Is calorie counting useful?
TheSlimSchool does not recommend a detailed calorie counting.
This article will show you why calorie counting may be of limited use and why other aspects of food intake and energy expenditure need to be monitored.
1. You need to keep your weight management routine as simple as possible otherwise you will not stick to it, as proven by a number of studies. You need to build your effort on the feeling of achievement, not failure. There are more useful and cheerful ways to spend time than calculating your calorie intake. Also, calorie counting may not be very precise, as we tend to cheat and subconsciously underestimate our food intake.
2. Your average daily energy need cannot be easily calculated. Partly because of your body composition, partly because of your body temperature and ways you expend your energy unconsciously (tapping your fingers, pacing around) or consciously (time spent standing, walking or sleeping) and partly because of the genetic factors and hormone levels which determine your basic (resting) metabolic rate.
3. The way your body converts food to energy is determined by various factors. Calories in your body will not only behave differently depending on whether they derive from proteins, carbohydrates or fat, but will also behave differently depending on which kind of protein, carbohydrate or fat they come from - or on whether or not they were ingested with another food group, or with other micronutrients.
This BBC article explains how calories were originally defined. You will see that this original definition is somewhat simplistic when compared to today’s knowledge of the subject.
Another example of differing calorie utilisation are studies, in which two groups (people or animals) are fed the exact same diet in amount and quality. For one group, the scientists change one ingredient (we will learn in TheSlimSchool course which ones) and the group ends up with a different weight at the end of the study.
Yes, it is still correct to say that the number of calories ingested AND utilised by your body needs to be smaller than the energy expenditure in order for you to reduce your fat deposits. But the playfield of possibilities is open when it comes to tweaking the way the calories are digested and utilised.
TheSlimSchool therefore does not recommend to start keeping a calorie journal, unless you already have the habit.
A better idea – much easier too – is to keep a food and/or drink journal, at least for several days a week.
This will give you an overview of where your weak spots lie.
The concept of ‘calories’ is still being used throughout TheSlimSchool programme as an approximate value for the strength of a recommendation or estimative of energy expenditure.
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