do you count calories?

"Friday morning I weighed in at 177 and over the weekend I only walked maybe 4-5 miles total (not exercising just out and about) and I wasn't dieting. I ate what I wanted and this morning I stepped on the scale expecting to see 180 but shocked it said 176! Yes I should be happy but something's off here and I gotta figure out how.”

Does this sound familiar? I can tell you when my clients first come to me (the ones that are coming to me for weight loss), this is what they worry about. They worry about a few pounds up or down. 
 
 
The truth is, anything under 5 pounds is irrelevant. 

I don't say that to diminish losing 5 pounds, I say that keep expectations realistic... 5 pounds weight loss does not mean the same thing as the scale measured 5 pounds different in a week.

Your weight fluctuates several pounds in a day. Water intake, how big of a poop you took, and other basic functions can be measured in a day. 

Personally... I think the scale is deceptive. You will know if you are losing weight or not. You will know based first on how you feel and later how you look. 

I encourage all my clients to get rid of their scales! Literally, gone & out of the house! It's a big mentality shift, but can be extremely freeing.

But then, I also discourage counting of calories/macros/anything else, and focusing on quality and how your body feels as the guide. 

When I was in the peak of my sugar addiction, I had extra weight. The few attempts I made to count sugar grams or calories were not long lived. It’s not something I could ever do, personally. 

That being said, the weight, while disconcerting (especially when others commented on it, as many did), was not my primary reason for changing my habits. I had acute but recurring throat infections that drove that change.

However I do understand the attraction to counting, and I did attempt it, especially with  grams of sugar… it feels like something you can control.  

When you can’t even control the sugar that you eat, you can count it. But ultimately, it does not usually last as a means to limiting the amount of food or sugar that you eat. In my experience, it is simply a distraction from whatever the real problem is. In my case, it was the emotions behind the sugar binging. In almost all my clients' lives, it is either an emotion, a habit, or pattern.

(There ARE people who simply need nutrition education, but those are not the people I meet. If this is you or someone you know, counting can be a means to learn appropriate portions. However, if you don't move to a whole foods based diet, counting remains just a distraction.) 

Getting rid of your scale and giving up counting calories is not the mainstream approach, but it is an approach that most people can really live with forever. 

One day, even a whole weekend, will not actually affect your weight. It is what you do 90% of the time that creates your body. 

Stay focused on the long game! Stay focused on the quality of your diet, identifying the patterns that are not serving you, and you can let go of counting.

Sound scary? Want to know more about how it can work for you?