Although I'm not a calorie counter, Nick Nilsson brings up some good points. I may have to rethink my stance, or at least modify it in the future.
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Is Calorie Counting Really Necessary For Fat Loss? by Nick Nilsson
And without further ado, the answer is yes...and no...Allow me to explain...Calorie-counting is one of those things that you either love or hate. You either feel you HAVE to do it in order to get results or you feel there's NO WAY you'll ever be able to do it. It's rare you find somebody who sits on the middle ground on this one. As most people know, in order to lose fat, you've got to have a caloric deficit, taking in fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. No surprises there. Now here's the thing...in order to consistently achieve that caloric deficit and lose fat, you must be AWARE of your calorie intake.
I believe the REAL question we should be asking is; "Am I really AWARE of how many calories I’m really taking in?" So if, in order to be aware of how many calories you're taking in, you need to specifically COUNT them (by weighing food and referencing food charts), then THAT will be what you have to do to get results. The key here, again, is awareness.
You see, the big problem with not counting calories arises when a person THINKS they're aware of their caloric intake but they really are NOT. It's a fact that most people dramatically under-report their caloric intake when they are asked to estimate how much they eat in a day. When they keep a food diary and have to write down every little thing that goes in their mouth, in some cases their TRUE caloric intake nearly DOUBLES. So even if you don't want to count calories, it may be time for a quick compromise. It's a calorie count reality check!
I believe the REAL question we should be asking is; "Am I really AWARE of how many calories I’m really taking in?" So if, in order to be aware of how many calories you're taking in, you need to specifically COUNT them (by weighing food and referencing food charts), then THAT will be what you have to do to get results. The key here, again, is awareness.
You see, the big problem with not counting calories arises when a person THINKS they're aware of their caloric intake but they really are NOT. It's a fact that most people dramatically under-report their caloric intake when they are asked to estimate how much they eat in a day. When they keep a food diary and have to write down every little thing that goes in their mouth, in some cases their TRUE caloric intake nearly DOUBLES. So even if you don't want to count calories, it may be time for a quick compromise. It's a calorie count reality check!
If you're not losing fat right now and you feel like you're not really eating much, here's something you can try in order to test your "caloric awareness":
First, write down how many calories you THINK you're eating every day. Now for the next couple of weeks, actually write down everything you eat. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Every little taste and every little snack. EVERYTHING. Keep doing what you've been doing, and write down ALL the foods and the actual, measured portion sizes you’re taking in. At the end of the week, go to a food chart and research everything you ate. Add it up and divide by 7. This will give you your average daily caloric intake.
If you're within a couple hundred calories of your original estimation, congratulations! You're fairly accurate in your "calorie awareness!" But if you're off by a significant margin, this will give you some VERY useful feedback on what you need to do to get fat loss rolling again. So, there's a vote FOR calorie counting...let's look at the other side of the coin.
And I'll be blunt here...calorie counting, no matter how careful you are, is simply not 100% accurate. Think of it this way...no two pieces of food are alike. When you buy a steak at the grocery store, they don't charge you per steak, they charge by the pound. And even when they charge by the pound, two steaks of the same cut can have DRAMATICALLY different composition - one could be more lean and one could be more fatty! But if you look at a calorie chart, you'll see "3 oz sirloin steak - 100 calories"...or something to that effect.
So even if you weigh and chart every single piece of food you put in your mouth, you're STILL going to be off a bit on the calorie counts. That's just a fact.
First, write down how many calories you THINK you're eating every day. Now for the next couple of weeks, actually write down everything you eat. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Every little taste and every little snack. EVERYTHING. Keep doing what you've been doing, and write down ALL the foods and the actual, measured portion sizes you’re taking in. At the end of the week, go to a food chart and research everything you ate. Add it up and divide by 7. This will give you your average daily caloric intake.
If you're within a couple hundred calories of your original estimation, congratulations! You're fairly accurate in your "calorie awareness!" But if you're off by a significant margin, this will give you some VERY useful feedback on what you need to do to get fat loss rolling again. So, there's a vote FOR calorie counting...let's look at the other side of the coin.
And I'll be blunt here...calorie counting, no matter how careful you are, is simply not 100% accurate. Think of it this way...no two pieces of food are alike. When you buy a steak at the grocery store, they don't charge you per steak, they charge by the pound. And even when they charge by the pound, two steaks of the same cut can have DRAMATICALLY different composition - one could be more lean and one could be more fatty! But if you look at a calorie chart, you'll see "3 oz sirloin steak - 100 calories"...or something to that effect.
So even if you weigh and chart every single piece of food you put in your mouth, you're STILL going to be off a bit on the calorie counts. That's just a fact.
And while how MUCH you eat has an impact on fat loss, WHEN you eat it and what foods you eat makes a HUGE impact on your results as well. "Calories are calories" is true only up to a point. For example, if you eat a big meal after a workout, a lot of that will get used for recovery purposes. But if you eat that same big meal then go camp on the couch in front of the tv., a greater portion of that will just be stored as fat. Another example is eating sugary carbs with fatty foods - the insulin response you get from sugary foods will push that fat right into your fat cells with very little trouble! (Though it is true that insulin response will be somewhat blunted by the fat intake, there is still enough to make it troublesome)
So now that you have absolutely no idea WHAT the heck to do now, here's my step-by-step solution...
1. If you don’t mind counting calories and it gets you results...keep on doing it!
2. If you don’t mind counting calories but you're NOT getting results, either eat less, or make sure you're writing down EVERYTHING you're eating AND are being as accurate as possible with your portions sizes and your charting.
3. If you DON'T like to count calories and you ARE getting results...keep it up! Calorie counting isn’t necessary if you're aware of how many calories you're taking in AND you're getting results.
4. If you DON'T like to count calories and you're NOT getting results, it's time to take a week or two to count your calories and improve your caloric awareness. It's not that long and it'll give you a MUCH better idea of what you're actually taking in. This will pay off BIG in the long run because once you get a feel for your TRUE intake, you can very easily keep yourself honest and ADJUST on the fly.
In my thinking, the bottom line is results. If you're NOT losing fat, then you're not getting the results you want...if you’re not getting the results you want, you need to do things differently, simple as that. Your approach should be focused on doing what you need to do to get those results. Developing your caloric awareness is the key to long-term success with fat loss. And if you have to count calories to do it, then that's what you've gotta do!
So now that you have absolutely no idea WHAT the heck to do now, here's my step-by-step solution...
1. If you don’t mind counting calories and it gets you results...keep on doing it!
2. If you don’t mind counting calories but you're NOT getting results, either eat less, or make sure you're writing down EVERYTHING you're eating AND are being as accurate as possible with your portions sizes and your charting.
3. If you DON'T like to count calories and you ARE getting results...keep it up! Calorie counting isn’t necessary if you're aware of how many calories you're taking in AND you're getting results.
4. If you DON'T like to count calories and you're NOT getting results, it's time to take a week or two to count your calories and improve your caloric awareness. It's not that long and it'll give you a MUCH better idea of what you're actually taking in. This will pay off BIG in the long run because once you get a feel for your TRUE intake, you can very easily keep yourself honest and ADJUST on the fly.
In my thinking, the bottom line is results. If you're NOT losing fat, then you're not getting the results you want...if you’re not getting the results you want, you need to do things differently, simple as that. Your approach should be focused on doing what you need to do to get those results. Developing your caloric awareness is the key to long-term success with fat loss. And if you have to count calories to do it, then that's what you've gotta do!
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