If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve probably counted calories. And if you’re a woman, you’ve probably fixated yourself on consuming 1,200 calories per day. (Weird fact: the majority of women we’ve spoken to about how many calories she thinks she should eat per day says 1,200 for no apparent reason). But according to our nutrition coaches and personal trainers, that’s neither safe nor sustainable. Read on to find out why.
Why Counting Calories Doesn’t Work
So, here’s our straight to the point list on why calorie counting doesn’t work:
- You probably don’t know your RMR (resting metabolic rate). This is what your body needs to function and stay alive (for most of us, that’s more than 1200). Without this baseline, everything is just guessing.
- Food labels are off by as much as 25%, with portions that are too large in some cases and portions that are too small in others. That’s a HUGE variance!
- Your gym equipment is also off by as much as 25% (or more in some cases) with how many calories it’s telling you you’ve burned. (Between this and the food labels we could be off by 50%!)
- We all process and absorb food differently (for example, some can achieve a trimmer tummy and still eat carbohydrates while others need to cut back).
- 3,500 calories isn’t 1 pound of fat and not all calories are equal. To believe otherwise sets you up for failure.
As you can imagine, it can feel like you’re doing “everything right” and still not losing the weight. How discouraging! This frustration is what often makes us think our metabolisms are broken, or we decide to resort to some crash diet, a million supplements, or even HCG injections.
Educate Yourself
If you’ve fallen for any of these “diet lies,” you’re not alone. The best thing you can do to ensure your own success is to stay educated. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to healthy eating:
- The more you crash diet or lose and gain weight, the less calories you need to survive, so essentially your RMR goes down. Your body is adaptive like that. So no more crash dieting, ok? 🙂
- Focus on eating protein, fibrous carbs like fruits and veggies, good fats, and some high quality starchy carbs. Not only will you naturally decrease the number of calories you’re consuming while staying more full, but you’ll simultaneously increase the number of calories your body actually needs to digest the food!
- Unless you’re training for a competition, you don’t need carb or calorie cycling, special diets, or beat down workouts 5 days per week to lose weight. You need the right consistent efforts over time and a little patience.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. The body is a crazy unique thing, so what your friend is doing likely won’t have the exact same effect on you…expect it and focus on YOU.
- Weight loss truly occurs through a balance of good nutrition, strength and cardio training (we can show you how to do them together in minimal time!), proper sleep, stress management, hormonal balance, and hydration. So unsexy, but so true.
Seek Guidance
It’s heartbreaking for our personal trainers to watch so many people struggle because of the wrong approach. Self-compassion also plays a HUGE role in fat loss, so be sure to speak kindly to yourself always. We’d like to help by teaching you what you need to know to lose body fat and keep it off with our flagship 35 day fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching program Thrive In 35. It’s designed to help you shed lbs, get fit, and gain confidence. It sells out of 75 spots, every time (as it did just recently). Click here to get on the early bird list for the next one.
Stronger for Today,
The Method3 Fitness Team
The Method3 Fitness blog is updated weekly. All content is designed to improve the way you move, eat, and think so you can achieve your goals and live stronger for today. Check back here each week and LIKE our Fan Page, to stay up to date on the latest tips, strategies and methods to get fit, lose fat, and build confidence. Ready to get started with us? Click here to get a free week of workouts!