A number of my clients have always asked me if they will be able to lose weight by counting the calories that they eat on a daily basis. My response: varies. It depends on the individual. Weight loss can be a stressful process for some people. It requires a considerable amount of discipline and following routines. For many it requires a major re-haul of their lifestyle and eating habits. So for these people “Calorie Counting” is nothing but an added stress that can interfere in their weight loss process. Moreover weight loss does not discount the body’s adequate need for carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. These are important at any stage in life. So if you focus too much on calorie counting you run the risk of ignoring the need of other nutrients as I have mentioned. Remember quality is always more important than quantity.
Another reason that calorie counting always is not recommended is because the amount of calories needed each day is not constant. It is variable depending not only upon your physical activity but also emotional and mental activities. When you are faced with stress, anxiety or physical strain, the amount of calories you burn is much higher than usual. Remember your school days: when you had your examinations your food intake changed- either you ate more or less depending upon the courses you had that semester and of course your personality.
It has been proven that calorie counting often results in limiting the variety of foods you will eat and often even eliminating them from your daily intake that could be potentially harmful to your health. As an example for many people nuts are fatty so people do not eat them. But something to pay attention is their other nutritional benefits like antioxidants, fat soluble vitamins like A, D and Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that are beneficial for brain health. So eating them in small quantities and focusing on the benefits is the way to rather than focusing on their calorie content and eliminating them from your daily intake.
Often times people who calorie count regularly land up eating the same low calorie foods every single day, month, years and so on, get bored and frustrated after a period of and them give it all up only to eat high calorie foods and gaining double the weight they had lost. Sounds awful but yes, this is the realit
So, what is your opinion about cutting calories? Share right below this post. Let us get a conversation started.
