The Pro’s and Con’s of Counting Calories
There are hundreds of ‘diets’ out there, some good some bad. So when it comes to losing weight, dropping body fat and improving your health it can be very confusing for many.
It seems that these days there seems to be research to back up all types of ‘diet’ that we choose to follow. Many Nutritionist’s and coaches have very different opinions. For some, simply eating less calories and burning more calories is a simple and easy advice to give for those wanting to get back in shape.
Obviously, for those that have studied it in detail, they will know that there is a much bigger picture than simply ‘Calories in vs Calories out’ and the subject is a lot more complex than you might think.
We cannot get around or deny the Laws of Thermodynamics but if you are looking to get back in shape, you and your coach must look into the reasons why you are consuming more than you need or why you are storing more than you should….
Stress, anxiety, medications, lifestyle, sleep, nutritional deficiencies, body type and metabolism etc must all be taken into consideration. Simply telling people to eat less and move more is an over simplification and all areas must be addressed for compliance, optimum health and long term results.
What works for one, might not work for another but finding a way that suits you, that’s easy for you to comply with, will always get you better results. Understanding more about how your body responds to certain foods, what triggers the appetite and how to control hunger hormones better is something that everyone should learn. (We teach this in our famous 21 Day Body Transformation Challenge).
Like any diet or food plan though, they all come with advantages, but they also have some draw backs that come along with it too. I have put together some of the pro’s and cons of the calorie counting and using the whole ‘Calories in vs Calories out’ model to help give a bigger insight……
Pro #1 Awareness and Mindfulness. Just as much as quality of your nutrition is important, quantity is very important too. Eating healthy is great but too much of a good thing can stall or slow results too. Tracking calories can be a great tool to create awareness and quantify your daily intake. For those that struggle with portions sizes and need tighter control and boundaries, tracking calories can be a great tool.
Pro #2 Personalized to you. Tracking calories can be more personalized to you. Everyone is different, we all have different lifestyles, different jobs and some are generally more active than others, so calculating your personal daily allowance can be a great tool to make people aware if consuming too much.
Pro#3 Measurable and Accountable. Keeping a track of results and setting targets allows you to compare and review your progress daily, weekly and monthly. This allows you see where you are going wrong, where you need to make progress and how you can improve. It also makes you very accountable and eliminates any guess work.
Pro#4
Flexibility. Having a calorie allowance each day can provide flexibility for those that don’t want to give up their favorite foods. It also allows you to have snacks and treats without feeling guilty as long as calories fall within their calorie allowance.
Pro#5
Can be more advanced. Tracking calories via online resources like Myfitnesspal allows to to see your nutrition in closer detail. You can also break down your Macro nutrients (food categories) so you can monitor and control your protein, carbohydrate and fat intake. Setting targets and selecting different ratios for these can be advantageous for results and making sure you have adequate intake across all 3 macro nutrients.
Sound pretty good?
Like I said earlier, everything has it’s pro’s and con’s. I’ve also listed a few cons to help give you a bigger picture and hope fully prevent you from making some critical mistakes.
Check this….
Con#1
Unnecessary stress and hassle for some. In the real world for those that are working full time, cooking, cleaning and running around after little ones it can be taxing. Measuring foods, calculating macros and uploading meals can be time consuming and stressful.
Con#2
Abusing the flexibility. Just like some other very popular ‘diets’ out there that count calories or count points, it can be abused. Example, saving up all your points and calories for the weekend or last meal of the day. This encourages meal skipping, eating the wrong types of food and too many treats. Eating the wrong types of foods can be detrimental to your appetite, energy levels, cravings, sleep and metabolism.
Con#2
Being Too ambitious. Setting targets too low can cause people to crash and fail pretty quick. Hunger hormones are ramped up, metabolism slows down and people lose muscle mass quick too. Muscle is very important for fat loss.
Con#3
Compliance. The only way this kinda system will work is just like any other food plan, if you don’t stick to it, it doesn’t work. Failure to record snacks and meals, only recording on days when you are being good will not work. Every mouthful of food needs to be inputted to keep it more accurate and obtain results.
Con#3
Accuracy. Another issue that a lot of people forget is the fact that its not actually that accurate, far from it to be honest. A lot of the calculations and calories are estimated. Even being 20-30 calories out on each meal can soon add up across the month. When people eat out, it’s very easy to under estimate how much you consume.
Con#4
All calories are not created equal. When you look closer into it, some foods can carry the same value of calories but have completely different effect on your body and your hormones. For example, a 300 calorie chicken breast will have a completely effect different in your body to a 300 calorie jam doughnut. The chicken has better fat loss properties as it takes longer to digest therefore your body actually burns more calories in the process, this helps to curb appetite and reduce cravings. The breakdown of essential and non essential amino acids in the chicken also helps with building muscle, muscle recovery and various different endocrine functions in the body.
Con#5 Missing out on quality. Focusing primarily on low calorie foods can result in a diet higher in processed and pre packed foods. These types of foods are bar coded or labelled with calorie breakdown and makes it easier to record. The problem with this is that processed food can contain more sugar, artificial colours, preservatives and additives. As well as many health conditions, processed food also reduces metabolic rate, increases cravings for more processed high sugar foods and cause problems for your Liver. This can also result in less whole foods consumed in your diet. Whole foods are essential as they not only cause your body to burn more calories through digestion, they also contain all the micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are essential for health, endocrine function and much more. Deficiencies in important nutrients are closely linked to weight gain and many other health conditions. It’s very easy to opt for your favorite foods with the same or lower quantity of calories, but does you no favors for your cravings, appetite and can lead to over eating.
I could go on and on but just remember, like all diets or food plans it all depends on the individual. Throughout my 16 years experience in the fitness industry, the majority of people i have coached have struggled with this method….
Finding something that works for you and something that encourage you to eat better and healthier than you were before is always going to help you get closer to your results and improve your health. Try to eat as close to nature as you can, plenty lean sources of protein and fresh fruit and vegetables, avoid as much processed food as possible, drink plenty water and exercise.
Whether you chose to count calories and track your macro’s or not, I’d still recommend everyone to try it at some point. Even if it just helps to make you more aware of how much you actually need and how much you actually consume.
If you are just looking to get back in shape, drop a few pounds and improve your health, you can still get those results by keeping it simple. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that cutting back on the treats, alcohol, nights out, takeaway’s etc will naturally drop your calories and start dropping body fat.
Interested in trying it?
Checkout our very own Calorie Calculator CLICK HERE
Want to learn more about nutrition? Which foods are best for balancing your energy levels, curbing appetite and minimizing sugar cravings?… CLICK HERE
Darren Tyrie
North East Strength Coach and Fat Loss Specialist