When it comes to weight loss, many people believe that counting calories are the key to success. But does calorie counting actually work?
According to a study published in the Obesity Journal, it does [1]. The study found that people who counted calories lost more weight than those who didn’t.
However, the study also found that not all diets are created equal. Some diets are more effective than others at helping people lose weight.
Since I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) I know this all too well because I have struggled to keep my weight under control for years.
I have used a number of different strategies from low-carb or slow-carb diets, Intermittent Fasting ( even 2-day fasts ), OMAD for 7-days, and even did a follow along 90-day fat belly challenge.
But I found the most effective method for maintaining or losing weight has been self-monitoring and reducing my calorie intake. There are some caveats though that I will go into below.
Benefits of Calorie Counting
There are a lot of benefits to calorie counting if you're trying to lose weight.
The most obvious one is that you can track how many calories you're eating each day and make sure you're not eating too much. When you know how many calories you're allowed each day, it's a lot easier to stay within your limits.
To Learn The Calories in Certain Foods
Calorie counting can also help you learn about which foods are high in calories and which ones have fewer calories.
A big learning curve for me was understanding those foods that contain empty calories.
When you’re following a calorie deficient diet you need to make every calorie count, so those custard cream buns or carrot cake snacks became difficult to justify.
My one-meal a day when I followed OMAD for 7-days Photo by Lifehacker Guy
Drawbacks of Calorie Counting
While there are some benefits to calorie counting, there are also some drawbacks that should be considered.
Time-consuming
It can be time-consuming and tedious to track every calorie you eat. I mean, who enjoys getting out the scales every time you make a meal?
Constantly Hungry
It can be difficult to stick to a calorie limit without feeling hungry or deprived. For many people, this is why they give up because it’s not fun having a rumbling stomach every day.
There have been countless nights when I was struggling to sleep. However, you soon learn that this often happens when you’re had a day of poor nutrition, one that has been particularly low in protein or fats.
It Can Be Inaccurate
Counting calories is imprecise, even if you diligently weigh each piece of food in your meal.
This is not only impractical (try asking your local restaurant to tell you the calorie content of your meal!) but is not sustainable over the long term (see time-consuming point above).
I found that you get much better at calorie counting over time as long as you put the time in to ensure you’re being accurate at the start. Otherwise, underestimating your calorie intake at the beginning means you will struggle to lose weight as you will be eating more food than you realize.
How to Count Calories to Lose Weight
The most accurate way to count calories is to use a scale and weigh your foods. This approach is incredibly time-consuming though and one that I only did when it was impossible to estimate the number of calories in a food.
If you frequently eat out, as we do as a family, then weighing your foods is impossible.
Of course, estimating the calories in food can be inaccurate, but as long as you can correctly read food labels I found this the best way to count daily calories to lose weight.
I found this balance gave me a good enough idea of my daily calorie intake.
You have to be VERY mindful of underestimating when counting calories in this way.
Using a calorie counting app can massively reduce wildly inaccurate guesses. There are many options, I suggest looking at services like Noom.
In 2021, I lost 2kg from just counting calories without any changes to my activity levels.
Photo by Lifehacker Guy
How to Read a food label to count calories
The success of counting calories to lose weight relies on knowing what you're putting into your body. Understanding and being able to decode food labels are therefore crucial to making an informed decision with your diet.
There are three important areas on a food label to read in order to understand the calories inside.
- The servings per container
- Serving size
- And calories per serving
The FDA website provides a really clear example of where you can see this information.
Photo Credit FDA
If you struggling decoding supplement labels check out my article on how to read a supplement label.
Calorie Counting Tips
Tracking your calories daily can certainly be a chore but there are some simple tips I found to help keep you on track:
- Record foods as soon as you eat them, leaving it to the end of the day makes it harder to remember what you consumed
- Track your calories consistently, within a week it becomes a habit
- Track your physical activity too
- Track your weight daily too
The last point of tracking your weight may not be for everyone, but I personally found this to be motivating.
Of course, if you find yourself getting obsessed over the scales in the morning then weekly weigh-ins are a better idea.
If you're looking for a handy calorie calculator to work out your approximate daily calories for your gender, size, and age check out this one.
What Does The Research Say About Counting Calories?
Even though the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that counting calories help people lose more weight than those who didn’t, the situation isn’t so clear.
The research suggests the chances of keeping the weight off are slim though.
A study by the National Weight Control Registry found that only 5% of people who lost weight through calorie counting were able to keep the weight off [2].
The key finds of this study highlighted:
- Participants who self-monitored both frequently and consistently maintained their weight changes more effectively than those who failed to monitor as often or as consistently.
- The frequency of recording was more important than detailed records.
- Consistent and frequent self-monitoring appears to facilitate weight maintenance.
Studies have shown that, when done correctly, calorie counting can be an effective way to lose weight. However, it is important to note that not everyone will see the same results.
The Bottom Line
Calorie counting does work to lose and maintain weight. But it's not going to happen overnight!
This is very much a case of slow and consistent wins the day.
Successfully counting calories for weight loss will require a change in behavior, a strong “why am I doing this”, and a degree of organization.