Should you be counting calories each and every time? Usually, when you are trying to lose wieght , you must create a calorie deficit and when you are trying to gain it, you must aim for a calorie surplus. This implies either cutting back the usual calories consumed or increasing them. But the basis is playing around with those calories to fit nto your desirable objectives. In order to attain a deficit or surplus, but in most cases a deficit ,calorie counting may be suggested.
Caorie tracking basically necessiates the intricate monitoring of calories you ingest. This technique is especially applicable when weight loss progress slows or for persons with rigid goals such as aiming for a specific calorie surplas or deficit .In most cases it works, notably when followed stringently. But the question begs , do you incorporate it to a point that it is part of your lifestyle? That you must count calories for every single meal you consume?
The answer is simply no, and this is because of the following reasons.Primarily, calorie tracking is targeted for the achievement of a specific goal as earlier on mentioned ,after which it should be done away with at least. Mostly calorie tracking is not sustainable. After a while practicising it , it becomes tasking .Whereas you should find eating pleasurbl , it becomes another job you have to put much effort on. Eating becomes too complicated , you begin to feel guilty and ashamed even when you just miss out on your calories or exceed them with a few. You later begin to dread eatin. Conversely , you develop an unhealthy relationship with food over time. Moreover, this is the reason why those with disordered eating are discouraged from practicising it because they likely will end up with same challenge they wanted to address.
If you must count your calories ,maybe use it for a set period but not for the long-term, and under the guidance of a qualified nutrition staff .Calorie counting is also not advisable for the long while because it does not take into account that calories from the different foods are not equal. The weight management targeted using this principle revolves around quantity and not much of quality.
Calories from nutritious foods and those from processed ones are not the same. The nutritious alternatives provide you with nutrients while those from processed and junk foods do not. In this regard, if you centre your food intake on calorie counting , you will find that whilst you’re heading closer to your weight goals, you’re not necessarlity doing it healthily. Even as you aim to lose or gain weight, choose healthy and sustainable approaches to get you there. Also relevant to this , different foods influence your physiological functions -appetite, metabolism, and hormone levels differently. Some of them may contain higher amounts of calories but curb your appetite while others have fewer calories and trigger your appetite such that you may likely obtain in one seating almost equivalent calories from either.
So, what can you do to sustitute for calorie counting?
Portion control-Go for smaller portion sizes if you want to lose weight and if you want to increase weight, increase your portions. A qualified dietitian can guide you better on this.
Prioritize the intake of nutritious foods. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes , nuts, lean meats and low-fat diary sources in your diet.
Pay attention to your hunger and satiety cues-You will unlikely over-indulge when you pay attention to these cues.
Calorie tracking is not sustainable. For long-term weight mangement practices, choose a diet that integrates nutritious foods in adequate portions as you pay attention to your hunger and satiety cues.