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why calorie counting equals crazy making

 

calorie counting

On my Saturday run last week I was listening to a podcast about nutrition and quickly found myself overwhelmed.  Now I’m a person who listens to this stuff on a regular basis so it shouldn’t have been a big deal.  It’s kind of my obsession.  However, in this case the person was talking about adjusting macros and calorie counts to lose weight, and the whole thing got quite complex.  It all made sense mathematically, I suppose, but in real life it sounded like a recipe for a mental breakdown. 

Besides, the human body doesn’t necessarily follow mathematical rules. 

There are a lot of variables to consider.  Are you stressed?   Well then, your body will produce more cortisol, which leads to insulin resistance.  Are you sleeping well?  If not, your body is looking for quick energy in the form of sugar and is probably insulin resistant. (We want our cells to work in harmony with insulin to process our blood sugar—not overwhelmed and resistant to it, which happens when we eat too much of the white stuff.)

Do your calories come from processed food or from whole plants and proteins?  Are you constantly grazing all day, never giving your body a break from digesting and processing food?  Are you exercising so much that your body is stressed and hungry?

Yes, calories do matter to some extent, but so do all these other things.  I wish it were as easy as doing the math, but that seldom works for long.  Usually you just end up feeling hungry, stressed, and frustrated. 

Give your body whole, healthy foods, a moderate amount of exercise, lots of sleep, and tools to help you deal with stress.  I know that’s not always easy either, but our bodies are smart and we need to learn to trust them.  If we go back to the basics and forget about all the craziness, our bodies will tell us what we need to do.


If you'd like to talk to me more about creating a wellness and nutrition plan that works for you, I've got you!  I'm a certified Nutrition Coach who will create a simple, customized meal plan for you and coach you through how to implement it into your busy life.  We also talk about all the pitfalls that make it hard, and help you make it the anchor that keeps you healthy, energized, and sane through the whirlwind of your everyday life.

I'd love to talk to you about the program, so please book a free consultation with me by clicking the Calendly button. I look forward to talking to you!


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