Is calorie counting the perfect tool for your diet?

Welcome to the 31st episode of Vegetarian Health and Longevity from Hurry The Food Up and Sports Nutritionist James LeBaigue.

Managing your diet can be tough! Whether it’s for weight loss or just staying healthy and active, it can be hard to know how much to eat.

So is calorie counting the perfect tool to manage your diet? Or does it have drawbacks which means you should avoid it?

In this episode, I go through the pros and cons of calorie counting, so that by the end of it you’ll know if it’s something you should do

You can find it on YouTube below or you can listen to it here on your favourite provider.

If you missed last week’s podcast on getting back on track after a holiday you can listen or read here.

Many people have tried it, and some swear by it, while others feel it can be a bit too restrictive or even stressful.

 I am, of course, talking about calorie counting.

So, what’s the deal? By the end of today’s episode, you should have a clearer idea of the benefits and downsides of tracking calories, as well as some practical insights to help you decide if it’s worth a try for your lifestyle.

What is Calorie Counting?

I’ve had clients who have had completely opposite views when it comes to calorie tracking. Some absolutely love it, want to do it every day, and feel so much better for it.

Others hate it. I had one in particular who worried it might trigger obsessive behaviours with their food. Some people cite it as harmful.

So clearly there are different opinions on it, and that goes for professional opinions too. 

Now calorie counting is a method used to keep track of how many calories you eat daily. It involves recording the calories in all the foods and drinks you consume, usually with the help of a smartphone app or sometimes just a diary. Heck, I’ve had clients scan in a scrap of paper with their diet on. Not super helpful but there we go.

While it’s often associated with weight loss, that’s not its only purpose.

Potential benefits of counting calories

So what are the potential benefits of calorie counting? 

Knowing your calorie intake can be helpful even if you’re not trying to lose or gain weight. It can give you a clear picture of your eating habits and help you make adjustments that better align with your health goals.

Tracking also provides an opportunity to look at your diet more holistically, ensuring that you’re balancing important nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

One of the best things about tracking calories is that it can encourage you to be more aware of what you’re eating.

When you know you’re keeping tabs, you might be more inclined to make healthier choices, focus on portion sizes, or try new foods to improve your diet.

When is Calorie Counting Helpful?

There are certain situations where calorie tracking can be especially useful. Let’s break down a few of them:

Weight Management

For anyone looking to lose weight, calorie counting can be a valuable tool. While it’s definitely possible to lose weight without tracking calories, the process can be more manageable with some guidance. 

Tracking your intake provides a framework, so you’re not guessing – and it helps ensure you’re achieving your goals safely.

Without a system, you might eat either too much or too little, which can make the whole process frustrating.

Calorie tracking gives you an objective way to check your intake, making it easier to stay within a safe calorie range and avoid extremes.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for gradual weight loss, around 0.5-1 kg per week, and calorie counting can help keep you on target for that. This is the goal I always recommend with Hurry The Food Up.

Building Dietary Awareness

There’s something really eye-opening that happens when you start tracking your calories. 

After a few days, people often start to notice patterns they hadn’t realised were there. Common insights are things like:

• “I’m not getting enough protein each day.”
• “I barely eat any fruits or vegetables.”
• “I didn’t realise how much processed food I was eating.”

By tracking your meals, you can get a better understanding of what you’re putting in your body and make adjustments as needed.

Often, it’s about bringing awareness to habits that you didn’t even know you had. This can lead to healthier choices overall – sometimes, just knowing where you’re at makes a huge difference in making improvements.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the latest health trends or supplements, remember that your everyday diet has the biggest impact on your long-term health.

Calorie counting can be an effective way to bring attention to your food choices and start creating healthier habits.

And this could even be if you just track your food intake for a week or two, which is a common timeframe I use for clients that I work with.

The Downsides of Calorie Counting

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. There are a few downsides to tracking calories that are worth considering:

Obsessiveness

One of the biggest risks of calorie counting is becoming overly fixated on it. If you get too focused on hitting exact numbers every day, it can lead to stress and anxiety around food choices. 

This can make it hard to enjoy a meal or snack without feeling guilty, and you might find yourself constantly thinking about your next meal or feeling like you’ve failed if you go slightly over or under your target.

This isn’t the case by the way, because it’s way more important to think of your long-term dietary adherence rather than daily intake.

There’s also the possibility of becoming dependent on tracking apps, to the point where you feel like you can’t make food choices without them. 

While tracking can be helpful, it’s also important to keep a relaxed approach and remember that occasional flexibility is okay. 

The goal is to have a balanced diet and enjoy the process, not to become rigid and obsessive.

This is why I tend to suggest short-term tracking to establish portion sizes and routine, and then move away from tracking.

Ignoring Your Body’s Natural Signals

Another potential drawback is that calorie counting can sometimes cause people to ignore their natural hunger and fullness signals.

When you’re so focused on the numbers, you may end up eating according to the app rather than listening to your body.

For instance, you might feel full but decide to eat more because you have calories left to consume, or you might feel hungry but avoid eating because you’ve reached your calorie limit. 

Ideally, you want to develop a healthy relationship with food where you’re in tune with your body’s needs.

Calorie counting can be a useful tool, but it’s also essential to stay connected with how you feel physically and adjust as needed.

So I also prompt my clients to monitor hunger and fullness, as well as mood. How does this tie into their food cues? Are there any patterns to spot?

Inaccuracies in Calorie Counts

It’s worth mentioning that calorie tracking isn’t always perfectly accurate. Even if you log every food meticulously, there’s still a chance that the calorie information might be off.

Nutritional labels and app databases can vary, and sometimes the numbers aren’t exact – they can be up to 20% off!

So while tracking is a useful way to get a general idea of your intake, it’s good to remember that the numbers are just estimates.

You don’t need to get hung up on exact figures; instead, focus on consistency and making healthier choices overall.

This is why it’s also important to monitor those hunger and fullness cues, because if you’re in tune with your body then that’s going to be more accurate. 

Is Calorie Counting Right for You?

So, should you give calorie tracking a try?

That depends on your personal goals and preferences. Some people find it very empowering and enjoy the sense of control and awareness it provides.

Others find it a bit too restrictive and prefer a more intuitive approach to eating.

I like to think of it like managing your finances. Just as you might track your expenses to make sure you’re not overspending, tracking calories can help prevent mishaps within your diet. 

When you first start, tracking more regularly can be a helpful way to build good habits. Once you’re familiar with portion sizes and typical food choices, you can dial back and check in periodically to stay on track.

If you feel like your eating habits are out of sync, a short period of calorie tracking can be a great way to reassess and realign your diet with your goals. 

In my opinion, it’s not something you have to do forever. The main aim is to learn from the process and then gradually build the confidence to make food choices without constant tracking.

When used in a balanced way, calorie counting can be a helpful tool, much like tracking your steps or heart rate. It’s just one more piece of information to guide your choices. 

My recommendation? Try it for a week or two, get familiar with your daily intake, and then decide if it’s a habit you want to continue or revisit as needed.

So, if you’re curious, give it a go – you might be surprised at what you learn. And if it’snot for you, that’s perfectly fine too! Nutrition is so personal, and the best approach is the one that feels right for you.

So I hope you found this episode interesting and gave you some helpful info about… If you did find it useful then please give the podcast a quick review on whatever platform you’re listening on. 

It helps the podcast to spread to more like minded people like you, and it’ll only take a moment. Thanks so much, and we’ll speak soon.

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