Why Counting Calories Isn’t the Ultimate Solution for Weight Loss

Just last night I googled how many calories are in one peach. I don’t really care, but since peaches are in season and I eat them with great zeal at every meal and I’m always surprised by how filling a single peach can be, I thought I’d look up their nutritional information to satisfy my own curiosity. The top Google results ranged from 50 calories to 68 calories to 100 calories in one fruit. After reading through over 10 articles all touting a slightly different number, I just gave up trying to get a straight answer.

For years I firmly believed that losing weight and overall health was simply a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn. With last night’s internet search in mind, I realized it’s not that simple.

Counting calories is often seen as an effective way to quantitatively measure your nutrition. Apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom built their brands around determining the exact number of calories in that Starbucks Grande Vanilla Latte (250) or that banana you had for breakfast (105) with the aim of helping users lose weight or change their body shape by maintaining a calorie deficit. But is calorie counting really an effective practice?

As with many trends emerging in the health and wellness world, we need to critically evaluate both the promised benefits and the potential dangers. Self-proclaimed health experts on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok say (in a tone that implies a “duh”) that weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out. Depending on where you look, research can either deny or confirm the effectiveness of calorie counting. To find out the truth, I spoke to an expert, David Gaviriaa doctoral student in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

What is calorie counting?

Calories express the nutritional value of a particular food or drink, but in its simplest form, a calorie is a unit of energy. Calories are the units of measurement used to describe how much energy is expended (calories burned) or used in a day. They are necessary to keep us alive and keep our organs functioning. Calories provide the body with fuel to function and move, whether it is breathing, sprinting a mile, or digesting food.

It’s true that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, and you can do this by changing your eating habits and exercising more. For many people on their weight loss journey, self-monitoring every calorie they consume and burn in a day is an effective way to stay within a certain calorie limit to reach health or weight goals.

Gaviria said calorie counting has become popular as a result of diet culture. While some people, such as athletes, may rely on calorie counting to ensure they are getting enough energy to fuel their intense workout routines, it is usually to manipulate their weight status.

“Counting calories is not really a natural thing,” Gaviria said. “We eat food, not calories. And yes, our body converts food into calories that it uses for daily functions, but really it’s just a quantitative way, a number, to help people maintain their diet or weight.”

What are the potential dangers of counting calories?

While tracking daily calories can be a tool for weight loss or ensuring you’re fueling your body properly, it’s not a suitable habit for everyone. For some, it’s been linked to contributing to eating disorders and eating disorders.

This doesn’t mean you have to count calories can’t useful, but it depends on the individual — including their medical history and emotional relationship with food and their body. There can be dangers to counting calories, so it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers and warning signs to look out for.

Accuracy is almost impossible

Accurately tracking your calorie intake is notoriously difficult. For starters, it’s hard to know how many calories are in the food you eat. While there are several online directories that list calorie counts for foods, it’s still not easy to get precise numbers. For example, if you look up the calories in a half cup of rice, that number will be different depending on whether the rice is cooked or uncooked. It’s even harder for fruits and vegetables: if there are 105 calories in a banana, how big is that banana? With so many different sizes, each one will have a different number of calories.

“You basically have to know exactly what the calorie content is of the food that you’re eating and that becomes difficult without being even more precise by weighing and measuring things,” Gaviria said. “Not to mention it just takes a lot of time, it takes up a lot of brain space to think, ‘Okay, if I need this meal, I only have 500 calories left, what meal can I put together that has 500 calories?'”

Besides trying to guess the calories in a certain portion size and planning your daily meals to a specific number of calories, keeping track of every calorie can also be tiring.

Many people forget to keep track of the oils or butter they use for sautéing, the condiments they add to a sandwich, or the dressing they add to a salad. It’s easy to forget to track entire meals when you’re eating on the go. Even simple omissions can add up to 500 to 700 calories that aren’t counted.

Links to Eating Disorders and Compulsive Eating

Although many people count calories safely, the practice has been linked to leading to food restriction beyond what is healthy or encouraging eating disorders. Calorie tracking is definitely not recommended for individuals with a history of eating disorders and weight or body disorders, as it can worsen symptoms and encourage a negative relationship with food.

One study A 2017 study found that of 105 people with an eating disorder, 75% reported using an app (MyFitnessPal) to count calories and 73% said they felt the app contributed to their eating disorder symptoms. While not all calorie tracker users experience unhealthy side effects, some research suggests it can lead to a restrictive, unbalanced diet or be associated with higher eating disorder pathology.

“Some people believe that the research on calorie tracking shows that it can put people at risk for eating disorders or compulsive tracking, but there are also people who believe that the research shows that it doesn’t,” Gaviria said. “I think it comes back to the individual and their own circumstances. People need to take the time to recognize whether it’s a good process for them. And if they’re going to do it, when they need to recognize that it’s not a good process for them.”

When should you stop counting calories?

It’s likely that at some point you’ll start counting calories, either out of curiosity or to lose weight. If you decide to start counting calories regularly, it’s important to know when to stop, as Gaviria said.

Feelings of guilt, shame, or anxiety are signs that calorie tracking is becoming harmful and you should stop immediately. If you find yourself thinking about food frequently or worrying all day about your future food choices and how you will fit them into your calorie intake, you should consider stopping. If you feel compelled to track calories while you are cooking or eating, this may be a sign that you are compulsive tracker.

According to Gaviria, the best indication that you should stop tracking is when you are invited to eat and the first thing you think about is your calorie intake.

“If you find yourself depriving yourself of social occasions that you used to enjoy because it doesn’t fit into your calories, that’s a very clear signal that you need to rethink what you’re doing,” Gaviria says.

Symptoms can manifest physically, not just psychologically. If you suddenly lose your appetite during the day or lose your sense of hunger, it could be a sign that you’re not listening to your body, Gaviria explained. Lack of energy, trouble sleeping, exhaustion, and a stop in your menstrual cycle are all key signs that you’re quitting. Sometimes it’s easier to notice those physical signs before you notice what’s happening mentally.

Is There Really a Safe Way to Count Calories?

Many find that counting calories is an effective way to maintain a calorie deficit and lose weight. CNET has already a guide to expert-backed ways to count calories safely if you choose to do so, but it is important to remember that body weight and shape are not the only indicators of your health. In fact, there are many other statistics that are more important to your overall health than weight, including genetics, access to health care, and mental health.

If you choose to track calories, it’s wise to understand that it’s not the end-all, be-all. Any change to your body takes time and patience. If you’re tracking safely, you’re still eating the foods you enjoy, even if it means going over your calorie intake — and you shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. Instead of depriving yourself, you can: be aware of what you choose to eat.

“There are healthy ways to do this,” Gaviria said. “But I think the moral of the story would be to use calorie tracking in moderation and still enjoy what’s important in life instead of avoiding the things that are important to you just because of calories.”

Remember, health doesn’t have to be complicated. A healthy, nutritious diet can be achieved by eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and drink water, engage in physical activity, reduce stress, and get plenty of sunlight. These basic changes can help you feel healthy and you will notice a difference holistically.