Counting Calories- Why Even Bother?

You hear stories and see people dropping all kinds of weight and “calories” are not even in their vocabulary. Not even celebrities, but regular people like friends, family and coworkers; Then you ask how they did it and they say they just started eating healthy and working out. So what is this mess about calories?? I’m glad you asked 😉

See, whether or not you count them, the math remains true… Calories burned> Calories eaten = Weight loss. Calories are simply a measure of energy in a food. So not counting just means somehow the equation still needs to be balanced to see the results; either by watching what you eat or by burning more than you eat. The challenge of this is it is always a guessing game so you are forced to do what you THINK is enough.

So for instance managing what you eat would mean eating what you think is “healthy”. For most people, they think if it tastes too good, it’s probably “unhealthy” and if it’s not so great then it’s “healthy”. You know, throw in some greens, remove the chicken skin and make sure you don’t eat desert… Sounds healthy enough. And burning more than you eat would mean exercising as much as you think you need. So you hit the gym 4 times a week, run for an hour, do the elliptical for 30 minutes and hope it’s enough. So you keep guessing and if you are lucky enough to consistently get the math right then you see the results you want. The problem is this can get frustrating really quick and result in a crash diet.

On the other hand, Makkoy highly encourages counting calories because it removes the uncertainty and the need to guess. Every food has a # of calories assigned to it so you are able to eat whatever you choose while remaining within your calorie goal and get the results you want. See, this takes the pressure off from the very beginning and allows you to confidently take a step back to learn your body and what it really needs, without the risk of misplaced efforts.

It is all about building a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and it is very personal. So instead of doing stuff because you “think” it is healthy, you start making changes because you understand what it means for your body. It stops being about the number on the scale and starts being about what is actually best for you.

Counting may seem like hard work on the front end just because it is an additional step in your routine but it is oh so worth it. Give it a shot. Download Myfitnesspal, plug in your info and follow the steps in the Makkoy way section of this post. Still a little lost or have questions? Let’s talk. Lifestyle change not crash diet! Let’s do this! Have a wonderful