The Power of Letting Go: Why You Don’t Need to Count Calories or Weigh Yourself to Be Healthy
Around this time of year, as the holidays approach, people are generally more conscious of their health and typically set goals to make better choices in the coming year. More often than not, when a client reaches out to me to schedule a consultation, they are already under the assumption that they know what they need to do to meet their health goals, they just “lack the discipline” and “need accountability”. People believe they need to cut calories and exercise more, because it is what every doctor has said to them when they enter into their office with weight concerns. And it is the message that magazines, social media and every dieting plan in the market perpetuates.
Weight loss is incredibly nuanced and complex – if it were really that simple we would all be at the weight we are striving to achieve – but it is not that cut and dry. Weight-loss approaches that typically rely on calorie counting or short-lived fad diets, can often feel restrictive, cause stress, and are incredibly difficult to maintain. It's no wonder that a meta-analysis reviewing 29 long-term weight loss studies found that individuals regained more than half of the weight lost within two years, and by the time they reach five years they regained more than 80% of the weight lost [1]. My goal in providing you with this information is to help you understand why I am categorically against calorie restriction diets, fad-diets, and focusing all of your efforts on reducing a number on the scale.
Calorie-focused diets prioritize quantity over quality, leading people to choose low-calorie but nutrient-poor foods. Research shows that diets low in nutrient-dense foods can decrease satiety and increase cravings, making it hard to stick to these diets long-term [2]. Calorie restriction combined with nutrient poor food decisions is a recipe for nutrient depletion, which can wreak havoc on your metabolic health.
Calorie counting can also increase food anxiety, stress, and feelings of deprivation, leading to a negative relationship with food. Research from the Journal of Eating Behaviors found that strict dieting and calorie counting can heighten the risk of binge eating and emotional eating, particularly as a stress response [3]. Calorie counting can lead people to ignore their natural hunger and fullness signals, which are important for long-term self-regulation [4].
There are also compensatory physiological processes that begin without your control or knowledge, that try to sabotage your efforts to lose weight. What I typically see is that clients are quick to blame themselves when their body doesn’t respond in the way they expect, and become discouraged. They feel like they need to double down on their efforts, restrict more calories and exercise more. It is a vicious cycle. Not only that, when people significantly reduce calories, the body can enter a state of “metabolic adaptation,” where it slows down metabolism to conserve energy. Studies demonstrate that this adjustment is one reason why people often regain weight after initial weight loss on calorie-restriction diets [5].
So while avoiding calorie counting and ditching the scale may seem counter-intuitive, the research actually suggests that doing just that is more productive for reaching health goals and maintaining a healthy weight long term. Calorie restriction alone isn’t the best way to lose weight and keep it off, and most of the clients I see have been “yo-yo dieters” – losing weight, regaining it, losing some more, regaining some more, the cycle goes on and on. It is an exhausting cycle that can actually be more detrimental to your health over the span of your life versus staying at a stable weight, even if you are “overweight” or “obese” in medical terms. Research shows that weight cycling is associated with increased risk of eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and multiple comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, bone fractures and mortality [6]. The adverse effects of weight cycling on the body seem to outweigh staying at a stable weight and being fat.
Additionally, body weight is just one piece of health data, it doesn’t reflect the bigger picture—energy levels, mood, strength, and internal health markers are far more indicative of progress and well-being. Instead of focusing on numbers I want my clients to focus on nourishing their body with balanced, nutrient-dense foods, adequate hydration, physical activity, and quality sleep. When these habits are built over time, they naturally support a healthy weight and enhance overall wellness both mentally and physically.
Some evidence-based tools I utilize in my work with clients are mindful eating, body awareness and Intuitive Eating. Intuitive Eating is an approach that emphasizes responding to hunger and satiety cues rather than external numbers, and research has shown better long-term success in maintaining a healthy weight and a positive relationship with food [7,8]. These approaches help you identify what foods work best for your unique needs and allows you to enjoy food without guilt or restriction, because not allowing yourself to enjoy entire categories of food for the rest of your life is not sustainable.
I also like to focus on fiber intake versus cutting calories. Research suggests that dietary fiber can be more important for weight loss than simply counting calories due to several physiological factors that affect hunger, satiety, digestion, and metabolism. A study from 2019 found that fiber consumption, independent from caloric and micronutrient intake, was a better predictor of weight loss and dietary adherence than consuming a calorie restricted diet alone [9].
At The Connective we recognize the interconnectedness of physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of health. Counting calories and becoming focused on a number on the scale can be detrimental to our mental health, and detracts from what is truly important when it comes to finding balance and consistency in building healthy habits. Lasting behavior change is hard, so making sure you put your energy into the right things will help you be more successful. Your health and longevity is always more important than the number that you see on the scale.
If you're ready to ditch the scale and start focusing on a healthier, more sustainable approach to eating, I can help. With evidence-based strategies tailored to your unique needs, we can work together to build a personalized plan that supports your goals—without the stress of calorie counting. Reach out today for a free consultation, and let's make 2025 your healthiest, most confident year yet!
Erica Kirmayer, CNS, is a highly-skilled clinical nutritionist who enjoys empowering clients with the knowledge and tools they need to take their health back into their hands. Erica’s expertise includes evidence-based methods as well as functional and intuitive eating, and emphasizes a whole-person approach to helping clients heal their health. If you are interested in working with Erica, you can book a free nutrition strategy consultation with her using the link below.
Sources:
Anderson JW, Konz EC, Frederich RC, Wood CL. Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001;74(5):579–584. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/74.5.579. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Martin CK, Rosenbaum D, Han H, Geiselman PJ, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, Brill C, Bailer B, Miller BV 3rd, Stein R, Klein S, Foster GD. Change in food cravings, food preferences, and appetite during a low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Oct;19(10):1963-70. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.62. Epub 2011 Apr 14. PMID: 21494226; PMCID: PMC3139783.
Simpson CC, Mazzeo SE. Calorie counting and fitness tracking technology: Associations with eating disorder symptomatology. Eat Behav. 2017 Aug;26:89-92. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2017.02.002. Epub 2017 Feb 9. PMID: 28214452.
Stewart TM, Martin CK, Williamson DA. The Complicated Relationship between Dieting, Dietary Restraint, Caloric Restriction, and Eating Disorders: Is a Shift in Public Health Messaging Warranted? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 3;19(1):491. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010491. PMID: 35010751; PMCID: PMC8745028.
Grzelka K, Wilhelms H, Dodt S, Dreisow ML, Madara JC, Walker SJ, Wu C, Wang D, Lowell BB, Fenselau H. A synaptic amplifier of hunger for regaining body weight in the hypothalamus. Cell Metab. 2023 May 2;35(5):770-785.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.03.002. Epub 2023 Mar 24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413123000803
Rhee, E.J. Weight Cycling and Its Cardiometabolic Impact. J. Obes. Metab.Syndr. 2017, 26, 237–242. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Hazzard VM, Telke SE, Simone M, Anderson LM, Larson NI, Neumark-Sztainer D. Intuitive eating longitudinally predicts better psychological health and lower use of disordered eating behaviors: findings from EAT 2010-2018. Eat Weight Disord. 2021 Feb;26(1):287-294. doi: 10.1007/s40519-020-00852-4. Epub 2020 Jan 31. PMID: 32006391; PMCID: PMC7392799.
Christoph M, Järvelä-Reijonen E, Hooper L, Larson N, Mason SM, Neumark-Sztainer D. Longitudinal associations between intuitive eating and weight-related behaviors in a population-based sample of young adults. Appetite. 2021 May 1;160:105093. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105093. Epub 2021 Jan 9. PMID: 33428973; PMCID: PMC7902094.
Miketinas DC, Bray GA, Beyl RA, Ryan DH, Sacks FM, Champagne CM. Fiber Intake Predicts Weight Loss and Dietary Adherence in Adults Consuming Calorie-Restricted Diets: The POUNDS Lost (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies) Study. J Nutr. 2019 Oct 1;149(10):1742-1748. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz117. PMID: 31174214; PMCID: PMC6768815.
