Stop Counting Calories To Feel Good And Reach Your Best Shape
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 1, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 2, 2022
Written by: Dávid Jakus, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Would you like to change your lifestyle and be fit and healthy? Did you get a diet plan, or are you considering having one? The most important question is: do you want to count everything you eat? Do you want to write every bite in an application? Feel free to do it, but most of the time, people fail this way. I am going to tell you why.
Counting calories is not a "changing my lifestyle" or "I want to look better" task. First, people have to master the fundamentals. How to eat, what to eat, and when. Also, with athletes, we can improve so much before we start to count calories, like better food choices, sleep quality, proper hydration, and so on.
I'm not saying calorie counting cannot work; I'm just saying it's possibly unnecessary for you, or there is another way to reach a fit body.
Calorie counting steal the focus from the critical part of healthy eating. Think about food, like information for the body. I'm sure you have already heard this sentence: "You are what you eat." Let's dive into it a little bit more. With every food choice, you decide between helping or damaging your body. Don't get stressed! You can still eat your pizza or hamburger. I explain this part more in my other article.
Healthy eating isn't about eating a few types of food. It rather means choosing quality ingredients. If you give up your favorite food just because it is out of the food plan, you won't enjoy it. And you have to enjoy your food. It has to make us happy.
Counting calories can be helpful for athletes, but it isn't an essential skill for regular people. Overeating happens because of wrong food choices, feelings, and sleep deprivation. Usually, we feed our souls with tasty, unhealthy foods. Our body needs happiness hormones, and taste isn't the only way to get it.
The 6 most significant issues to counting calories to get your dream shape:
1. Calories aren't equal
Did you know that? Different foods have different effects on our bodies. The most important thing is how the ingested nutrients affect the hormonal system. 200 kcal from dates aren't equal 200 kcal from gummy bears. Dates are high-density food and a good source of fiber. Well, gummy bears aren't on the same page in this comparison. However, gummy bears are high in artificial ingredients and low in fiber and nutrient density. Both are high in carbs, but gummy bears also have a higher glycemic index, which means they will spike our blood sugar levels. Food density is more important than calories!
2. Easy to make a counting mistake
What does it mean medium size banana!? Does every tomato contain the same amount of calories? Do we consume more calories from processed foods? Cooking and heating make our food easier absorbable. Blending and cutting make food more digestible, and we will consume more calories. Did you know that food label isn't 100% precise? That detail is just an average value.
3. Easy to give up
It's fun to count calories for a week. Then an event comes, for example, a birthday party or a date, and you are off of the wagon. You need a solid goal to keep measuring your food. Using the kitchen scale can be easy, but how can you do it when you have a family? I'm sure this is the last thing you want to do. Also, in a relationship, you must cook separately, which requires extra time. And you know it, there is no spare time for it.
Easy to follow a strict plan when looking better and better, but the real hard time comes when we don't get the expected result. It is time when we lose our motivation and say: "This diet sucks!" Or maybe it was too far from our comfort zone. Better to change a small detail at once and follow a diet plan later.
4. Using artificial ingredients to reduce calories
There are two types of people: one who checks the "Nutrition Facts" and the other who checks the "Ingredients." Actually, there is the third one, who doesn't care about nutrition details, but if you are reading this article, you are not in this group. Nutrition Facts tells you how much protein, carbs, sugars, fats, and calories the product contains. A few years ago, I only checked this part, and nowadays, I rarely do it. I prefer to read the ingredients. It is the part where it is decided that it is a healthy product or better put it back on the shelf. Artificial ingredients have a significant impact on our health. It can modify our hormone system's proper working.
You can gain weight in caloric deficit if your insulin level is high too often. Usually, people think artificial sweetener is a better choice than sugar. We believe that we can get a sweet taste with impunity without calories. Sounds too good to be true, right!? Artificial sweeteners may not increase your blood glucose but increase your insulin level. You are not using your stored fat when your insulin level is high.
5. Gaining back most of the lost weights
You follow a strict meal plan for 3 months and get a good result. What's next? Usually, people feel: " I didn't get any delicious taste in the last period. I want a hamburger on a family pizza." It is when we constantly start overeating and get back our lost kilos. It is called the yo-yo effect.
We have to fix our microbiome if we want permanent results. Our microbiome composition determines what we crave, how many calories we consume, and how we feel in our bodies. It takes time to have a healthy microbiome composition; give yourself time.
6. Stress
Don't get stressed, but I'll remind you that a strict food plan can be stressful. I remember when I wrote every piece of almond into the application.
Everything looked fine, but I was starving after the meal. We didn't get along with my body. I wanted good shape, but my body wanted more food. It can be frustrating.
Summary
Calorie counting could work, but mostly when we mastered the fundamentals, like better food choices, quality sleep, and proper hydration. Better to change small things at once, like eating more fiber, reducing caffeine, or starting the morning with a glass of water.
Don't underestimate the small changes! Small changes give big results!
Dávid Jakus, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dávid Jakus is a Nutritionist, Sports Instructor, Lecturer, and Writer. Sport has always been important in his life. Therefore, he went to the faculty of Physical Education at the University of Szeged to learn more about this topic and become a Sports Instructor. Then he studied more about nutrition and got certification at Precision Nutrition.
Dávid works with elite athletes and helps them to achieve their best performance. He also created a 5-month-long lifestyle-changing program. He was invited to health events related to a healthy lifestyle as a lecturer.
After more than a decade, he can show that a healthy lifestyle, good performance, and body composition change can be easy and manageable.
His motto: "It doesn't matter what you know; it matters what you are able to!"
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