

[antoniosballis]

Well with calorie restriction went down from 93 kilos to 74. In a year then couldn’t keep up counting but quite stable at 82 kilos now and eating carbs. So definitely worked for me if you eat healthy also.

[derekh]

BLUF: I'm an exercise physiologist and have had this conversation more than once in my 30+ year career.

I appreciate that you circled back and mentioned the benefits of calorie awareness. The start of the video seemed like a manic rant against it.

Yes. The caloric math doesn't always add up but using a measuring cup and food scale do give one a better sense of what a serving size actually is.

Thus, and to your point, reading labels, measuring food and estimating calories fosters awareness. Awareness fosters positive change.

[stickler]

Been doing every day for 3 years. Makes you accountable and think twice before scoffing a donut.

[jmw]

I’ve gained 10kg over the past 10 years without counting a single calorie

[rossmac]

I think everyone should try counting calories for a few weeks just to educate them on how much energy is in the food they are eating.

[Nearly-at-the-top]

Do the cuts to Ollie walking and talking remind anyone else of Paul Whitehouse’s ‘Brilliant!’ character from The Fast Show? 🤣

[andreahughes]

Your point about using a food diary (and call it calorie counting if you want), is important. It is so easy to fool yourself about the quantity and quality of food you eat. The newer food trackers also count vitamins, macros and exercise. Even if the count isn’t 100% accurate, it does give a rough estimate and can highlight where you might be going wrong. For me, without tracking, I take in WAY too many carbs and not enough potassium or protein. Processed snacks are ubiquitous and tempting. People bring them in to work for free. It takes <30 seconds to eat approximately 150 calories of a cookie or candy. A food tracker show you that you would need to walk 30 min to burn that off. So is it worth eating? Did I actually move today, or am I “tired” because I was chained to a desk all day? It keeps me honest, anyway.

[dernieduff]

I always struggle with calorie counting and food tracking but I do find when I track what I am eating I am always surprised at what I actually consume! Great video guys

[markfernley]

I’m currently counting as it helps me not go too far over. It helps me make better decisions. I don’t always do it as it becomes a bit overwhelming.

[lostinature]

Videos like this is where Ollie Really comes into his own. His ability to convey something that is quite complicated and/or boring in an interesting and relatable way, sets him apart from the other presenters. The nerdy approach and down to earth explanations really makes it work for me :)

[alanc]

I like the way Ollie makes these challenging topics enjoyable. Keep up the good work Ollie (and John)

[Chuck]

Fantastic, Ollie! This is precisely the sort of middle-ground that I felt could've been highlighted better in the previous video. Top job! 👏