Hey guys- don’t forget to check out Natalie’s Charity Bake sale for cancer! There are tons of delicious looking goodies up for auction. I have a batch of my Glo Bars up for grabs open to Canadians!
Also, check out Green Monster Movement! I was up late last night adding new reader submissions! Lots more to come. The Amazing Grass giveaway is running until Thursday.
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Calorie Counting: Is It A Universal Rule?
Yesterday, Jillian Michaels was on The Doctors talking about metabolism. I only caught a few minutes of the show, but something I overheard really made me cringe.
Jillian said, “You HAVE to count calories. I don’t care how healthy you are eating. It’s a universal rule.”
WOW. That is one loaded statement!
I must say her comment made my blood boil a bit. It is a universal rule that you have to count calories to lose or maintain your weight?! I’m sorry, but I simply don’t agree.
I do think that counting calories is beneficial for many people. It helps people understand portion sizes and gives them a guideline for how much energy their body might need. On the other hand, calorie counting can become an obsession and a source of preoccupation that distracts us from the big picture.
I realize that her primary target is the typical overweight individual who probably doesn’t have much knowledge about calories, nutrition, and portion sizes, but what about all of the people who are on the extreme end of the spectrum with disordered eating? Do they now feel like they shouldn’t stop counting calories even though it might be driving them crazy?
In my opinion, calorie counting is NOT a universal rule, even though at one point in my life if you would have asked me I would have told you I could never picture myself giving it up. For my personality, calorie counting didn’t work because it was all-consuming. Soon eating wasn’t about how hungry I was, but how many calories I had ‘left’ for that meal.
Now that I have come out on the other side where I do not count calories, I think it is totally possible to eat healthy without counting and maintain one’s weight. I am living proof and I know many others who have learned to stop counting calories too! I actually think for me, it was harder to NOT count calories and lose/maintain weight because it meant that I had to really listen to my hunger cues and body signals and actually be in touch with my body for once. Calorie counting isn’t going to work for everyone. It obviously depends on the person.
I think somewhere along the line, our society has missed the big picture.
Instead of telling people that they must count calories to lose weight, it is perhaps better to ask WHY people feel the need to count every calorie that goes into their mouth. The obsession with calorie counting is growing, while our society gets heavier, heavier, and heavier…
What we need to do is get back to the basics with our health. We need to stop micro-managing and start looking at the bigger picture of health. Eating whole, unprocessed foods that make us glow. Sweating a few times a week. Being good to ourselves.
Calorie counting can be a useful tool, but it can also mask and divert our attention away from our overall picture of health.
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What are your thoughts about Jillian’s comment?
See you later for a SGBC contest giveaway!
Sorry, WWers…Weight Watchers.
Angela,
You rock! Jillian’s comment is ridiculous to me. I’ve also struggled with eating disorders and calorie counting demons for a very long time and only in the past couple years have really come to appreciate my body and actually enjoy eating. I’m a marathon runner and need those calories, if I still counted everything I need to make my body “glow” and perform the way I want and need I would go nuts!
I agree with your statement as well. Except I do think calorie counting could help some people but it depends like you said on your knowledge of calories and nutrition. It also depends on your personaility. For me I’m in your boat if i count calories i tend to add them up and even if i’m not hungry decide to eat something just because it is within my calorie limit not because I am actually hungry. Listening to your hunger and body is hard work. Something that ultimately we all want to achieve but maybe for some calorie counting is a good start. It totally just depends where you are at.
I think honestly it depends on the person! For me, calorie counting is NOT possible. I get too caught up on numbers… it makes my life SO stressful worrying about every last bit of what I had to eat in my last meal… will it leave me enough calories for dinner? What if I want dessert? Can I even snack?
I have a pretty sluggish metabolism… so I am one who has to eat smaller amount of calories… and I ended up in a bad, bad place when I was counting calories… ended up dealing with a binge eating disorder, etc… I had to let it go!
I think the funny part of all of it was the fact that Jillian didn’t give her statement any context whatsoever. I think if you are going to be in the public eye like that, you need to be more careful about clarifying such bold statements.
As I said, I beleive whether counting calories or not is going to be an individual thing. By no means is it a universal rule. Even if Jillian was referring to only those individuals trying to lose weight. What works for one might not work for others. In the spring, I was able to shed a bit of weight gain FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER- WITHOUT counting calories! I actually didn’t think it was possible. But it was.
I want to also mention again that it took me over 2 years to stop counting calories. I get a lot of emails from readers that are so frustrated with the addiction to count calories. I just wanted to clarify that it was NOT an easy process for myself to stop. At least 2 years of trying, trying, and trying more. This is the longest I have ever been without it and my thoughts are no longer consumed by food and calories. This is just my experience and my own viewpoints are obviously guided my my own battles with disordered eating!!! ~A
I TOTALLY totally agree with your thoughts!
Calorie counting can be useful to some people, as far as portion sizes go, etc., but EVEN then, it does NOT teach people to listen to their body.
I know some people on weight watchers, where each food has points (related to number of calories), and then there are special “unlimited foods” because they are so low cal. Instead of listening to their bodies to decide when to stop eating, they are allowed to freely and endlessly eat as much of the unlimited foods as they want. Sure, maybe you won’t gain weight eating pounds of sauerkraut each day (haha), but you are creating unhealthy mental eating habits.
Eat when you’re hungry. And eat REAL food. Stop when you are satisfied (but not full/stuffed), and eat REAL food. You don’t need to do math!
Have a great day!! :D
I didn’t see that program but if you read Jillian Michael’s books or listen to her radio program, she is very big on eating whole, unprocessed, organic and natural foods, and frequently rails against 100 calorie packs and lean cuisines being seen as “healthy” simply because they’re low-cal. But she also insists that no matter how healthy your diet is, you have to count calories to lose weight.
In my experience, this is correct. The body typically does not want to be in energy deficit. There have been studies that show that people who cut or burn calories one day will make up for it the next by taking slightly larger portions without even noticing it.
I don’t find calorie counting to be irresistible or addictive and harmful like some people here; for me it’s incredibly tedious, but it’s the only way I’ve found to consistently LOSE weight.
I absolutely think people can (and should!) maintain weight without it – who wants to count calories for the rest of their lives? And of course those with ED tendencies should avoid counting calories since it would end up being more harmful than helpful for them.
jillian is a big personality with a lot of followers and i hate to hear her say things like this. so many people take these things to heart and it is not a healthy way to live overall. i do understand if you are trying to lose a lot of weight you have to start somewhere, but for it to be a universal rule is crazy!!
I agree calorie counting would be obsessive, however without it I wouldn’t have lost 25 lbs. It definitly can help a lot for people who don’t realize how much they are eating, but I think it can very quickly turn obsessive. That is what it did for me anyways. Normally I would be upset if someone said you HAD to count calories but you have to take in consideration that Jillian seems to only train very overweight people so I’m sure that is who she was aiming that comment at.
About two months ago I got an iPhone app. that has you track your food and workouts and I thought it was the greatest thing EVER! Then I relaized that I was just eating to fill up the daily calories, mostof the time I wasn’t even hungry. I think that counting calories has its benefits, but it just doesn’t work for me. Even after I gained a whole buch of weight in first year of university I started eating whole foods and listening to my ody to lose weight. That is what works for me, and exercising….and of course NOT obsessing over food and exercising has helped me be happy! Counting calories never made me happy.
Great great great WONDERFUL post Angela!! I completely agree with just about everything you said above. Honestly, calorie counting was probably the only way I would have successfully lost weight. I’m not great with listening to my hunger cues & weight loss because I munch too much. I’m generally able to maintain without strict calorie counting. But I honestly can’t help it, and still have a general idea in my head about where I am for the day. It took me a looonnngg time to get to this point, and I hope someday to live with one thought of calories entering my mind during a meal.
Everyone is different, and if you’re a binge eater, stress eater, and eat out of complete boredom ALL THE TIME, then yes, calories counting may be the way until you can learn to listen to your own cues. But a universal rule? Obviously not true, since so many people can just live by eating healthfully.
In Jillian’s defense, if someone is very overweight and needs to lose weight for health reasons I can see how they need to count calories. Being intuitive right off the bat like that isn’t going to work. Perhaps calorie counting specifically is not required, but something that gets the person trying lose loads of weight in touch with portion size, calories in each items and total calories consumed is probably necessary at first. If the person could be intuitive on their own they probably would not be obese. I think the same applies for someone underweight that must gain. Something has happened to throw off the natural intuition of eating there. That said, I obviously do not think it’s a universal rule. That’s just ridiculous. I personally could never count calories, but I am not trying to lose weight either.
I don’t agree with her at all. I tried counting calories once, but then eating became a burden. Today I try to eat lots of veggies and healthy grains and I exercise. And you know what? I have no idea how many calories I’m eating yet I’m still maintaining my healthy weight.
I think we should start listening to our bodies instead of being ruled by calculators. Listening to my body + eating healthy not processed foods + exercising = the right calories intake. It’s as simple as that.
Oh and since I’m already writing this comment I just wanted to add this about Jillian. I think she is a fitness expert and damn good at it, but I had decided to stop listening to her when it comes to food. Why? Because I think she tends to take it too far. I understand she needs to be in top ideal shape all the time, but I believe most of us don’t. I’m going to have that glass of wine at dinner and that cookie with my coffee. And then I’m going to go out and have fun, bike or swim or walk around and enjoy life. And in the end I’ll be a couple of pounds heavier than my “ideal” weight, but a LOT happier.
(of course if a person is overweight they should educate themselves about calories in the beginning but to do it for the rest of someone’s life? No way!)
That’s kinda crazy – I never want to be a slave to what I’m eating anymore and that just reinforces being a slave to what you’re eating! ugh!
Great post–I agree with you…I’m very surprised that Jillian said that….it’s more important to ‘eat what you want’ and to eat ‘everything in moderation’….i agree with you that it’s so important to listen you your own body/own hunger signals instead of counting calories…life is too short to count anything you’re putting in your mouth! Eat clean and healthy most importantly, eat for your health — and you’ll feel great!
Wonderful post.
Best,
Amie
The Healthy Apple blog
www.thehealthyapple.wordpress.com
I disagreed with some of the post and I think calorie counting and food journaling is helpful as an accountability system and that is what it should be used for. If a person becomes obsessed then it is unhealthy and they should regulate that however they see fit. Food is an addiction to many people.
Depending on if you are on a maintenance or weight loss program matters as well. Finally if you can afford to eat organic and non processed food that is great, many people can’t and many people fall into the psychological comfort that food provides.
Jillian has alot of knowledge and deals with chronically overweight people so her universal message is to count calories. She doesn’t address disordered eating and probably cannot speak to something she doesn’t know much about.
I couldn’t agree with you more!!! There are too many factors involved…I like the WHOLE FOODS approach :-)
Great post Angela!
Sure calorie counting *might* not be necessary if you have a small amount of weight to lose (5-15lbs) because you haven’t been paying attention to your foods and/or have simply been inactive, but for people who are extremely overweight and have issues with overeating, “listening to your hunger” most likely won’t work. As easy as listening to your hunger sounds, the reality is that it’s HARD to do especially if you’ve been in a habit of eating mindlessly for many years. Calorie counting helps show you true portions along with the amount food of your body actually needs to be properly nourished. In a way, calorie counting helps the majority of people start eating a healthier diet as well, because fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats etc., are lower in calories and they fill you up. There is no way that I would have ever lost almost 100 lbs if I had simply “listened to my body.” I NEEDED that education of calories in vs calories out in order to suceed.
Jillian gets results and if you read her books or listen to her weekly radio shows, you would see just how much work she puts into informing people OUTSIDE of the Biggest Loser. She may not be a doctor but she certainly worked closely with many of them to write Master Your Metabolism. Check out the index section that lists all the articles/research/book/studies etc.
Just my two cents.
I agree with Jillian. Calorie counting works for me, but I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m not totally obsessive about it and don’t even think of restricting them to unhealthy levels like I did back in the day. When I started really paying attention to the numbers (not just calories… but fiber, protein, and fat) everything clicked with me and I lost weight and became a much healthier eater. I think it’s important for people who are trying to lose (or maintain) weight to understand that it all comes down to eating fewer (or the same) calories than you burn. I think all of the successful intuitive eaters understand this basic principal… they just don’t need to whip out the calorie counting books and websites anymore.
Wow, I’m surprised that Jillian would make such a black & white comment.
However, I can understand why she’d say that someone who is trying to lose weight would need to watch their calorie intake, period. If you’re taking in more calories than you’re burning, you’re not going to lose weight, right?
For me, calorie counting is not really an option. First of all, the “formulas” of how many calories I’d need to maintain are always way off of what I’d normally eat in a day. (My boyfriend weighs 75 lbs more than me, and we usually eat a pretty similar amount of calories in a day…now how is that possible?!)
I’m trying hard to learn to listen to my body’s cues and not focus so much on a specific number, but it’s sure easy to get obsessed with it!