How to stop counting calories; 7 Tips
Do you want to fully embrace intuitive eating but can’t seem to stop counting calories? Do you feel like you can’t enjoy a meal without meticulously keeping track of everything that enters your mouth? If so, you are not alone. Counting calories has become an obsession for many people and they are ruining their health in the process. In this blog post, we will discuss tips to stop obsessively counting calories and start enjoying your food.
Do calories matter?
What is a calorie, anyway? Calories are a measure of energy. They refer to the amount of energy in foods and drinks, or the amount of energy you use when moving your body.
A common belief is that the more calories you eat, the more weight you will gain. However, it is not as simple as this. Check out this post on why “calories in = calories out” is a fallacy.
Due to the conditioning of diet culture , for many of us, the act of counting calories has become second nature. We do it almost automatically, without even thinking about it. But what would happen if we stopped counting calories altogether?
Why is it not good to count calories?
At some point in their lives, almost everyone has tried counting calories in an attempt to “lose weight.” However, this approach to eating is not only ineffective, it can also be detrimental to your health.
First, calorie counting can lead to an obsession with food and a preoccupation with numbers that can take away the pleasure of eating. Second, it can cause you to miss out on important nutrients if you focus too much on limiting your intake of certain foods.
Ultimately, it can lead to yo-yo dieting and an unhealthy relationship with food. In fact, weight fluctuations (weight loss attempts followed by unintentional weight regain) that result from yo-yo dieting can negatively affect your health. This article investigates how weight fluctuations can affect heart health and insulin sensitivity.
There is a lot of debate about whether calories are important. Some say it’s about portion control, while others argue that the quality of the food you eat is more important than the quantity. But here’s the thing: none of those approaches are sustainable in the long term.
If you constantly worry about how many calories you consume, you will never be able to relax and enjoy eating. And if you only focus on eating “healthy” foods, you’ll likely end up feeling restrictive and food deprived. This is where intuitive eating comes into play.
What happens when you stop counting calories?
Intuitive eating encourages just that: learning to stop obsessively counting calories and instead trust our bodies to tell us what they need. Once we stop obsessing about numbers, we can focus on enjoying our food and listening to our hunger cues . This can lead to a more positive relationship with food and, ultimately, a healthier relationship with our bodies.
It is important to note that intuitive eating is not a weight loss strategy, but rather it is about finding balance and meeting our individual needs in terms of energy and nutrients.
When you stop counting calories, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel. For so long, you’ve been restricting yourself to a certain amount of calories per day, but when you stop, you finally allow your body to eat what it needs. It’s about listening to your body’s internal signals.
When you eat according to your internal cues, you are more likely to make conscious food choices. You’re also more likely to enjoy your food, which can lead to a more positive relationship with eating in general.
Plus, when you learn how to stop counting calories, you may have more energy to enjoy life.
You’ll no longer feel guilty about eating that extra piece of cake or skipping the gym because you’ve “overeaten.” Instead, you can focus on listening to your body and giving it what it needs. When you don’t worry about every little detail, you can relax and enjoy the pleasure of eating.
Tips to stop counting calories
Although you may have already said to yourself, “I’m tired of counting calories,” it takes some time and practice to learn to break this habit. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Eliminate any mobile calorie counting apps. Trust me: micromanaging your food is not Food simply cannot be reduced to numbers generated by an app that doesn’t know you. These apps can also give you the false idea that you need an unrealistic amount of energy from food.
- It changes the connotation of the word “calorie. ” Instead, use its real meaning: energy (what your body needs to function properly).
- Explore why calorie counting doesn’t work for you. Answer the following questions:
- Is counting calories taking up too much of my time?
- Is it too tedious?
- Does it disconnect me from my hunger/fullness signals?
- Does it take away the pleasure of eating?
- Eat letting yourself be guided by your internal signals of hunger/fullness and satisfaction. Start practicing with a hunger/fullness eating scale to tune into your individual internal signals.
- Stay present in your meals. Use mindful eating strategies to focus on the physical sensations of your food, such as taste, texture, smell, and mouthfeel. How does eating this particular food make you feel?
- Limit distractions as best you can while eating. Eating without playing on your phone, watching TV, or working on the computer can help you tune your internal signals more precisely. However, don’t stress if you can’t. If you need resources to stay connected to the present, use them.
- Give yourself grace, patience and time. It takes time to unlearn the eating practices we have been conditioned to practice from diet culture. Allowing yourself self-compassion and time to eat normatively will take you far on your journey to intuitive eating.
Conclusion
If you’re like many people, the idea of intuitive eating seems impossible. You may be wondering how to stop obsessively counting calories and simply eat what your body tells you to. It takes time and practice, but eventually, you will get there. And when you do, the benefits are unlimited. You’ll have more energy, better mental clarity, a better relationship with food–the list goes on and on.
