Do I Need to Count Calories to Lose Weight

Do you really need to count calories to lose weight? As a fitness coach, this is the common question I hear from my clients when I advise them to do so.

Why can’t you just eat whole and healthy food options, avoid chips, then wait for your body to miraculously shrink? For us to address this great question, it is important for us to understand why we get fat.

Why Do We Get Fat?

Every time we eat breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks, we are ingesting energy that can be measured in calories. We use these calories in performing physical activities, such as walking, standing, running, and exercising. Our body also uses calories, as it performs vital functions such as breathing, digestion, and muscle repair.

The World Health Organization mentioned that our energy intake (calories in) should be balanced with our energy expenditure (calories out). If the former exceeds the latter, weight or fat gain should be expected. That’s why many experts and fitness coaches advise their clients to always create a caloric deficit, if they want to lose weight.

Where does it Goes Wrong?

Many wonder why they don’t lose weight, where in fact, they avoid pasta and pizza. They would even argue that they have already removed rice from their diet and replaced it with healthier options.

These people who claim to be eating less yet not seeing any progress from their diet miss the basic principle of weight loss — which is to always be on a caloric deficit.

The problem is most people base their diet on how heavy or filled they feel after they eat something. They think a serving of sweet potato will make them fat, because it’s “carbs” and it’s heavy on the stomach. But they wouldn’t be bothered to eat potato chips, or cookies, or bubble tea that are way lighter. 

Actually, one serving of sweet potato can only comprise 86 calories, but a bag of your favorite potato chips or three pieces of Oreo cookies already contain 200 calories. From here, we can see where most people go wrong, hence, they cannot see the result.

Just because you eat light foods, you’ll lose weight.. Just because you avoid carbohydrates or other heavy foods, you’ll miraculously experience weight loss. It’s not like that. 

Weight loss will occur if you are eating fewer calories than you burn.

So, going back, do I need to Count Calories to lose weight?

The answer is, yes. If you want to objectively monitor your diet and confidently say that you are indeed on a caloric deficit, then I’d advise you to track your calories. After trying so many diet hacks like sipping liters of warm water with apple cider vinegar, yet you still cannot see the results, it’s time to check what’s wrong with your diet. If you want to manage your diet, have to track and measure it. Then adjust, based on the results that you get. As they say, we cannot manage what we cannot measure.

But it’s mundane! I Hate It!

Well, if you really want to lose weight, you’ll take an extra effort to monitor your daily calorie intake. You won’t simply rely on futile ab workouts or weird warm and disgusting detox drinks that promise you to lose weight in 3 days. That’s a big scam.

Something worth attaining requires effort. Always remember that.

But there are diets like Keto that don’t require calorie counting. This is easier!

Keto Diet will train one to consume a lot of dietary fat. Foods rich in fat are highly satiating and thus, your hunger and craving already stop. Besides, what else can you buy from McDonalds or Krispy Kreme that are Keto-friendly? The answer is: none! Because you always feel full from the fats, and your food options are limited, you eat fewer calories.

Paleo Diet, on the flip side, only allows whole foods such as fish, lean meat, fruits and vegetables. Because you’re not allowed to eat processed goods, donuts, chocolates and other man-made delicacies, you’re technically consuming fewer calories because of the prohibitions of the Paleo Diet.

Having these said, it’s flawed to conclude one loses weight because his diet is Keto or Paleo. Because the true underlying reason for one’s weight loss the caloric deficit.

There are lots of people who’ve tried Keto or Paleo Diet but still failed. Why? It’s because they still consume calories more than they burn. They are not in a caloric deficit.

One important thing everyone should always remember is that these diets are not magic. They are just tools that establish food restriction so you’ll ingest fewer calories.

It’s Not Forever

I have to admit tracking calories is really boring and arduous. Who would find it enjoyable to always look at food labels, or weigh your veggies when you’re already hungry! Sometimes, I’m tempted not to track them anymore. 

But I have a deal for you! Just take an extra effort to be consistent with your first four weeks or less, and as soon as you can visually estimate how many calories a food contains, you can now stop tracking calories and just have it in your mind.

For instance, in my four weeks of consistently tracking and weighing foods, I can already estimate through eyes how a 200-calorie rice looks like. And I can already reasonably determine by myself what should be my food options for the entire day so I won’t go beyond my calories.

At first, it’s gonna be a struggle, but once you’re already trained to gauge it by yourself, then you can now stop tracking calories strictly.

Conclusion

Counting your calories is hard. Being fat and unhealthy is also hard. Now, choose your hard.