Is calorie counting really the perfect solution to weight loss? Well actually it’s one heck of a lot more complicated than it sounds…

“To lose weight, all you have to do is eat fewer calories than you burn”. I don’t know about you, but I think that has got to be the #1 most-used weight loss tip of all time!

Have you noticed that everyone who drops this advice immediately thinks that they’re a weight loss expert? So much so that they’ll probably follow it up with something dismissive like: “it’s easy really”.

OK, so it does sound like the most perfect, common sense solution for your unwanted belly flab. No gimmicks, no fads, just straight to the point.

But have you noticed that the people who give this advice don’t really tend to follow it themselves. Or they try to, but fail miserably (in other words they’re not really in the best shape ).

Track down a nutritional expert, fitness model, or somebody that just takes good care of themselves and they’ll all tell you it’s a bit more complicated than just counting the number of calories you chomp down on a daily basis.

So before you start obsessing over food labels, carrying a calorie calculator and noting down every last crumb that passes your lips, here are the top 5 reasons why counting calories does not work:

#1 Not All Calories Were Born Equal

Did you know that a “calorie” is just a unit of food energy – nothing more, nothing less. Which is great, except not all calories have the same effect on your body.

They do nothing to outline the amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and micronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) your food contains. And this is what determines how your body reacts to what you put in your mouth – i.e. whether it puts you into fat burning or fat storage mode.

Let’s suppose that a mixed fruit and nut salad contains 250 cals, and a candy bar contains the same amount. Do you think that both foods will have the same effect on you just because they have the same number of cals? Heck no!

What if you and a friend both decide to lose weight? You’re both of similar age, weight, sex etc and both exercise the same amount each week also. You decide to restrict yourself to 1800 cal per day and eat healthy, wholesome, unprocessed foods. Your friend, on the other hand, eats mostly convenience foods; fast foods, processed foods from packages etc, but still only consumes 1800 calories per day. Who do you think will lose weight faster, be in better shape and much healthier? You of course!

So, problem 1: Calorie counting tells you NOTHING about the nutritional value of the foods you eat, and NOTHING about how your body will react to what you’re eating (fat burning vs fat storage).

#2 Restricting Cals Too Far Causes You To Burn LESS Fat

OK, so the idea behind counting calories is to eat fewer calories than your body burns on a daily basis, right? If you burn more cals than you eat, then you have a calorie deficit. And this should cause you to lose weight, in theory.

So some bright spark figured out that the bigger the calorie deficit (burning more than you eat), the faster you’ll lose weight. Genius!! – NOT!

If you restrict your calorific intake too far then your body goes into a catabolic state. This means that your body starts to break down muscle tissue in order to produce the energy it SHOULD be getting from the calories you SHOULD be eating.

Well some people will say, “I don’t want big muscles anyway so I don’t really care”. But they should care, for 2 reasons:

#1 – Your body is burning MUSCLE, not fat. You might be losing weight, but you’ve just depleted glycogen stores in your body and lost muscle mass. You haven’t actually lost any FAT at all. (Think skinny people with a flabby belly.)

#2 – Lean muscle mass burns calories (approx 50 calories per day per pound of muscle). So if you’re losing muscle mass then you’re reducing the number of cals your body burns naturally every day. Meaning you need to reduce calorific intake even FURTHER to continue to lose weight. No fun!

Problem 2: Cutting calories too far means you burn less fat! And wait until you see problem 3…

#3 Restricting Calories Too Far Causes You To Store MORE Fat

WHAT!? Are you kidding me? I’m eating less food but storing MORE fat! How can this be?

If you restrict cals too far, over a period of time your body will go into starvation mode. It’s already having to break down its muscle mass to produce energy. And your body is built to survive. So every chance it gets to put a few extra calories back in reserve, it will do. And where does it put them?

Your fat stores!

Problem 3: Reducing calories too far puts your body into starvation mode, causing you to store MORE fat.

#4 Your Body Cannot Count Calories – So Neither Should You

Your body isn’t capable of keeping a running total of how many calories you eat on a daily basis. It can only work meal-by-meal.

So this means you can’t skip a meal and then make up for it at the next opportunity. For example, you can’t skip breakfast in order to eat a big lunch. Your body won’t say: “Hey that’s a big lunch, 800 calories. But it’s OK because I had nothing for breakfast.”

Instead your body will struggle like anything to process 800 calories worth of food; protein, fat and carbohydrates all in one go. More than likely there will be an almighty blood sugar spike, resulting in a strong insulin response. (Insulin tells your body to store excess blood sugar as fat).

And your body is probably already in a catabolic state/ starvation mode from the lack of a morning meal – resulting in even more fat storage.

So there you have it. Eating a large meal and then “making up for it” by skipping the next one, all based on your daily calorie intake, just makes you fatter.

Problem 4: Your body works meal-by-meal, not total number of calories consumed.

#5 Obsessive Compulsive

OK, so this is a fairly minor point. But do you really want to spend the rest of your life obsessing over how many calories you’re eating; pouring over food labels, too afraid to eat anything with fat in it, or anything that tastes good because it is “high calorie”? No, you don’t. And if you’ve ever tried it you will know that it is no fun. No fun at all!

Don’t get me wrong, the total number of calories you eat is important to an extent. But the kind of food you’re putting in your mouth, what it’s doing to your body, and when you’re putting it there is much more important.

And that is basically what this entire WEBSITE is about. Helping you make better food choices, lose weight, get a lean physique and improve your health.

Problem 5: Obsessively studying food labels and avoiding the foods that are supposedly “bad” for you takes the enjoyment out of eating.

With that in mind let’s look at a few tips to help you make calorie counting a success.

How Many Calories Should You Eat Anyway?

OK so I’ve shown you the main reasons why most people will never lose any weight by counting calories. But if you want to lose belly fat in a natural and healthy way, and keep it off, here is the proper way to do it:

Tip #1 – Don’t obsess over the number of calories you eat. What you need to do is get a fairly good idea of the number of calories you require to maintain your current weight, the calorie deficit you need to lose weight at a safe pace, and the number of calories in the foods you eat.

Once you have this info, allow yourself to work to an 8-12% window. This will make up for any inaccuracies in the “daily caloric needs” calculation, and weights/ measurements of the foods you eat.

Tip #2 – Get your calories from the RIGHT sources. You’re looking for natural, unprocessed carbohydrates, fats and proteins, plus a good balance of vitamins and minerals. There are tons of suggestions on this site. Or check out The Fat Burning Kitchen for a complete food education.

Tip #3 – Exercise is key. But not just any exercise. There are specific exercises and training methods that you need to really transform your body. If you get this wrong, all of the calorie counting in the world won’t help you lose fat. And I DON’T mean that you need to spend hours in the gym sweating it out on the treadmill either.

To find out the right way to work out, count calories and make the best food choices check out one of the links below.

Reduce your calorie intake in a natural and healthy way with negative calorie foods.

Why post-workout nutrition is vital to successful weight loss.