Why I don’t recommend calorie counting.
This topic has been coming up a lot for me recently, both in client sessions and with a professional opportunity that I had to turn down as it didn’t line up with my thoughts on calories. Wait, which C word did you think I meant?
I don’t believe in counting calories at the best of times and ESPECIALLY at a time of year when food is such a big part of celebration and gathering together. I understand that for a lot of people, calorie counting is so ingrained in our psyche, however, I have worked with so many people, mainly women, who still subconsciously measure the value, or the “healthiness” of their food through its calorie content and IT MAKES ME SO SAD. I have seen time & time again that policing calories can lead to a very granular, obsessive and overly controlling approach to food. There is zero joy in that.
There is research emerging that (British Journal of Health Psychology) demonstrating that strict calorie counting can result in shame and demotivation, suggesting more stress around food. Well, if you’ve ever heard me mention ANYTHING around your hormones and gut health, it’s that stress f*cks everything up. 90s diet culture, and apparently 2025 diet culture needs to get in the bin and out of our apps.
Firstly, food is fuel, however the calorie is a very strange unit of measurement to determine how that food is going to influence our body. Technically a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1°C, the measurement we see more commonly used is a kcal, which is how much energy needed to heat 1Kg of water by 1°C.
Secondly, food is information for our body, there is a theory that is still pushed by so many people that reduces fat loss down to calories in and calories out, this does not tell the full story on whether it will encourage our body to store fat, burn more energy or immediately want more food. Our bodies are not perfect calorie burning machines, suggesting that a tight balance of calories in and reducing this to a deficit (more calories used through daily activity than consumed) completely ignores the body’s ability to upregulate or downregulate metabolism based on the information from the environment it is receiving
Thirdly, reporting on calories in food is famously inaccurate with a leeway of 20% either side of the total declared on the label (according to the UK Gov website). So it might have 20% more or 20% less calories than the amount stated. That isn’t even vaguely accurate.
Fourthly – calorie counting often results in clients choosing foods that are not supportive in the long-term because there are more calories e.g. an avocado has more calories than a handful of haribo.
All this to say, not all calories are created equal and there are much healthier ways that do not consume your thoughts day in day out than careful calorie counting. What are those other ways, I hear you cry?
My top 3:
Make sure to hit your fibre goals – how many grams per day do you manage now and slowly increase if you’re not meeting 30g per day
Focus on a protein-rich breakfast for satiety and setting you up for balanced mood and energy throughout the day
Spend time doing things you love and that make you feel nurtured – your body needs to feel safe to function at its best
Bonus 4th one:
Stay hydrated – the body will be in a stressed state when it is in a state of dehydration
Please be kind to yourself and know that deprogramming yourself from the C word school of thought takes a long time. It won’t happen overnight and know that there is support for you out there if you feel like your relationship with and thoughts about food are taking up too much space in your brain.