• Mail

Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness

  • Programs
    • Programs and Services
    • Fitness
    • Individualized Coaching
    • Online Programs
    • Business Coaching
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Free!
    • Recipes
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Video
    • My Favorite Things
  • About
  • Contact

Blog - Latest News

You are here: Home » Tools » Calorie Counting: Legendary or Lame Sauce?

Calorie Counting: Legendary or Lame Sauce?

February 11, 2015
February 11, 2015

I’ve been around the nutrition and fitness circles long enough to see several trends come and go…and come back again.

Right now we are in what I believe to be the tail end of a phase that shuns calorie counting. My prediction is that in the next 5 years you will start seeing more and more people return to food logs and monitoring methods to get results because complete avoidance of logging and monitoring is not getting desired results.

Nutrition Prediction: a return to food logs and monitoring tools.

Click To Tweet

For most of my practice I have discouraged counting calories. I find the practice not only agonizing but detrimental, as it perpetuates a simplistic view of weight loss and drives disordered thinking and behavior. That said, I am also finding that strict avoidance of monitoring tools is too simplistic for some people and can impede results.

Some of my clients find that a weight loss plateau is quickly turned around when they start logging food intake. Most people choose to use an online calorie counting tool like My Fitness Pal or Calorie King whether or not they are looking at calories simply for ease of use. While they may be doing a stellar job at getting vegetables, fiber, and protein they may discover that their portions are yielding a total intake that is detrimental to progress. For instance, chicken breast has 35 calories per ounce while pork shoulder has nearly double that yet both hold similar protein amounts. This does not mean we need to avoid fattier cuts of meat, as some find them far more effective at preventing cravings. What it does mean is that just as we cannot lump all calories as being equal we cannot lump all foods within a group as being equal. This may be stating the obvious, but it’s easy to forget when focusing on a few simple guidelines.

Simplicity for the sake of implementation cannot be to the detriment of results.

Click To Tweet

Simplicity is highly desirable in this information overloaded world we live in. However, it must be taken as a starting point and not an absolute. If you find you are doing the right things and not seeing results, a first place to go may be a food log. If you have a history of self-judgment and recrimination you will want to do some mental prepwork and have a support system to help combat negative thinking. Consider yourself an anthropologist studying the eating habits of a newly discovered organism. Review your data with an impartial eye and look for possible foods that may be sneaking in and derailing results. Do you finish the kids’ dinner in addition to your own? Do you notice you eat past fullness? If nothing obvious stands out here, consider using MFP or Calorie King to monitor calories for 3-4 days. You may find the reason results are elusive is that there are fattier cuts of meat or the peanut sauce on your favorite zucchini noodle dish is way more than you ever thought it could be! Use the information as power to adjust portions or choose differently, not as a tool for shaming and judging.

If you are not yet mentally at a place where a food log feels like a safe and effective exercise, there are many other ways to increase mindfulness and determine if there is an unconscious behavior inhibiting success. Read more here:

The Importance of Mindfulness

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Need quick and easy ways to get healthy meals on the table? Get my guide, "5 Ways to 5 a Day in 15 Minutes or Less" to boost your health without resorting to boring salads or smoothies!

Gimme the Guide!
johnsmith@example.com
John
Smith
0 Comments/in Tools, Weight Loss /by Aimee Gallo, Vibrance Nutrition
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Followon Twitter

Recent Comments

  • recipeprepare on Fun Ways to Enjoy Leftover Easter Eggs
  • Gnar on Timeless Advice: Chew Your Food
  • Shane on Playground Workout
  • Enrique Pasion on Bee-ing Mindful of our Pollinators
  • Aimee Gallo, Vibrance Nutrition on Blasphemous Thoughts on Sports Nutrition

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
← 44 Bodyweight Exercises (previous entry)
(next entry) Study Says Low Fat Better Than Low Carb?! Not So Fast! →

Site Map

  • About
    • What is Functional Nutrition?
  • Blog
    • Take this Quiz: How Healthy Am I?
    • Tasty Sunshine Inspired Recipes!
  • Contact Us
    • Looking For an Inspiring Podcast Guest? Let’s Chat!
  • 30 Days to Glorious Greens Cookbook
  • 5 Ways To 5 a Day
  • A Few of My Favorite Things
  • About Us
  • Are You Getting Enough Vegetables?
  • Examine Your Poops: The Bristol Stool Chart
  • Fitness
  • Glorious Goodies for You!
  • Holistic Business Coaching
  • Individualized Coaching
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Online Programs
    • 10 Weeks to a Healthier You!
    • 30 Day of Glorious Greens Challenge
      • Thank You for Believing in Greens!
    • 30 Days to Conquer Cravings
    • I’m thrilled you are joining the Daily Greens Challenge!
    • The Lean Living Lifestyle Program
    • Vibrant Veggies: A New Program offered by VIBRANCE.
    • You’re In!
  • Programs and Services
    • Congratulations!
  • Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight.
  • Recipes
  • Testimonials
  • Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness Privacy Policy
  • Video

search

blog by topic

A Vibrant Life

I've studied nutrition and fitness from a variety of experts for over 20 years. In this time I've come to understand that no diet, nor exercise plan, is right for every body. Your body has a unique set of needs, and by listening and exploring, you and I can learn the language of your body and begin giving it what it needs, so that greater energy, vibrancy, health and happiness can be yours!

A healthy body is a platform for an abundant, vibrant life. It's all yours for the taking. Are you ready for it?

-Aimee

contact

Aimee Gallo
Seattle: (206) 227-1231
aimee@vibrance.dev
© Copyright - Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness - Wordpress Premium Theme by Kriesi
 Tweet
 Share
 Tweet
 Share
 Tweet
 Share