To Count or Not to Count?
Should You Count Calories?
I'm sure by now you have heard of counting calories. If not, essentially counting calories is just adding up all the calories you consume during the day in order to stay within your daily caloric goal. What are your initial thoughts on this subject? From my experience this is a touchy subject for some. Much like the political system there are two main conflicting views on this subject. I would say it's all based on personality. From what I have seen most data oriented and analytical people love the idea. They get to know exactly what they are consuming down to the individual calorie, macro nutrient and ingredient. It's a marvel of the modern world, a dream for anyone analytical. On the other hand if you are more of an abstract or creative person the idea of counting every calorie is a horrible one. It is a task that takes all the substance, culture and art out of eating. Now just like the political system these are the extremes and most people's views lie somewhere in the middle.
I personally don't count calories… anymore. Although when I was first starting out I definitely did, and I took it very seriously. I don't do it anymore because I know just by looking at my plate generally how many calories, protein, carbs and fats I am eating. I know this because of experience. Now counting calories just slows me down and my end results are the same. I will only start counting again if I notice changes in my body and I want to reset my ability to judge my caloric intake. That decision is based on my personality and goals, just because that is what I do doesn't make it correct.
Who Should Count?
If you have never even attempted counting calories then you should give it a try, at least for a few days. After all you don't even know if you like it or not and maybe you don't, but just doing the exercise will give you a better understanding of what you are consuming. Who else?
- Beginners - if you are just starting out in the world of health then going through this exercise will give you a huge amount of knowledge. Opening the window on your daily eating habits.
- Interested - If you are interested in the concept then you should do it. Yes it takes time and effort but in reality it's not that much.
- Feeling Stuck - If you are feeling stuck in your health journey, maybe you are trying to lose five pounds of fat but it just isn't happening. Counting your daily calories can give you the insight you need to make an educated decision.
- Returning Counters - If you have tried in the past and for whatever reason stopped but you saw value in the process. Then why not give it another attempt.
Who Should Not Count?
Generally speaking the decision to not count should be based on experience. The exception being the people who know that attempting it would damage their relationship with being healthy. Counting calories is a powerful tool but it's just that, a tool. It's not worth sacrificing your workshop to just add one tool.
- Lack of results - If you have already tried it before and feel like the results aren't worth the effort, then there is likely an alternative method that would give you more value.
- No longer need it - You have been doing it long enough to understand the data on what you are eating and now counting is just taking time without any additional benefits.
- Don't like it - you tried it and saw value but it's a pain point for you. It may still be good to do once a month just so you can get a general idea of your habits, but if it is an annoyance to you then the benefits might not be worth the process.
Alternatives
Counting calories is not the end all be all of managing your caloric intake. There are alternative methods. Counting calories is the fine grained method and if you want the most data then it's the method for you. If you just want results and the data is less important to you then there are alternative methods.
- By weight - In this method you use the weight of your ingredients. You have to have an understanding of the general amount of calories in a specific weight for each of your ingredients. For some this is a much easier and faster method.
- By volume - similar to using weight except you use measuring cups instead. You will have to understand the general amount of calories in each volume. For example if you use one cup of chicken breast you will have to understand how that will factor into your daily caloric goal.
- Apps - there are emerging phone applications that allow you to just take a picture of your plate. As of writing this I can't attest to their accuracy but it is an exciting development.
Conclusion
Just like anything on the Internet nowadays you will find people who are die hard believers and people who are sceptics. I believe counting calories has value even if you just do it for a short period of time. It's a health tool that can give you great insight into your nutritional habits, and if you like it you can dive in and track everything down to the micronutrient level. For some it's the best thing ever and for others it may seem like more of an unnecessary task that they would prefer not to do. I believe it's best to give it a try, if after a few days you still see no value in it then maybe it's not for you, but on the other hand you may love it. Understanding your caloric intake is a powerful tool that allows you to make educated decision on your health journey. Hopefully you found some value in this article, thanks for reading!