Calorie Counting Confessions

Michael Cecchin
Founder of: www.TheFatLossAuthority.com

There are 22 carbs in that slice of bread, 10 grams of fat in that yogurt, and 30 grams of protein in that steak. Shoot, I forgot about that chocolate chip-cookie at Christine's office retirement party today. Punch, click, scribble - add them all up and my total number of calories for today was...

Sound familiar?

If not, substitute the word calories with points. How about now?

Whether it's Weight Watchers or some other point-based tracking system that has you tallying up the items that entered through your mouth (how much of it? when you did it? how you felt afterwards? what the position of the moon was?) you are executing an older then you think dieting practise called calorie counting.

How old you say? Lulu Hunt Peters' bestseller, Diet and Health, with Key to the Calories, was published in 1918, and was the first book to outline a method of counting calories as a way to regulate weight. To lose one pound of fat, the calorie-counting method says you have to burn about 3,500 calories. To do that, you could choose to eat 500 fewer calories per day for one week, burn an extra 500 calories per day for a week through exercise or combine the two by eating less and expending more.

In it's simplest equation: calories in versus calories out.

My Story

It all started when I recognized my own weight issues and some of those around me. The lack of energy and motivation I felt was depressing.
After spinning my wheels with multiple dieting tricks and fat burners, I came across something simple and straight forward: calorie counting. At the start I found carrying a food diary with me to restaurants or family gatherings efficient and full proof.

Looking at food labels served as my introduction into the world of nutritional values and total calories. I began learning about saturated fats, trans-fat and appropriate sugar levels. A whole new world of information began to open up to me, because it was part of my life now. Recording and tabulating daily calories was right up there with brushing my teeth before bed. It was a way to stay organized and on top of my eating patterns.

But things went downhill FAST.

Allowing food and eating to occupy this much of my time and energy over an extended period of time became unhealthy because other aspects of my life began to suffer. “What restaurant are we going to?” “I don't have any points left I can't eat this?” “Sorry mom, I can't try your homemade pie...”  Calorie counting had seriously taken over my life, not to mention the lives around me.

If that wasn't motivation enough to ease up, it wasn't long after, that I discovered the dagger to end my calorie counting obsession. All the calorie lists and calorie counting software programs out there were ONLY estimates. It's not an exact science! Food labels will round numbers, and serving sizes vary between foods and brands. For someone who took so much pride in this daily task, this revelation definitely took the wind out of my sail. 

Does Calorie Counting Work?

Yes. Absolutely, calorie counting at its basic level does work.  The idea of calories in vs. calories out has been around so long for a reason. The science and evidence is immovable, but the burden it places on the rest of your life puts its practicality into question.

The only reason I don’t regret counting calories as long as I did is because its’ given me the nutritional knowledge and bench marks to live the healthy life I do now. For someone who had zero knowledge of nutrition, calorie counting served its purpose for me and now I am able to practice portion control and responsible eating. 

Though now, I have found much more enjoyment in exercise, but diet is still the essential piece of the puzzle. As much as I really have tried to get around it, it’s impossible to out exercise a terrible diet. 

Calorie counting allows you to take control of your life by providing you with the information you need to make more informed decisions about your health so I do recommend it. 

If you can live a life attached to your notepad for every meal, snack, or impulse, then I applaud you, and you WILL lose weight. However, keep in mind how this dieting method affects the rest of your life. It’s a detail that should not be overlooked. 

To your future you,

Michael

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