Why Counting Calories is a Waste of Time

If you've ever spent any time using numbers to keep track of the food you're eating, this post is for you.

There are countless programs and apps that claim if you stick to a certain amount of calories per day, you'll be able to reach your goals.  I'll acknowledge this method can help people lose weight.  But often times it only works temporarily.  Plus, it's extremely frustrating and limiting.

Counting calories is a waste of time for one simple reason.  It only takes into account a quantity of a food, not the quality.  The problem is, our bodies are so much more complex than that.  We are not numbers, we are people.  You are so much more than a number on a scale.  

Only focusing on the amount of food you're putting into your body without being mindful of what you're eating is the root cause this method is failing you.  You can eat 100 calories of processed cheese crackers or 100 calories of broccoli.  Your body digests each food differently and obviously the broccoli will benefit your body, while processed foods are a detriment. 

Instead of obsessively adding up calories, carbs, fat, and protein, we should focus on eating whole, organic, clean, high quality foods.  That way, we're more in tune with what our bodies actually need.  We won't be starving at the end of the day and we won't feel guilty eating until we're full if we fill up on healthy foods.  

If you're wondering how much you should be eating, try listening to what your body is telling you.  By eating slowly and chewing well you can focus on the signals that say you're full and stop eating.  Instead of looking at the numbers on the nutrition facts, check the ingredients.  Avoid buying anything with a lot of ingredients you can't even pronounce.

I have personally never counted calories because I've been underweight my whole life.  When I started living the Beauty Detox lifestyle, my instinct about counting calories was validated because Kimberly Snyder, C.N., does not promote this method.  I'm very passionate about this because it's such a popular diet tactic, yet it isn't very effective or efficient.

I would like to see this method fade as our society moves toward a healthier, more natural way of eating.  That way, we can eat freely and know we're getting the proper nutrition.  When we shift our focus to what we're eating, we will look and feel our best.

For more information on shifting to a healthier diet, check out my post, How Beauty Detox Changed My Life.