Counting Calories? 5 Reasons Why Calorie Counting Will Ruin Your Diet

As we approach 2018, many people are starting to make their New Years Resolution to lose weight or to get healthier. At this point, you are probably excited to embark on the new you and have it all planned out. Before you decide how you will transform your diet, there are certain myths we wanted to uncover. The biggest myth in weight loss is that counting calorie intake will help you lose weight. Counting calories may work short term, but will always fail overtime because your body needs food to function. In fact, when you count calories to the point of being under-nourished, your body actually begins to think like you are stranded on a desert island. Your metabolism slows down and your body actually tries to burn less calories.

Here are 5 myths about calorie intake:

Calories are everything

Calories are a metric of food, but the type of calories you put in your body mean so much more than the calories themselves. For example: 100 calories of grapes and 100 calories of Oreos have dramatically different effects on your body. Sure, they are both 100 calories, but they are far from equal. Your body reacts and burns them differently and the sugar in Oreos will convert to fat. High quality calories come from foods like spinach, avocados, almonds, chicken, eggs, etc. These foods fill you up quicker because they are rich in nutrients Compare that to a diet full of preservatives and additives which make you more likely to overeat. These types of foods convert more quickly into fat!

3,500 calories

1 pound- The human body is not a math equation, instead, every person is different and needs a different level of calorie intake. This is the reason you can’t just “cut out 200 calories” and lose 5 pounds in a month or 2. Calories are only 1 part of the equation and metabolism, genetics and your brain make up the rest. If you overeat one day, don’t over compensate, simply go back to your normal healthy eating habits and maybe spend a few more minute on the treadmill the next day!

Eating less calories will help lose weight

According to a recent study, counting calories actually leads to 95.4% of diets ending in failure. As we discussed, the less you eat, the slower your metabolism gets. Because of that, when you do eventually go back to your normal eating habits, your body can’t keep up. Even if you go back to just your normal level of eating and not an ounce more, your body will still be acting as if you are eating less calories and will overcompensate, causing you to gain weight.

The fact of the matter is that all calories are not created equal. The KIND of calories you eat matter so much more. As a personal trainer in Columbus Ohio, these types of questions are often asked! If you can focus on high nutrient, fiber and protein rich foods, your body will stay nourished and full longer, keeping you from binge eating or snacking in between meals. If you have to read the nutrition labels to find out if a food is healthy, the answer is probably no! keep that in mind as you start planning your 2018 diet plan and you will have success in the coming year!