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 I’ve spoken to about how many calories she thinks she should eat per day says 1,200 for no apparent reason). It seems like women have just “heard” over the years this is the goal number, but I digress…

So, here’s my straight to the point list on why calorie counting doesn’t work:

  1. You probably don’t know your RMR (resting metabolic rate). This is what your body needs to function and stay alive. Without this baseline, everything is guesswork.
  2.  Food labels are off by as much as 25% in either direction – that’s a HUGE variance!
  3. 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%!)
  4. We all process and absorb food in a different way.
  5. 3,500 calories aren’t 1 pound of fat. Not all calories are equal. This thought process sets you up for failure.

As you can imagine, it can feel like you’re doing “everything right” and still not losing 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 weight loss injections.

Here’s what you need to know:

  1. The more you crash diet or lose and gain weight, the fewer calories you need to survive, so your RMR goes down. Your body is adaptive like that. So no more crash dieting, ok? 🙂
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Weight loss occurs through a balance of good nutrition, strength and cardio training, proper sleep, stress management, hormonal balance, and hydration. So unsexy but so true.

It’s heartbreaking for me 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.

I want to teach you what you need to know to lose body fat and keep it off by working with me in person or online. Click on the links to see if you are a good fit. I’m looking forward to getting you started on this important milestone in your life.

Have questions? Please shoot them my way! I’m here to help.