Calories. Calories. And More Calories. That’s all we hear about. What comes to mind? Reducing calories? The low-calorie menu at your favorite restaurant? Low-calorie snack foods? The “100-calorie” cookie pack?
Calories are tracked automatically by smart devices, can be logged manually into sophisticated websites, labeled on food products, and appear evil for anyone attempting to lose weight. The word is everywhere, but is it that important to keep track of?
The main target here is the ever-so-popular phrase: “Calories In, Calories Out.” To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. This saying rests on the energy balance hypothesis. Basically, weight gain is a result of inputs and outputs. So, if energy (food) goes into a system (your body), in order to maintain homeostasis (your weight), then an equal amount of energy needs to leave the system (exercise). For example, if you eat 2000 calories and exercise 2500 calories worth, then you will be “500 calories lighter,” and weigh less. This idea idea intuitive and easy to understand, but misses how the human body actually works.
[A note before moving on: When discussing calories in this article, statements will me made in the context of weight loss. With 2 /3 three U.S. adults classified as overweight or obese, this issue is relevant. There are specific instances when calories are counted for weight gain and maintenance. I recently read an article about how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson consumes over 5,000 calories per day (the quality of his diet is more important, which we will touch on below). The Rock is an exception and his fitness goals are an exception…although the world would be healthier if more people were like “The Rock”.
Before we jump in any deeper, as we are talking calories, let’s define it first.
Calorie:
- a unit of energy, or
- the quantity of energy (heat) needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsius
6 reasons Why Counting Calories is the Wrong Approach
Reason 1: To begin, not all calories are created equal…
So, calories are units of energy. But calories do not show up by themselves, they come in the form of different macronutrients. These macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The basic functions of each are:
- Proteins – maintain, repair, and build muscle
- Fats – supply body with necessary fuel
- Carbohydrates – used as immediate fuel, but when not used they are stored as fat
We also know that each gram of:
- Fat: Contains 9 calories and
- Protein and carbohydrate: Contain 4 calories each
This is where the idea of reducing fat comes from. If you just eliminate food that contain the most calories (energy dense foods), then your weight problems will melt away. Now, logically the next step is to reduce the food that contains the most calories: fat. So, we think, let’s reduce how much fat we eat to reduce body fat. By reducing fat grams, you reduce the number of calories, and lose weight. Right?
However, there is a big difference between dietary fat (the fat we eat) and body fat (what is converted to fat cells). Even though dietary fats (e.g., avocados) contain more energy than proteins and carbohydrates, simply consuming fat does not create body fat. Eating carbohydrates creates body fat; especially refined and easily digestible carbohydrates (e.g., chips, pastas). There is more to the process, and reducing insulin activity is key. Fats do not produce insulin, carbohydrates do.
So the idea of reducing body fat by restricting fat calories is flawed. Counting (fat) calories is the wrong approach. Restricting carbohydrates is the key. As Dr. Mark Hyman, author of Eat Fat, Get Thin, explains: “weight management is not a math problem.”
Reason 2: Calorie count does not tell you why things happen…
Connecting diet to physical activity is difficult. As Gary Taubes explains in his two books Good Calories and Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It, the whole notion that physical activity can make up for a poor diet is faulty too. By counting how many calories we eat and how many calories we burn, we are left with coincidence (or what researchers call a correlation). You just happen to consume 2,750 calories that day, burn 2,250 calories and lose weight; relying on the math equation (Calories In – Calories Out = Weight loss or gain). Knowing these two numbers does not give us any new information as to why we gain weight. Simply put, we may eat 2,500 calories and exercise an hour each day, but this does not tell us why we may gain weight, lose weight, build muscle or lose muscle. They are just two things occurring around the same time. (See Chapters 6 and 7 of Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It for further detail).
Furthermore, as Dr. Hyman explains in his book, “food is information.” Food enters your body, and based on what your body needs (are you recovering from a workout? or just sitting at a bar?), either stores or uses up the food energy in various forms. So, it matters what the information is (fats, carbohydrates, or proteins), and thus the popular phrase…you are what you eat.
Reason 3: Research shows quality of calories matter more than quantity…
Numerous studies, which make appearances Eat Fat Get Thin, Good Calories Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It, document the effects of restricting calories and changing the proportions of macronutrients. These studies asked what happens when people eat only 1500, 2000, 2500 calories, and so on…or could eat as much as they liked.
Researchers even looked at what happens when varying the nutrients in meals (eating high-fat, low-carb diets vs. high-carb, low-fat diets). Among the various studies, a few points rang true. People that ate diets with more fat and less carbs:
- Lost weight
- Reported having higher energy
- Were less hungry, and
- Ate fewer total calories
Reason 4: Measurement of Calories In is inaccurate…
A recent article described that the nutrition labels that we rely on, are not as accurate as we hoped (there is a very cool infographic that goes into more detail). Calories counts vary based on the size of food, how food is prepared, how well calories are absorbed when eaten. Hypothetically, the 500 calorie hamburger you ate might only translate to 400 calories that is absorbed. With so many variables, obtaining accurate calorie counts is difficult to determine and seems impractical.
What’s more is that Taubes explains in his books, that, if balancing calories were the way to go, we need to consume 20 calories less each day to avoid gaining 2 pounds in a year…this does not amount to much, maybe a gulp less of orange juice, one less cookie, or one less bite of pie. Estimating this on a day-to-day basis is unrealistic.
Reason 5: Measurement of Calories Out (Physical Activity) is inaccurate…
Physical Activity is often tracked and measured in today’s world with pedometers and wearable technology (Fitbits, Jawbone UP 24). Yet, even research has recently showed that these devices are not accurate either. Caloric expenditure varied from (-400) calories to (+200 calories) burned in a 24-hour period. So, depending on the device you wear each day, it may read that you burned 1,200 calories but may be off by a few hundred calories in either direction. The authors concluded that, until research shows otherwise, wearable tech is not a reliable source of estimated caloric burn (Murakami 2016). We all wear devices or have them attached to our packs, but is it important to you if the all the data you are collecting are accurate?
Reason 6: Calorie restriction is like a famine…
By reducing the number of calories you consume, you are training your body that you are undergoing an energy shortage (food is scarce). Your body responds by using less energy (converting fat into useable fuel) and 
metabolism slows down. Thus, the energy you do have (stored as fat) is not used, and is slowly burned off just to maintain bodily function. Essentially, your body “thinks” there is a famine and rations all resources. This goes without saying, but if you do not meet basic biological caloric requirements, you will have a host of other problems including: increased appetite, low energy, poor concentration and the risk of dying from hunger.
To count or not count?
So, coupled with the fact that calorie counting is the wrong approach to begin with, counting calories in food is difficult and counting calories burned is not entirely accurate either. If you were even to begin playing the caloric math management game, your daily read-out would have to look something like this:
Your daily caloric consumption may vary from 2,400 to 3,600 calories! You can apply this same idea to calories burned…
What is the behavioral focus?
The path to wonderful health may seem like a challenge. Spending more time on a few smaller targets (eating the correct food vs. counting its calories) may be less stressful and easier to target. The body is an amazing machine, and as long as we give it the correct food information (Hyman), then our body takes care of the rest.
Understanding a few core principles which are backed by science (mentioned above) may promote great success. If we are not to count calories, what are we to do instead?
Behavioral Focus 1: Take a modified calories in approach: Change The Makeup Of Your Plate
The real is key reducing the amount of carbohydrates. This is where portion control comes into play. There are a million strategies out there. Make sure most food on the plate are good quality, fats and proteins, will naturally occurring carbohydrates (fruits and veggies). There are carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables, just get rid the bread or extra scoop of pasta.
Behavioral Focus 2: Take a modified calories out approach: Breath hard when exercising
High, intense exercise is the key to weight loss, muscle gain, and marked results. Training hard for short durations is important. You must strike a balance between what type of weight training and cardio-based exercise is best for you. This topic is another beast by itself, but I am reminded of a quote by Greg Glassman (CrossFit Founder) that goes:
“Be impressed with intensity, not volume.”
Basically, work hard wherever you are at. Chasing fast times, big weights, or long distances may not be the best approach. Pick an exercise you enjoy, do it well, and do it with intensity.
Behavioral Focus 3: Eat Real Food
Processed food has really been the demise of health in the 20th and 21st century. There are many rules to follow when deciding if food is good for you. Like…”if you cannot pronounce the ingredients”, “if it comes in a cardboard box”, or “if it contains high fructose corn syrup”, then do not eat it. However, this rule may even simpler:
Real food has the following characteristics: comes from a plant of animal, does not have a label, and may spoil if left out.
To review, here are the 6 reasons why counting calories is a flawed approach:
- Not all calories are created equal – different calories do different things to your body
- Counting calories does not tell you why you gain or lose weight
- Research has shown when people can eat the right types of calories, without restriction, they are healthier and happier
- Counting calories consumed is inaccurate
- Counting calories burned is inaccurate
- Calorie Restriction is like a famine
Overall, when recommendations or rules are released or updated, we are not shown what behaviors or habits we must change and to what level. Using the calories in/calories out idea, if someone were to do this, then they have to count and measure every single food item and each activity. We reviewed above that it is likely to be inaccurate, and it requires a lot for someone to do. If we cannot be accurate in our measurement, then how useful is it to begin with?
The U.S. and the world has a long way to go. It is estimated that 1 out of every 2 adults, in the entire world, is predicted to be overweight by 2030 (McKinsey & Company, 2014). There is much work to do. Calorie counting presents itself as a flawed, impractical, and misguided approach. Focusing on the quality of food, types of calories we fuel our bodies with, and the intensity of physical activity is a better approach. Afterall, our ancient ancestors were free of disease and lived strong and healthy lives…and they didn’t count one calorie!
References
Hyman, M. (2016). Eat Fat, Get Thin. Little Brown.
McKinsey & Company (2014). How the world could better fight obesity. Retrieved from: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/economic_studies/how_the_world_could_better_fight_obesity
Murakami, H., Kawakami, R., Nakae, S., Nakata, Y., Ishikawa-Takata, K., Tanaka, S., & Miyachi, M. (2016). Accuracy of Wearable Devices for Estimating Total Energy Expenditure: Comparison With Metabolic Chamber and Doubly Labeled Water Method. JAMA Internal Medicine.
Taubes, G. (2007). Good calories, bad calories. Anchor.
Taubes, G. (2011). Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It. Vintage.
DISCLAIMER: The above are general statements for those considering weight loss. Of course, if individuals are consuming 1,000s of calories in the form of cookies and sweets, then yes, counting and reducing those calories may be important. But on a day-to-day basis, when the majority of us probably fall somewhere between consuming 1,500-3,000 calories, then counting is impractical (and misses the points discussed in this post). There are special cases of elite and professional athletes or medical cases that require specific caloric measurement (and beyond the scope here). This information is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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